succeed – Praying Pint

47.q. “Wilderness” – 11.w. “Because you did not believe in me”

Num 20:12  And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.

2 Chronicles 20:20     And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Isaiah 7:9    And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”

Matthew 17:17    And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

Luke 1:20  And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

Luke 1:45   And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Romans 4:20    No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

Deuteronomy 1:37    Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there.

Deuteronomy 32:51    because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 3:23-26    “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,  ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?  Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’  But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.

Moses and Aaron distrusted the word and power of God, and that they yielded to the impulse of impatience and anger, as betrayed both by the language which they used and by the double smiting of the rock, to which Moses had been commanded only to speak. To what degree Aaron was concerned in these sins can be inferred only from the facts that he, as well as Moses, was charged with the sin of unbelief, and that the punishment of exclusion from the land of Canaan was inflicted upon both. (Ellicott)

God is as able as ever to supply his people with what is needful for them. But Moses and Aaron acted wrong. They took much of the glory of this work of wonder to themselves; Must we fetch water? As if it were done by some power or worthiness of their own. They were to speak to the rock, but they smote it. Therefore it is charged upon them, that they did not sanctify God, that is, they did not give to him alone that glory of this miracle which was due unto his name. And being provoked by the people, Moses spake unadvisedly with his lips. The same pride of man would still usurp the office of the appointed Mediator; and become to ourselves wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. Such a state of sinful independence, such a rebellion of the soul against its Saviour, the voice of God condemns in every page of the gospel. (Henry)

And yet they did not doubt of the power of God, but of his will, whether he would gratify these rebels with this further miracle, after so many of the like kind. And besides the words themselves, it is considerable, both with what mind they were spoken, which God saw to be distrustful, and in what manner they were delivered, which the people might discern to come from misbelief or doubt. (Poole)

it is certain from the text that unbelief was their sin; they were diffident about the will of God to bring water out of the rock for such a rebellious people, and they did not put them in mind of the miracles God had wrought in former time, to encourage their faith; and so the Lord was not sanctified by them before the people, as he ought to have been. (Gill)

There are many thoughts about the sin that Moses and Aaron committed here that led to their banishment from entering the promised land. I think it is hard to understand their sin in the few words given in this scripture. Let us not go deeper than what is given, suffice it for us to know that we must guard our hearts and minds against taking glory away from God in times when it is clearly God who has done great things. He may have used us but the glory is all His, not ours. When we desire to spend time in God’s Word and think about the things of God – this is good and right. When we seek and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we think, say, and do – this is right and good. When we seek to know our sinfulness so that we might know sinfulness and repent of it – this is right and good. When we seek and desire to grow in our understanding and knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love – this is right and good.

The problem is that we become complacent, neglectful, and lukewarm to God’s Word and things of God. We speak more of current events, politics, sports, and what’s in the news or social media outlets than things of God. Check your thoughts and speech today and see if there is more content of the worldly or Godly coming from both.

38.t. “And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.”

Genesis 39:19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.

Potiphar knew what kind of woman his wife was and he knew what kind of man Joseph was. His anger probably came because he knew that her accusation against Joseph was not true.

“Death was the only penalty Joseph could reasonably expect. His reprieve presumably owed much to the respect he had won; and Potiphar’s mingled wrath and restraint may reflect a faint misgiving about the full accuracy of the charge.” (Kidner)

“He never said a word, that I can learn, about Potiphar’s wife. It seemed necessary to his own defense, but he would not accuse the woman; he let judgment go by default, and left her to her own conscience and her husband’s cooler consideration. This showed great power; it is hard for a man to compress his lips, saying nothing when his character is at stake. So eloquent was Joseph in his silence that there is not a word of complaint throughout the whole record of his life. He felt it a cruel thing, to be under such a slander, and to suffer for his innocence. A young man so pure, so chaste, must have felt it to be sharper than a whip of scorpions to be accused as he was; yet as he sat down in the gloom of his cell, the Lord was with him. The Lord was with Joseph none the less when he was cast into the prison. He knew God was with him in prison, and therefore he did not sit down sullenly in his sorrow, but he bestirred himself to make the best of his afflicted condition.” (Spurgeon)

Joseph went:

· From privilege in his father’s house.

· To the pit his brothers threw him into.

· To being property in the slave market.

· To the privilege of managing Potiphar’s house.

· To the principled stand against temptation.

· To the perjury of false accusation.

· To the prison of Pharaoh.

We can see the mercy in this, because if Potiphar had believed his wife, he certainly would have put Joseph to death. We can see the injustice in this, because Joseph suffered for someone else’s sin. As Christians, we remember someone who perfectly resisted all temptation, who as He stood for righteousness was stripped of His garments, and who was then punished for the sins of others. We can see God’s hand in all of this. All of this moves God’s story forward, putting Joseph in the place where he can save his family and the whole world from coming famine, and prepare a place for them to live with him. If God blessed Joseph in the pit, if He blessed Joseph the slave, we are not surprised to see that He blessed Joseph in prison. None of these terrible circumstances changed or defeated God’s plan for Joseph’s life. As happened before in the house of Potiphar, Joseph rose to the top, becoming the chief administrator of the prison. Through his experience in both places, God sharpened the administrative skills Joseph needed to one day save his family and to save the whole world. (Guzik)

I don’t know about you but when I am wrongly accused I want to state my case and prove it not true at the expense of the offender. The integrity of Joseph is beyond my understanding and yet an example to glean wisdom and understanding from. It is not by our might, wisdom, knowledge, power, or eloquent language skills that we are to reliant but by the power, might, purpose, and plans of God. Oh, that we would not rest in our own power for defense but rather be in total reliance on God alone.

38.q. “God made him prosper”

Genesis 39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Psalms 1:3  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Isaiah 41:10    fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Acts 7:9-10   “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him  and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

2 Chronicles 26:5   He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.

Joseph’s ordeal was probably worse than any of us have gone through. Yet God did not abandon him, even in the smallest way. If God allowed Joseph to be a slave, then he would be a successful man, even as a slave. We often complain to God that He put us in a terrible or difficult place. Yet God’s will is that we trust Him to bless us and make us successful (as He measures success) wherever we are in life. Some people think they we can’t be blessed unless they are in authority, in charge of things. Jesus lived and taught a better way – a life as a servant. Even at this early point when it seemed Joseph had no control over circumstances – and indeed he had none – God overruled the evil or capricious choices of man to accomplish His eternal purpose. By his trust in God, diligent work, and blessing from God, Joseph showed Potiphar that God was real. Followers of Jesus should live out the same principle today; others should see the difference Jesus makes in our lives by the way we work. Think of the contrast between Joseph and his brothers. Joseph was a slave, but free. The brothers were free, but slaves to secrets, lies, shame, and guilt. It would have been easy for Joseph to do what we so often do: think little of his present position because it seemed so bad (he was a slave, after all). But Joseph believed God could bless him right where he was, so he didn’t wait for a better situation to be blessed by God. Many think if advancement is from God, it must come quickly. Sometimes this is the case, but not normally. Normally, God allows good things to develop slowly. (Guzik)

Scripture says that we grow in our understanding of God, line by line, precept by precept, here a little, there a little. Should we think we will grow in our prosperity, wisdom, understanding, love, or abilities any differently? Too often we assess our blessings from God by worldly measures.

Keep your heart and mind focused on honoring and glorifying Him in all you think, say, and do. Blessings that pass all worldly understanding will flood your heart and mind.

20.g. “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

Romans 9:30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

1 Corinthians 1:23   but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

John 6:27-29     Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Acts 16:30-34     Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

1 John 5:12   Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

By all appearances, the Gentiles found righteousness even though it did not seem that they really looked for it. By all appearances, Israel seemed to work for the righteousness of God with everything it had, but did not find it. What was the difference? Why did the unlikely Gentiles find righteousness, when the likely Jews did not? Because the Gentiles pursued the righteousness of faith, and the Jews pursued the law of righteousness. The Gentiles who were saved came to God through faith, receiving His righteousness. The Jews who seem to be cast off from God tried to justify themselves before God by performing works according to the law of righteousness. (Guzik)

There appears to be this huge stone that trips many multitudes of people up. Rather than trust in, rely on, and cling to Jesus Christ alone they choose to either flat out deny one true God exists and this is His plan and purpose for mankind, neglect, and complacency toward things of God and thereby can not recognize the difference between the worldly and things of God, or they, like many try to be right before God by performance (doing things that seem right in their own eyes as a means to be acceptable before God). All of these will lead people straight to hell for eternity. Don’t get me wrong about good works. We are to do good works, but not so that we are right before God, but rather to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ.

Surrender of self-reliance, self-worth, and self-independence to belief, faith, trust, reliance, and obedience in, too, and on Jesus Christ alone is God’s plan and purpose for all of mankind. His Word says we should know Him by the mere fact of creation, but what has man done? They say creation was from a big bang that happened before time and from the existence of nothing. His Word says we should believe and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, but many have deemed this to be nothing more than a fairy tale. His Word says the only way to be right in God’s eyes is to believe in, cling to, trust in, and rely on Jesus Christ alone, but many have turned this into works of themselves so that by doing them God is, by some means, required or obligated to give us eternal life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Salvation through Jesus Christ is a gift from God. Other than believing faith, trust, and reliance in Jesus Christ will anyone receive this gift from God.

10.v. “Leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

Micah 2:10 Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction. If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people!

1 Kings 22:21-23     Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’  And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’  Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.”

Jeremiah 14:14    And the LORD said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.

2 Peter 2:1-3     But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

2 Thessalonians 2:11   Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,

Isaiah 30:10-11   who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,  leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

Jeremiah 5:31    the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

The Old and New Testament is ripe with examples of Kings, Preachers, and Prophets speaking falsely. The worst part of them speaking lies to the people is that most of the people want it this way. They don’t want to hear that they need to stop being neglectful and complacent and repent. They have become confident in their soft undisciplined lives. Their itching ears for lukewarm preaching about what they can get from Jesus Christ if they would just ask, without having their hearts, minds, and souls fully committed to honoring, glorifying, following, obeying, listening, trusting, and relying on Him. They itch for an easy gospel of peace, rest, prosperity, and ease of life preached to them. They do not want to hear about sin, repentance, and the need for forgiveness. They wallow in self-centered wants and self-reliance for their shallow Christian lives. This ought not to be so. Our lives ought to be hungering and thirsting for truth and desiring to have Jesus Christ show us our wickedness and wayward thoughts with a heart deep seeking to honor and glorify Him in all we think, do, and say. This ought to be our want for every day not just for times of crisis, trials, and troubles. When our first thought is to dig into His Word for truth, guidance, and knowledge we are at the beginning of maturing in Jesus Christ. We can not continue to listen to watered-down preaching. It will zap our souls of sound doctrine, God-honoring, and glorifying lives. If sin is not preached how is it we will examine our lives for it? If sin is not preached how are we going to see a need to confess it? If Sin is not preached how are we going to search The Word of God to lead us toward godly lives? Ask God to show you your heart and if there is anything in it that is contrary to that which will honor and glorify Him.

2.n. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”

2 Chronicles 10:20 Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Isaiah 7:9    And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”

Isaiah 26:3   You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

John 14:1   “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Romans 8:31   What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Luke 16:31    He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Hebrews 11:6    And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

John 5:46-47     For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Belief, non-belief, and somewhere in between. A belief mindset with a whole heart, mind, and soul has visible and unseen qualities and attributes. These qualities and attributes reflect the light, grace, love, and mercy of Jesus Christ. This reflection can be a light on a hill to anyone within sight. This reflection yields to that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ. The person who yields must intentionally choose to yield. Their light does not grow dim or become overshadowed when the darkness of storms roll into their life. In fact, the light becomes brighter and more visible. This person spends time in God’s word meditating on it, drinking and breathing it in for they seek above all else to hear and be used by God. There is hardly a waking moment where they are not living in a sought after presence with Jesus Christ. They hear, follow, and obey the whispers of the Holy Spirit through His word. They continue to grow in understanding and knowledge of what it means to deny self. They grow in understanding of sin and their sinful nature that keeps trying to take control. They keep their eyes on eternity and humbly walk this life to serve, honor, worship, glorify, follow, obey, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ.

The non-belief mindset gives their whole heart, mind, and soul to do what is right in their own eyes. Their guidance is focused on that which makes them feel good, in control, and false dreams of purpose. Their satisfaction is never satisfied. Their hunger for more pleasing and purpose is never satisfied. They follow their own desires for self-interest. Happiness and joy never last and they move from one thing to the next. They spend their time purposefully without seeking or desiring Jesus Christ. They happily mock and reject Him. They are more concerned with things of this world and deny the creator of it. They are lost and follow the wide path of life that leads to eternity in Hell. They give approval to their lifestyle and others who do the same. There is hope for these and others like them to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved.

Those somewhere in between are the ones who are truly lost. Their belief leads them to think they are right with God but their life has no reflection of the light of Jesus Christ. Their life in outward appearance looks no different than those with no belief. They know what to say and they pretend all that they do is all that is expected in Christian life. They compare themselves with others and perform to a level they think will be acceptable to God. They spend little time in devotion and even less time in the study of His word. They may attend church but display no gifts of the Holy Spirit to edify and grow the body of the church. They have become satisfied with neglect and complacent living. There are much self-interest activities in their life. They allow the busyness of life to take control of their life and give little to no thought of Jesus Christ throughout the day. They are lukewarm and seem to follow the path of least effort when it comes to serving Jesus Christ. There is no growth and they are stagnating. They are no more on the path that leads to life than those with no belief. Because they have once heard and believed but now have chosen to turn their backs to God, His Word, and try to share their self-interest/self-centered heart, soul, and mind with Him. This is a deception. There is no sharing of our heart, soul, and mind. We either give whole to one or the other. These are the worst for they have the appearance of a Christian but have no power and light of Jesus Christ in their life.

2.k. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed

2 Chronicles 20:1 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

Crying out to God in our affliction is not always something we do. Sometimes the first thing we do is try to do is fix it ourselves. Sometimes we ask others to help us. And then sometimes we finally call out to Jesus Christ. We have heard others who have said: “all I could do is pray”. It is good when we get to a place where we realize we have no power in and of ourselves and we cry out to Jesus. This should not be where we end up but rather where we start. You see, running to Jesus is not the last resort option we fall back on to but rather a firm position we start with.

When crying out to Jesus is the last thing we do and not the first, there is more than likely a void of Him in our daily lives. It is not as though we push Him out but rather we don’t invite Him in. When we invite Him into every moment of every day He is the first thing on our heart, mind, and soul. He is not an emergency “911” call number but rather an ever-present heavenly Father who is guiding, leading, directing, encouraging, and strengthening us.

When we start with self and end with a “911” call out to Jesus, He is not our all in all. When He is where we start, we will not be calling out to a “911 emergency number” but rather we will be firmly holding on to the hand of Jesus Christ and maybe squeezing a little bit harder. We will know His presence because that is where we choose to be “In His presence”, at all times, every moment, every day.

Walk through every moment of every day with the Word of God in your heart, mind, and soul, and with your hand firmly holding onto Jesus Christ in trusting reliance.

2.g. “Therefore hear the word of the Lord

2 Chronicles 18:14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

Numbers 16:29     If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me.

Amos 9:10     All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’

Jeremiah 23:36    But ‘the burden of the LORD’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man’s own word, and you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.

Acts 20:30    and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things,

Hosea 14:9    Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

We see Ahab, King of Israel wanting to hear from God but only wanting to hear what he had determined already in his own heart and mind. He surrounded himself and more than likely previously punished those who did not speak what he wanted to hear. They were trained to speak in line with his wants and not what God would have him do.

When our heart, soul, and mind are not wholly for following and trusting in God there is an inner self that rules in His place. This inner self will convince us we are following after God even though we are lukewarm, neglectful, and complacent. We can not serve both self and God. We will serve the one we yield to. We will serve the one that occupies our desires and wants. We will serve the one we think will give us satisfaction and purpose. Sad to say but many times this is self.

You have to imagine that at some point, at the beginning of our deception, where we began to listen to self over following God, we were aware of this and we chose to push this awareness away. We were able to drown out the voice of God. Our heart became hard, our ears deaf, and our choice to turn away was blinded from our mind. Soon self became the only voice we listen to, the only thing we trusted in, and the only thing we found satisfaction in.

Remember the devil is a roaring lion seeking to deceive and draw us away from following God. He will send many false hopes of satisfaction into our lives. He will try to confuse us, entice us, and fill us with things of this world that will never satisfy but will always lead us away from seeking, trusting, relying on, following, honoring, glorifying, and obeying God.

The word of God is our stronghold, our hope, and our strength, for in it we find wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of God. We see a glimpse of eternity and the love of God poured out to us through Jesus Christ. Fill all your heart, mind and soul with the want and desire of and through Jesus Christ. Stay in His word to find peace, joy, love, rest, strength, and hope for today and forever. Do not allow self a second in your heart and mind for it will take this single second and turn it into a lifetime of deception.

171. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching

I Kings 22:1 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”’” And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

Isaiah 30:10    who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,

Micah 2:11    If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people!

2Timothy 4:3  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

From the old testament to the new and even now people have an appearance of wanting the the truth but God’s word is far from them. We see a great example of this in the King of Israel and Jehoshaphat having 400 prophets who spoke favorably but they did not want to hear from the one prophet that spoke truth, howbeit unfavorable, to them. The new testament says that people will become hearers only and not doers of the word. James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Paul says to Timothy “People will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”

2Ti 3:5 “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” “they are always learning and never able to arrive at the knowledge of the truth”

Where has the searching scripture for knowledge and understanding and wisdom gone? It used to be the daily bread of life in the heart and mind of Christians but seems to have been replaced with emptiness. God’s word used to be valued, read, and studied every day because it was known to be “profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”. If His word is not reverenced and valued for each new day how are we to be equipped for what that day brings into our life. When we become lovers of self more than lovers of God we will see a falling away from wanting and desiring to know His word. We will become complacent and neglectful. We will come up with a host of reasons why we do not spend time in His word. Day after day our heart will become harder and harder, our eyes blinded, and our ears deafer to the things of God. When this happens our lives bear no fruit, have no power, and give no honor to God.

How are we to be used by God when His word is not known by us? How are we to be a light to the world when His word is dark to us? How are we to honor and glorify God when we determine we no longer have time to spend in His word? How are we to grow in Christ without His word in our lives each day? How are we to make disciples when His word is not in our heart and mind? How are we to find purpose and meaning in life apart from knowing and being in His word? How are we to fight satan’s lies and attacks on our lives? How are we to find a place of refuge, power, hope, peace, joy, trust, courage, and strength when the very word of God that brings this knowledge to our heart, mind, and soul is neglected and put aside?

Neglecting God’s word and having Itching ears for words of worldly comfort will never bring us closer to Jesus Christ. Now is the time to intentionally commit to a life of being in His word each day for the single purpose of being able to humbly know Him, honor Him, glorify Him, follow Him, obey Him, trust and rely on Him.

126. Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?

2 Samuel 16:5 When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.

Genesis 50:20     As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

1 Kings 22:21-23    Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’  And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’  Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.”

Lamentations 3:38-39     Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?  Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?

John 18:11    So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Job 9:12     Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

Matthew Henry Commentary; – David bore Shimei’s curses much better than Ziba’s flatteries; by these, he was brought to pass a wrong judgment on another, by those to pass a right judgment on himself: the world’s smiles are more dangerous than its frowns. Once and again David spared Saul’s life, while Saul sought his. But innocence is no defense against malice and falsehood; nor are we to think it strange, if we are charged with that which we have been most careful to keep ourselves from. It is well for us, that men are not to be our judges, but He whose judgment is according to truth. See how patient David was under this abuse. Let this remind us of Christ, who prayed for those who reviled and crucified him. A humble spirit will turn reproaches into reproofs, and get good from them, instead of being provoked by them. David the hand of God in it, and comforts himself that God would bring good out of his affliction. We may depend upon God to repay, not only our services but our sufferings.

jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary; Shimei, … a man of the family of Saul—The misfortune of his family, and the occupation by David of what they considered their rightful possessions, afforded a natural, if not a justifiable cause for this ebullition of rude insults and violence. He upbraided David as an ambitious usurper, and charged him, as one whose misdeeds had recoiled upon his own head, to surrender a throne to which he was not entitled. His language was that of a man incensed by the wrongs that he conceived had been done to his house. David was guiltless of the crime of which Shimei accused him, but his conscience reminded him of other flagrant iniquities; and he, therefore, regarded the cursing of this man as a chastisement from heaven. His answer to Abishai’s proposal evinced the spirit of deep and humble resignation—the spirit of a man who watched the course of Providence and acknowledged Shimei as the instrument of God’s chastening hand. One thing is remarkable, that he acted more independently of the sons of Zeruiah in this season of great distress than he could often muster courage to do in the days of his prosperity and power.