by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Numbers 15, 16
God can be tough when He needs to be! Some people think of God as just an “if it feels good, do it” type of God, but they haven’t met the One True God. He is totally love, but that love can be tough from time to time.
Let’s back up a minute and think what would have happened if God had not – sometimes sternly – kept the nation of Israel on track. We know that His ultimate goal was to bring His redemption to all mankind by bringing His own Son for a sacrifice. But if He had just beamed His Son down to earth with no introduction, people wouldn’t have recognized Him or received Him. God had to spend the time necessary to prepare a nation to understand and recognize His Son when He arrived. These people were to be the caretakers of the eventual Messiah.
Boy, did that take some doing! All of the elements of human nature, with all of its selfishness, kept rising up. (more…)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Numbers 9-11
Does this ever get rich today!
I Corinthians 10: 2 says that the children of Israel were baptized into the cloud. Then later, in verse 11, it says that “all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”
So what is the message for us? God put a cloud over the tabernacle – representing the cloud of His Glory. When the cloud lifted and started to move, the people were to move with it. When it stayed in a certain place, they were to stay in that plce. This is the way He guided them.
So how does that apply today?Let’s take a history detour. During the dark ages of the church, there was much corruption among the priesthood. The leaders tried to control their people by not allowing them to read the Word for themselves, and the priests presented a very skewed approach to God’s Word. Rituals and large sums of money were extracted from the people, who thought these were necessary to be saved.
Then one day, the revolutionary monk, Martin Luther, boldly nailed to the door of the church building his list of grievances against the corruption and error. The protestant movement was born, as the people learned that the “just are saved by faith, and not by works.”
Since that time, our Father has been restoring truths to His people. He restored the healing ministry, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the understanding of living by faith in Him. Each time He would restore a doctrine, there would be those who would run with it, and those who would resist. It’s human nature to want to get comfortable and think that we know it all.
Well, this is a manifestation of the “moving of the cloud.” Let me give you a concrete example. Starting in 1906 a major revival began that affected the whole world. On a tiny little street, in a small house in Los Angeles, the “Azusa Street Revival” broke out. This was led by a shy, black man named William Seymour. In fact, he was so shy he put a box in front of his face, and stuck his head in it when he talked.
Who would have thought that such an insignificant-seeming scenario could change the world, but it did! God’s cloud was on that place. This is what He was doing, and people streamed to that place from around the world to have a touch from God. People were receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues, and being healed.
All of the present-day spirit-filled denominations grew out of this revival. God was restoring His church to a place of power and wisdom. God’s cloud was there.
Interestingly, many main-line churches didn’t even know about that revival. They were satisfied and complacent, going through their routines. A little more than 70 years after Azusa Street I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and a whole new world opened up to me. When that happened, I was amazed that I had never heard of Azusa.
Today my prayer is that I want to be in on everything God does in the earth. When He is restoring His church and revealing new concepts, I want to know about it. I want to receive everything He has for His people. In other words, I want to be baptized into the cloud. When He moves, I want to move. When He stops, I want to do that also.
Dear Lord, let me hear Your voice, and lead me to Your cutting edge of revelation and ministry. I want to move with Your cloud.
Mark 5:1-20
If there is anything we learn here, it’s that there is no one too far gone for God to turn them around. We meet this man who “no one could tame.” The people of the Gadarenes tried to shackle and chain this wild man, and they couldn’t. He just stayed around the tombs crying out and cutting himself.
He is full of demons (2000 of them), and they cry out when they see Jesus. (My husband says sometimes that demons obey God quicker than Christians do. Demons have no choice; Christians have their free will). These demons know that they are in trouble when Jesus comes on the scene.
The end of the story is that Jesus casts all of the demons out and sends them into the swine, who rush into the sea and drown.
This man, with all of his history of violence and craziness is totally healed. The natives come to see him – sitting, fully clothed, and in his right mind. Such authority Jesus walked in!
Interestingly, the people are now afraid, not of the mad man, but of Jesus. They beg Him to leave the territory, and He does. Even today, there are some who are afraid of the workings of God. His power is here to heal and restore, but some don’t want to receive it.
I want all that He has, don’t you? And when I see people who are in desperate straits, I want to reach out to them and let them know that Jesus is their answer.
Nothing is impossible with God.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Numbers 7, 8
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.” I could’t help but think of that verse as I read about the offerings being presented from all of the leaders. There seems to be nothing more important to them than the tabernacle and all of the ceremonies.
The fact that every leader is named, along with the detail of his offerings, shows that this is significant to God also. And that still applies today.
God’s work on earth requires funds for the ministers, the buildings, the travel, the help to the poor, the media, and all of the other aspects of ministry. Only as His people are willing to help with His work can it all be done.
It might be a time to search your heart. Where is your money going? Is the proper portion going to God and His work? Or is all of it going to yourself and your desires?
Think about it.
Mark 4:21-48
“If any man has ears, let him hear.” I wonder if there was anyone standing there who didn’t have ears. Don’t you?
I’m quite confident that He was not talking about natural ears, but spiritual. If any man has ears to hear what God is saying to them, let him hear…And take care what you listen to.
This life of faith we are called to is an exciting life, but one which needs our full attention. All around us there are voices which are trying to talk us out of our walk with God. There are those who are saying that healing isn’t for today. Or that you “shouldn’t get your hopes up too high.” Jesus is saying just the opposite.
He is calling a people to Him who believe beyond the norm. Those are the ones who will be able to take His message where He leads them. They are the ones who will stand with boldness and declare what God is saying. They are the ones who will believe God for things which seem to others to be impossible.
Are you one of those people? Are you willing to believe God even when everything around you looks gloomy? Are you willing to take what you see in His Word and truly apply it to your life, holding onto it with all of your might?
If you are willing to be one of those people, you will receive more. Whoever has, to him shall more be given.
Hold on. Believe. And you will see God’s mighty hand move beyond your expectations!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Numbers 5,6
The laws of the Nazarite may seem strange, but you can see certain symbolism if you look. If a man or woman was to take a vow to be holy to the Lord, they were to do certain things. The word “Nazarite” comes from a root word which means “separate.” So these people who chose to do this were saying that for a certain period of time they wanted to separate themselves from the pack and seek God.
The long hair represents a covering, or protection from demonic forces. And the abstinence from any grape product represents a clear, holy mind, with no alcohol. So these symbols were demonstrating a person with clear mind and heart so that they could seek God.
This ritual reminds me of current day fasting. Sometimes we might set ourselves apart to seek God – maybe for more clarity of vision or a greater ability to hear His voice. As we do that, we might skip certain meals, or even all food for a certain period of time to spend more time with Him. (more…)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Numbers 1, 2
The first census is taken of the men who are able to fight. God is preparing the Israelites for battle.
The leader of each tribe was to step forth and represent his tribe to Moses and Aaron. They were then to account for all of the able-bodied men over 20 years of age, as these were the ones who would go out and take the land God was giving them There was then detail about the order of tribes and which should go first.
Each tribe was to have its own standard, and they were to camp together around that standard.
My husband has been doing some teaching recently on the unity God is seeking for His church. God wants us to honor each other, not focusing on the doctrinal differences, but on what we have in common, namely Jesus. (more…)
Numbers 15, 16
