The mindset to develop as true child of God on our needs and daily provision was established in the scripture both old and new testaments. This revelation is important as many today still stay comfortably in Egypt with deception and false hope that they are fairing well on the road to Canaan. Many have enjoyed the grace established by Jesus Christ on the Cross when He said Father forgive them for they knew not what they are doing. But should children of God remained in Ignorance? Will it not lead to destruction and they too will perish with unbelieving world. Let us quickly examine one important principle of God's dealing with man in term of possession.
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
Exodus 16:1-4, 13-15, 17-20, 35 KJV
Sure you are familiar with this story of Israel departure from Egypt with full assurance of the promise Land Canaan. God in similar way has made provision and a better covenant of the return of man lost in Eden to eternal rest and fellowship with God in Heaven. A quick outlook of Egypt revealed pleasure and labour, Slavery and complacency. A perfect mix of life and death. Worship of God was replaced with reference to the earthly authorities. God took His people out of Devil's designed mode of living to restore rest, comfort, abundance and a life of free worship. Free of distractions, oppositions and limitations. God intention of salvation from slavery of sin and worldliness will equally cause believers to embark on journey of faith until we made it home.
Salvation from Egypt or from sin only signal the beginning of our walk of faith. There is an important wilderness every Christian must successfully pass through to guarantee access to Heaven our final Canaan. God began determination of many Israelites eternal destiny from wilderness of sin. The place of murmuring, disobedience and comparison of Egypt; the sinful world where all lustful needs and dreams are accomplished, even though with agony and slavery. Hope of heaven can be easily frustrated at the wilderness of sin. That usually is the point when our love for the world and things of the world will be tested. The moment memories of life experience look fantastic when we have not surrendered to the Cross of Jesus Christ and now everything looking upside down, no food, no shelter, bills are difficult to pay all in the name of worship unto God. What a crazy moment, there and then the journey unto heaven may leave only Joshua and Caleb worthy to enter the rest of God. At this point many have already missed it. Supposed Apostles, Pastors, Prophets, Teachers, Workers in God's Vineyard and Believers. All we see about them today is desperate attempt to cover spiritual nakedness with the garment of religion. Many even spoke in the voice of Prophet Eli,"He is God, let Him do whatever pleases Him".
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:24-25, 27-28, 30-34 KJV
I was almost concluding that its just old testament when these words of Jesus Christ pierced through my heart as the sword of the Spirit and confirming God deals with Christian today in similar way. Gentiles style of becoming rich and meeting needs as its being practice by believers today will delivered same result as it was in the day of Moses. Jesus empathic statement about focus on the Kingdom reiterated God command for Israel to just go and worship. The principle of first thing first will forever be the central definition of God giving prosperity.
The most heart troubling question is why our Aarons; the Priests who are suppose to focus our attention to worship and search for the kingdom suddenly became advocate of the principles of Gentiles and Egyptian Prosperity. Why is the Church filled with men who are not devoted to God in worship because needs has to be meet and doing it without God is encouraged from the Altar provided there is offerings, tithes and gifting to the Priests. Why do we keep the Church in focus to Egypt why we said we wanted Canaan. Why will our generation die in the wilderness and we think that means making heaven. Please remember God will not hold back if a generation choose to perish in the wilderness. He is committed to saving the Joshua and Caleb who made up their mind to join next generation who will enter Canaan; the heavenly rest.
Prosperity is never the problem. The utmost desire of God is the prosperity of His people. But the equation is simple; financial, material and health prosperity must answer to spiritual prosperity. Your ability to worship God when the world ask the evidence of your faith and offer opportunity to create gods for yourself is the pointer to the fact that you are still on track. Many will fall prey but those in the spirit of worship, an addicted seekers of God's kingdom will surely made it home.
In conclusion friends, God mode of meeting our need in the journey is unveil in the name Manna(i.e What is this?). The bible established that Israel cannot and will not eat anything outside divine provision until they entered Canaan. That took 40years of persistent self denials. Note Israel saw many nations and enticing delicacies but the only option was Manna because God said it. When a Christian stepped out daily, the mindset should never be to labour to be rich, but in seeking 'what is this'. What does God have for me today. With that in focus, the prayer give us this day our daily breads will make more meaning. Then sufficiency will not bring evil thereof. Oh God help me to know that miraculous daily supply from you is the key to heaven and not gathered wealth to end like the rich fool.
Note: The most difficult action in Christian journey is abandoning worldly pleasure. When this is done, it attracts heavenly treasure, but when neglected guarantee slavery to sin as oppose to righteousness.
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
Exodus 16:1-4, 13-15, 17-20, 35 KJV
Sure you are familiar with this story of Israel departure from Egypt with full assurance of the promise Land Canaan. God in similar way has made provision and a better covenant of the return of man lost in Eden to eternal rest and fellowship with God in Heaven. A quick outlook of Egypt revealed pleasure and labour, Slavery and complacency. A perfect mix of life and death. Worship of God was replaced with reference to the earthly authorities. God took His people out of Devil's designed mode of living to restore rest, comfort, abundance and a life of free worship. Free of distractions, oppositions and limitations. God intention of salvation from slavery of sin and worldliness will equally cause believers to embark on journey of faith until we made it home.
Salvation from Egypt or from sin only signal the beginning of our walk of faith. There is an important wilderness every Christian must successfully pass through to guarantee access to Heaven our final Canaan. God began determination of many Israelites eternal destiny from wilderness of sin. The place of murmuring, disobedience and comparison of Egypt; the sinful world where all lustful needs and dreams are accomplished, even though with agony and slavery. Hope of heaven can be easily frustrated at the wilderness of sin. That usually is the point when our love for the world and things of the world will be tested. The moment memories of life experience look fantastic when we have not surrendered to the Cross of Jesus Christ and now everything looking upside down, no food, no shelter, bills are difficult to pay all in the name of worship unto God. What a crazy moment, there and then the journey unto heaven may leave only Joshua and Caleb worthy to enter the rest of God. At this point many have already missed it. Supposed Apostles, Pastors, Prophets, Teachers, Workers in God's Vineyard and Believers. All we see about them today is desperate attempt to cover spiritual nakedness with the garment of religion. Many even spoke in the voice of Prophet Eli,"He is God, let Him do whatever pleases Him".
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:24-25, 27-28, 30-34 KJV
I was almost concluding that its just old testament when these words of Jesus Christ pierced through my heart as the sword of the Spirit and confirming God deals with Christian today in similar way. Gentiles style of becoming rich and meeting needs as its being practice by believers today will delivered same result as it was in the day of Moses. Jesus empathic statement about focus on the Kingdom reiterated God command for Israel to just go and worship. The principle of first thing first will forever be the central definition of God giving prosperity.
The most heart troubling question is why our Aarons; the Priests who are suppose to focus our attention to worship and search for the kingdom suddenly became advocate of the principles of Gentiles and Egyptian Prosperity. Why is the Church filled with men who are not devoted to God in worship because needs has to be meet and doing it without God is encouraged from the Altar provided there is offerings, tithes and gifting to the Priests. Why do we keep the Church in focus to Egypt why we said we wanted Canaan. Why will our generation die in the wilderness and we think that means making heaven. Please remember God will not hold back if a generation choose to perish in the wilderness. He is committed to saving the Joshua and Caleb who made up their mind to join next generation who will enter Canaan; the heavenly rest.
Prosperity is never the problem. The utmost desire of God is the prosperity of His people. But the equation is simple; financial, material and health prosperity must answer to spiritual prosperity. Your ability to worship God when the world ask the evidence of your faith and offer opportunity to create gods for yourself is the pointer to the fact that you are still on track. Many will fall prey but those in the spirit of worship, an addicted seekers of God's kingdom will surely made it home.
In conclusion friends, God mode of meeting our need in the journey is unveil in the name Manna(i.e What is this?). The bible established that Israel cannot and will not eat anything outside divine provision until they entered Canaan. That took 40years of persistent self denials. Note Israel saw many nations and enticing delicacies but the only option was Manna because God said it. When a Christian stepped out daily, the mindset should never be to labour to be rich, but in seeking 'what is this'. What does God have for me today. With that in focus, the prayer give us this day our daily breads will make more meaning. Then sufficiency will not bring evil thereof. Oh God help me to know that miraculous daily supply from you is the key to heaven and not gathered wealth to end like the rich fool.
Note: The most difficult action in Christian journey is abandoning worldly pleasure. When this is done, it attracts heavenly treasure, but when neglected guarantee slavery to sin as oppose to righteousness.
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