Numbers 8-9, Straight Paths

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As they were traveling in the desert, the Israelites knew their end point. It was the promised land, the land of milk and honey, the Land of Opportunity. At this point in their journey, they had no real idea what direction they would take to get there. Does this bother any of you? If you are a “Type A” kind of person like I am, it would have driven you nuts. People like me always have a plan and always know where they are going and how they are getting there. Anyone relate?

But for the Israelites, they had God’s physical presence guiding them at every turn. God guided them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Numbers 9:16-17
16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.

How nice would that be to have exact direction as to where you are going and where you must stop on a day to day basis. We don’t always have our endpoint set out for us. We usually don’t have the exact directions to take as well. This has been a big struggle for me these days. I have been thrust back into the role of Army Wife (quite unwillingly, but that is part of this whole mapped out thing) We are not sure where God will take us and how these next several months will pan out. Is there some uncertainty in your life right now?

Here’s the deal…God knows where He is taking you and what route you will go TOGETHER. Noticed the bold print. You are not alone in this journey. God goes with you every step. Let me rephrase that. He has His plan for you, how about you join Him. Go together, not by yourself. Together the path is straight. By yourself, it’s pretty rocky and you will get side tracked.

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

In order walk that straight path, you must lean on His direction and His divine map. Through prayer and Bible reading, the Lord will take you where you need to go. My husband always has a time tested way to discern the Lord’s will. After much prayer and reading, if He doesn’t feel at peace about a situation, he either doesn’t go through with it or he sits on it for awhile longer. Let God speak to your heart. If He is giving you the go ahead, you will feel at ease and the doors will open right up. On the other hand, if it is not the right turn and you don’t feel that peace, don’t try to manipulate the situation. Just stop where you are and go back to God for further direction.

Even though we don’t have an exact visual like the cloud and the fire, the Holy Spirit is a very powerful GPS. Open your heart to God’s guidance and He will lead you down His right and glorious road.

Jesus, Fill My Cup

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On this Valentine’s Day I have been meditating on the concept of being satisfied. This is a quest of just about everyone, myself included. We have this need of our “cup” to be filled and often go to our spouse, friends or children to have that cup filled.

Here is the problem: no human can totally meet every need of ours. Our spiritual, emotional, physical and mental needs are so vast and so very complicated. Can anyone in our life really figure out how to fill that cup of ours in the very way we need them too? This is why we get frustrated with our husband or search for other ways to be fulfilled. Think about it, if that other person is trying to have their cup filled, there is no way on earth that they have enough “resources” to fill your cup too! I hope this makes since.

Here’s the solution: Let JESUS fill your cup. Let Him meet your needs. Let Him give you the love, peace, joy, happiness and fulfillment that you crave. He is the only one who knows the very depths of your being. So, it makes since that He is the only one who can give you what you need, at the very moment you need it, in the amount that you need.

John 10:10 says, “…I have come that they may have life and have it ABUNDANTLY.”

When we let Christ give us life abundantly, He fills our cup to overflowing. We have abundant love, joy, happiness, satisfaction and peace. Then, when our loved ones add to our cup, it is like icing on the cake. It is a joyous extra. It is like that extra whipped cream on your coffee. Because we don’t depend on them to meet every need, when they do, it is such a blessing.

Whether you are married or single, take the burden off yourself and your loved ones to fill the cup. Let Christ give it to you in Abundance.

Let HIM be your Valentine EVERY day.

Numbers 1-2, Are You Counted?

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The book of Numbers starts out with God telling Moses to take a census of all His people and count them by tribe. No wonder they call it the Book of Numbers- duh! :)

Just a short thought on the idea of being counted. Christians are faithful followers of Christ…are you numbered in the faithful?

Standing up and being faithful is not an easy task as we are often called to do things (or not do things) that set us apart from the people around us. We are called to be pure and holy and a voice of Jesus to the world. Being counted as on of the LORD’s is a big responsibility.

But, not with out rewards. When we stand numbered with God, we are automatically assured access to the King of Kings anytime, any place, 24/7. We are given the fruit of the Spirit which is better than any fruit a farmer can grow here on earth. Our Heavenly father plants the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control and faithfulness in our heart. He gives us His fruit in abundance as long as we accept Him and obey Him. This fruit will sustain us in any kind of battle we might face in our daily lives.

So, stand tall and be counted as Christ’s own. Be bold and let other’s know who Jesus is and that you are proud that He is your King and Savior.

Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me;you made me bold and stouthearted.