Read: Numbers 13
S.O.A.P.
Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer
S:
“We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow
with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities
are fortified and very large …” Numbers 13:27-28
O:
They spied out the land and it was good and full of large ripe fruit …
nevertheless …
Nevertheless is a conjunction –
joining two ideas together. Yes it’s
full of good fruit, BUUUUUTTT wait there’s more! There are giants in the land! And that’s not all. Their cities are fortified with big
walls.
The people bringing the report back to
the Israelites were basically telling “ghost stories around a campfire”. You know the stories, the kind meant to
instill fear in those who were listening.
BUT Caleb. Here is another conjunction. Caleb stilled the people. He hushed them and commanded them to be
quiet. Caleb brought good news. He encouraged them in the midst of all the
objections that they were OVERCOMERS! We
are well able to overcome it! (v. 30)
That word in Hebrew is yakol. It means to prevail, to overcome, to endure,
to have power, to be able. This isn’t a “can’t”
word this is a “can” word. Another
meaning is “to be able to bring oneself to do anything, to be powerful, to
prevail, to master anything difficult”.
BUT THE MEN. Here is yet another conjunction and
objection. Verse 31 – The men who were
with them said, “We will not be able to go up against the people; for they are
stronger than we are.” L So (verse 32) they brought an evil report of
the land.
First of all, it wasn’t them who
needed to be strong! In verse 33 it says
We were in our own sight as grasshoppers.
They saw themselves as small and weak.
But where should their eyes have been looking?
These people should have been as brave
as the boy David, “David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with
sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD
Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” I Samuel 17:45
They needed to remember whose they
were! Ye are of God, little children,
and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is
in the world. I John 4:4
I was listening to Joyce Meyer
yesterday as I was riding my exercise bike and she was talking about how we are
really Superheros and we just need to put on our cape and face the enemy head
on. As part of her message she used
these verses from Romans 8:
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“For Your sake we are being put to
death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who
loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
One
of the points she made was this: We will
go through tribulation and distress and persecution and all of these other big,
trying things, BUT (another
wonderful conjunction!) IN ALL THESE THINGS WE OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER! That is such good news! How do we conquer, “through HIM who loved us
so!” There is NOTHING that can separate
us from His love friends, nothing! Whatever
it is you are fearing, whether it be giants in the land or an unknown future
know this today: You are held in the
hands of an Almighty, All Powerful, All Knowing God! You are His precious one. He sings over you and loves you so very
much. I’m not saying there won’t be
trials and tribulations. Goodness knows
I have heard some stories over the last week that breaks my heart for the
things people are going through, but know this – it breaks His heart just as
much and more! But if you will just trust Him to
see you through this thing HE WILL! He
is more than able and in the end friends, we WIN! This thing here, on this earth, this is just
temporary, BUT HE! He is forever and HE
is the One we get to be with forever!
Nothing can separate you from that love!
Nothing!
A:
Today I want to live as an overcomer.
I do not need to be fearful or afraid of my circumstances. For GREATER is He that is in me, than he that
is in the world. God is the GREATEST! Anything I face I face with God on my
side! What, then, shall we say in
response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31
P:
Our Father which art in Heaven, thank You that because You overcame death we
can overcome as well. Thank You that no
matter what we face we can go into that situation knowing that You are with us
and that You love us more than we could ever possibly imagine. Though we may be put to death all day long,
we can overwhelmingly conquer! Father help
us not to be like those who brought the evil report back being teeny tiny in
our own eyes, but God let us see ourselves through YOUR eyes! Father I thank you that You are a good, good
Father! I know there are those today who
are hurting from losses and other situations that they are or have faced, but
God please wrap Your loving arms around each one today and let them know that
they are Yours and that You love them so very much! I lift all these things up to You. Through Christ I pray. Amen & Amen.
Here are 20 verses about being an
overcomer: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Overcomers
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