Question: How words of people can discourage hearts?

Answer: Moses replied, “Do you want to stay here while the other Israelites go to war?  How dare you try to discourage the people of Israel from crossing the Jordan into the land which the Lord has given them? That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. They went as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, but when they returned, they discouraged the people from entering the land which the Lord had given them. The Lord became angry that day and made a promise: 

I want to meditate on Num 32:9 – The word of God – “For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the LORD had given them”

Lord brought Israelites out of Egypt to take them to the Promised Land, after 40 years of the journey they came to the border of Cannan. The word says The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. Num 13:1. So the purpose of sending 12 people is just to see the land Lord is going to give.

12 people went on a mission for 40 days to explore the Promise that the Lord was going to give and they saw the Land was good as the Lord promised. And they came to the Valley of Eshcol  Num 13:23

Coming back from the mission, 10 people out of the 12 discouraged the people around them because they were scared of achieving the Promise by their own strength. The word says, So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land ..we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers Num 13:32,33 Do we feel like grasshoppers (hopeless).

2 out of the 12 got promotion to have the promise of God. Joshua and Caleb had confidence because they knew promise fulfillment is the Lord’s business. Num 14: 6-8
If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. And we know of all the people who started from Egypt only Joshua and Caleb reached Cannan (Others were those who were born on the way)

Lesson learn to see the situation through the promises of God. Always trust the Lord for His promises. Final Thought  – When we pass through the Valley of Eshcol will it be a valley of promotion or will it be a valley of discouragement?

Question: What is the primary reason for pride?

Answer: But when King Uzziah became strong, he grew arrogant, and that led to his downfall. He defied the Lord his God by going into the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest, accompanied by eighty strong and courageous priests, followed the king  to resist him. They said, “Uzziah! You have no right to burn incense to the Lord. Only the priests who are descended from Aaron have been consecrated to do this. Leave this holy place. You have offended the Lord God, and you no longer have his blessing.”

¹Uzziah was standing there in the Temple beside the incense altar and was holding an incense burner. He became angry with the priests, and immediately a dreaded skin disease broke out on his forehead. Azariah and the other priests stared at the king’s forehead in horror and then forced him to leave the Temple. He hurried to get out, because the Lord had punished him. For the rest of his life King Uzziah was ritually unclean  because of his disease

Praise the Lord, today is May 8th, I want to meditate on 2 Chro 26:16. The word goes this way “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God“

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem.  He did right in the sight of the Lord. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had an understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought (inquired of, longing for) the Lord, God caused him to prosper

God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs and many victories. He also had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle. In Jerusalem, he made machines of war invented by skillful men to be put on the towers.

But when Uzziah became strong, he became so proud [of himself and his accomplishments] that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful and sinned against the Lord his God, for he went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. When the priests stopped him he became angry, he became a leper and was one till he died.

The lessons, godly counsel kept Uzziah in the righteous path, success and power made Uzziah proud. Remember we are on the same path, appreciation of men, our possessions, our competitions, our victories, our promotions WILL make us proud unless we are at His feet examing and surrendering regularly.  Let me leave this final thought is it “Success to Surrender or is it Power to Pride”

Question: Who will roll the stone away

Answer:“..they asked each other, Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” Mark 16:3

Question: How to handle when people desert us?

Answer: Paul last letter to Timothy, last port he states:  No one stood by me the first time I defended myself; all deserted me. May God not count it against them! But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength, so that I was able to proclaim the full message for all the Gentiles to hear; and I was rescued from being sentenced to death. And the Lord will rescue me from all evil and take me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

2 Timothy 4:17, But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.

Praise the Lord, today is May 3, I want to meditate on 2 Tim 4:17. Paul final letter and probably this is the last message written in the Bible. In verse 16, Paul says no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. Last days no one stood with Paul, and still, he says I do not hold anything against anyone.

What do we consider a fruitful Christian life, everyone accepting up, being popular, and leading large meetings and churches? Here the greatest apostle is waiting to be beheaded and everyone deserted him, still no bitterness.

The reason he was expecting the Lord to be at his side, Paul knew the Lord was at his side. Paul got strength from the Lord, the steps of Pauls life was ordained by God and though a loner many times, he moved at the words of His master. Are we happy the Lord is at our side? Paul says Lord delivered me from Lion’s mouth

Lord at our side and we fulfilling His instruction are really being fruitful.

Question: Are you the Amos of this generation?

Answer: Once Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, then sent a report to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is plotting against you among the people. His speeches will destroy the country. This is what he says: ‘Jeroboam will die in battle, and the people of Israel will be taken away from their land into exile.’”Amaziah then said to Amos, “That’s enough, prophet! Go on back to Judah and do your preaching there. Let them pay you for it. ¹³ Don’t prophesy here at Bethel any more. This is the king’s place of worship, the national temple.”

Amos answered, “I am not the kind of prophet who prophesies for pay. I am a herdsman, and I take care of fig trees. But the Lord took me from my work as a shepherd and ordered me to come and prophesy to his people Israel. So now listen to what the Lord says. You tell me to stop prophesying, to stop raving against the people of Israel. And so, Amaziah, the Lord says to you, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your children will be killed in war. Your land will be divided up and given to others, and you yourself will die in a heathen country. And the people of Israel will certainly be taken away from their own land into exile.’”