A Slave to fear

Acting on fear is the downfall of so many of us. In the bible the Israelites are the perfect example. Several times in their history they acted on fear instead of having courage and faith in God.

First they were in Egypt for centuries getting stronger. Pharaoh himself claimed that the Israelites were stronger than the Egyptians. (Exodus 1:8-10) However when the decision was made to enslave Israel, according to biblical records, Israel did nothing. For centuries they were enslaved without a rebellion recorded. (Exodus 12:40-41). After God used Moses with a mighty hand to free them and bring them through the desert, they were confronted with the Canaanites who were living in the promise land.

Once again they lacked faith and react with fear. They declared that they could not defeat the Giants who live there. They did even worst. They wished they had died in the wilderness or had never left their masters in Egypt. (Numbers 14:1-4)Their fear was truly remarkable considering they had seen a multitude of miracles provided by an almighty God with the sole purpose of freeing them and delivering to them the promise land.

Many centuries later, after the Israelites had seen many more miracles, fear would show its ugly face again. The Israelites would once again act out of fear and demand a King that could protect them against their enemies. For centuries God had lifted up men who for the most part were good, wise, moral, who feared Him and were dedicated to Him and whose sole purpose was defending Israel, but Israel’s fear was so intense that they were willing to surrender their freedom. Instead of being slaves to Egypt they would now be slaves to a king.

The prophet Samuel explains that the king would take their land, their earnings, their sons and daughters and force them to serve him. But they still wanted to be slaves in exchange for protection. (1 Samuel 8)

Fear has turned many into slaves. Fear stops us and keeps us from doing all we can and from putting our abilities to use. Opportunities can be lost and in the worst case scenarios we can remain trapped in a place that God does not want for us.

Let us all keep in mind what Paul told one of his young leaders, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) God does not want us to fear, but trust in Him and believe or as Jesus said “with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Related articles

• Day 14- Exodus 6 (365daysoffocus.wordpress.com)
• God will deliver you from your Egypt, just like He did with the Israelite’s!(amandalouisehobba.wordpress.com)
• Dependence on God (tchesh.wordpress.com)
• #9 Enslavement and Exodus (biblestudybasics.wordpress.com)
• The Burning Bush (iamchasewordz.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 23.1-20 (9markspastor.wordpress.com)
• What if Moses didn’t raise his staff and stretched out his hand?(chaparnada.wordpress.com)

Anger and a Senseless murder!

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; James 1:19 

Although it is an old story it is not easy to forget.  Kayla barrowed money from her good friend Kamisha, a young lady who had just graduated from college, to buy pampers.   Later Kamisha found out that Kayla had spent the money on herself. Kamisha then demanded to be paid back, when Kayla did not pay her back an argument broke out. The argument would last several days via texting and facebook,  until the two women would confront each other in Kayla’s kitchen. According to one story Kamisha literally spilled the baby’s milk. Kayla lost control of herself and stabbed Kamisha with a knife. Although Kamisha was not killed instantly she died from the wounds while lying in a hospital bed. It was in August of 2013 that Kayla was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

It is one thing to say that anger and emotions can cause us to do regrettable things, however this was a criminal act.  We have another example from the Bible; when Moses saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, in a fit of rage he killed him.  Moses was driven by emotions, and took action without thinking.  He was then forced to flee from his country, his home and his family.

In Psalm 37:8 we read “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” Paul in Ephesians 4:26, advises “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” Most acts of violence tend to take place between people who know each other and often know each other intimately. In some cases it is the plate flying across the room that was never meant to hit someone or the forceful shake we never thought could cause harm.  Often it is with regret that theses horrific events are remembered.

None of us are exempt. We are all capable of anger and intense emotions.  However we must be slow to act in these cases.  We must plan ahead; what prudent actions we can safely take. One of my favorites is to walk away and keep walking.  However that is not always an option.  Perhaps we must close our eyes and call upon our lord for strength before we weakly give into to our emotions. We will later realize that refraining from thoughtless actions has saved our family, our friendships, our lives and even our souls.

Basketball and God’s Wisdom

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 111:10

“He runs across the court passes to Johnson, he shoots from the three point line, he scores, they win, they win, and the crowd goes crazy!” Basketball is a great sport. You ever notice what a basketball player does. He runs, sometimes walks, throws the ball and dribbles. Most children can do these things. I am sure many would like to grow up to be great basketball players. In truth many are already on their way. They are learning each and every day. If they can just acquire enough wisdom for the game anything is possible.

It’s the same for Christians. We would all like to be great women and men of God. But I for one know there is no comparing Sammy (yeah that’s me) to Moses. But we all can keep growing in the Lord. Where do we begin? That’s the easy part. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10)

What does it truly mean to fear the lord? It means we are aware of his greatness and his might. We recognize that he is all powerful, knows all things and is everywhere. It also means that we are ready to submit to Him and trust in Him. We will obey Him.

When God first called Moses he resisted and gave many excuses, but he feared God and ultimately knew he had no choice but to submit. He then became a mighty instrument of God. He became a great man of God. But first He had to submit.

How can we do a better job of submitting to God? If we want to play on God’s team, we must study His rule book, also known as the bible. It contains all that God desires of us, and all the promises he has made and will fulfill. Let us commit ourselves to the study of scripture so that we may please God more and grow in His wisdom. We too can become great women and men of God and that’s better than shooting a three pointer.

A simple plan, march and shout

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat….Joshua 6:20

The city wall was tall and thick, perhaps 13 feet thick (http://www.bibleplaces.com/jericho.htm). The city, Jericho, was ancient and filled with experienced soldiers, the bible described as “mighty men of valor” (Joshua 6:2). The proud people of this great city must have felt secured, armed with fine soldiers and a mighty wall. However God had promised this land to the Israelites. Surely God would give His people an ingenious plan filled with an incredible strategy never heard of in the ancient world, a brilliant military campaign that generals would be studying centuries later; not exactly.

God decided to give them, what amounted to virtually no plan at all. All they had to do was march around the city. The Israelites must have become the laughingstock of the ancient world. What was wrong with these people? Did they think that marching alone would bring down such a wall? Perhaps they could stomp their feet really hard and the earth would tremble just enough. How many Israelites must have questioned God and their leader Joshua after the first day of marching? They had marched around an entire city. They must have been tired. Day two through day six, they had to do the same thing. Then on the seventh day God’s request was even more challenging and hard to trust. He asked Israel to march around the city seven times, blow their trumpets and shout. We can only wonder  about the number of Israelites that were questioning the sanity of this plan.

However the majority of them must have believed. They trusted in God, while Jericho trusted their mighty wall. The wall lost. It came down and the Israelites took the city completely defeating those men of valor.

The plan might have been simple, but it wasn’t the plan or the marching that defeated Jericho, it was God. In our lives we must face constant challenges, and perhaps a more elaborate plan might be more comforting, but God remains our true source of strength and in the end He is the one that will give us the victory. Should we put away our brains and never try to plan or strategize? Of course not, but when all the planning in the world fails us, perhaps it’s time to depend on God. Sounds simple, however, that’s what we need to bring down a mighty wall.

Can we trust God more than the train?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5

There I was speeding through the Bronx on an elevated train way above the ground. Children were playing and having a great time. Mothers seemed relaxed and contented. The driver of the train was nowhere in sight. But I was happy as can be and without a care in the world. I figured I was 100% safe. No reason to be concerned with who might be driving the train, his or her physical condition or capabilities; I was not worried about the condition of the train or the old tracks. What could go wrong? I trusted the construction of a system whose parts in some cases dated back to the 1800’s and an anonymous driver. As a species we are actually more trusting than what we think. We trust our waiters, our cooks, our babysitters, and our doctors. However when it comes to God how often does our trust fail?

Why do we doubt God even if we have experienced his power first hand? The Israelites had experienced the power of God who liberated them from Egypt with a mighty hand. But when they came face to face with the giants in Canaan they could not believe that God would provide a victory. Sarah had experienced the protection and guidance of God but upon being told that she would have a child, also did not believe and only laughed. I have also doubted God and yet I have personally experienced God’s blessing and care. Why do we spend so much time doubting?

Perhaps part of the doubt comes from our own feelings of inadequacies. The Israelites felt small next to those Giants and Sarah was sure she was too old. Often in finding our faith we must come to grips with the reality that when we cannot continue the fight, our God can. That when the problem is too great He can solve it and when it is impossible for us it is still possible for Him. The giants were thoroughly defeated, and Sarah would rejoice to see her baby born.

Everyday God is acting in our lives in miraculous ways. Let us trust Him. He is more reliable than the NYC subway system and has been around a whole lot longer. He is not anonymous and hears you when you call. He arrives on time and will definitely take us where we need to go.Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5

There I was speeding through the Bronx on an elevated train way above the ground. Children were playing and having a great time. Mothers seemed relaxed and contented. The driver of the train was nowhere in sight. But I was happy as can be and without a care in the world. I figured I was 100% safe. No reason to be concerned with who might be driving the train, his or her physical condition or capabilities; I was not worried about the condition of the train or the old tracks. What could go wrong? I trusted the construction of a system whose parts in some cases dated back to the 1800’s and an anonymous driver. As a species we are actually more trusting than what we think. We trust our waiters, our cooks, our babysitters, and our doctors. However when it comes to God how often does our trust fail?

Why do we doubt God even if we have experienced his power first hand? The Israelites had experienced the power of God who liberated them from Egypt with a mighty hand. But when they came face to face with the giants in Canaan they could not believe that God would provide a victory. Sarah had experienced the protection and guidance of God but upon being told that she would have a child, also did not believe and only laughed. I have also doubted God and yet I have personally experienced God’s blessing and care. Why do we spend so much time doubting?

Perhaps part of the doubt comes from our own feelings of inadequacies. The Israelites felt small next to those Giants and Sarah was sure she was too old. Often in finding our faith we must come to grips with the reality that when we cannot continue the fight, our God can. That when the problem is too great He can solve it and when it is impossible for us it is still possible for Him. The giants were thoroughly defeated, and Sarah would rejoice to see her baby born.

Everyday God is acting in our lives in miraculous ways. Let us trust Him. He is more reliable than the NYC subway system and has been around a whole lot longer. He is not anonymous and hears you when you call. He arrives on time and will definitely take us where we need to go.