Elder's Desk

LESSONS FROM KING DAVID (Part i)

“David & Goliath” is one story often quoted, related and preached.  Honestly, I am fascinated by David, the man who later became a king of Israel.  Where did he draw his courage from? How was he able to stay calm and composed in the presence of a giant, fully armed and trained as a soldier to kill his enemy? What kind of training or exposure did he receive in the past?

One important thing I have noted is ANOINTING. The defining moment of David’s life was when he received the anointing oil from Samuel to rule, to reign, and to have dominion.  From that moment on, the Lord was with David.  We, too, have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Are we who God say we are? Would we seek God to become one?

Saul, the first king of Israel, though he was tall, well built, possessed kingly features, and gifted was a great disappointment because he lacked the determination to follow God’s order with all his heart. He failed not for lack of skill but for lack of anointing that led to doubt.  He did not know his God personally.  Consequently, God instructed Prophet Samuel to anoint another person, a person of His choice, one after His own heart to be king.  Samuel went to the house of Jesse as directed by God.

1 Samuel 16 gives a full account of what happened that day.  Jesse brought his first born, Eliab and Samuel thought, ^“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” But the Lord overruled it saying, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Do not look inward and excuse your inability by your outward appearance.  Look upward and begin to believe the God of impossibilities.  If we observe carefully, we will notice that the people God uses do not make sense to our natural mind.  God used a young girl to bear witness to Naaman, the leper. The uneducated fishermen took the world by storm. Mary Magdelene was the bearer of good news of the resurrection to the disciples.

Now, this is one powerful lesson I am eager to share with you.  The man God chooses to use may not fit into the world’s expectations or criteria. We should not judge a man or brush that man aside based on what we see or feel.  The battle is the Lord’s and so it is His choosing.  We need to understand and rest on the sovereign will of God.  He can do anything, in whatever manner or choose anyone whom He pleases without having to ask for our approval.  This is His sovereign will.

Our prayer should be “Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.  It simply means to surrender to the will of God in OBEDIENCE. When we say “Yes, Lord” we are saying yes for the Kingdom of God to come in our heart.  When that happens, the anointing and enabling of God would begin.

God is looking for the RIGHT ATTITUDE and a willing heart of obedience. SKILLS are secondary.  A person may have a keen mind on one or any of the seven spheres of influence but having a poor attitude is not acceptable to God.  A person with skills but lack the right attitude will most likely be prideful.  God will resist the proud but He will exalt the humble.  Remember, God can use even the weak things to confound the strong.

The seven spheres of influence are like “giants” to us.  How to prevail against them? Who will go into this battle? I am suggesting that the first consideration is our attitude and then our skill.  In situations like this our “left brain,” which is the analytical part, is likely to take over.  We will be analysing; working out and thinking through, on every possible scenario, counting the odds.  Our “right brain,” the creative part of us, tends to stay dormant while the “left brain” is working on overdrive.  Oftentimes, the ways of God are too mysterious, beyond human logic, and in ways that expand beyond our boundaries of knowledge and understanding.  Take for example Jesus’ instruction to Peter right after he came back from a whole night of catching nothing. He said to Peter: “Launch into the deep!” It’s as good as saying, “Peter go back out there.”  When Jesus was facing hungry crowds, can five loaves of bread and two fishes feed five thousand? Can this be true that David said one can put a thousand to flight and two can put ten thousand to flight?

The Psalmist proclaimed: “Be still and know that I am God”.  I have a feeling that today’s disciples ask too many questions.  Their minds are too noisy. The Voice of God is competing with many other voices.  Finally, when it does not add up to our logical mind, most likely we would just stop doing or stop responding.

Remember the calling of God reaches beyond you. Except He is in it with you, you cannot accomplish it.  Therefore, pursuing your calling would mean responding to a BIG GOD in ways that always expand your boundaries. Do you dare to believe and reach beyond the boundaries?

Continuing with the story, Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” Samuel insisted that they brought the youngest of Jesse’s children, David. As soon as David appeared the Lord said to Samuel, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

David received the anointing and the ASSURANCE of God’s continuing presence.  Did not Jesus promise His disciples, “Lo, I am with you always even until the end of age”? The King of kings, the Creator, the Mighty God promised to be with us.

DAVID DISCOVERED HIS GREATNESS

As recorded in 1 Samuel 17, the Philistines gathered their armies together to do battle against Israel.  King Saul and the men of Israel were also gathered together and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.

The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. On the Philistines’ side a champion named Goliath, a giant fully protected with bronze armour, armed with javelin, spear, and a shield-bearer went before him. He stood and derided the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.”

What is the feeling of the soldiers and King Saul?  When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they (King Saul included) were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Jesse said to his son David to bring some food to his brothers in the battlefield. David went as his father told him. David heard the deriding word uttered by Goliath. The men of Israel fled when they saw Goliath. They were dreadfully afraid. But David, the anointed of the Lord asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”  He uttered these words even when everyone else was afraid and fled. He felt a sense of anguish in his heart to hear these words from the mouth of Goliath.

King Saul on the other hand was in the tent hiding.  David stood ready to take the challenge, having felt anguish within him that an uncircumcised and a defiled Philistine would despise and deride the armies of the God of Israel.  Someone must stop this Philistine.  Someone must stand up against him and bring the giant down. David did not say, “Here am I, send someone else,” but he said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” David volunteered to take up the challenge. He willingly represented the nation of Israel, the armies of the living God to do battle against the uncircumcised enemy.

THE CHURCH TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF REDEMPTION

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” – (Matthew 28:18-20).

This mandate to MAKE DISCIPLES, BAPTIZING, TEACHING THE NATIONS TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT JESUS COMMANDED is now placed in the hands of the church empowered by the Holy Spirit. The first century Christians understood their role and immediately after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, they impacted their community with the Gospel and thousands came to believe in Jesus. They were persecuted severely for their faith but the Gospel continued to spread.  Where the disciples lived, they impacted their community. The disciples were not afraid to die for their faith.  One of their persecutors was Saul.  This man was determined to persecute the disciples and had brought extreme fear to them.  He believed that he was doing God’s work by stamping out the Christians.  But God has another plan unknown to him.  He was marvellously converted when he was on his way to Damascus.  After his conversion his name was changed to Paul.   He became a great blessing to the church.

Paul the Apostle in Acts 16 took the Gospel to Troas, and it was there that the Gospel spread to the European countries.  The pilgrims from England took the Gospel to America and from then on the Gospel was spread to the entire world. The Gospel was spread far and wide.  The Gospel was preached in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

CITY TRANSFORMATION

The church became the centre of influence.  Laws were enacted based on Biblical principles.  Biblical based ethics determined the natural conduct of people. Lord Wilberforce fought for the freedom of slavery in England. He was the voice of conscience for England. Women’s rights were restored. Child labour was abolished. Many reforms took place in the nations.  Christians took their faith to the centre of influence.  The Bible was taught in schools as part of the school curriculum. The city was transformed.  Beautiful churches were built in the centre of a town.

THE LAST FIFTY YEARS

The last 50 years or so, the church lost her influence at a rapid speed.  In the United States the rise of humanism took public prayer away from schools.  The Ten Commandments were removed.  Moral decay sets in and it continues to rot away.  In Malaysia, noticeably, chapels in schools were removed,  the Christian Society was disallowed, history books were rewritten and “other voices” were broadcasted daily. I am certain that in this present age there is more than one source of information and it is pointless for me to highlight all the rottenness that is prevailing in our society.

Increasingly the voices grew louder for justice, fairness and human rights. Consider the recent events in the Middle East.  What is the fundamental reason for the uprising? Basically the citizens are fighting for more freedom and rights.

Does the church still have a voice in the society?  What about the mandate the church received from our Master?  I believe the church withdrew further and further away from society and has lost her voice in society.  Is the church “the light and the salt” in the community?  Has the church left a vacuum for the power of darkness to fill because there is no light?  The outside world decayed because the salt was not there to stop the decay.  Have we forgotten that Christ came to redeem this decaying humanity with the Gospel?  The voices of Hollywood grew louder and stronger but the voice of the church is silent.  Hollywood preached their sermons via the media, entertainment and arts.  Their “churches” are the theatres and cinema halls. Even our living room has been converted to a “small group” gathering.  Their voices are spread through the broadcasting stations, television, video streaming and every other technological source they can put their hands on. It is time to reverse it.  How? We need to take over the “mountains” or the spheres of influence in the area of media.

THE MESSAGE HOLLYWOOD PREACHED

“Brokeback Mountain” preached that homosexual lifestyle is acceptable.  “Glee” echoes the same message.  In the past, this lifestyle was considered shameful. This is not to be disclosed publicly.  Today, homosexual practice is visible and they openly demand their rights.  In the USA, same sex marriage is allowed. The popular Harry Porter movie is telling our kids that dabbling with witchcraft, curses, spirits, is okay.  I pray that God will raise a new breed of evangelists to spread the Gospel (Good News) because it conditions a soul to respond to God.  “The Passion of the Christ” is the modern message which I believe is from God.  It speaks powerfully of the work and sacrifice of Jesus. This movie reached many nations even those that are closed to ‘regular evangelists’.  “The Chronicles of Narnia” is also another powerful movie. It portrayed the death and resurrection of Jesus. Aslan is the metaphor for the Lion of Judah.

What is the message Genting Highlands is preaching?  What about the business community? It seems that greed is the way of life.  The man who owns the most toys when he dies wins.  They preach hedonism. We know that this is not what God is saying but people out there are not hearing our message.  Our preaching is restricted within the four walls of the church building.  Who will take the message out beyond the four walls of the church building? The horoscope is found in almost any magazine and newspaper.  Can you find Christian messages in magazines and newspapers? Why not? The church has lost her voice.

URBAN MISSION

The church, the Body of Christ, of which we are a member cannot stay away or remain quiet but to rise up and influence the society.  We are to speak the truth into the society.  We are to live our life according to biblical ethics. We must do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before the face of God.  Believers are commanded to speak the truth; for truth dispels lies.  Where the light shines there will be no darkness. Reversely speaking, darkness will prevail in the absence of light.

It is our Master’s call as disciples to influence these seven spheres with beauty and truth; media, government, education, economy, religion, celebration (arts and entertainment) and family.  These seven spheres are the foundation of every society and culture.  These seven spheres mentioned in the earlier article may seem too large for us to handle. It is like seven nations mightier than us.  Are we able to take these mountains? No, except through the leading of our Lord Jesus.

For this reason, Jesus said that it is profitable for Him to go and when He goes, He will send us another comforter – the Holy Spirit”, the ‘paraklete’; He will come alongside you to help you.  We shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us.  We are not fighting this battle alone for God Himself will fight the battle for us if we are willing to surrender our lives to Him.  The first century Christians had shown us the way.  They testified to us that with God we can take these mountains.  The Roman Emperors tried to stop the Christians but failed.  The Gospel grew from strength to strength.

Mankind was not designed to go around in circles.  We are made to move toward a purpose.  We are made to grow. We carry something really powerful within our being; the power that can transform not only individuals but an entire nation.  Do we believe?  If we believe, we will see the glory of God.

JESUS SHALL REIGN SUPREME FOREVER AND EVER

The kingdom of this world shall become the kingdom of His dear Son, Jesus Christ.  All things will come under Jesus’ feet.  Revelation 22 gives us a glimpse of what the believers are inheriting at the end – a return to paradise.  God shall restore to Man what rightfully belongs to him. Man shall live forever in paradise.  Jesus Christ is the King of Righteousness.  Death, the last enemy will be defeated forever.   There is no more pain; of illness, of separation, of sufferings, nor of death itself. Again, mankind can commune with God without shame and without the need to hide from the face of God.  God will forever dwell among His people.

By responding to God’s call, Moses and Paul were able to bring to a right focus the purpose of God for them and to accomplish it. The call of God became too compelling to dismiss. Just like Moses and Paul, God designed us to do something for Him.  We must not doubt the power of the Holy Spirit resident in us.  For out of our innermost being shall flow rivers of living waters.

Will you answer God’s call for your life?  Do not miss the opportunity to work with God.

THE ENTRANCE OF THE KING

From the Book of Malachi to The Gospel of Matthew there were 400 years of silence.  Then, just as God had promised throughout the Old Testament, the Lamb of God appeared onto the scene.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of God came with one purpose; “I came to seek and save those who were lost”.  He came to redeem mankind to God.  He came that mankind may know his Father, the Creator and loving God.

Jesus, the King of kings did not choose to enter the earth in His kingly status but in the “lowest” strata of society. He chose to be born of a virgin who has yet to be married.  It is unacceptable and despicable.  Mary could be accused as a fornicator or adulteress. She could be subjected to death by stoning according to the law. Joseph, the carpenter, accepted Mary as his wife in response to the dream God showed him. He was willing to bear the shame and the gossip that might surface.

At Jesus’ birth, the shepherds saw an open heaven, heard the voice of the angels singing and praising God – “Glory to God in the highest”. They were the first to receive the good news of the birth of the King of kings.  The shepherds were the first to see Jesus as a babe. What a wonderful privilege!

One of the reasons for such a lowly entrance of the King, I believe, is that the poor and discarded of the lowest strata of society could identify with Him who comes bearing the Good News from God. Take for example Mary Magdalene, the prostitute; she was able to come to a personal knowledge of the King, in fact, the first to see the resurrected Lord. The Good News, the Message of God’s love reaches to the farmers, the shepherds, the fishermen, the lepers, the blind, the women folks, the children, the Pharisees, the rulers, the Romans (occupiers of the land), the Gentiles, and everyone in every strata of society.

THE MANIFESTATION OF THE KING

Jesus told His disciples that if they have seen Him they have seen the Father. He told them that He is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Him.  If you want to know the Father, you have to look to Jesus.  Do you want to have a personal knowledge of God the Father? Then you have to believe in Jesus – listen to Him and obey Him.

Matthew 4:16 records the fulfilment of the prophetic words of Prophet Isaiah. Jesus Himself is the fulfilment when He said: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has dawned.” With the manifestation of the King – Jesus Christ – there is no longer a need for mankind to live in darkness, no longer to be a slave to sin, and no longer to remain under the clutches of Satan.  The light has dawned. Jesus Christ is the Gospel, the Good News!

THE MANDATE OF THE KING

Luke 4:18-19 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed me, to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord

Do you know that Jesus did not randomly pick the scriptures to read? Do you know that the passage read was purposefully selected?  He read it from the Book of Isaiah.

Jesus said that He came to do the will of his Father.  What then is the will of the Father? It is to redeem mankind to God the Father, the Creator and the Giver of life. It is to manifest to mankind that He loves them and He calls man to return to the original design, to have communion with Him.  God desires to have fellowship with mankind.  Mankind has chosen the road of rebellion but God has chosen to reach out to redeem.  He loves mankind because we are made in His image and in His likeness.  We did not know this because our minds were darkened.  God sent his Son to show us the truth, the goodness and the beauty of God the Father. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

THE LOST SHEEP, THE LOST COIN, AND THE LOST SON

In Luke 15, Jesus spoke three parables.  I called this chapter, “three in one”.  The “sheep” was lost; knew that it was lost but did not know how to return to the “sheepfold” or shepherd. The shepherd (Jesus) risks everything to seek, to search and to rescue the lost sheep.

The second parable spoke of a “lost coin”.  The coin had no idea that it was lost.  It was devoid of any feeling or understanding about going back to the owner. The woman searched for the lost coin using whatever means – candle and sweeper – until she found it. (Note: the coin did not cry for help; did not acknowledge or admit because it was unable to do so.)

The third parable spoke of a “lost son” commonly known as “The Prodigal Son”.  The son took a deliberate action to walk away from home.  Circumstances took a turn for him and he became impoverished over time. When he came to his senses, when he realized that he was “lost”, he made a conscious decision to return to the father.  The father has been waiting for the son from the time he walked away from him.

All these three parables have a common thread – they have something precious to them, felt the loss, and are determined to have it back.  When the “lost” was found, they rejoiced and celebrated. This clearly depicts the heart of God the Father towards mankind.

THE AUTHORITY AND THE COMMANDMENT

After Jesus’ resurrection He gathered His disciples and commanded them to carry out the Great Commission.  Some doubted but others believed Him. Jesus reaffirmed them.  He spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth”.  In other words, Jesus was saying that all authority has been given to Him and with that He is sending the disciples. He authorised them to carry out the work on His behalf; go in His name, on that name they would stand and proclaim (Matthew 28:18-20).

Another worthwhile text to consider regarding the authority that comes with the mandate is found in Mark 16:15-18 – “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the message of God’s Good News to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned. These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in My name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well.”

The name of Jesus gives us authority to overcome demons and power to heal the sick.  I am praying that God will show His mighty strength in the church.  I believe that God will, in the last days, manifest His presence in His church so that the world may see that He is mighty in the midst of His people.  Nations will come to her.  His glory will fill the earth as the water covers the sea.

Looking From the Past, Projecting into the Future
Deuteronomy 28:1-8; John 1:50; John 14:12-14

Man is made in the image and likeness of God. Man is made for paradise.  Man is made to have communion with his Creator.  Man is made for eternity.  God made this covenant with man, saying “Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

But man traded paradise for a land covered with thorns and thistles, laboured for his meals, and separated from his Creator when he chose to walk the path of rebellion.  Man walked away and gave that right to the devil, the power of darkness.  From then on, Satan’s deception over mankind became full blown: murder, selfish desires, lies, evil doings, and self-destruction. Darkness filled the earth.  God relented momentarily for creating Man.  He found Noah, a righteous man in his time, to start afresh. He was a man who would listen to God, a man who would carry out His command. When the Ark was completed, as commanded by God, the whole earth was judged by a great flood. Eight souls in the Ark were saved along with the animals.

This account from the Book of Genesis gave us a gloomy picture of mankind. Noah entered the Ark with the stain of sin just like Adam, who came out of the Ark still bearing the sin.  His children continued to be fruitful and multiplied but sin continued to thrive.  Many years after the flood, mankind was so filled with pride and gathered at a place called Babel. Their sole desire was to build a tower that will reach heaven.  Whether it was possible or not was indeed debatable (questionable) but one thing was clear, pride filled the hearts of man and resulted once again in rebellion against God.  The message they conveyed was this: “I can do anything without God. I am God and I am the ultimate decider of what is right and wrong”.  God came down and dispersed man.  There was great confusion because this caused each man to speak in a different language.  Man was scattered and with that, different cultures emerged.

God Loves His Crown Creation – Man

God’s story continued to unfold when he called a man named Abram, later changed to Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3 God said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abraham became known as the Father of Promise.

We all know the story well; Isaac the son of promise was born to Sarah and Abraham in their old age. It was humanly impossible but with God nothing shall be impossible.  Many centuries later, God once again performed a similar miracle and this time, Jesus, the Son of God, was born through a virgin by the Holy Spirit.  It was not the will of man but the will of God. And just as Isaac was, Jesus, became the Son of Promise too.

Jacob, one of the two sons of Isaac, whose name was subsequently changed to Israel when he encountered God at a place called “Peniel” was added to the family.  From Jacob/Israel twelve sons were born.

One of the sons, Joseph, was sold to the Midianites and later to the Egyptians.  He was asked to interpret Pharaoh’s dream; seven thin cows swallowed seven fat cows.  Pharaoh accepted the interpretation and Joseph was promoted to be the second most powerful man in the entire land of Egypt.  Soon the time of great famine began just as Joseph had interpreted. At that time the family of Jacob, driven by the famine, came to buy grains in Egypt.  After several trips and a few obstacles set by Joseph, he finally revealed himself to his brothers.  Joseph acknowledged his presence in Egypt was the providence of God – “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:4-5).

Joseph was sent by God to the land with one single purpose, that is, to preserve life.  He fulfilled the promise of God to his father Abraham that “the nations shall be blessed through you”.  Yes, through him the nation of Egypt was blessed; blessed with grains in times of famine.  Israel’s family, by now living in the land of Egypt, grew into a nation.

THE NATION OF ISRAEL IN GOD’S TIMETABLE

Finally, the time came for them to leave Egypt.  Israel is now a nation. She is to live out her destiny – to be a model nation carrying the oracles of God to the rest of the nations.  The nations around them no longer knew who God the Creator was.  They were under the deep spell of Satan.  Their minds were darkened.  Their eyes were blind from knowing the true God. They carved idols out of wood and stones and worshipped them as gods.  Israel’s destiny and call is to become the mouth piece and model to show to the nations around them that there is only one God and Him only shall they worship.

Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Joshua took over and conquered Canaan  and drove out the enemies. Israel grew in strength but soon idolatry and rebellion against God began to surface. Through many cycles of generations, instead of being the model nation, Israel became like the rest of the nations around – rebellion, injustices, and idolatry. God judged her for her rebellion and God raised deliverers in her midst when she repented. We have records of the Judges like Gideon, Samson, Deborah, etc. Finally, the people of Israel wanted to be like the rest of the nations. Israel drifted away from her calling and destiny. She demanded for a king. That’s where King Saul, David, and Solomon came along.

Fast forward to the time of the kings, God raised up prophets to speak to the nations especially Israel.  In Isaiah 60:1-3 the Word of the Lord came to the prophet Isaiah: “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

Isaiah prophesied to Israel what she was designed to be from the beginning but sadly, she had drifted far from what she was designed to be. Instead of “His glory will be seen upon you and the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising”, the nation of Israel fell into darkness like all other nations.  But God is never without His witness.  A faithful remnant was kept safe.  When the nation went into captivity, a remnant returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city.  This remnant stayed faithful until the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 28:1-8 – “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you” -

John 1:50 - “Greater things than these shall you see.”

John 14:12-14 – “From now on, you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” In the later part of the Gospel of John Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it”

A MAN NAMED CALEB

What a powerful promise!  What a great future to those who believe!  When you come to a full realization of the power that is resident within you then you will be able to do the works that he assigned to you.

YOU ARE CALLED TO MOVE MOUNTAINS

You are called to take the mountains and not just roaming in circles in the valley.  The same Spirit that was in Caleb is in each of you today.  He is the Holy Spirit. He is part of the Godhead. He is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. In short, God is resident within your heart. He is committed to ensure that you will succeed if you diligently obey Him.  It is not the prophet or the angel but God himself who chose to reside in you.

May you rise up like Caleb, though 85 years of age, when he said to Joshua, “Give me the mountain” (Joshua 14:12). At the point of time when he could have retired yet he chose the most difficult thing to do – “give me the mountains!” You can read his resume in the Book of Joshua.

As the first to choose his inheritance, Caleb could have chosen for himself the best part of the conquered land but instead he said, “Give me the mountains”.  It was an extremely difficult and treacherous terrain.  At his age he should be taking life easy.  He should be looking for something easier and more relaxed but this was not so for him. He was a man who knew his God and did great exploits for his God.  That mountain region was treacherous. There were really nasty giants living there. They were not going to give up the territory easily and allow him to occupy the land.  There was no “welcome” sign.  It was not a tourist spot.  Perhaps the sign would be: “Enter this territory and you will be killed”. The Israelites were their number one enemy. The giants were given the licence to kill them without having to feel any remorse or guilt.  Yet, Caleb said it with passion to Joshua: “Give me the mountain!”

Please read carefully what Caleb, the mountain taker and giant slayer said in Joshua 14:10-12 and may your faith be strengthened:

“Now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim (giants) were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”

Indeed, Caleb and his men ultimately destroyed the giants and took possession of the mountain.  The God of Caleb is also our God.  Therefore, be encouraged for “He is the same yesterday, today and forever”.  He is the one who says, “Lo, I am with you always.”

God designs you for great things. You can do ordinary things in extraordinary ways because an extraordinary God is with you.  You are to take possession of the place God designed for you to possess.  Importantly, you are to be strong and of good courage. Do not be faint hearted.  You can take “mountains” like Caleb because the Lord your God promised to be with you and indeed is with you.  The “giants” are illegal squatters in the land that God has promised to you.  Rise up and take possession of that which your heavenly Father has given for you as an inheritance.  You are called to “reign and rule” with Him.

THE SEVEN GIANTS IN THE LAND

The Israelites were commanded to go in and possess the land and to take the giants down.  Likewise, the promise land is your inheritance but you have to move in and claim it.  What God promised is not automatically yours. You have to go in and possess your inheritance.

Moses reminded the Israelites: “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you” (Deuteronomy 7:1).

This is the Promised Land that God spoke to Abraham to bring his descendants to and to take possession.  It is an incredible land, a fertile land, a land flowing with milk and honey where they can enjoy the fruits they did not plant and live in houses that they did not build.  What a great promise!  But then, it was occupied by seven nations “greater and mightier” than them.  It was like “first the good news then the bad news” scenario.  You feel happy until you hear the “giants” part.  On the other hand, if it is simple and easy, who needs faith? We need to say like Caleb had said, “It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said”. The obstacles may appear so insurmountable and may blow your mind away. It may bring you down to your knees in prayer and your cry may be; “except the Lord helps us, we will perish.”

Hezekiah understood and experienced this kind of prayer when Sennacherib the king of Assyria besieged Jerusalem with so great an army that he made a desperate call to God. Read the entire account recorded in Isaiah 37.  The Lord defended the city against the enemy of Hezekiah.  Perhaps the church has lost the sense of anguish.  No longer does all the evil that is happening around us disturb our conscience.  We can read of suicide, murder, abuse, human trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse, injustice, divorce, violence as if  we are watching a movie; moved for a moment but the minute we leave the cinema hall they are no longer of important concern.  We can continue to live our life looking for our personal peace devoid of the pain of the desperate living within our community.  Our souls are not touched with anguish.  It does not break our heart to an extent that would drive us to pray for the lost.  We might even think silently, “These matters I shall leave to the pastors or the government to solve.  I don’t want to be disturbed. I have a family to look after, a job to keep, and free time to relax”. We may also say that “these nations are greater and mightier than me” and we cannot do it.  So what’s the point? Look elsewhere but don’t look in my direction.

However hard we try to deny these feelings they just would not go away.  The heart of God has been imbedded in our soul the minute we said “yes” to him, and the compassion of God is activated.  Somehow, within our being the voice of God rings just like he had spoken to Moses at the burning bush – “I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them; pry them loose from the grip of Egypt and get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The Israelites’ cries for help have come to me and I’ve seen for myself how cruelly they’re being treated by the Egyptians. It’s time for you to go back. I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the people of Israel, out of Egypt.”

The compassion of God wants to reach out to all of humanity.  He is calling you to be His mouth piece; to be his agent rightfully representing him.  Bring to the lost the heart of the Father.  It is not right that they should continually be under the grip of the power of darkness.  No longer should they be slaves when they could be the children of the Living God.  Their inheritance is God Himself and the Kingdom He came to establish.  Can you hear their cry for freedom?  Can you hear their cry for deliverance? Will you respond?