….the men told them things that made them afraid!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“I was 40 years old then. When I came back, I told Moses what I thought about the land. 

The other men who went with me told the people things that made them afraid. But 

I believed the Lord would allow us to take the land.” 

Joshua 14:7, 8

 

This was Caleb speaking to Joshua and he was talking about what happened when the 12 spies

got back from spying out the land of Canaan. That was the land YAH had promised his people.

But instead of going to possess it like the Lord promised 10 of the spies managed to strike fear

into the heart of the nation which stopped them dead in their tracks.

I want to zone in on a specific part of the verse I just shared;

 

“The other men who went with me told the people things that made them afraid.” 

 

We have to be careful what we are hearing from others. There is so much stuff happening around

us that can make us afraid which in turn paralyzes us and makes us inoperable.

This is not a casual call I am making but a desperate one.

As much as we can, we need to beware of what we allow ourselves to hear.

 

Israel failed to enter YAH’s promise land because of 10 men who told them things that made them

afraid.  This is serious.

 

Our country is about to have elections and there are a lot of people saying things that have the potential

to make me afraid but I have made a choice to block out those negative conversations. I have to do that

if I want to hold on to YAH’s promises concerning the nation. I know YAH has an amazing plan for my nation

but listening to all the negative things people have to say about what’s happening or going to happen will

not help me declare and hold on to what I need to hold on to.

 

You cannot operate in faith and fear at the same time. It’s either you believe or you fear. It’s that simple.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for news and trying to keep up to date with a situation, or things

happening around you but it gets tricky when those things perpetuate fear and dread instead of

faith and hope. You decide.

 

Joshua and Gideon refused to believe what the 10 men said. They were fully confident that YAH could

deliver them.

On the flip side, are you the one telling people things that make them afraid? It’s so easy to talk about the

bad things. Let’s change what comes out of our mouths.

When you do talk about a problem make sure you have a scripture, or word of encouragement that speaks

directly to the problem. Don’t leave the room or person on a negative.

 

“The mouth of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a well of life, but the mouth of the 

wicked conceals violence.” 

Proverbs 10:11

 

If you have heard or read things that have made you afraid then bring them to YAH.

Ask Him to replace that fear with faith and peace and hope.

One of my friends had destructive words spoken to him that were directly targeted to what YAH

had called him to.

Those words hit him hard, harder than he could ever imagine. He is still dealing with the effects

of it today.

Negative words are destructive.

Let’s learn to speak life and healing. That brings glory to YAH.

With that I am out…..

 

Blessings to you friends….

 

Rolain

 

 

 

Don’t take your “foot off the pedal”….keep hoping and trusting!

“One day some men from the tribe of Judah went to Joshua at Gilgal. One of those men was Caleb

son of Jephunneh. He said to Joshua, “You remember what the Lord said at Kadesh Barnea. He was

speaking to the prophet Moses about you and me. 

Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me to look at the land where we were going. I was 40 years old then.”

Joshua 14:6, 7

 

Caleb is officially one of my favorite bible characters now. I get pumped up every time I read

his story. He was one of the spies that was sent out to spy out the promise land and he was one

of two spies who believed YAH would deliver the Canaanites into their hands.

His faith in YAH was crazy!

His story challenged me so much. In Joshua 14, he goes to Joshua to ask for the mountain YAH promised

him all that time ago.  Let me rephrase that, he tells Joshua to give him the mountain YAH promised

him. There was no asking…..

 

The crazy thing about this story is that Caleb was promised the mountain when he was 40 years old.

And at the age of 85 he was ready to take what YAH promised him. (Joshua 14:10) He waited 45 years for

the Lord’s promise. His faith didn’t waver in all that time. He held on firmly to what the Lord promised him.

 

I don’t know about you but my faith is stirred every time I read that. The Lord is faithful and will

not fail to fulfill what He promised us. We need to make sure we don’t give up and falter in our faith.

If you do falter then get back up. Put your hope in the Lord again. Don’t stay down, don’t

stay discouraged.

No matter how long it has been, hold on to your faith. Hold on to the Lord’s promise.

Caleb didn’t let his age stop him from possessing the Lord’s promise.

At 40 his faith was in YAH and at 85 his faith was still in YAH and stronger than ever!

Don’t let anything stop you from trusting YAH.

 

He never gave up or lost hope. He was patient and confident in the Lord’s faithfulness! His trust

was not in himself, no. His faith was in the Lord.

 

“So give me the mountain country the Lord promised me that day long ago. Back then you heard that

the Anakite people lived there. And the cities were large and well protected. 

But now with the Lord helping me, I will force them out, just as the Lord said.” (italics mine)

Joshua 14:12

 

Wow! That faith!

 

It’s not too late. The Lord has not forgotten about you so don’t throw in the towel! Hold on to the promise

even though it seems like it’s not going to happen.

To be honest with you, there were things I stopped praying about but after reading about Caleb I am back.

That’s what the Lord wants, for us to keep holding on to the promises He has made. No matter what people say,

hold on to the promise.

Don’t let go it. The Lord is faithful and will fulfill what He promised!

 

ACT ON IT – Firstly, write down the things YAH promised you.

Secondly, Go boldly to YAH and ask Him for those things you have stopped praying about

Thirdly, Talk to someone about it.

And lastly, Is there something you need to start doing? Caleb’s faith was in the Lord but he

had to go fight. What do you need to do today as a demonstration of your faith in YAH?

 

And that is it friends. Hold on to the promise of the Lord until he brings it to pass. There will be plenty

opportunity to give up but don’t. The Lord is is faithful to us always!

Bless you.

Rolain

She was a nobody but faith………

This is part of three of my series on Hebrews 11. Read part two here. As I start this post I would like to share a verse that got my attention,

[Prompted] by faith Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed along with those who refused to believe and obey, because she had received the spies in peace [without enmity]. Hebrews 11: 31

Rehab is a hero of the faith but I wonder if she sees the same thing?? If we spoke to her now would she say she is a hero proudly? A lot of people read her story and are inspired and it is good but let us look deeper into her life. She was a prostitute and that meant a few things:

– She slept with men for money. It didn’t matter if the man was married or a drunk, or abusive, as long as they had money she would sleep with them.

– She was looked down upon by society.

– It’s very possible she struggled with a low self esteem

– She was finding it hard to make ends meet and maybe that is why she became a prostitute.

– She lived in fear (it’s possible she was threatened by men she slept with)

– No one respected her.

– She may have broken a few families up. It’s possible wives found out their husbands slept with Rahab and left!

– She must have dealt with guilt and condemnation on a regular basis because of the things she had to do. .

– Did she try to commit suicide???

I would like to make something clear before we move on,

I look up to Rahab and in no way am I trying to tear down her reputation and what God had done for her. I am trying to paint a picture of what she probably went through to make you understand what God saved her from. Because despite all the bad she did and all the bad that happened to her, through faith she was saved. Her name is recorded among the Greats because she trusted God! Because of faith she saved her family and was found in Jesus’s lineage!! (Matthew 1:5)

We need faith and without it we can do nothing pleasing to God. Do I understand what faith is? Not really. What I do know is God did amazing things through the people who trusted Him. No matter what people labeled them, or where they grew up, they turned the world upside down!

This is what the word says about these great men and women of faith,

[Men] of whom the world was not worthy–roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. (Hebrews 11:38 AMP)

Think about all Rahab could of gone through. How could God use her, one could think but in the end what matters is He did! No one is too far off for God to use!

You might feel like you are of no use and your life doesn’t count for something. You might think you have committed too much sin to ever do anything great or you may be plagued with guilt and condemnation but know God has a plan for you! He wants to do great things through you and that is why He wants you to trust Him. Only God can turn your life into something great but you have to have faith in Him!

Rahab did that. She stepped out in faith to God despite what she had done and what people thought and saved the spies. As she used her faith her life changed never to be the same ever. What an amazing testimony for her. I am going to look forward to meeting her and hearing her story! Her story is an example of what God can do with someone who has faith in Him!

Our faith in God can do things we never imagined ever. It can open doors only God can open. Have faith in Him.

Rolain

Being “realistic” and it’s dangers……

“So it happened that the men Moses sent to scout out the land returned to circulate false rumors about the land causing the entire community to grumble against Moses – all these men died. Having spread false rumors of the land, they died in a plague, confronted by God. Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were left alive of the men who went to scout out the land. 
Numbers 14:36-38

Let us take a look at the report the men brought back:
– We went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit!

– The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Canaanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan. 

– But the others said, We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we are. 
They spread scary rumors among the people of Israel. 
Numbers 13: 27-33

Moses had given them specific instructions when they went out to spy out the land and they brought back the information they gathered according to what was asked of them. Please note, as far as we know they did not fabricate anything- The walls were fortified, giants lived in the land and so on and so on. Everything was true yet the word calls it false!!! The spies focused all their attention on what they saw and forgot about God. Yes, there were giants in the land but they did not compare them to God. Yes, the walls were fortified but they did not compare them to God. They forgot about the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who destroyed the most powerful kingdom on earth at the time. There is a lesson for us in this story.

Any news that excludes God out of the equation is false.
Another thing to know is, your circumstances don’t endanger what God can and will do in your life. Your circumstances don’t affect God. And your circumstances don’t determine what you will have in the future. God can and, is turning your situation around!
Your circumstances might say there is no hope but the truth is there is hope.
Your circumstances might say you are done for but it’s not true.
Your circumstances might say the giants are too big but it’s false.
Your circumstances might say your financial status will never change but once again, it’s false.
Your circumstances might say sickness will win but it’s wrong.
Your circumstances might say your future is dark but it’s actually bright.

God has something to say if you will trust Him. Don’t believe the false news.

This is what I have been trying to get at. The spies thought they were being realistic when they brought back the news. They seen giants and they seen fortified cities. How could they conquer against such impossible odds? They failed to see God and and there report was called false.

There are so many things we face as people and there is a temptation to think that’s how it’s going to be. There is a temptation to throw in the towel and give up but God doesn’t want us to do that. He want’s us to know, there is another way – Him! He can turn your circumstances around just like that. He is God and He can do that. We just need to trust Him and not believe the “false” report. Amen!

Rolain

The Problem With Mission Impossible!

Throughout our life God will ask us to do things that seem beyond our reach, crazy, to big for us to handle, in other words impossible. But what are we to do in those times? Where do we start?
There seems to be a battle that rages in us when we know what we are called to do. But those times are what will determine if you succeed or not.

Look at Israel for instance. They were at the door of the promise land. They sent out 12 spies to go and spy the land. Please keep in mind the fact that they were right by the door of what God promised them.
It says the spies went out to spy out the land and when they came back they brought fruit as evidence that they were surely close to the land of milk and honey!
Ten of the spies begin to give the people the facts! The people over there are giants, their walls are impenetrable, we have no chance and so on and so on. The spies did not tell the people lies. The facts were true. This was surely a mission impossible!! But God is not interested in facts but faith! You may be in debt or you may be sick or lonely but He wants faith. One problem with mission impossible is we tend to rely on what we see and not on what God is seeing for us!

But this is where the problem was, they began to speak negatively. They allowed fear to settle in. They had no chance in the natural and we see that later on when they tried to go and conquer the land on their own! They didn’t count on God. They began to grumble and complain.

God has called us to dream the impossible. Our destiny is so much bigger than us but what are we speaking? Believing is important but speaking what you believe, that is where the power is!

I am reminded of a situation I am going through. It seems so big, so far out there. I would speak myself out of it by saying God made a mistake, I was not the right person and so many other things. On top of that I would listen to the words of close friends who said I don’t have a chance!  I thought I was being humble but it actually was sin. God is the One who qualifies us. He calls us not because we have the qualifications but because of His grace! So I will keep on believing right and speaking right because God is in control. My life is in His hands and He will not let me go.

Be very careful what you think and say when you are confronted with an impossible situation.

This is what I am trying to say to you. Believe God no matter how big your situation is. Believe God no matter how big and impossible the thing He has called you to do is! He wants faith and nothing else.

In Numbers chapters 13 and 14, we see how Israel missed their promise because of what they were saying. They disqualified themselves because of their words.

I found Numbers 14:36 very interesting. It says, So it happened that the men Moses sent to scout out the land returned to circulate false rumors about the land causing the entire community to grumble against Moses-all these men died. Having spread false rumors of the land they died in a plague, confronted by God.

This passage is interesting because the spies told the community the facts. There were giants and they had fortified walls but the bible says they were spreading false rumors! You may think you are being realistic about your calling by talking yourself out of it because you think you are not qualified but it is false. God thinks it is sin. When God calls say YES! Don’t start asking why me?

You have a mission impossible but it is only by trusting in God that you will get through to the other side. Don’t look at your weaknesses and what you don’t have, instead look to God. You will accomplish the calling on your life no matter how impossible it seems when you look to Him.

Rolain