Living life in your own strength…..

“Moses told [the Lord’s] words to all the Israelites, and they

mourned greatly.

And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of

the mountain, saying

Behold, we are here, and we intend to go up to the place which

the Lord has promised, for we have sinned.

But Moses said, why do you transgress the command of the Lord

[to turn back by way of the Red Sea], since it will not succeed?

Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that you be not struck

down before your enemies. “

Numbers 14:39-45

 

The twelve spies had got back from scouting Canaan and

ten of the twelve brought back bad news. Joshua and Caleb

where full of confidence that God could bring them into the

promise land but the other ten thought otherwise. Anyway

after the news Israel in it’s entirety complained and grumbled.

Talk of going back to Egypt was going around and the people

were about to stone Joshua and Caleb when the Lord intervened!

 

They would not inherit the land God promised them because

of their lack of faith. Their children would be the ones who

would enter the promise land.

Anyway to cut a long story short, the people were very sorry

for how they reacted and decided to take up their weapons

and take the land God had given them. Moses told them it

was too late and they had to turn back but they thought it a

small feat to attack the Canaanites and Amalekites.  So off they

went without Moses and the ark of God (His presence) and

lost! (Numbers 14:44, 45)

 

The Israelites took for granted God’s presence with them.

They thought they could storm the Canaanites in their own

strength but they were dead wrong. It was because of God

they were able to destroy nations stronger than themselves!

 

This Sunday I was reminded who is really in control. Like

the Israelites I forgot who was really in control. I had become

proud. I forgot the reason I do all I do is because of His grace

and mercy on my life. There is no other reason behind it. I am

able to teach because He enables me to!

 

“My glory is great because of His aid”

 

That sums up everything.

The reason I write, the reason I am

able to teach, the reason I am where I am is because of Him.

It’s not because I am smart or because I “know” people!

It’s not because I grew up in the right neighborhood.

It’s not because I am eloquent and so on and so on….

 

I am able to do all that I do because of God. It’s all Him!

Without God I would lose. The enemy would win hands

down.

My enemies in the natural ARE stronger than me and I could be

extinguished if I was alone. But I am not alone!

The Lord is with me and He is the reason I win, He is the

reason I succeed. He is the reason I am still here.

 

We need God friends. I hope you realize just how much you

need Him in your life. He does so much and at times we can

take it for granted. We can think it’s because of our strength

but it’s not. He is the One who has carried us this far.

The Israelites thought their strength was enough but they

were so wrong! They needed God desperately if they were

ever going to enter the promise land.

As I close I want to encourage you to always seek His guidance.

He is the reason we win and He is the reason we are alive.

Don’t forget that friends!

Bless you

 

Rolain.

 

 

 

 

 

What do you believe about prayer?

How does God answer prayers? Is there a formula, a to-do list we have to follow? Well, a friend was speaking to me about prayer and this is what he had to say:

Throughout the Bible, God told His people to do something first before he answered their prayers. 

– God told Moses to strike the rock, and then water would come.

– The prophet told the widow to bake him a cake first. She believed God’s promise through the prophet and was kept alive through the famine.

– Before Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, He tested the their faith first, He told the mourners to first roll away the stone, then because of their obedience He brought Lazarus back to life. 

– Jesus told the blind man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam, then he would receive his sight.

– He told the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests. When they showed their faith by obeying and heading in that direction, only then did God do the miracle. As they went, they were healed. 

 

I thought what he said was very interesting. You may not have an answer to prayer because He wants you to take the first step? As I read what he was sharing, things started popping up that I know God would want me to do first. Not that He is unable to perform a miracle because He is capable.

With that said, I don’t think God expects us to do everything. He wants to see our faith in Him in the first step we take! Do you trust Him, then step out? Have you prayed and not received an answer? Maybe you need to take the first step, in faith that He has heard you!

Rolain

Nine months later…….

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she grieved for her husband. When the time

of mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. 

But God was not at all pleased with what David had done, 

1 Samuel 12:26, 27

We all know what happened here. David slept with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife but to cover it up he got Uriah

who was a faithful solider to him killed! Bathsheba may not have known what David did but the point is she became the king’s wife. She may not have had a say in any of this either. A king was free to do whatever he wanted in those days.

When I read this story a thought came to me. Between Uriah being killed to Bathsheba giving birth to a son was

at least nine months. I don’t know how long the time of mourning was but all we know is it was at least nine months

when all this took place. David was in sin for nine months! He knew taking someone’s wife was sin. He knew murder

was a sin. David loved God. He had an intimate relationship with Him but David was blinded in this season. This post is

not about how bad David was. We are all sinners. David sinned but so do we.

What I want to show you though is how as sinners sin can destroy us. During this ‘nine months’ we hear nothing.

There is no Psalm that we read during that period! We don’t hear of David’s exploits during that time. Nothing was recorded during that time. David was in sin and he didn’t even know it!

If that could happen to David, a man after God’s heart then surely it could happen to us. And please note, David

didn’t snap out of it by himself. He didn’t realize what he was doing by himself. God intervened!!!! If God did not intervene who knows how long it would of gone on for?

And this is what this post is about……God intervened!

God did not leave David in his sin. He saved him. By God’s grace David was disciplined and forgiven! That is good news for us indeed.

We will do crazy things and left to our own we will not win, BUT……But God does not leave us to ourselves. He is watching over us.

He has extended His grace and mercy to us! We serve a really great God! He sent His son to die for us!

I was so encouraged when I got that revelation. God is for me and no matter how crazy it gets God will help me. I hope it’s an encouragement to you as well.

Generous in love – God, give grace! 

Huge in mercy – wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt, 

soak out my sins in Your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been; 

my sins staring me down. 

Psalm 51:1-3

 

But that is not the end of the story. God turned this dark and terrible situation for good.

David went and comforted his wife Bathsheba. And when he slept with her, they conceived a son. When the son was born they

named him Solomon. God had a special love for him and sent word by Nathan the prophet that God wanted him named Jedidiah (God’s beloved).

2 Samuel 12:24, 25

Solomon would not have been born if David and Bathsheba never met. I am not saying what David did was right. He sinned! What I am trying to say though is God turned a bad thing into something wonderful. And He will do the same thing for us. We may think our sin is too much and God cannot use us but that is not true. God has forgiven you and will turn what the enemy meant for death into life…..

He has amazing things for you despite what you have done. Sin does not define who you are anymore, God’s grace does. He is a truly amazing God!!!

Rolain