Category: Numbers

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Spelling Lesson

School is back in session for most of the kids and they have spelling lessons. Today, I’m going to teach you a new way to spell two words, defeat and quit.

How do you spell defeat? It’s spelled q-u-i-t. How do you spell quit? It’s spelled n-e-v-e-r!

Things come up in life and it looks like we’ll be defeated. Some times the hard things make us want to quit! It could be a relationship, an illness, financial problems, a continued process of setbacks but we must not quit!!!

Fight the battle – victory will come.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

ALWAYS!

Do you remember the story of the Israelites after they had been delivered from Pharaoh and Egypt ? They had seen God do mighty things and now they were standing on the edge of the Promised Land. The Lord told them they would go in and possess the land so they sent in spies to see what the land was like.

Twelve spies went in; they brought back clusters of grapes so big that two men had to carry them on a pole. It truly was a land flowing with milk and honey as God had said it was (He doesn’t lie you know). The land was lush and beautiful. A land to be desired but…the spies reported there were giants in the land.

God knew the giants were there when He said He would give them the land. Were the giants really any bigger an obstacle than the Pharaoh’s army or the Red Sea? If God had provided victory for them in the past, why would they doubt His ability now?

The spies took their eyes off of their God and looked at their own ability. They had given up. They were defeated! Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, tried to get their eyes back on the bigness of God and the people were ready to stone them.

“ It is a land filled with many good things. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land. And he will give that land to us. 9 So don’t turn against the LORD! Don’t be afraid of the people in that land. We can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. But we have the LORD with us, so don’t be afraid!” 10 All the people began talking about killing Joshua and Caleb with stones.” Numbers 14:8-10 ERV

Trusting God isn’t “a way” to get things done, it’s “the way”. Jesus didn’t say I am “a way”, “a truth” and “a life” – NO! He said I am THE way, THE truth and THE life.

We must stay focused on the greatness of our God or we’ll be like the Israelites and quit before we get started.

I don’t know your situation or what battles you have been fighting but don’t quit! You’re not in this alone – God is there to fight the battle with and for you!

Don’t quit – don’t give up – don’t accept defeat and you will ALWAYS TRIUMPH!

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He Did It Again!

It amazes me how my Father, my God, delights in ending my day! Last night He gave me this great display as I was getting off work!

Spectacular!!

I went to sleep last night with an old song running through my mind. I’ve shared it with you before but it was so appropriate.

“Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above, With wisdom, power and love, Our God is an awesome God.”

Oh, and He is certainly that! Amazing and awesome!!

Then this morning as I gazed at this picture from last night’s sunset another song came to mind. I really can’t think of a better way to start any morning than in song of praise to the Father.

“Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness, My God that is who You are“

Isn’t it mind boggling that God wants us to know Him in such a dramatic way. Each one of those characteristics of God are spelled out for us in Scripture.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 NIV

“Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.” John 8:12 CEV

“Our Lord, no other gods compare with you— Majestic and holy!  Fearsome and glorious!
Miracle worker!” Exodus 15:11 CEV

Do you need to know the right way to go or to depend on Someone who will never lie? Do you feel you are groping around in the darkness? Maybe you just need a miracle. If any of those apply, come to Almighty God, our gracious heavenly Father, in Him you will find all you need.

He did all this for those in the Bible as an example for us and He will do it again!

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Something New

Each morning when I open the WordPress site and I click on the post tab I am offered several options; All Posts, Add New, Categories and Tags. And each morning I click on the “Add New” selection.

What appears on my screen is a blank page and at the top of the page it says “Add Title”. This morning when I read “add new”, my memory bank opened to the day I read Philippians 4:19 and really took it to heart.

“And my God will give you everything you need because of His great riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NLV

I had memorized this verse as a second grader, in Sunday School class. But this was different. I was an adult, sitting with Dave at our kitchen table, in a house we were renting in Glendale, AZ. Our oldest daughter was 5 1/2 years old, our son was 4. We had been challenged the week before by a preacher at Cowboy Church to start our Bible reading with a prayer.

“Lord, make Your word come alive to me to day. Since these are Your words show me what you meant for me to learn when You had men write them down so long ago”. Amen.

Dave had been having a hard time finding work. Our electric bill was past due. Each week I made my grocery list, praying over the things I needed to purchase but only having $20 in our grocery budget. That day, at that table, those words jumped off the page and into my heart. There was no immediate change in our situation but our hearts filled with faith, knowing that God would give us everything we needed because Jesus had paid the debt for our sin and by His death we became joint heirs with Christ. We were as much God’s children as Jesus was.

Oh my goodness! We could hardly contain ourselves!! We couldn’t have been more excited if someone had come to the door and given us a check for a million dollars.

Add New!

Absolutely! What we added was a new knowledge of God’s word, a new depth of faith, a new confidence that when God makes a promise He keeps it. This was 45 years ago. I would love to say that we never faltered in trusting God’s promises but that wouldn’t be true. However, each time we have gone discouraged and fail to trust the Father with all the areas of our life He has remained faithful. He has never broken one of His promises and He never will! He’s never left us, although, at times we have walked away from Him.

I will leave you with my favorite verse in the Bible.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

Every promise in the Bible is from God. He gave them to us, His children, and He won’t change His mind or break His word.

I encourage you to do what that cowboy preacher instructed us to do. Pray before you read and ask the Father to make His words real to you. I know you will open the pages and find “something new”.

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Keeping Promises

Yesterday Dave and I had a discussion about good intentions and keeping promises. In a word, it’s called integrity.

I have been reading about Moses and the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. The Israelites were in Egypt because of a severe famine some 430 years earlier. At first all went well for them. They prospered. They grew in number and in wealth. However, Joseph knew that Egypt was not the land that God had promised Abraham, the land flowing with milk and honey. So he made his family promise to take his bones with them when they left Egypt.

“Moses carried the bones of Joseph with him. Before Joseph died, he made the Israelites promise to do this for him. He said, “When God saves you, remember to carry my bones with you out of Egypt.” Exodus 13:19 ERV

According to my calculations Joseph died about 350 years before the Exodus. This causes me to ask “where did they keep Joseph’s bones for all those years” and “who/what family member or group had been given responsibility for his corpse”.

The important thing was the promise was kept. Integrity was exhibited.

There’s another promise made in Genesis. It was made to Noah.

“I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood. 12-13 The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, 15 I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life.” Genesis 9:11-15 CEV

A promise made. A promise kept.

God’s intregrity is on the line. He keeps His word for thousands of generations.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

If God gives his word He will keep it. He always keeps His promises.

“Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don’t return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat. 11 That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:10-11 CEV

God wants us to know that He is worthy of our trust. We can ALWAYS count on Him to keep His word.

We should do the same. As His children we should imitate His character. When we give our word we should keep it. Instead of making a promise that we don’t know if we will be able to keep we should say “I will try” or “I’m hoping to”. Giving our promise or our word should not be done lightly.

Integrity!

Father, thank you for keeping Your promises. They are all written down for us to read and to believe. I desire to be like You. May I always be a promise keeper! Amen!!

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The Story of Possible

The Christmas story is one of hope and love. It’s a story of the impossible coming to fruition. So many times we become frightened or frozen by what appears to be impossible but…

With God NOTHING is impossible!

Nothing. Not our financial situation, not our health, not our kids or our spouse, our job, our safety, our peace of mind. Nothing! God’s gift to us is the gift of making the impossible possible.

These words were spoken to a young Jewish girl by an angel: “Mary was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant. 30 Then the angel told Mary, ‘Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.’ 34 Mary asked the angel, ‘How can this happen? I am not married!’ 35 The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God’s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. 37 Nothing is impossible for God!’ 38 Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.’ And the angel left her.” Luke 1:29-38 CEV

What could be more impossible than this – a young woman, who was a virgin, having a child?

No situation in your life or mine could be more impossible than this. Truly!

God’s power and Mary’s agreement with God’s promise made the impossible possible. If Mary hadn’t believed the angel’s message he would have had to go to someone else. After all, it had been prophesied for hundreds of years that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. But she accepted that NOTHING was impossible.

She believed, she conceived and she received what God gave. The hard thing would be living her conviction. She had to tell her family. She had to tell Joseph and then she had to hear the whispers and the criticism that followed. She was up to the task.

There was another woman who saw the power of God at work; she also saw God do the impossible. She was old, I mean really old. She was almost ninety and her reproductive system had never worked but God made her a promise. Sarah saw God do the impossible in her life.

“The Lord asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14 I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I’ll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.’” Genesis 18:13-14 CEV

Compare our impossible situation with Mary and Sarah. Whose need is bigger or more difficult to fix?

God is the same – nothing, absolutely nothing, is too difficult for Him.

Time and time again I come back to my favorite verse. It is the foundation I stand on everyday.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

Our Father has given us a book filled with promises that cannot fail. Find those promises and then stand knowing that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

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Broken Plates – Broken Promises

When the garage sale was over there were a few things that needed to be packed away and saved for the next sale. I wrapped them carefully, not wanting them to be damaged before they appeared again.

I was reminded of a couple times when I’ve had to clean up broken plates and even more times when I’ve had to forgive and heal from broken promises.

One time, we had just moved to the Coeur d’Alene area of Idaho from Spokane, WA. I wanted to have an afternoon tea for my friends from Washington, introducing them to my friends in Idaho.

I had made cheesecake, cinnamon rolls, german chocolate cake and prepared cheese and meat trays along with vegetable trays. I set a serving table next to the breakfast bar and had covered it with the lace tablecloth and begun to set out the salad plates, silverware, cups and glasses. All of a sudden, and without warning, the table legs collasped at one end of the table and almost everything slid to the floor!

I was devastated!

The ladies would be arriving within the hour and I had a huge mess to clean up while still making the best presentation I could. I believe it’s important to honor the women in our lives and that’s what this gathering was all about. Making my friends feel special. I was able to get things cleaned up, with the help of one early arriving guest, and we all had a wonderful afternoon.

My next experience with broken plates occurred six and one-half years ago. Dave and our son were unloading the U-Haul that had transported all of our wordly possessions to Arizona from Montana. When we loaded the truck in Montana, I had carefully placed my kitchen dishes on the upper shelf of the van. They were the first things on and they would be the last things off.

What I hadn’t calculated properly was the May 30th temperatures in Arizona. Dave and Koy had worked hard all day carrying boxes and manuevering hand trucks up and down the ramp from the truck to the garage in 100+ degree temperatures. My dishes, the last tubs off, were set on the hand cart and brought down the ramp. The guys were exhausted – the cart slipped, the tubs tumbled and the dishes crashed. Our son was so apologetic, he was crushed!

Broken dishes. I’m just glad there were no broken bones!

I refused to open the tubs until later. Dishes can be replaced; relationships matter most! Accidents are just that and we all have them.

So, as I was packing the glassware that didn’t sell at the garage sale I was careful, but if things break, it’s not the end of the world.

Over the past sixty-seven years I have had broken dishes and broken promises. Things I’ve said with well meaning have not come to pass. I’m ashamed to admit that there have been times that I have made promises I had no intention of keeping and the Lord has forgiven me for that. I have also been made promises that have been broken. As hard as it has been at times I have tried to forgive and not harbor any ill feelings.

I am so grateful that God has never been guilty of breaking His word. No broken promises!

My favorite verse, my life verse, can be found in the book of Numbers. Of all the books in the Bible Numbers is really one of the most dry and uneventful books, its a census, but it holds my favorite verse.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

Remember this and be thankful – God never breaks a promise, never! if necessary, sweep up broken dishes, move past broken dreams and forgive those who break their word.

God forgives us and He is always faithful!

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Timeless

There are some who think the Bible is antiquated, archaic or just plain out of touch with our modern day society. This sentiment seems to be expressed quite frequently during the last generation. With this sentiment is a failure to show that God’s word is ever living, ever powerful and always life changing. God’s word is more contemporary then the latest best seller on the New York Times list – it is certainly more accurate.

God’s word is infallible. My life verse comes from the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. This is a book I skipped through many times when I was younger because I felt it really had nothing pertinent for me. After all, it was mostly just a list of names and numbers. It is the census that Moses recorded after the Israelites fled from Egypt. How life changing could that be?

But then I found this verse securely anchored in the middle of the book.

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” Numbers 23:19 NLT

Once I began to really take this verse a part, phrase by phrase, I realized that if this one verse isn’t true then the whole Bible can be discarded. If God can lie or change His mind then we have to eliminate other teachings that are foundational to our Christian faith. Things like the unconditional love of God becomes conditional, if God can change His mind. Eternal life becomes relative and not available to everyone, if God can lie. Grace is no longer grace and our Christian walk becomes merit based if we can’t trust what God says.

But God isn’t human; He doesn’t lie and His word isn’t subject to change. It is truth and it stands forever.

“The sky and the earth will not last forever, but my words will.” Mark 13:31 CEV

God’s word never fails. The failure is a human issue and not caused by God. The Word of God will make a difference in our lives if we allow it too. We aren’t suppose to be living stressed out like the rest of the world; we aren’t supposed to be living under the circumstances. The Word of God tells us that we are world overcomers, more than conquerors and it causes us to triumph. When we are standing on the Word of God the storms of life won’t flatten us. We will be steadfast and sure.

“Let the peace of Christ have power over your hearts. You were chosen as a part of His body. Always be thankful. 16 Let the teaching of Christ and His words keep on living in you. These make your lives rich and full of wisdom. Keep on teaching and helping each other. Sing the Songs of David and the church songs and the songs of heaven with hearts full of thanks to God. 17 Whatever you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3:15-17 NLV

These verses from God’s Word should become our standard. We can look at our life now and say, “Lord I don’t quite measure up to this yet…but I am growing and I am who Your word says I am and I am growing and I will be a beacon of what Your Word will do in the life of someone who is willing to be believe it – not in theory, but by faith.” AMEN

God’s Word is timeless! It doesn’t need to change, we do.

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Life’s Building Blocks

Our four year-old grandson loves making things with blocks. He has Lego’s, Magnetic blocks, wood blocks, Mario Maze blocks. He loves to build and has a great imagination. He gets frustrated when things fall over.

Me too.

I hate when I’ve worked hard on something and then see it crumble and fall. Not that I still play with blocks but…I’ve seen work projects crash, relationships tumble, financial investments end up in a pile and life’s moments scattered. Generally, there is one common factor to these failures; they weren’t built on a solid foundation.

Life, like building blocks, needs a wide and solid base.

I have four Bible verses that have been the foundation of my daily walk for the last twenty some years. In some way or another, each day I remind myself of my foundation in the Scripture.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.” Hebrews 11:6 CEV

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

“Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. 6 Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7 Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 8 Love never fails!” I Corinthians 13:4-8 CEV

So here’s the progression of thought. God never lies. I am convinced that the Bible is true. God’s promises can’t be broken. He tells me to seek Him out in every situation and when I do He rewards me by providing the help and strength I need. Love is the source of my firm foundation – God’s love for me, my love for Him and my love for others. Love will never fail!

My decisions, actions and reactions need to be grounded in the knowledge of God’s amazing love for me. His character is love and He shares that with me so that I can walk in faith and please Him. I should never put faith in my own works or abilities but always in His! Then and only then is my life truly successful!

“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 ERV

Let’s build our lives on a solid foundation. The Word of God is a foundation which cannot be shaken.

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Don’t Limit God

When I was a little girl we sang a song in Sunday School. The lyrics went something like this: “God can do anything, anything, anything. God can do anything but fail. He can save, He can keep, He can cleanse and He will. God can do anything but fail”. It surprises me that some sixty years later that little chorus is still be going through my mind. Those words are true and they will not change.

God can do anything but fail.

In my reading this morning I came across two different incidences where the Bible said exactly that. The first was in Numbers. The Israelites were complaining, again, that they had no meat. The Lord talked to Moses and said He would provide meat for all of them. Moses reminded the Lord that there were over six hundred thousand men and their families. Here is God’s response:

“But the Lord said to Moses, “Don’t limit my power! You will see that I can do what I say I can do.” Numbers 11:23 ERV

God can do anything He says He will do.

After I read a little while longer I went to the New Testament and was reading in Mark. Jesus had just met the rich young ruler who wanted to become a disciple. Jesus knew he was a good man but there was one thing in his life he trusted more than the Lord; it was his riches. Jesus told the man to sell everything he had and come follow Him. The Bible says the young man left very sad because he had great riches. Jesus told his disciples that it was hard for the rich to commit to following Him.

“The followers were even more amazed and said to each other, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “That is something people cannot do, but God can. He can do anything.” Mark 10:26-27 ERV

Jesus answer was one filled with hope. None of us can save ourselves. Not the wealthy or the poor, the educated or the unlearned. Those born in one country don’t have a greater chance of being saved than those in another. Being saved, becoming a follower of Christ, isn’t based on what we can do, who we are or where we come from. That is something we cannot do but God can.

God can do anything!

He saves us by His grace and not based on our goodness. We simply put our trust in Him.

There is something God won’t do. He won’t lie. When God gives us His promise He will never go back on His word.

“God is not a man, so he does not lie.  He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
20 Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!” Numbers 23:19-20 NLT

God can do anything; we can trust His word!

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A Trusted Friend

Who is your most trusted friend? Your spouse, someone you’ve known for years or someone new in your life? This is the person that you know would never lie to you…when they give their word, they keep it even if it is detrimental to their own well being. They know you are counting on them and they would never let you down.

Think about them for a minute. I’ll wait…(silly fact, I am sitting here waiting for you to think).

Now let me share with you what I found in God’s word this morning.

“We believe what people tell us. But we can trust what God says even more, and God is the one who has spoken about his Son. 10 If we have faith in God’s Son, we have believed what God has said. But if we don’t believe what God has said about his Son, it is the same as calling God a liar. 11 God has also said that he gave us eternal life and that this life comes to us from his Son. 12 And so, if we have God’s Son, we have this life. But if we don’t have the Son, we don’t have this life.” I John 5:9-12 CEV

We can trust what God says even more than we trust our closest friend. When we read God’s word and hear what He has promised do we believe He is telling us the truth; that it really will happen or are we just wishing and hoping that God’s word is true and going to work for us?

How would our relationship with that “trusted” friend be hindered if they knew we weren’t really confident that they were going to do what they said they would? It would weaken the relationship for sure.

I’m encouraging you this morning to strengthen your relationship with the Father. Don’t hope His word is true – spend time talking with Him, watching Him and listening to Him speak through the pages of His word and then confidently trust Him to do what He says He will do.

I grew up with the mindset that we hope for the best but never really know what to expect from God. We just never know what He might do. Yes, God’s ways are higher than ours. He never lies or misrepresents. He doesn’t mislead by insinuation. His thoughts and ways are so much better than anything we can imagine.

Can you imagine if you had been David facing Goliath and only “hoping” that God would show up and things would work out right? Or Moses standing at the edge of the Red Sea with the Egyptians behind him and hoping that God was going to provide a way across to safety? These men had trusted God, taken Him at His word and they knew God would not lie.

Trust, complete trust, should be our response to God’s word. It has never failed and it never will! That’s why I’ve chosen Numbers 23:19 as my favorite verse in the Bible.

“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” ERV

When we make God’s word the final authority in every area of life we will never be disappointed. His counsel is trustworthy.

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