Expect God To Deliver

Waiting is the hardest thing in the world. We can pray. We can read all the words of God. We can hold on to our faith. Yet we find it hard to wait upon God. The Psalmist wants us to “be still and know” that He is God (Psalm 46:10). To wait means to do nothing. Can we do nothing about the situation? How long do we have to wait until we see results? What can we do while waiting? Maybe by faith I move ahead and do this which I think is right and I am sure that God will guide me along the way. This is not faith. This is lack of faith and going ahead of God. When the Psalmist says “be still and know”, he means to do nothing except to know in your heart that God will move in His own ways and in His own timing. All that is required of us is to pray and worship Him. Caleb expected God to deliver the promised lands. He expected God to help them defeat the giants just as He had done in the previous battles. But he did not run ahead of God. The Israelites did after Moses proclaimed God’s judgements. They were defeated and killed. (more…)

Bless the people who hurt you and bless the situation.

There is power in blessing. Why? For our God is a God of love. He desires no strife, quarrels and brokenness. But the fallen nature of this world and man, we live in a world that is broken and under the dominion of the evil one. But the opposite of all negative is love. Jesus tells us to bless our enemies. There must be a reason and a purpose. The world tells us to hate our enemies and to destroy them. But Jesus tells us the opposite. He didn’t want us to carry around with us a heart of bitterness, anger, fear, and unforgiveness. He wants us to carry a heart of love, peace, and joy for He is love. (more…)

Remember the Good Reports of what God has done for you in the past.

Interestingly, as we look at Caleb’s words to the Israelites as he dissuaded them from disobeying God in Numbers 13:30 and Numbers 14:8-9, it makes you wonder where did he get his strong faith from? We are talking about giants here who are at least 5 times the size of us today. Who would not be afraid? There are people who are already afraid of mouse, cockroaches and insects that are smaller than the size of our palms. What’s more giants who are at least 5 times bigger?! (more…)

Stop Complaining. Stop Professing the Negative Results. Stop Blaming People.

The Israelites spent one night in murmuring and weeping. They complained against Moses. They complained against God. They have witnessed the glory of God and the signs yet they have no faith (Numbers 14:22). Their complains ended up in judgements from God. They did not live to see the promised lands except for Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:27-35). For the next forty years, they wandered in the wilderness and one generation has to die before the next generation moved into the promised lands. And yet, we read further that the people were not repentant of their sins even after Moses pronounced the judgements from God. They persisted to go up to the mountains to take the lands and they were defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites (Numbers 14:39-45). What they had professed with their mouths had come true. Indeed, they died by the hands of the giants in the lands (Numbers 14:3). (more…)

Cast Out Fear

The Israelites were already defeated in their minds before the battle began. They found excuses and blamed Moses for taking out of Egypt. They preferred to be tortured by the Egyptians rather than to face the giants. Which people in their sanity enjoy being physically tortured and be in lack?! None and yet here we are, we read in Numbers 14:1-4 that the Israelites chose that. To me, back to Egypt will be a worse end than face the giants. Trust me, the Egyptians are not going to open their arms wide and throw a party to welcome the Israelites home. Can you see how fear has made the people lost all sense of logic and common sense? The same will happen today if we allow fear to control our minds. (more…)

Caleb and Joshua did not focus on the negative. They focused on the positive.

Take your eyes away from the problem. By focusing on the negative and dwelling on the problem, the problem will seem to grow bigger and bigger. When this happened, fear began to take over instead of faith. Lack of faith in God is a sin. And fear is a torment of the mind (1 John 4:18). (more…)

The Israelites Versus The Giants Of Canaan
Numbers 13 and 14

In the land of Canaan lived primitive giants known as Rephaim and they were the descendants of Anak. The size of these giants could be as big as 9 cubits long and 4 cubits wide (about 13 feet by 6 feet). The Israelites were just grasshoppers in the sight of the giants so you can image how big the giants and why the Israelites were trembling on their feet. The Israelites were making their ways to the promised lands of Canaan under the guidance of Moses. They reached the outskirt of Canaan and the Lord told Moses to specifically select only the leaders from the twelve tribes. Moses sent out the twelve spies with clear instructions on the types of reports to bring back to him including physical proof of the fruits of the land (Numbers 13:17-20). (more…)

The Bible says that in life, we will face trials, temptations and difficulties. The devil is like a roaring lion pounding up and down outside the cave, waiting for the right opportunities to take its first bite. It roars outside the cave to scare its prey hiding in the safety of the cave. But the moment, the prey let down its guard and walks out of the safety of the cave, the lion will pound on the prey and eat it up alive. (more…)

The Value of the World

Romans 1:29-31; (NKJV) being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful.

2 Timothy 3:1-4; (NKJV) But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

When we do a comparison between the values of the Ten Commandments against the values of the world system, you will find that the world’s system teaches you the opposite from the word of God. Romans 1:29-31 says that those who do not build on the values of God, will be filled with all kinds of evilness.

Romans 1:29-31 and 2 Timothy 3:1-4 are descriptions of the values of the world. In 2 Timothy 3:1-4, Paul was talking about the Ten Commandments. When you break any of the Ten Commandments, you do not honour God. (more…)

Where do these ten values come from?

These ten values come from the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 as mentioned earlier. Let make reference back to the ten values against the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:1-17

1. Exodus 20:1-3
Love the Lord thy God = the values of Loyalty

2. Exodus 20:4-6
Worship no other gods = the values of Commitment

3. Exodus 20:7
Not to take God’s name in vain = the values of Respect

Not to be presumptuous, proper honour

4. Exodus 20:8, 10-11
Honour the Sabbath day = the values of Accountability

The seventh day is the day that God has set aside for rest. It is during the Sabbath that you worship God, be connected back to God, reports to Him the events of the weeks and the things to come, and to hear from God what you should do in the coming six days. (more…)