As the year began, anticipation was high over the prospects of a great year to be. I was privileged to have ministered in Lathrop, CA at J.I.C.C led by pastor Peter, and also in Merced, CA Faith Missions pastored by Rev. Wadderburn.
The message was almost the same when Rev. Wadderburn preached in his Church as I was at Rev. Peter's in the morning service.
Before joining them for the evening service. It was such wonderful day that God synchronized the message.
We talked in the service on what God spoke to pastor Peter that 2017 will be the year of 'Divine Freedom' and so, God ministered to us greatly.
You Have Dwelt Long In This Mount
The Lord spoke to the children of Israel in Horeb telling them that they had stayed there longer. It was time to move on. They had spend 38 years there, and 40 years after they exited Egypt they were still encompassing the mountain.
Deu 1:6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
Deu 1:7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
Deu 1:8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
"Just as the children of Israel behaved, by encircling the mountain in their day, scores of folks are still moving around in circles, and staying longer in places they shouldn't be lingering spiritually. Most have been absolutely contend with initial strides they made. Some are still savoring the Red Sea victory, some others are still in the area where a negative report was brought to the Hebrews two years after they had come from Egypt. Song and dance over victory ceased when harsh realities of the wilderness dawned on them."
It is left to a keen observer to fathom that; the Jews or the children of Israel if you would love to refer to them that way, were not prepared for a terrible wilderness. It was for sure, an 11 day journey, but God decides they should change cause. Many a times God has made us change cause in order to equip us for the task a head. Our patience, love, and other spiritual boons are shaped through this kind of experience.
After you come to the Lord, you learn it's a war you will get engaged in. Faith in HIM remains the only thing helping one to stand.
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
The last verse speaks about these things being examples, to the intent (because we are called) we shouldn't lust after evil things as they did lust.
"If they would have straightaway gone to the promised land, maybe, they wouldn't have known how to comport themselves in the midst of adversity." God allows us to go through certain situations in order to help us realize that we need to keep our trust in him, than, in things we may easily desire to place our trust in.
The children of Israel lacked experience in structured governance; because they had been enslaved by the Egyptians. They only understood hard toils, and being put in elaborate expatiated tirades that demeaned them. The numbers they had were enough to make them bolt from slavery but couldn't do that. And God allowed it to remain so, for them to understand it was by strong hand they came out of Egypt. And he had to teach them, how to become a nation, and him being their leader, this will make them learn ways they never knew about. Bondage was to cease its hold on them with God at the helm.
"Sometimes we do fail to understand the capacity we have after many years of sustained enemy's onslaught on the faith we profess. We tend to believe the very things negative forces are telling us. We forget certain victories we gained as a result of the very enormous trust we put in him in the first place."
The children of Israel forgot the great victories wrought by God in the land of slavery. How the Red Sea was parted for them to walk yonder. Manna, that was being supplied to them daily except for twice as much of supply worth on the sixth day, so that on the sabbath day they would rest and worship God. They thought God hated them; and that is why according to them, he had brought them to face death in the wilderness. They murmured and complaint regularly reminiscing foods they ate in Egypt and the graveyards they had there to bury their dead.
"God didn't call us from the world that enslaved us in sin to punish us, to the contrary he loved us enough to give life in abundance through his son Jesus Christ. Spies were send and they spied the land and brought a negative report that was defeatist in nature. They said the land was good, but as a nation which had no experience in war, they were going to be wiped out. God never said that would happen to them. And again they equated themselves to grasshoppers in the sight of the giants they saw. They duly forgot God had turned Egypt into an impoverished nation to make them (Israelites) free. But we still had a duo that stood their ground and told the rest not to sin against God. Their pleas received no respect and fell on deaf ears. God will later intervene on their behalf from -the wrath- of the people -who accepted the negative report. This prompted God to tell them that each day- spied-will be a year of waiting: 40 days, became 40 years, spend in the wilderness, because they wavered in trusting in him.
And now a time comes when God remembers his covenant with Abraham; which he promised him concerning his descendants, that he will bring them out of Egypt with a strong hand -to -the -land he was sojourning. He told him that he will punish that nation."
I would say maybe, for long, you have felt like God forgot you, or you will never scale dimensions you once thought you would. You quite feel like you have been going around the circle or marking the time. But I have good news, it's time to enter into your destiny, it's time for recovery of what you lost, it's time for your divine freedom. It's time for your financial breakthrough. Your ministry will go a notch higher than in previous years. Healing and other extraordinary miracles are happening in your life this year. Just as Israel was reminded by God that they had overstayed on the mountain, so are we reminded that we should get in to our destiny.
"Our trust should remain in him, even when most people are giving us negative reports. They will paint not so rosy pictures about our future, but let's remind ourselves of his word that says if God is for us who can be against us. We are more than conquerors in Christ."
"There is rest in all fronts, and we are going to see great things happening in our lives that are ordained of God. Let's arise, shine for our glory has come. Every giant that made us feel like grasshoppers, or reports that made us look so much belittled on the face of adversity, will be destroyed and be made to come a cropper. May this year mark a great shift in your spiritual walk with Christ."
