A Powerful Positive Influence

Next Sunday three children from my church will be baptized, so tomorrow I will teach the children on water baptism. The three children being baptized are sisters. They come from a split home, and both of their parents are not Christians, but, praise God! their grandmother is. As a result of this grandmother's faith and devotion to God, each of the girls have now made a decision to follow Jesus by being baptized in water as an outward confession of their faith. Despite all obstacles, the faith of one woman changed the lives of three in her family.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul contributes the faith of Timothy, who was a God-fearing pastor in Ephesus, to two women: his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.

"I am reminded of your sincere faith,

which first lived in your grandmother Lois

and in your mother Eunice

and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."

2 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)

Eunice was a Jew, but she was married to a Gentile who was not a believer of Jesus Christ. As a result, her husband prevented their son Timothy from being circumcised at birth. But despite the negative hindrances, Eunice, together with her mother Lois, are able to influence Timothy to live for Jesus. In turn, Timothy gives his life to influence many to live for Him.

Rejoicing For Each One

A girl from the neighbourhood came for the first time on Wednesday night for New Hope Kids. I was very excited to meet her. Her father stayed to watch and enjoyed the worship, puppet show and Bible lesson just as much as his daughter did. He told me afterwards his daughter will be coming every week and left with a great smile on his face. Praise God! One by one, God is increasing the number of children my sons and I minister too and I rejoice along with the angels for each one we have the privilege to teach God's Word to.

"In the same way,

I tell you,

there is rejoicing

in the presence of the angels of God

over one sinner who repents."

Luke 15:10 (NIV)

It Is Late And Time Is Running Out

We need to wake up. It is late and time is running out. Our salvation is drawing near. We must remove our filthy clothes and put on the shining armor of right living in obedience to God.

"This is all the more urgent,

for you know how late it is;

time is running out.

Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now

than when we first believed.

The night is almost gone;

the day of salvation will soon be here.

So remove your dark deeds

like dirty clothes,

and put on the shining armor of right living.

Because we belong to the day,

we must live decent lives for all to see.

Don't participate in the darkness

of wild parties and drunkenness, 

or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living,

or in quarreling and jealousy.

Instead, clothe yourself

with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And don't let yourself think about ways

to indulge your evil desires."

Romans 13:11-13 (NLT)

Many so-called Christians and pastors in our churches are in danger because of sexual immorality.

"The time is coming when everything 

that is covered up will be revealed,

and all that is secret 

will be made known to all.

Whatever you have said in the dark

will be heard in the light,

and what you have whispered behind closed doors 

will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!

'Dear friends, don't be afraid of those who want to kill the body;

they cannot do any more to you after that.

But I'll tell you whom to fear.

Fear God, who has the power to kill you

and then throw you into hell.

Yes, He's the One to fear.'"

Luke 12:2-5 (NLT)

If we continue to live in darkness and indulge in our evil desires, we need to be afraid.  God has the power to give both life and death.

The Need To Know How True It Is

Many people in churches believe that electric guitars are evil. As a result, godly musicians who have been given the desire and gift from God to play electric guitars feel unwelcome. A common hypocritical act is to ask an electric guitarist to play on a worship team for show, but then to tell the sound person to make sure he or she isn't heard.

Evilness lies in the heart, not in an instrument, and discriminating against a child of God is sin. The Bible says God shows no favoritism. In other words, He doesn't prefer one type of musician over another.

"Then Peter began to speak:

'I now realize how true it is

that God does not show favoritism.'"

Acts 10:34 (NIV)

In God's eyes, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free. There is no male and female, and no electric guitarist and harpist. We are all one in Christ Jesus.

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile,

neither slave nor free,

nor is there male and female,

for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

Is It Right Or Is It Wrong?

"But the woman had taken the two men

and hidden them.

She said, 'Yes, the men came to me,

but I did not know where they had come from.

At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate,

they left.

I don't know which way they went.

Go after them quickly.

You may catch up with them.'

Joshua 2:4-5 (NIV)

In the Bible story of Rahab and the two Israelite spies, Rahab chose to lie to the King's men to protect the lives of two God-fearing men. Although lying is strongly condemned by God in the Bible, Rahab is commended and blessed by God for her action. Is this a contradiction to God's character? No. There are occasions, although rare, where a child of God must lie to wicked men with evil intentions to prevent them from hurting or killing the innocent or God's people.

A historic example of this is during Hitler's reign when many brave people risked their lives to hide Jews in their own homes to prevent those Jews from being slaughtered by the Nazis. Rahab also risked her own life to hide two Jews under stalks of flax she had laid out on her roof. She then lied and told the King's men the Jewish men had left. If the King's men decided to search her house to make certain she was telling the truth, Rahab would have been killed along with the two Jews.

Rahab's righteous actions were rewarded by God. She and her family were saved from being destroyed.

"It was by faith

that Rahab the prostitute

was not destroyed

with the people of her city

who refused to obey God.

For she had given a friendly welcome

to the spies."

Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)

Not only that, Rahab was honoured by God to become part of Christ's genealogy.

"Salmon was the father of Boaz

(whose mother was Rahab).

Boaz was the father of Obed

(whose mother was Ruth).

Obed was the father of Jesse."

Matthew 1:5 (NIV)

We obey God's commandments because we love God's righteousness. But if we obey God's commandments because we love our own righteousness, then we will do evil in His eyes, justifying our sinful actions as righteousness, when it is not. Rahab put her faith and love in God. She did wrong according to the letter of the Law, but she did right according to the heart of God.

If It Is Unwholesome, Don't Say It

One of the things preventing a church from fulfilling God's Great Commission is the frequent unreasonable and ill-mannered criticisms towards the leaders of a church. As a result many good leaders of God become disheartened and give up, or loose their focus by trying to please the people, instead of God.

The Bible says we are not to let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful and beneficial to build each other up.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk

come out of your mouths,

but only what is helpful

for building others up

according to their needs,

that it may benefit those who listen."

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

Harmful talk is a tool of Satan to distract God's people from doing His will and tear it down.

Go Outside

"And then He told them,

'Go into all the world 

and preach the Good News

to everyone.'"

Mark 16:15 (NLT)

The Bible tells us we are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. In other words, we are to go to the people who are in need of Jesus to share His love and salvation message to them. Going to church and supporting a church financially in today's society does very little to accomplish this mission because the goal of most churches today is to cater to existing Christians and meet the ever-increasing expenses of a church. Not only that, churches today have such a negative connotation to them, most non-Christians steer far away from them.Therefore, we must go outside of the church to reach the lost and stop waiting for them to come in.

Can A Church Become A God?

We cannot take any part of a church building with us to Heaven, but we can take souls with us. Why then is so much time and money spent on church buildings, and programs designed to please and entertain the people? Today many churches have become nothing more than a social club for self-centered Christians, and a beautiful building to admire and worship. As a result, many pastors are pressured to spend most of their time trying to make the people happy and manipulate them to give more money to pay the bills, instead of doing the work of God. Therefore, for many people and pastors, the church has taken the place of God in their lives. The Bible says we need to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things and pleasures.

"Set your minds on things above,

not on earthly things."

Colossians 3:2 (NIV)

Seek To Be The Radiance Of God's Glory

My dog Barlow on stage.

Last Wednesday night at New Hope Kids, the children all wanted to be on stage with me, so I stood down below to lead them from there. I had to chuckle to myself though because I thought there are some adults in churches who are no different. They wanted to stand on an elevated platform for all to see, but few want to be face down on the ground at His feet.

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory

and the exact representation 

of His being."

Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

Like Jesus, may we always seek to be the radiance of God's glory and not our own, and may we also seek to be the imprint of His nature.

Even Jesus' Close Friend

"But seek first the Kingdom of God

and His righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you."

Even though Judas Iscariot got to walk with Jesus, talk with Him, listen to His words, hear His voice, witness His miraculous power, feel His amazing love, and be in His beautiful presence, Judas chose another god over Jesus. Judas chose money.

"Even My close friend,

someone I trusted,

one who shared My bread,

has turned against Me."

Psalm 41:9 (NIV)

There are many Judas Iscariots today who know Jesus and portray outwardly they are followers of Christ, but inwardly they have another god. Nothing in our lives can be more important than God---not fame, money, power, self, another person, career or any worldly pleasure. God must be first and foremost in our hearts.

Jesus Born In The Beauty Of Love And Joy

My son Tim made this manger for the children's Christmas Pageant

"And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.

She wrapped Him in cloths 

and placed Him in a manger,

because there was no guest room

available for them."

Luke 2:7 (NIV)

The first bed baby Jesus was laid to rest upon was a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Undoubtedly it would have been cleaned and filled with fresh hay. His bed may have been simple and cheap, and his room unbeauteous, but His surroundings were filled with the love and devotion of two parents to God and each other, the Heavenly angels, the shepherds, and of course, His Heavenly Father. The infant Jesus did not have the comfort of material riches or wealth that He deserved, but He did have the beautiful comfort of love and anticipated joy.

Moses Died Healthy, Strong And Happy!

Before Moses took his last breath on earth, he climbed up Mount Nebo where God showed him the whole land He promised to give to His people, but not Moses. It wasn't because Moses was too old, weak or feeble. The Bible says Moses was still strong and healthy. It was because He purposely disobeyed God by striking a rock twice with his rod, instead of just speaking to it as God commanded him. As a result, Moses' disobedience caused him to die at the same time the rest of his people died, who were twenty years and older forty years previously when God told them to take possession of the Promised Land the first time. Disobedience cost Moses and thousands of Israelites a great earthly blessing and a longer life span.

"And Moses the servant of the lord

died there in Moab,

as the Lord had said.

He buried him in Moab,

in the valley opposite Beth Peor,

but to this day no one knows

where his grave is.

Moses was a hundred and twenty years old

when he died,

yet his eyes were not weak 

nor his strength gone."

Deuteronomy 34:5-7 (NIV)

However, even though Moses was not able to cross over into the Promised Land, he crossed over into the Promised Heaven. And there is no land on earth that can compare to the paradise that awaits for us in Heaven for all those who repent of their sins and receive God's forgiveness.

The Secret To Success

"Be strong and very courageous.

Be careful to obey all the law

my servant Moses gave you;

do not turn from it 

to the right or to the left,

that you may be successful wherever you go.

Keep this Book of the Law

always on your lips;

meditate on it day and night,

so that you may be careful to do 

everything written in it.

Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid;

do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God

will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:7-9 (NIV)

Many people in the world, including some who call themselves Christians, have a so-called formula to prosperity and success, but it does not correspond to the formula God laid out in the Scriptures for Joshua to follow. God told Joshua that he would be prosperous and successful wherever he goes if he followed these four rules:

1. Be strong and courageous.

2. Be careful to obey all God's commands.

3. Meditate on God's Word day and night.

4. Never be afraid or discouraged.

Faster Than A Chariot And More Powerful Than A Horse,

To beat a terrific rainstorm, God gave the Prophet Elijah special strength to run faster than the King's chariot powered by a team of mighty horses.

"Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah.

He tucked his cloak into his belt

and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot 

all the way to the entrance of Jezreel."

1 Kings 18:46 (NIV)

Superman, Spiderman, Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man are all modern-day imaginary heroes who possess special figmental powers that children idolize and dress up as, but the heroes in the Bible are all true!

I Felt His Pain For Him

Yesterday, I took my son Chris into the city of Edmonton to have Lasik eye surgery to correct his nearsightedness so he can apply to enter the Edmonton City Fire Department. As I was sitting with Chris in the waiting room, the nurse called his name to come into her office to review with him again the preoperative care of his eyes and give him four prescriptions. When Chris came out, he was laughing. I thought, "Wow, he certainly isn't nervous!" The others who were in the waiting room sure were. One young man asked when he could have his tranquilizer and a middle-aged woman ate all the arrowroot cookies on the table.

When I looked at Chris with puzzlement as to what was so funny, he said, "The nurse thought you were my wife."

I thought, "Oh, OK, should I leave then?"

Looking to Chris for the answer, he said enthusiastically, "You get to watch the whole procedure on a computer screen next to the operating room."

"Alright!" I said excitedly. "This should be interesting!" However, the excitement soon wore off, as I felt every discomfort and pain my son wasn't feeling when I saw his eyes poked, prodded, and cut. When the surgery was over, Chris came into the room smiling. I got up and felt faint. Then I realized this is the same way God feels when He sees His children suffering. Jesus shared the pain of others. He even wept when his childhood friend Lazarus died.

"Jesus wept."

John 11:35 (NIV)

How To Get God's Attention

Sometimes people act like the 450 prophets of Baal who prayed from morning to evening, shouting, dancing, hurting themselves, and raving to get a response from their god, but no answer came. Why? Because their god is not the true God. It is an idol.

"Then they called on the name of Baal

from morning until noontime, 

shouting, 'O Baal, answer us!'

But there was no reply of any kind.

Then they danced,

hobbling around the altar they had made.

. . . So they shouted louder,

and following their normal custom,

they cut themselves with knives and swords

until the blood gushed out.

They raved all afternoon

until the time of the evening sacrifice,

but still there was no sound,

no reply, no response."

1 Kings 18:26, 28-29 (NIV)

When Elijah prayed, he walked calmly up to the altar, and spoke less than a minute, but God mightily answered. Why? Because his heart was right. His true love was God, not himself, or any other god. He lived a life of self-sacrifice, obedience and servant-hood, so that others too would know Him.

"At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice,

Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed,

'O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

prove today that you are God in Israel

and that I am your servant.

Prove that I have done all this at your command.

O Lord, answer me! Answer me

so these people will know that you, O Lord, our God

 and that You have brought them back to Yourself.'

Immediately the fire of the Lord

flashed down from heaven

and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust.

It even licked up all the water in the trench!"

1 Kings 18:36-38 (NIV)

It is not the length, the shouting, or the wild gesticulating that get God's attention when we pray. It is our lifestyle and heart's desire.

Church Collapse

God is a God of order, therefore, church ministry must be organized to allow the church to function smoothly, flow in God's Spirit, and fulfill His purpose.

"For God is not a God of disorder

but of peace,

as in all the meetings

of God's holy people."

1 Corinthians 14:33 (NLT)

Disorganization in churches only causes stress, which leads to an unhealthy, unstable and unproductive environment.

Unity Must Be Sought After And Wrought For

"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,

in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that all of you agree with one another in what you say

and that there be no divisions among you,

but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)

It is vitally important that there be unity in a church's leadership, especially if there is going to be unity in the Church body. Unity takes work. It is acquired slowly and needs constant maintenance. If unity is neglected, it quickly becomes lost.

Here are some ways unity in a church's leadership is lost:

• The leaders of the various ministries do not meet together on a regular basis (or at all) to discuss problems, goals, and so forth.
• The leaders know each other only by face and name. There are no planned fellowship activities between them.
• The various ministries in the church are completely separated and not connected in any way.
• Each leader does his/her own thing without knowing the plans of the other leaders. (This results in chaos and strife.)

Disunity in a church's leadership causes a great amount of stress, despair, conflict, and unfruitfulness. Unity must be sought after and wrought for in the body of Christ, or else the body of Christ will end up being nothing but a pile of bones.

Balaam Was Blinded By His Evilness

A mule is an offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Tomorrow night I will be teaching the children the Bible story of Balaam and his talking donkey. Balaam was obedient to God to speak only the words God put in his mouth to speak, but Balaam's heart was evil. Balaam looked and sounded good. He bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before the angel of the Lord and confessed his sin. He blessed Israel not once, but four times, even though he was bribed by King Balak to curse them. However, in Revelations we discover Balaam returned later to King Balak to tell him of a way he could get the Israelites to curse themselves instead. Balaam told King Balak to tempt the Israelites to have sexual relations with Moabite women and to to eat food offered up to idols. As a result of Balaam's evil plan, 24,000 Israelites died of a plague sent by God as punishment when they sinned.

"But I have a few complaints against you.

You tolerate some among you

whose teaching is like that of Balaam,

who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel.

He taught them to sin 

by eating food offered to idols 

and by committing sexual sin.

Revelations 2:14 (NLT)

Balaam is an example for us to beware people who bow before the Lord, confess their sins in public, and speak His Word, but behind the scenes do evil and plot to hurt God's people.

A Powerful Story

As soon as Samson's family heard that Samson had died, the Bible says his brothers and all of his father's family went down to the land of the Philistines to search through all the rubble and thousands of corps to find him. When they found Samson, his whole family brought him back and buried him near his father's tomb.

"Then his brothers

 and his father's whole family

went down to get him.

They brought him back

and buried him

 between Zorah and Eshtaol

in the tomb of Manoah his father."

Judges 16:31 (NIV)

Samson wasn't left to rot with the ungodly Philistines, even though he disgraced God, himself and his people. Instead, Samson's body was lovingly laid to rest with his deceased father. God was not the only one who forgave Samson, his whole family did also. The story of Samson is a powerful story, not because of a man's supernatural strength, but because of God's love and redeeming power.

Power and Freedom Were Lost Through Sin, But Regained Through Prayer

The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson and he led Israel for twenty years. However, when Samson sinned against God, the Lord left him.

"He awoke from his sleep and thought,

'I'll go out as before

and shake myself free.'

But he did not know

that the Lord had left him."

Judges 16:20 (NIV)

But later when Samson prayed earnestly to God, the Lord came back to him.

"Then Samson prayed to the Lord,

'Sovereign Lord,

remember me.

Please, God, strengthen me

just once more.'"

Judges 16:28 (NIV)

Though Samson died in darkness, bound in shackles with his enemies by his side, the light of God's presence was with him and he was set free.

Sin robbed Samson of his power and freedom, but through prayer Samson's power and freedom were regained.

Sick To Death Of An Ungodly Beauty

Samson was not the only powerful man in history who fell because of his love for a young and outwardly beautiful, but selfish and ungodly woman. As a result, Samson lost everything, even the two women he fell in love with.

A wife of noble character may be hard to find, but she is worth waiting for. The Bible says a godly wife is far more valuable than any precious jewels.

"A wife of noble character

who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies."

Proverbs 30:10 (NIV)

The women who model on magazine covers, seen in television commercials or on theater screens, and spend a fortune on plastic surgery, clothes and beauty treatments may be idolized and lusted after by people in the world, but it is a woman who fears the Lord that is to be praised.

"Charm is deceptive,

and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord

is to be praised."

Proverbs 30:31 (NIV)

If Samson had honoured God by choosing a godly wife, he would have been so much happier. As a result, he was sick to death of being nagged, died unloved, in misery and disgrace, and all alone.

"With such nagging 

she prodded  him day after day

until he was sick to death of it."

Judges 16:16 (NIV)

Sin Destroys Both Future And History

When most people think about Samson in the Bible, they think of his amazing physical strength that was taken away from him because of dismaying spiritual weakness.

What we don't remember or overlook in Scripture is Samson successfully led Israel for twenty years before he fell into temptation of sexual immorality with first a prostitute and then Delilah.

"Samson led Israel

for twenty years

in the days of the Philistines.

Judges 15:20 (NIV)

Twenty years of Samson's life as leader is ignored, but his stupidity with Delilah is remembered. It is sad how twenty years can go down the drain so quickly by sin.

"Do not be deceived:

God cannot be mocked.

A man reaps what he sows.

Whoever sows to please their flesh,

from the flesh will reap destruction;

whoever sows to please the Spirit,

from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

Sin destroys both a person's future and history, but thank goodness his/her repentance can change where they spend eternity.

Unless You Become Like Little Children

Last night at New Hope Kids, a young girl excitedly gave me a pretty pink invitation to attend her birthday party, even though she has only known me for a few months. My heart melted when I read her card and then looked up to the see the bright smile on the little girl's face. I was honoured that she viewed me as her friend and family member.

Oh, if the members of the body of Christ could become more like little children, they could love each other sincerely as brothers and sisters.

"You were cleansed from yours sins

when you obeyed the truth,

so now you must show 

sincere love to each other

as brothers and sisters.

Love each other deeply 

with all your heart.

1 Peter 1:22 (NLT)

Children are more inclined to love more deeply with all their heart.

"Then He said,

'I tell you the truth,

unless you turn from your sins

and become like little children,

you will never get into

 the Kingdom of Heaven.'"

Matthew 18:13 (NLT)

Spiritualizing Enabling

Sadly, some Christians are "enablers" — individuals who, out of what they believe is sincere love and care, actually prevent a person who is living in rebellion against God from turning his/her life around and coming to Jesus.

Here are some warning signs that you might be an enabler:

• You are afraid to directly confront a person about his/her destructive behaviour to avoid conflict or alienating him/her.
• You are waiting for God to do a miracle and you characterize the wait as faith, as you continually get hurt.
• You accept abuse from a person and ask God to give you the strength to endure it.
• You are getting physically sick from the stress of being in an unhealthy relationship.
• You are making excuses to justify a person's bad behaviour, blaming the devil or even yourself.
• You are constantly asking God for wisdom, but only seeking the answer you want to hear: "God is going to make it all better, just keep on praying, and believing." And then continue to suffer because of the other person's sins.
• You are refusing to set up boundaries of protection because of spiritual guilt.

The Bible says we are not to take any part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. Our responsibility is to expose them, not enable them.

"Take no part

in the worthless deeds of evil

and darkness;

instead, expose them."

Ephesians 5:11 (NLT)

More Into The Treasury Than All The Others

Last Sunday I also got a $5 gift card from Claires, an accessories and jewelry store for little girls. This gift card was given to me by the same sweet eight-year old girl who gave me the homemade card. (I gathered the gift card was once hers, probably a gift from another little girl.) I thanked the girl very much and then gave her a big hug. It was at that moment I thought about how Jesus must have felt when a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny. This little girl who gave me the gift card on Sunday did the same. She gave me all that she had. Little does she know that she has put more into the treasury than all the others.

"But a poor widow came 

and put in two very small copper coins,

worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling His disciples to Him,

Jesus said, 

'I tell you the truth,

this poor widow

has put more into the treasury

than all the others.'"

Mark 12:41-43 (NIV)

Then yesterday, I went to the mall to try to find something in Claires to buy that I could wear to show the girl on Wednesday night when she comes to the Christian boys and girls club. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything. Everything in the store is for little girls, so the merchandise is either too small or too childish. I prayed to God for wisdom. Then I looked around once more and spotted this necklace.

I will now proudly wear it tomorrow night for around my neck hangs a treasure of great value.

God Loves Us All!

Last Sunday, a little girl excitedly came up to me to give me a card that she had made. On the card she drew a picture of the two of us with these words above it, "Jesus loves us all."

This eight-year old girl comes from a single parent home. Her mother is not a Christian and her father who lives far away does not provide any financial support for her or her two sisters. She may not have the love of an earthly father, but she knows she has the love of a Heavenly One.

"For God so loved the world

that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him

shall not perish

but have eternal life."

John 3:16 (NIV)

Not Afraid to Not Fear God

"If the Lord is pleased with us,

He will lead us into that land,

a land flowing with milk and honey,

and will give it to us.

Only do not rebel against the Lord.

And do not be afraid of the people of the land,

because we will devour them.

Their protection is gone,

but the Lord is with us.

Do not be afraid."

Numbers 14:8-9 (NIV)

As I continue to study the story of the twelve Israelite spies, I struggle to understand why the people were more afraid of their enemies than they were afraid of God if they rebelled against Him.

"But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared

 at the tent of meeting

to all the Israelites.

The Lord said to Moses, 

'How long will these people treat me with contempt?

How long will they refuse to believe in Me,

in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?

I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them.'"

Numbers 14:10-12 (NIV)

Many people today, including those who call themselves Christians haven't changed much. They live in rebellion against God. They are not afraid to not fear Him, but they are so afraid of everything else. If we live in fellowship with God, we can put our trust in Him and not fear anything because He is with us. However, if the Lord is not pleased with us because we are continually disobeying Him and living in sin, then we need to be afraid.

It Wasn't Just Ten, It Was Millions

"The Lord said to Moses,

'Send some men

to explore the land of Canaan,

which I am giving to the Israelites.

From each ancestral tribe

send one of its leaders.'"

Numbers 3:1-2 (NIV)

Of the twelve men who were sent to spy out the land God had promised the Israelites, only two had faith in God, even though all of them had recently witnessed multitudes of amazing miracles that God had performed for them. And it wasn't just these ten men — the whole community sided with them, leaving only four out of millions who trusted God.

"That night all the members

of the community

raised their voices

and wept aloud.

All the Israelites grumbled

against Moses and Aaron,

and the whole assembly said to them,

'If only we had died in Egypt!

Or in this wilderness!'"

Numbers 14:1-2 (NIV)

When I read this Bible story, I can't help but wonder: if God's people were put to a similar test today, how many would believe? I hope the percentage would be higher.

A Prayer Request Turned Into An Idol

"If God doesn't answer my prayer, I will never trust Him again!"

A prayer request can sometimes turn into an idol if one constantly focuses one's attention on the prayer, seeking after the answer, instead seeking after God. In other words, one becomes obsessed with the prayer, that dominates all one's thoughts, feelings and desires. This is sin and it will hinder the answer to the prayer from coming.

The Bible says we are to seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously. If we do this, God will give us everything we need.

"Seek the Kingdom of God

above all else,

and live righteously,

and He will give you

everything you need."

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

Praying is important, but we must never allow a prayer to become more important than God.