FAITH CAPSULE: A failure not to trust God for His word will cause one not to have hope in Him.
Deuteronomy 1:23-46
The Israelites have gone far enough in their journey and they wanted to map out how to move forward outside of God’s promise. For the Israelites, instead of going forward in the direction of Promise Land, they call on Moses stating, “Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come (Deuteronomy1:22).” Has He brought you far enough and now you are taking things in your own hands? It is wrong to start thinking how you will make it through the journey from where you are. Their plan pleased Moses; so he took twelve of them to go and spy the land (Deuteronomy 1:23). With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, all that went to spy came back with a negative report that was discouraging. By virtue of the negative report, the children of Israel entered into complaining and they could not confess or see anything positive. The report generated from spying had them engaged in negative confession. Despite all miracles that were witnessed at the time of their coming out of the bondage of over four hundred years, they lost faith and could not believe God for His word of promise. An act of complaint is an act of rebellion before God. God responded to their rebellious act in Deuteronomy.1:34-35, “And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was very angry, and took oath, saying, surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers.”
A failure not to trust God for His word will cause one not to have hope in Him. Also, not looking up to God will cause man to look down and away from God’s way. For the Israelites, what should have been eleven days journey became forty years journey. At the point of entering the promise land, they entered into deep wilderness. God does not run out of mercy, but they ran out of God’s mercy. In a journey that they overcame giants and all kinds of hindrances, it was the sound of their mouth that denied them from claiming God’s Promised Land. What kind of sound are you producing in your journey of life? Are you confessing negative or positive? Can you ignore the world around you and hold firmly to the pattern of confessing positive in the place of negative? Proverbs 18:21 warned, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” The spy gave report which provoked the Israelites’ negative confession which is the evidence of doubt in the promise of God for their journey. Today, make the choice to engage the word of God that does not fail. The word of God shall surely come to manifest regardless of the magnitude of your challenge.
Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that God’s lamp of God for you shall answer in your journey of life.