Sunday, July 10, 2011

BIBLE PICK 'EMS - It's Scary Out There!

"It’s scary out there!"

Ever felt that way?

Picture yourself with Moses and the Israelites. Here they are at the edge of the Promised Land. They have been successfully and miraculously rescued from slavery in Egypt, and led through the great and terrifying wilderness. God has been with them every step of the way.

God has proven faithful.

And yet, Moses decides to send out scouts.

I don't think this was his original plan.

Moses had said, "You have now reached the hill country of the Amorites that the LORD our God is giving us. Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don't be afraid! Don't be discouraged!"

Plan A.

But the Israelites came to him and asked that scouts be sent out to explore the land –figuring "they will advise us on the best route to take…"

Plan B, maybe?

So, Moses sent out twelve scouts, one from each tribe. Upon their return, they reported that the land was a good land.

But…(why is it that there’s always a "but" when it comes to the Israelites?)

The people rebelled against the command of the LORD and refused to go in.

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" tells us what they said:

"'The LORD must hate us. That's why he brought us here from Egypt – to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered. Where can we go? Our brothers have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, 'The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are…We even saw giants there – the descendants of Anak!'" (Deuteronomy 1:27-28)

The people had concluded that the land was not worth the obstacles. They were afraid and decided not to enter.

Do you ever feel like that?

I sure do.

As I walk along my life's journey, God has proved Himself faithful, over and over. He's rescued me from the slavery to sin. He's led me through the wilderness. And yet, when He brings me to the brink of a breakthrough, a growth period, a time of testing – I balk.

He promises the Promised Land – and He promises to help me conquer it.

But…(why is it that there's always a "but" when it comes to me?)

I stop, I look around, I get scared – I only see the obstacles – I focus on the difficulty and the fear – and I do not go in.

God gives us the power to overcome our obstacles, but all too often we let difficulties control our lives. We become fearful and immobile when we focus on the negative aspects of a situation.

"It's scary out there."

Moses had quite a comeback for the Israelites. I hear him saying it to me:

"'Don't be shocked or afraid of them! The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you…you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.'" (verses 29-31)

This is what I forget.

God has gone before me – and He will guide me every step of the way.

I am not facing anything in my life by accident. Whenever I come up against "scary new territory" I must remember this – God has brought me to this place.

He is on my side.

I can trust His direction and His promises. I can rely on His presence and power.

Fear does not need to rob me of the victory.

I must move out in faith – courageous, overcoming faith.

And God will provide even that…


Are there any "giants of Anak" in your life?


"When in doubt, search God out!"

8 comments:

  1. excellent points, Sharon!! God is faithful indeed. And I hadn't caught that before about the people asking Moses to send out the scouts. Interesting. I wonder about those Israelites sometimes. They saw what God had done, the plaques, the parting of the Red Sea, manna, water from rocks, etc and they still had fear. But then we see what God has done in our lives in the past and we still have fear ourselves.

    I have reminded myself on many an occasion what God has done for me before while I'm going through a tough time, trying to remember he is there and is working and is for me. It is a constant battle but again we always have to remember the battle belongs to the Lord!!

    Keep fighting those giants! You are on the winning team!

    betty

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  2. Move forward in the path he clears for you with faith and love. Hugs Carrie

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  3. Fear is such a typical response! and such an awesome God who continues to coax us into his plans for us. He will always be beside us. No buts about it. :)

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  4. Hi Sharon,

    Yes, giants a plenty at the moment, for some reason, I am very volatile, self righteous and any number of other not so good tendencies, at the moment, probably at the root of most of it is fear.

    I hope as Carrie, says to prayerfully move forward on the path He clears for me with faith and love.

    God Bless and thanks for your visits and encouragement.

    Nita.

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  5. He does have our path decided upon - and it is scary at times to go out there and follow it - I'm not sure where your out there is - but sometimes mine seems really scary.

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  6. Nope. No giants here.

    I'm such a courageous warrior who takes on every battle, large or small with the confidence of Joshua.

    Not.

    This is another wonderful post, Sharon. It happens to be a portion of a favorite part of the Bible, too. I did an in depth study for my SS class a few years ago on the book of Joshua. Of course, we had to go back to portions like this to get our background. This became a favorite teaching.

    A little question: We all know that Joshua is one of the OT figures representative of Jesus. Have you ever considered that Caleb is like the Holy Spirit in that story? It seemed so to me.

    Anyway, something to ponder.

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  7. Hi Sharon -

    Hallelujah that GOD is on our side.

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  8. May I just summarize your comments? They make for a great game plan!

    Betty - Keep fighting the giants. We're on the winning team.

    Carrie - Move forward on the path God clears for us.

    Ruth - God will always be beside us. (And WELCOME! Hope you stop by again sometime!)

    Nita - Fear is at the root of so many troubles. Move forward into God's love with faith.

    Sandie - God has already decided our path. We must follow it - whether it's scary or not.

    Debbie - We can look at Joshua as an example of courageous faith. (And no, I'd never considered Caleb as an example of the Holy Spirit. I can see that - I'll be pondering that one, too).

    Sandra - GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!

    Hallelujah!

    GOD BLESS!

    (P.S. Take that, you Anak giants!!)

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"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

(NOTE: Anonymous comments will be removed. Thank you for understanding.)