Believing God

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Friday April 11, 2008

Philippians 2:14 (NIV)
Do everything without complaining or arguing

Complaining is always detrimental. Whenever we complain, we are showing our lack of faith in God's Word; we are making the situation look like its beyond God's help; acting like God is not with us!

The best example is the Israelites in the Old Testament. Moses sent men to "explore the land of Canaan," which God had promised to the Israelites. When they returned, he asked the men to give an account of the land, and at first they gave a truthful, factual account:

Numbers 13:27,28 (NIV)
27. They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.

But then the separation was made between those who believed God would give them the land He had promised them and those who didn't. First, the response of faith:

Numbers 13:30 (NIV)
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Then we hear the negative response from those who didn't believe that God would come through on His promise, so they complained:

Numbers 13:31-33 (NIV)
31. But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

Those who did not believe God complained about the circumstances and the strength of the enemy, until they actually looked as helpless as grasshoppers in their own eyes!

Numbers 14:2,3 (NIV)
2. 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 desert! 3. Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"

In response to the initial complaining of the spies, the people grumbled and complained, and talked so much doubt and unbelief that they actually began to believe that God had sent them into the desert to let them die!

But Joshua and Caleb spoke differently; they did not complain:

Numbers 14:6-9 (NIV)
6. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7. and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8. 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. 9. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

Now there's some words of faith! Joshua and Caleb said they would swallow up the people of the land; that their enemies' protection was gone!

God had already promised the land to the Israelites, so a division was made between Joshua and Caleb-- who believed God-- and everyone else; who was afraid, and believed what circumstances looked like. The difference came out of their mouths, by either words of faith in God, or by complaining words of doubt and unbelief! God saw the complaining words of unbelief as contempt for Him:

Numbers 14:11 (NIV)
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 miraculous signs I have performed among them?

Only those who believed God and SPOKE words of faith went in and possessed the land! In the end, EVERYONE got what they SAID:

Numbers 14:27-30 (NIV) (God speaking)
27. "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28. So tell them, `As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I HEARD YOU SAY: 29. In this desert your bodies will fall-- every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun."

The spies who believed the circumstances they saw instead of believing God, and complained about the situation, immediately died:

Numbers 14:36-38 (NIV)
36. So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it-- 37. these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. 38. Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

Joshua and Caleb later went in and possessed the land! Let's be like them and hold fast our confession of faith in God's Word in spite of circumstances that may look difficult. Joshua and Caleb had a choice of what to say, and they spoke out in faith despite the complaining of the great majority!

PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your Word. Help me by faith and confession to see the supernatural move of Your Spirit in my life. Help me remember to always trust Your Word and keep my words in line with what You say even when circumstances don't seem to agree with You.
In Jesus' Name, Amen

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