"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Psalm 1:1-4
Sincerity and presumption are never a guarantee of anything including salvation. Just because people are sincere and presume something does not mean they will not be defeated and destroyed! We have a good example of this in the lives of the children of Israel who were told by God to go in and take the Promised Land. But they murmured and complained and decided that God was evil and not good and wanted to destroy them in the Promised Land. The bible records:
So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! "Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt."
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' "Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." And all the congregation said to stone them with stones.
Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? "I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." Numbers 14:1-12
As the children of Israel wound find out the hard way, it does pay to try to stone God's true ones. Although Moses would intervene on their behalf and ask God to forgive them, they would pay for their rebellion. Again the bible records for our example and instructions:
Then the LORD said: "I have pardoned, according to your word; "but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD- "because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, "they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.
"But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. "Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea." Numbers 14:20-27
The Lord who is the Lord sentenced them to live out their remain days in the wilderness so that their carcasses may fall there. He took an oat that none, except for Caleb and Joshua, would by no means enter the land that He swore He would make them dwell in. Their sons would be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of their infidelity until their carcasses were consumed in the wilderness. They would be rejected for forty years or one year for each day they spied the Promised Land. God then commanded them to turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea the next day.
It sure does not pay to make the Lord angry and put him to the test? For God doesn't take rejection likely but then neither does any person. The other fact of the matter is that God doesn't speak just to hear Himself. He speaks so that men will listen and obey.
Well the children of Israel thought since they were God's people and He was a good God, God would overlook their sin. So the next day they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying to Moses:
"Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!" And Moses said, "Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. "Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. "For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you."
But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop; nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah. Numbers 14:40-45
Moses told the children of Israel that they were once again transgress the command of the Lord to go to the place, which the Lord had promised. He told them they would not succeed but be defeated by their enemies for the Lord was not among them. Since they had turned away from the Lord. But they presumed to go up the mountaintop and their enemies came down and attacked them and defeated them.
Presuming things and leaning to one's own wisdom and understanding is a sure recipe for failure and defeat. For God's word is true even this day:
"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:22-23
How many battles are lost in life by God's people because they had presumed things and did not wait upon the Lord to hear and obey His voice and instructions on a particular matter? It is not wise to quick and so rushed to run about and be so busy doing nothing of any importance. Better to wait in faith and trust in God and follow the directions given by the Commander-in-chief of the armies of heaven.
God in a split second by the moving of His Spirit can do what men in their perspiration's and efforts cannot do in a thousand years. He can make the crooked things straight and the wrongs right for a start. He can set one up and put another down. He can raise one up and bring another low. His word is unchanging:
And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. "No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. "The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble.
"The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail.
The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed." 1 Samuel 2:6-10
God devises many plans and execute every one of them. He never lets His true ones out of His capable hands. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. The promise of the Rainbow is all His. Though the mountains be moved and cast into the sea, yet no harm will come to His true ones. For they have placed their heart in His hands and trusted Him with their very soul! God loves to care for His creation and they are the ultimate part of His creation! He will never leave, fail or forsake them, as they are the central joy of His heart!
http://billyburke.org/PrayerMinistryRoom/JourneyofYourPrayerRequest/tabid/142/Default.aspx
EXTRACT FROM Be Filled
http://walthope.tripod.com/befilled.htm
http://walthope.wordpress.com
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100302133262254344211/posts
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