What would make you satisfied and content? 

Sometimes, we have contradictory desires. On the one hand, we want to be adventurous and go out and save the world, but on the other hand, we want to be sure that we have our creature comforts. In addition, we do not want to be too far from my loved ones. Some of you may be in child rearing years, and you are looking forward to seeing your children become adults and independent. Those of us who have reached that season already miss the child-rearing years. What does it take for us to be content!?

The Bible shows that as much as God came through for the Israelites, they quickly became discontent and even angry at God and His appointed leader.

Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them. Exodus 2:23-25

God was merciful to His people and heard their cry. The Lord allowed Moses’ life to be saved as a newborn in order for God to use His life for the purpose of delivering His people from Egypt. However, the Israelites were not happy about leaving Egypt.

Read Numbers 13:26-33

Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the land and bring report of what they observed in Canaan. All men observed the same thing, but ten of them came with the report that the people living in Canaan were giants. The ten spies saw themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to the Canaanites. The other two spies, Caleb and Joshua, focused on God’s will in their lives. They had the faith that they can possess the land and overcome the so called giants.

Faith will stretch you

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 wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”  So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” Number 14:2-4

It’s amazing how forgetful we can be. We can pray for months or years for something, but once we get it, we begin to doubt God because it is not what we expect it to be. Every new door of opportunity will have some stretching. We cannot remain comfortable and grow at the same time. Not every stretching is necessary nor is it from God. On the other hand, just because things get hard, it does not mean that God is not in it.

Taking new territory will have opposition

If we want to take the steps of faith, there will be opposition to it. The enemy will not sit on the sidelines and allow us to take over a new territory for God. Just because things get hard, it does not mean that we are incapable. At times, we will feel like grasshoppers, but we cannot entertain those lies if God has led us in certain direction. 

If we just desire to safety and security in our little tent, we will retreat in times of challenge and uncertainty. Our starting point in every undertaking should be ensuring that it is led by the Lord. If God has led us into a new direction, then we must trust His provisions on this journey. He will unfold what we need when we need it.  God wants to show Himself strong on your behalf and allow us to see His hand in the midst of reaching Canaan.

 I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:25-30

Jesus’ call goes out to all of us who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest. The world has no rest to offer us, and the cares of this world can overwhelm the strongest of us. The issues that we cannot control or change can become a yoke that are difficult and heavy to carry. There is no rest when we are overburdened by those cares, but Jesus knows our condition. 

He invites us to come to him with child-like faith and trust Him that He has the power and the answers to resolve our problems. He calls us to a lifestyle of humility and dependence on Him. This positions us for rest rather than restlessness. To have a child-like faith, at times, looks foolish and unwise. This is a spiritual battle that must be fought by living a lifestyle of humility and dependence on the Lord. 

Some of us have a tendency to take on more responsibility than we should. We think that the success of most situations depends on our hard work and ingenuity. We are used to making things happen. When we are successful in achieving our goals, it reinforces our view of hard work and self-effort. If we are not successful, then we attribute it to not doing our best. Some of us equate rest to laziness or having no purpose. 

We need to admit that we are addicted to “doing” and that we will find every excuse for self-exertion. This is a stronghold that must be broken in our lives. We cannot try to control our lives and, at the same time, take on God’s yoke and enter His rest. 

I had a few anxious and restless days lately. Last night, I found that when I just focused on Him and declared my trust in Him, I regained my peace and rest. There are things that we may not have answers for right away, but God is still on the throne, and He has a plan. We can rest in Him and trust our heavenly Father. 

Rest is our privilege as the Children of God! My prayer is that we are not burdened by cares of life and that we experience His rest, peace, and joy!

While the Bible does not speak about stress, it addresses anxiety and burdens of life. Some stress is generated by lack of prioritization in life. Nowadays, everything seems to have equal importance, which raises the level of stress. We overcommit our time and finances, and that adds to our level of stress. We generally do not look down upon stress because it is culturally perceived to be associated with success. However, the Lord sees it differently. He expects His people to enter His rest.

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.  For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; Hebrews 4:1-4

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.  For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Hebrews 4:9-10

Rest requires faith. One of the great blessings of our relationship with the Lord is the privilege of having God’s rest. The message of the Gospel is about entering God’s rest. Rest is one of the benefits of our salvation. The Lord told His people that rest was available to them. However, people chose not to enter His rest because they did not believe the Lord. They thought that they have to do works to be accepted by God. God considers it disobedience when people choose not to enter His rest.

There are Christians who have come from works denominations or backgrounds, and it is very difficult for them to believe that they can just receive the love of God without having to work towards it. God has works for us to do, but they are done on the foundation of rest and acceptance. It is not about striving or trying to earn God’s favor. 

Without the rest of God in our lives, we will return to our old nature trying to make things happen through self-effort. We will become performance driven and assume that everything depends on our actions. It will be difficult to surrender our will to the Lord because we would feel responsible for making things happen. If we don’t have the rest of God, we will begin to lose His joy as well. The rest of God keeps us in tune with His ways and His will. Without His rest, we are operating with our soul and our senses. When was the last time you heard a message about restlessness being considered disobedience!?

This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

The Lord created everything in heaven and earth and brought order in a chaotic world. However, sin changed everything. Sin began a turmoil in people’s hearts, and relationships began to break down. Destruction and chaos became intertwined in God’s perfect plan of creation. Therefore, God’s resting place on the earth was lost due to the Fall.

In His model prayer, Jesus prayed that God’s Kingdom and His will would come to the earth. It is God’s desire to have a resting place on the earth. The Lord is not looking for a building, but He is desiring to rest on His people. He is seeking those who are humble and wholly dependent on His grace. God is looking for those who have given up controlling their circumstances, and instead, they have chosen to take God at His word!

There are many choices and voices around us. Sometimes, it is very difficult to discern what we are responsible for. We may have a tendency to take on issues that are not ours to fix, which cause great stress. In addition, there are areas in our lives that cannot be fixed by our continual intervention. Instead, we need to surrender them to the Lord and allow Him to change them in His timing. 

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. Isaiah 11:10

Long before Jesus came on the scene, God had ordained that the true rest will come when Jesus would redeem His people by dying on the Cross.The root of Jesse was a prophetic word about the coming Messiah. Through repentance, people give up their restlessness for the rest of God in their hearts. We are saved from our corruptible self and allow His rest to come upon us. God restored the order of creation through Jesus.

The enemy does not want us to rest, and our old nature fights rest as well. The old nature is addicted to doing to feel worthy and in control. If desire to experience the rest of God, we need to feed our new nature through trust and quietness. This allows the glory of God to rest on us and become visible in a fallen world. God’s children are the conduits of bringing God’s peace to the earth by making their temple (bodies) available for the Spirit of God.

The rest of God is the tranquility that one experiences in spite of circumstances. At one time, Jesus slept on the back of the boat. This was a picture of the rest of God in the midst of others’ anguish. The world is desperate to see peaceful men/women who are not affected or disturbed by their surroundings but allow God’s rest to take away the anguish in their hearts. Are you willing to be that resting place for the Spirit of God?

Lord, please help us to be at rest in the midst of uncertain and chaotic world. Calm our restlessness and anguish.  Help us not to take on burdens that do not belong to us.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

We live in a busy world with many demands on our time and attention. In addition, the social media gives us plenty of opportunities to be distracted and waste our time on frivolous and sometimes fake information. While we may complain about our stress level, some of it is generated by our choices.

A few months ago, my back went out, and it stopped me in my tracks. The MRI showed that I have a herniated disk and will take months to heal. I went to a message therapist, who did a great job in bringing relief to my back, but he told me that I am suffering from stress. I have a tendency to begin thinking about the next task or the next assignment, which causes me not to give my body the rest it needs. He told me that I need to rest after completing my work and enjoy what I have accomplished. He is a Christian, and his message resonated with me because it is scriptural.

One of the important things that God spoke to His people in the Old Testament and the New Testament was the need for rest. 

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Genesis 2:2

The Lord who is all mighty and powerful rested from His work on the seventh day. At this point, sin had not entered the world. Rest was part of God’s design from the beginning, and He set the example for us to rest. If God rested on the seventh day, that tells us that we need to rest at least one day a week.

Resting means to cease from doing. God has designed our bodies to rest. He has written the manufacturer’s manual, and He tells us that this is what we need to function optimally. We generally take care of our cars according to manufacturer’s manual, but why do we not take the Bible seriously in His instructions about our bodies!? Many people suffer from various physical, emotional, and mental ailments because they dismiss getting the rest they need. They would rather go to the doctor or take pills than giving their body the care it needs to function well.

Do you set time aside to rest?  Are you getting the rest you need?

We are all prone to not hearing God’s voice from time to time. Our past successes in hearing God are not a guarantee that we can always discern God’s voice clearly and accurately. This challenge is evident when we study the life of Isaiah who was the prophet of God.

And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1Kings 19: 9-12

Elijah was a bold and courageous prophet. He was the one who challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:29-46) and was victorious in proving the one true God who is worthy of worship! In addition, after defeating the false prophets, he ensured that every prophet of Baal was executed. This action caused the famine in the land to cease, and God brought back the rain. Elijah had no problem hearing God’s voice clearly and executing His plan. However, after this great victory, Jezebel ( the Queen of Israel) sent a messenger to Elijah and threatening his life for killing all her prophets.

Elijah was shaken by Jezebel’s threats and ran into the wilderness for his life. The above scripture tells us that God approached Isaiah and asked him what he was doing. Elijah had been accurately hearing God, but Jezebel’s intimidation shook him to the point that he ran and hid. He even thought he was all alone in serving God. Elijah discouragement was so great that his fears eclipsed the voice of God. Isaiah was used to miracles, signs, and wonders, but, this time, God did not respond to Elijah with signs and wonders.

God was showing Elijah that he didn’t always speak in the wind, earthquake, and fire. This time God was going to touch Isaiah gently with His still small voice and speak to His prophet. Hearing the voice of God requires becoming still to discern His small voice. We need to slow down from our activities and make room for Him to speak to us. In addition, when we are anxious, it is very hard to hear the voice of the Lord. His voice is so gentle that it requires our attention and surrender. 

The last few devotionals are a reminder that we can have the ability to hear God’s voice, but we can be influenced by pressure, pride, frustration, fear, and discouragement and not hear the Lord clearly. It is in those times, that we need to regain the peace of God before we can hear the voice of God!

It takes giving up our own ideas and desires to hear God’s voice clearly. Nathan the prophet was faced with that challenge.

Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 2Samuel 7:1-5

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.2Samuel 7:12-13

Now that King David had peace all around him, he desired to build a temple for the Lord. Nathan, the prophet, encouraged him and told David that God was with him for what was in David’s heart. However, Nathan had not checked in with the Lord to hear His will about this situation.

King David’s desire was noble and honorable. God had not had a temple up to this point in history. His presence was in the Ark of the Covenant, which moved as Israelites moved from place to place. Now that the Israelites were settled in their land and enjoyed peace, it seemed appropriate to build a temple for the Lord. 

Just because something is good or spiritual, it does not mean the Lord has led it.  Some people are involved in spiritual or non-spiritual activities in the name of God, but God has never endorsed their actions. We cannot rely on our logic, desires, or circumstances to determine whether God is in it or not.

Furthermore, Nathan was led by his affection and honor for the king rather than being led by the Spirit of the Lord. Nathan had not heard the voice of the Lord yet, but only the voice of his emotions. God intervened and corrected him. He told Nathan that king David was not going to build the temple for him. Nathan had to be willing to hear God’s voice above his own emotions and be humble enough to correct his mistake.

When you or your loved ones embark on something that seems good or spiritual, are you willing to slow down to hear His voice? Would you be willing to change directions if God’s voice leads you the opposite of your desires? 

The scripture tells us that Moses was a very humble man. He frequently inquired of the Lord and heard God’s voice and direction.

So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”  And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:4-6

The Israelites were angry about not having water, so Moses cried out to God. The Lord gave him instruction to strike the rock and that water would come out for the people. Moses did exactly as God had instructed him. 

Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! Numbers 5: 2-3

Fourteen years later, the Israelites were faced with water shortage again, and their response was the same as last time. The people were angry again at Moses, and they complained about not having water.  Isn’t it sad that regardless of God’s provision in the past, we can be quick to complain? Complaining shuts down our faith, and it does not allow us to remember God’s faithfulness in the past. The Israelites did not make much progress in their faith because they didn’t build their faith based on their past experiences with God. Every time they were faced with a challenge, they resorted to their child-like tempter tantrums.

So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”  So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”  Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Numbers 5:6-12

This time the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to speak to the Rock. However, Moses was angry at the people, and he chose to hit the rock instead. This was not God’s voice or direction, but this was motivated by Moses’ anger towards the people. Consequently, he disobeyed the Lord. God was very displeased with Moses.  He was God’s leader before the people, and he represented the image of God. Moses showed unbelief by not following through with God’s instruction. He misrepresented the Lord before the people.

Sometimes, we are prone to misrepresent the Lord to others in the manner we act. Our actions may not have anything to do with God’s voice or his direction, and this leaves a distaste in other people’s mouth about the image of God. Currently, I am challenged, as a parent, to make decisions that are in line with God’s voice rather than relying on my comfort level or succumbing to fears. 

Are you able to hear God’s voice when you are fearful, angry, or frustrated? As a leader in your home, church, or work are you able to be led by the voice of God and represent Him well?

As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.  So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,  then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.1 Samuel 13:7-13

The prophet Samuel had specifically told Saul that he would return and would offer the burnt offerings. However, Samuel delayed, and Saul became frightened. Saul succumbed to the voice of his fears and the voices of pressure by his people. He perceived that the burnt offering was more important than obeying the voice of God. God had established a separation of church and state by giving specific responsibilities to the king and to the priest.  The king was to fight in wars and the priest was to intercede before God on behalf of the nation.

It was Samuel’s responsibility to offer the burnt offerings. On the other hand, Saul was the king, and he had no business crossing the boundary line and offering burnt offerings. The power was not in burnt offering but in obedience to the voice of God. Saul knew that God required burnt offering, but he ignored the fact that God required it from Samuel not Saul.

Actions and activities do not have power on their own. What gives them power  is when they are done according to God’s leading and His voice. If we focus on certain actions apart from God’s direction, we create ritualistic witchcraft. Just because something worked for others, it does not mean that God calls us to do the same thing.

What compels you into action? Are you led by the the voice of God or are you led by your fears? Have you overstepped your boundary to achieve your goal? 

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

As Christians, we have the privilege of a personal relationship with the Lord, and He has deposited the Holy Spirit within us to be our comforter and counselor.  We don’t need to go to a priest to intercede on our behalf neither do we depend on others to be the voice of God for us. The challenge with hearing God’s voice is that He is not the only one talking to us. There are many voices around us that can either resemble the voice of the Lord or have great influence in our lives. Are you familiar with the voice of God? Do you ensure that His voice has preeminence in your life? 

The Preeminence of God’s Voice

So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:10

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Genesis 3:17

The above scriptures clearly shows that Adam was familiar with God’s voice. He was also familiar with Eve’s voice, and he chose her voice over God’s voice, which led him into sin. God prohibited them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of the good and evil, and Adam and Eve both knew this. However, out of the desire to please his wife, Adam chose to follow Eve and sinned against God. He was familiar with both voices, but he chose to prioritize the voice of his wife over the voice of God.

So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Genesis 16:2

Abraham made the same mistake and cost him dearly. He never checked in with God to see what He says about this. God had not directed him to sleep with his maid, but he did it to please his wife. The nation of Israel continues to suffer due to Abraham’s disobedience in having Ishmael.

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.”  But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” Genesis 27:11-13

In the above scripture, Jacob is influenced by his mother to deceive Issac. Rebekah plotted a plan for Jacob to get his brother’s inheritance by lying to his father. His mother specifically encouraged him to listen to her because she had his best interests at heart. While she promised that she is willing to incur any curse upon her, everyone was hurt and impacted by Jacob’s lies and manipulation. Rebekah had a promise from God when she was pregnant with the twins. Jacob was going to be greater than Esau, but now she and Jacob took in their own hands to fulfill the promise. 

Just because someone deeply loves us, it doesn’t mean, they always hear the voice of God. Sometimes people out of love, get into the flesh and try to fix the situation in an ungodly way for us. Are you familiar with God’s voice? Are there people in your life whose voice can be so important that you tend to disregard the voice of God in a given situation? This voice may not always be the voice of your spouse. It could be the voice of your boss, pastor, children, parents, or friends. Does God have the opportunity to override someone else’s voice in your life?