FAITH CAPSULE: When heroic faith is misdirected, the consequences can be destructive.

Numbers 25   

At times a believer’s zealous action provokes heroic faith. However, when heroic faith is misdirected, the consequences can be destructive. Saul’s heroic faith caused the pain of famine for his people. (Samuel 21:1-14) King Saul was zealous for the Israelites and Judah by attempting to terminate non-Israelites from the land. King Saul’s action can be considered as an act of heroic faith. This point to the truth that we must be conscious of how we act in the name of faith because when zeal is misdirected it can have a serious and painful consequence.
Also, a well-directed zeal can lead to positive consequences. Once, the children of Israel aroused the anger of the Lord when they engaged in worshipping idols. In the process of God’s anger that caused the plague in the land, it happened that, “…one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” (Numbers 25:6) Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, by virtue of his heroic faith acted “…took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.  And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.” (Numbers 25: 7-9)
In the case of Eleazar’s heroic faith that stopped deaths in the camp of the Israelites, God spoke to Moses stating, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’” (Numbers 25:11-13) Are your zealous actions based on religion or an understanding of God? As an acclaimed believer of the living Word of God, are you giving your word and not being able to back it up?
Note that, whatever you do not know will not work and neither shall it count for you as an excuse that delivers one from negative consequences. In all your getting, get understanding, be full with wisdom and have a knowing edge over confronting challenges.

Prayer for today: Ask that the zealous action that will deliver to you a positive consequence shall continually be your portion.