The Weaning in the Wilderness - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 17, 2023

How many of us remember the story of the Israelites being in the wilderness for 40 years and immediately feel a pit in our stomachs? It can be hard to wrap our heads around the fact that a journey that should have taken mere days lasted four decades.

However, we often ignore that those 40 years were crucial for the Israelites' development. Those years of waiting allowed the LORD to wean them off of what they'd learned during more than 400 years of living in Egypt. They needed to learn to trust God and obey Him, instead of resorting to what they knew from their past.

Many of us are equally walking around in the wilderness waiting to step into our promised land. The journey isn't fun and sometimes we wonder when it will come to an end so we can enjoy the promises and goodness we expect from God.

However, just as God needed to purge 'Egypt' out of the Israelites' system, He needs to purge things from our past out of us. He needs to teach us how to rely on Him solely for everything just as the Israelites had to lean on him for food, water, and safety in the desert.

Sure, we all think we've been in the wilderness for long enough. That is understandable because the wilderness is not a comfortable place to be in. As far as we're concerned, we're ready to step into the land of milk and honey. But are we?

Despite what we think, only God knows the appropriate time for each of us to step into His promises. He alone knows the processes we must go through to be properly prepared. And while He is working on us in the wilderness, it is best to submit to His will. We need to let Him mold us into the version of ourselves that best reflects His glory. That way, when we enter the Promised Land, we won't stray from Him. Instead, having been well-trained, we will walk with Him faithfully and consistently. And His glory will rise and remain on us as a result.

May the Lord wean us of what needs to go and be glorified so we enter and remain in the Promised Land well trained by His grace and to His glory, IJMN Amen.

On Fear & Inexperience - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) October 13, 2023

When God wanted to free the Israelites from slavery under Pharaoh, He instituted plagues, split the Red Sea in half, and then used that same sea to swallow up their enemies. Then, while in the wilderness, He ensured that the people had water, food, and security as He led them to Mount Sinai where He actually met with them. There, He invited the elders, Moses and Joshua to spend time in His presence. He also spoke directly to the Israelites, introducing Himself to the entire nation. At that meeting, the people committed to having Him as their only God and promised to never bow to any idols.

How was it then that despite all these miraculous events, which happened within a span of weeks, these same people quickly built an idol to worship?

The whole thing seems so ludicrous when one takes the time to read the entire series of events. However, it will shock most of us modern Christians to realize that we are no better than those Israelites of old. And, in some ways, we may even be worse than they were.

Why do I make this claim? Simple - at that point in time, the Israelites were fresh in their walk with the Lord. They'd spent over 400 years in Egypt and though they had heard of the God of their ancestor, Abraham, they were more familiar with the false gods and practices of Egypt. As such, returning to what they knew - idol worship - seemed like the logical option. Plus, they only asked for the construction of the idol - the golden calf - after waiting for Moses to return from spending time with God. He'd been gone for over a month and they doubted that he'd ever return.

Fear drove them to make the mistakes they did. That and their inexperience with the Lord. While many of us can claim fear as a reason why we are making mistakes, can we claim inexperience?

When we look at our lives, we can admit that we have tasted God's goodness. Remember that problem that was miraculously resolved after a brief plea to the Lord, for instance? What about the issue you went into prayer and fasting on, then saw God work things out for you? We can also acknowledge that we've heard and seen God's might through the testimonies of other people. And despite all this, when the trials arrive, we doubt whether or not He'll come through. We shove the evidence of His faithfulness to the side and create our own solution to comfort ourselves. Just as the Israelites did when they built their golden calf.

Unlike them, we cannot claim to have inexperience with God and must, therefore, lean into our previous encounters so that we don't take steps that are contrary to our commitment to Him. By doing this, we will not break faith with the Lord and will instead rely on our 'Jericho Moments' as well as His stated promises in the Bible. Additionally, we'll be uncaging our faith and putting it to work, which will always result in more being poured out unto us based on Mark 4:24.

Do not let fear cause you to forget your experience with God and what He has done in the past. Never allow the spirit of fear to make you ignore His capacity to solve the problems you face now and in the future. Our God will help each of us, IJMN, Amen.

When Jesus Gets in the Boat - Tuesday Pray & Praise (for others) October 10, 2023

Mark 6:48-50 - He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

It's shocking how despite all the things the disciples had seen Jesus do, He could still surprise them. Or in this case, terrify them. To be fair, if we were in their shoes and saw a figure walking on the water, we'd freak out too.

Now that's out of the way, let's focus on today's lesson. Look at those verses again. The disciples were in a boat straining against the wind while Jesus watched them from the shore. Having compassion, He eventually went out to help them, but they became afraid.

How many times have you struggled against the winds of life? Did you make the same mistake the disciples did? Notice that at no point did they call out to God to change the direction of the wind in their favor. Nor did they seek Him for more strength whereby the wind would no longer be a hindrance. They didn't turn to God at all! Instead, they relied on Muscle Memory and resorted to the tactics they would have used in their 'Before Christ' days. They relied on their personal strength.

Despite that mistake, God's Son got up and walked over to them. His arrival was wrapped in an amazing miracle - walking on water. And the reaction of those whom He was trying to assist was one of fear, not faith that no matter what was approaching, their God would work things out for them.

Have you reacted in a similar way? Have you ever misinterpreted God's miraculous help? Could that have caused you to possibly reject what you needed?

For the disciples, it was only once they set fear aside that Jesus could then come into the boat with them, and once He did, another miracle occurred - the wind died down (Mark 6:51).

Each of us has to realize that no matter what we've seen the Lord do in our lives or the lives of others, He can still surprise us. And because His ways are not our ways as He stated in Isaiah 55:9, we should not expect to see the same old same old from Him. No matter how He packages our miracles, we must walk in faith and a close relationship with Him so we receive His spirit of wisdom and the gift of discernment which will indicate whether we're dealing with Him or the enemy.

Additionally, we have to realize that until Jesus fully steps into the boat with us, the winds of life will continue to pester us. Under those circumstances, we will strain instead of moving with the wind as we are promised in John 3:8, which states, The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Those who have Jesus in their boat, get to walk with the Spirit of God and thereby move in miracles. God does things for them that will never make sense to those who have not tasted of the Lord (Psalm 34:8).

Today, as we gather for the 300th P&P, keep in mind that this is an opportunity to call God into the boat with you. Don't forget that your faith needs to be activated. That way, when He shows up wrapped in a miracle just for you, your response will not be one of fear. We're going to worship God then powerfully pray for one another, calling on Jesus to get into the boat of life with us however He deems fit. We're going to expect miracles and not just for ourselves but for those we are praying for.