Miraculous

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From Marah to Elim and on to the Miraculous

Numbers 33:9-10

"And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there. And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea."

The greatest shortages in life are often followed by the greatest blessings and miracles. However, many people fall short of the blessings and the miracles because they quit in the area where the shortages have come.

The children of Israel nearly missed one of the greatest miracles they would see because of their murmuring. One of the first stops after they left the land of Egypt was a place called Marah. Marah was a place where the water was so bitter that they could not drink it. The Scriptures teach us that the children of Israel began to murmur, and even said that they wished they had stayed in Egypt. Yet, the very next stop after Marah was a place called Elim. In Elim they found twelve fountains of water from which they could drink. The amazing thing about this is that Elim was only five miles from Marah. In other words, less than a days journey was the blessing of water that they complained for in Marah.

However, I want you to notice that right after Elim they journeyed to the great Red Sea. It was at the Red Sea where they saw God part the waters and were forever separated from those who had kept them captive for four hundred years. Imagine if they would had gone back to Egypt like they wanted in Marah, they would have never seen one of the greatest miracles of history. If they would had gone back to Egypt like they desired, many people who were helped by the Red Sea experience would have missed that help because they stopped short in Marah. Because they went forward and did not stop in their murmuring ways, they experienced a place of blessing and went on to the miraculous.

Christian, you must never stop in the Marah of your life. Though life's hardships may try to cause you to complain, you must realize that there is an Elim just down the road. It is a choice that you can make. You can either complain about the shortages and hardships you have in life, or you can continue on and have the place of refreshment where God strengthens your soul. However, if you stop in the Marah of your life, you will never have a Red Sea experience. Many people have missed the greatest miracles of their lives because they stopped in their Marah.

I ask you, how much are you missing because of your murmuring spirit? Has your murmuring and complaining caused you to stop and miss the Elim and the Red Sea of your life? If you will keep on going through the shortages and hardships of your life, you will find that not far down the road is an Elim and a Red Sea. Don't let your shortages and hardships keep you from seeing the blessings and miracles that God has for you. They are there, but you will never see them if you stop in your Marah.

Keep it

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Keep It in the Family

Numbers 27:7

"The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them."

The inheritance was very important to the children of Israel. It was not just parents leaving their money to their children, but it was the parents leaving the portion of land that God gave to them. This inheritance represented how they served God. It would be a big thing for a family to lose their inheritance.

The daughters of Zelophehad had a problem in that their father died in the wilderness without having any sons to whom he could pass the inheritance. These five daughters came to Moses and asked him if there was a way that they could keep the inheritance of their father. When Moses asked God, He told him that they were to receive their father's inheritance. God went further into the subject of the inheritance and told Moses that they were to keep the inheritance in their family. If a family had an inheritance in Israel, then that family had the responsibility to make sure that it would not be lost.

When you got saved, you received a spiritual inheritance. That inheritance is not only salvation, but it is also how the Scriptures teach us to serve God. It is the responsibility of the family to make sure every generation carries on this inheritance. The inheritance that God gave is not something we should be passive about, but it is something that we should protect with our lives. Let me give you three thoughts about our spiritual inheritance.

First, it is the responsibility of every parent to pass their spiritual inheritance down to their children. Parents, you should not treat what you believe lightly, but you should realize that it is your responsibility to teach your children what they should believe and how they should serve God. It is not the responsibility of the pastor, youth pastor, Christian school teacher or Sunday school teacher to train your children in what they should believe and how they should serve God. It is the responsibility of the parent. Too many parents are absent in training their children in these areas. Too many parents want to let the church ministries teach this when it is the parent's responsibility to teach their children what they believe and how to serve God.

Second, every child has a responsibility to carry on to the next generation what they have been taught. If your parents have trained you right, then you are responsible to make sure that you live what you have been taught. You have no right to let your spiritual inheritance slip away because you want to live in the world. You are privileged to have parents who taught you right, and with privilege comes responsibility. Don't squander the spiritual inheritance that your parents left you for worldly pleasures.

Third, every spiritual organization has a responsibility to support the family as they pass on their spiritual inheritance. The responsibility of the church and school is not to usurp the parent's authority, but it is their responsibility to reinforce what the parents are training their children. That means these organizations have no right to go liberal. When you compromise your stand on the old-time religion, then you are attacking the family's spiritual inheritance. A church and Christian school needs to constantly make sure that their stance on doctrine is what the Scriptures teach.

If the parents, children and spiritual organizations will do their part with the spiritual inheritance, then we can influence a nation for Christ. If one of these compromises their spiritual inheritance, then the nation in which we live will be destroyed. Be sure that you do your part in keeping your spiritual inheritance.

Addition?

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God Doesn't Like Addition

Numbers 20:12

"And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."

Years ago when I was learning to fly airplanes, I learned a valuable lesson about adding just a little to the prescribed course. I was taking a long trip flying by what they call, "Visual Flight Rules." When I mapped the course, I wrote down the different headings that I needed to fly. When I was actually taking the trip, I was not closely watching my heading indicator. I allowed myself to add a couple degrees to the heading indicator, and did not correct it because I thought I would still see the airport. After flying for a couple of hours, I found that I was well of course. Just adding one or two degrees to the original heading caused me to be several miles off course.

This could have been deadly if I didn't have enough fuel in the airplane to get me to the nearest airport. Just like adding one degree to my heading indicator got me well off course, likewise, adding to what God tells us to do gets us off course spiritually. Not only will it get us off course spiritually, but it could be spiritually harmful if we don't follow God's instructions. I find in the Scriptures there are three areas where God doesn't like addition.

First, God doesn't like us to add to His Word. Proverbs 30:6 says, "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." We live in a day when there are many Bible versions from which to choose. However, when you closely look at each version you will find that many have changed God's Word by adding or taking away from what He said. This is why it is imperative for you to have the right Bible. The King James Bible has been proven over the years to be God's perfect Word for the English speaking people. Be careful about listening to preachers or reading books by authors who use something else other than the King James Bible. When you add to what God said, it could be harmful to your Christian life.

Second, God doesn't like us to add to His commandments. Deuteronomy 12:32 says, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." I have found that many times people will say God said something that is found nowhere in the Scriptures. Be careful about telling people that God said something just so you can get people to do what you want them to do. I am not to ask people to do something to benefit my agenda. If it is not in the Scriptures, then it is simply a preference and not a command.

Finally, God doesn't like us to add to His methods. In the text verse above, Moses changed how God told Him to get water from the rock. Though Moses' method got the desired result, God was upset that He changed the method to get it. God is as interested in us following His methods as He is in us obeying His Word. People will say, "As long as people get saved that is the only thing that matters." No, it is not the only thing that matters! We are to obey God's methods even if we think His methods no longer work. God says in 1 Samuel 15:22, "...to obey is better than sacrifice,..." God is as interested in how things are done as He is in us not adding to His Word.

Christian, be careful that you use the right Bible. Be careful about adding to what God said to satisfy your own agenda. Be careful about changing God's methods because you think your emphasis is better than God's. Just like Moses lost the opportunity to go into the Promised Land for changing God's methods, you will also lose opportunities God has for you if you add in any of these areas.

Perspective determines...

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Your Perspective Determines Your Potential

Number 13:30

"And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."

Your perception will ultimately determine your potential. If you are one who always sees the glass half empty, then your potential for life will be extremely limited. However, if you are one who always sees the glass half full, then your potential is unlimited. A person's potential is determined by their perspective. This is why you must learn to choose the proper perspective in life.

The twelve spies who spied the land of Canaan displayed this principle to perfection. Two spies had a positive outlook on what God could do, while ten spies let the negative determine their outlook. The two spies said, "...for we are well able to overcome it." The ten spies said in verse 33, "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak,..." Two spies knew that God had the power to help them do what He commanded them to do, while the ten spies' lack of faith caused them to see the negative, which eventually eliminated any potential these men had.

By nature humans are negative. Sin always causes you to see the negative. Because everybody is a sinner, then everybody naturally has a negative perception. However, faith is the antidote for your perception. Faith is what causes a person to turn their perception from negative to positive. When you see things through the prism of faith, then you never let the negatives limit your potential. It is important that you learn to look through the eyes of faith and not through your natural eyes.

Always remember that your potential is determined by your perception. When you see things in a negative light, then you have set up barriers which most likely you will not cross. However, when you see the positive through the eyes of faith, your potential has no limit because your God has no limit. If you are going to see the positive through the eyes of faith, then you must purposely look for the positive in everything. There is always something positive in every situation. You may have to look hard to see the positive, but it is there. The negative is seen through a casual glance, but the positive is seen through a principled look. Eventually, you will train your perception to see the positive if you continue to look for it in every situation.

Let me ask you, do you see the positive or negative in your spouse? If you always see the negative, then you are destroying the potential of your marriage. However, if you see their positives, then the potential of what your marriage can become is limitless with God's help.

Furthermore, do you see the positive or negative in your children? Too many parents provoke their children to wrath by seeing the negative in them all the time. When children are constantly bombarded with the negative of what they do, then they will eventually get frustrated with their parents and will do the negative on purpose. As a parent you must train yourself to see the positive in your children. Remember, you increase their potential by pointing out the positives you see in them.

Finally, do you see the positive or negative in every area of your life? How do you perceive things at your church? How do you perceive things on the job? How do you perceive your future? To increase your potential in any area, you will have to start seeing the positive side of things. Always remember that your potential is as great as your perception. Be careful not to limit your potential by having a negative outlook, but remove the ceiling of your potential by having a positive outlook in everything that you do.

Back up

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God's Back-Up Plan

1 Chronicles 1:28-29

"The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael. These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,"

I have never been one who likes back-up plans because I feel that when you have a back-up plan you have already planned for failure. However, when failure happens, you need to come up with a back-up plan to get you through your time of failure.

God's original plan for Abraham was to have one child who would be the one to carry on the promise of a nation. However, Abraham messed up God's original plan when he had an affair with Hagar, which resulted in an illegitimate child being born. Ishmael was that illegitimate child. Though Abraham messed up God's original plan, God came up with a back-up plan that He used to not only bless Isaac, but also Ishmael. Yes, the birthright went to Isaac, but in God's back-up plan He found a way to bless Ishmael. You can see from the verse above that God's back-up plan included blessing Ishmael by making a great nation come from him.

Christian, maybe you have messed up God's original plan for your life, let me encourage you that God has already come up with a back-up plan so that He can still use you. Yes, I know that you may feel embarrassed and shamed that you messed up God's original plan, but God will always come up with a back-up plan when we mess up His original plan. God's back-up plan is simply a manifestation of His mercy. When we mess up God's original plan, His mercy steps in and comes up with a back-up plan. God's mercy steps in and finds a way to use you from where you are. Though you will never find out what would have happened had you heeded to God's original plan, you can rest assured that God's mercy has come up with a plan to use you again.

Not only will God come up with a back-up plan when you mess up His original plan, but He can still bless you tremendously in that plan. God blessed David in His back-up plan. God blessed Peter in His back-up plan by using him on the day of Pentecost. God used Samson in His back-up plan by allowing him to have the greatest victory of his entire life. God blessed Adam and Eve in His back-up plan by coming up with a plan for man to be reunited with Him through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Yes, God's blessings can still be found in His back-up plan.

Maybe you have done something in your life where you messed up God's original plan. Let me encourage you that God has a plan where He can use you again. Young person, God can still use you if you lost your purity. God can still use you if your marriage fails. God can still use you after you have fallen into sin. No matter how bad you have messed up God's plan for your life, you need to understand that He can still you use.

If you have not messed up God's original plan, do your best to never make God come up with a back-up plan. The greatest blessings that God has for you are in His original plan. However, when you have messed up God's original plan, His mercy will come up with a back-up plan where He can use and bless you in a great way. Don't let your failure bring greater failure, but pick yourself up and find God's back-up plan for your life.

Sacred?

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Turning Sacred Into Wrong

2 Kings 18:4

"He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan."

One of the acts that led to one of the greatest revivals in the history of Israel is found in the verse above. It says that Hezekiah "...brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made:..." What was it about this brasen serpent that caused Hezekiah to brake it in pieces? This brasen serpent that was supposed to be used as a reminder of what God did for Israel became the object of worship for the children of Israel. The brasen serpent was supposed to remind them of how they were saved from death during one of the plagues because they looked to it when Moses lifted it up. These people had turned something sacred into something wrong. They turned something that was to remind them of Jehovah God into something that led them away from the One Whom they were to serve. It is hard to believe that they took something that was supposed to be a sacred reminder and turned it into an object to worship.

However, I find in Christianity that there are many Christians who serve the object and not the God of the object. What I mean by this is that many Christians have spiritualized the act instead of understanding the purpose of it. For instance, there are many Christians who believe they are right with God just because they go to church. They believe their trip to church on Sunday and Wednesday is what makes them spiritual. Church as become more of a ritual that makes them feel that they have done their obligation for the week. There are many Christians who worship the act of going to church instead of allowing God to speak to them while they are at church. Yes, we are to obey God's command and going to church, but just because you go to church does not make you spiritual.

Likewise, going soul winning does not make you spiritual. There are many people who believe they are right with God simply because they go soul winning. There are others who think teaching a Sunday school class or running a bus route makes them spiritual. We often make the object more spiritual than what it really is. Though these are things we should strive to do, they are only a tool to help us become what God wants us to be.

Just because we do what God commands us to do does not give us a right to sin. This is the danger of spiritualizing the act. Just because you go to church every Sunday and Wednesday does not give you a right to commit sin the rest of the week. It is the life you live and your heart of obedience towards God that makes you right with Him. You can go soul winning like God commands, but it is doing right after you go soul winning that makes you right with Him. Just because you walk an aisle and kneel down to pray does not make you right with God. What makes you right with God is leaving the altar and doing what you decided to do at that altar.

Christian, be careful about turning something that is a tool to help you stay right with God into something wrong. Be careful that you don't think performing spiritual acts makes you spiritual and that it allows you to let sin reign in your heart. The object or the act is not what makes you spiritual, it is your heart towards God and sin removed that makes you spiritual. Always remember that doing the things God commands you to do is only part of staying right with Him. Be careful not to worship the act or the object, but worship and obey the God Who commands you to do the act.