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How Eleven Days Equals Forty Years
Deuteronomy 1:2
"(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)"
One phrase in the verse above shows how much time the children of Israel wasted in the wilderness. The verse says, "There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir..." That means the children of Israel could have been in the Promised Land in eleven days if they would have trusted God's Word. However, one act of doubt at Kadesh-barnea caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. What was supposed to be eleven days became forty years. Imagine what could have been accomplished in these forty years. Imagine what God could have done through Israel in those forty years if they would have trusted His Word. Instead, forty years were wasted because of one act of unbelief.
However, I find Christians regularly make the same mistake that the children of Israel did in this story. There are Christians throughout the world who are wasting years that could be productive because they are not doing what God commanded them to do. Oh, don't get me wrong, they are probably being productive in what they are doing, but they are not accomplishing near the productivity that God intended for them because they have disobeyed God's will for their life. Let me explain.
There are many Christians who are wasting years of productivity because they won't follow God's will for their life. What I mean by this statement is that God called them to go into full-time service, and instead they sit in a church and waste years that they could be doing God's will for their life. Yes, these same people may actually be working on a church staff or in some ministry of their church, but they are not doing what they know God called them to do. People that do this are wasting years when God could be working through them. Imagine how many people are going to Hell because someone rejects the will of God for their life. Because of their unbelief that God has the power to work through them, they waste years that could be used to do God's work in the center of His will.
There are other Christians who are wasting years of productivity because of sin. The sin of disobeying the voice of God caused Israel to turn eleven days into forty years. Christian, sin always delays God's will in your life. Yes, you may eventually get to God's will for your life, but imagine how many years you wasted because you didn't trust God's Word regarding sin's consequences. Churches are filled with people who waste years of productivity because of sin.
One other area where Christians are wasting years of productivity is in the area of obeying God's Word. For instance, God commands you to tithe, and you won't tithe. God commands you to be a soul winner, and you won't go soul winning. Better yet, God commands you to witness to someone, and you won't witness to them. Yes, that person may get saved later on in life, but because of your disobedience to the voice of God you waste many years that God could have worked through that person if you would have listened to Him.
Don't allow unbelief in one area of your life to turn eleven days into forty years. One act of unbelief in any area of your life may turn days into years. Don't let that be your story. If you find yourself wasting years right now, then immediately start listening to the voice of God so you don't waste any more time. Moreover, whenever God speaks to you about doing something, trust Him and act immediately so days don't turn into years. The quicker you obey God's voice the quicker God can do through you what He intends. Be careful about wasting years when God could be working through you.