The BOOK – Looking Out

In the end chapters of Deuteronomy we see Moses’s third address to Israel. Here we see Moses giving the people some solemn warnings. Initially he told them about the blessings if they are obedient and then he told them the results of disobedience. 

Before 3000 years ago, God warned about the results of disobedience. Yes, we can see in history how Israel were scattered from one end of the earth to the other. We see Jewish history is full of persecution and tragedies. God foretold all this through Moses in Deuteronomy. 

Joshua was one who started the journey from Egypt and kept his faith throughout. Now at eighty years he got the leadership from Moses. The one thing Moses gave to Joshua along with the leadership is the fact that – “The Lord is with you; be strong”. If God is present, fear is baseless. We see Moses singing songs to glorify God. We saw he singing song after the deliverance from Egypt and now towards the end of his life. As a Christian, we all should have songs in our lips. 

Then Moses went up to mount Nebo (Pisgah) and there God showed him the Promise Land. He died there and Lord buried him. No one knows where. Someone said God buried his burial. Once again we see Moses in the Bible. One day Jesus took Peter, James and John and climbed up Mount Hermon to the north of the sea of Galilee and then Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus about his coming death. (Mathew 17:1-3).

It is not important for us to know whether Moses wrote Deuteronomy 34 or whether Joshua added it later, the important fact is about the blessings and curses he gave depending upon our obedience. With respect to Deuteronomy 28, Derek Prince, a man of God has composed a list of seven problems indicating that a curse is at work in our life. 

1.       Mental / Emotional breakdown

2.       Repeated or Chronic sickness (especially if hereditary)

3.       Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry, or related female problems.

4.       Breakdown of marriage and family alienation

5.       Continuing financial insufficiency

6.       Being “Accident-prone”

7.       A history of suicides and unnatural or untimely deaths.

The presence of one or two of these problems would not necessarily be sufficient to establish working of a curse, but when several of the problems are present, the probability of a curse increases. However only Holy Spirit is the one who can provide an absolutely accurate diagnosis.

In our life, we better sit down and analyse that we are in the side of blessings or of curse. If you things you are in the side of curse, don’t be disappointed.

·         Confess your faith in Christ and n his sacrifice on your behalf (Romans 10:9-10)

·         Repent all your rebellion and your sins (Mathew 3:2)

·         Claim forgiveness of all sins (1 John 1:9)

·         Forgive all other people who have ever harmed you or wronged you. (Mark 11:25)

·         Renounce all contact with anything occult or Satanic (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

·         Pray for thee release from any curse (Mark 11:24)

·         Believe that you have received and go on in God’s blessings (Ephesians 3:20)

I pray that when you read through Deuteronomy, you understand your short comings, the sins, the words which comes from your mouth, the actions, everything you are, and repent before the King of glory and inherit the blessing he has instore for your life to be a testimony. Amen.

The BOOK – Wilderness Wanderings

From the Mount Sinai, Israelites journeyed to Kadesh which is the southern border of the Promised Land Canaan. Since the people did not believe in God, the Promised Land which they could have gone in 2 years took 40 years. Sometimes this happens to the current children of God. We will be told to do a certain things and we will not and will lose years and finally will end up in doing the same thing. 

One problem which occurred to them were that they got discouraging words from the spies who told them that since giants are there it is impossible to overcome these giants. They did not listen to Joshua and Caleb who were confident that God will give victory to them. Instead they were telling to choose a leader and go back to Egypt (Numbers 14:4). I have seen people who are Christians, are forced to listen and do things which are against the will of God because of doubt in faith. When you go and convince them that it is not the way God wants, they may come against you, same way Israel went against Moses and Joshua.

When the people of Israel tried to take things in their own hand instead of seeing how powerful their God was, God decided that anyone who is over 20 years will not enter the land of Canaan, except Joshua and Caleb. Eleven days from the land of Promise! But they turn back. They could have made 11 days of progress, but they chose 40 years of wanderings. Miracle might be there in front of you. But because of your unfaithfulness, it is getting dragged away. God opens doors that no human can close and he closes doors that no human can open. God took Israel from Egypt to bring them to the promise land, might in in some weeks. But because of their fear disqualified them to take over the land promised. There is a saying that if you have never faced any difficulties or challenges in life, you have not done any good thing. When you decide to do well, which is against the worldly life, difficulties will come. You need to come out from your comfort zone and walk along with God who called you without any doubt. Often we fear what others say and this fear keeps us from enjoying all God wants to give us. Like the 10, we can be pessimists, or like the 2, we can be optimists. Like the 10 we can put difficulties between us and God and say we are not able, or like the 2, we can put God between the difficulties and ourselves and say we are able.

We also find people questioning Aaron’s priest hood. Moses gathers 12 staffs, one from the leader of each tribe, and placed them overnight in the tent of meeting. God put life into Aaron’s alone, causing it to sprout and bud. All the religious authors in the world died, even Christ died – but only Christ was raised from the dead and exalted to be our High Priest. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess”

We find even though Moses disobeyed God by striking the rock, God was faithful and kept his promise. But since Moses smote the rock instead of speaking, he was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. 

Jesus Christ is the rock and was to be smitten once for our sins. 1 Corinthians 10:3, 4 – “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ”. Christ need not be smitten again. 

I pray that you repent your sins, believe and confess Christ as your saviour and be faithful to him and him alone.

Plan for You

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” – Jeremiah 29: 11.

Devil’s idea for everyone is to destroy them. The evil’s plan is to give disappointments. Failures, discouragements to a person who follows God so that the person will leave the mighty one. So each and every moment in a believer’s life will be a war against the worldly pleasures, lust and all the things which keeps him against the love of God. Prosperity is not a sin. But when a man leaves God and goes behind prosperity is sin as God has commanded us not to have any God or object other than him, or give importance more than him.

When you live a holy life, devil brings health problems, joblessness, or family problems into your life. His only intention is to lead you away from God as he did in the life of Job. Many Christians have lost their race of faith when trials and tribulations come into their life. They won’t be able to handle a sudden loss, or sudden failure. Whoever show patience in the time of trials and temptations will see the mighty blessing of God in their life. “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick tempered displays folly” – Proverbs 14: 29.

When you accept Christ as your saviour, there is no need to have a tension about your life. God has a plan for you and the plan is to prosper you in everything. It doesn’t mean you sit simply and the plan will be fulfilled, but to work hard, not to have concerned about the future. When you go behind God your destiny will change and it will be safe in God’s hands. 

Have faith and believe in the word of God. Faith gets build more when you hear the word of God and accept it and claim it. Go and meditate on the word of God, accept it and claim it to see the light glowing in your life.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” – Hebrews 11:1.