Don't Break Faith With God: Moses & Aaron - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 4, 2023

As believers, if there is one thing we need to remember, it is to not break faith with God. That may be a term you're unfamiliar with but over the next few weeks, we'll learn more about it and how not to commit this sin that God considers a great offense.

Today, we examine the story of Moses & his brother Aaron. Both were chosen to wield God's power for others to see. Neither man was perfect and yet, God continued to use them starting with making them leaders of the Israelites when it was time for them to leave Egypt. They maintained their positions for 40 years. Yet, neither entered the Promised Land with the people they had shepherded for that period.

The reason was because they broke faith with God. Moses and Aaron had been given a specific set of instructions on how to produce water when the people complained because there was none. Unfortunately, he failed to carry out that directive and even took some of the glory that belonged to God for Aaron and himself, saying, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10).

Here was God's assessment of Moses and his brother in Deuteronomy 32:51 - For both of you broke faith with me among the Israelites at the Waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat me as holy in their presence (CSB). The CEV puts it as such - Both of you were unfaithful to me at Meribah Spring near Kadesh in the Zin Desert. I am God, but there in front of the Israelites, you did not treat me with the honor and respect I deserve. Further understanding can be found in Numbers 20:12 - But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” (CSB).

These verses clarify what it means to break faith with God. It means to dishonor Him in what we say and do in the presence of others. It's about what your mouth says about God and who He is. It is about what your actions and choices say about God's power and might. This is particularly the case for those who have seen God do things in their lives. Those who are to be witnesses to His abilities. For them to publicly fumble in times of uncertainty is to break faith with God.

This does not mean that there will not be times where your faith is shaken. After all, Prophet Elijah with all His experiences with God fled from Jezebel in fear. He, however, never spoke or displayed that fear to others whereby they would see God as less than the I Am that I Am. He did not publicly diminish God. Other great men and women of God struggled to believe He'd come through but they had a responsibility to carefully walk through that struggle without blemishing God's name. This is why Apostle Paul warns in 2 Peter 2:21 - For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. He also tells those who believe in Christ to not crucify Jesus again by returning to the world and thereby subjecting Him to public disgrace (Hebrews 6:4-6).

In the moments when we struggle with our faith, we need to reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to pour out our fears to God as well - tell Him (as respectfully as possible) exactly how you feel, none of it is a surprise to Him anyway. We need to turn to the word and use it to build ourselves up. We have to look to our Jericho Moments and remember what God has done for us in the past. We must be careful to not blaspheme or slander the Lord in speech. We should also be cautious to remember that others of even weaker faith could be negatively influenced by our reactions and keep them in mind because of the love we have for them.

None of this is easy to do. It requires God's children to be intentional about how they react to situations when things don't go the way they desire. They can't leave this to chance. It is possible to be in a tough situation and not break faith. In fact, I believe that God builds up our 'reaction muscle' over time so we eventually become the children who manage their emotional response and don't break faith with God the way Moses and Aaron did.

Today's message isn't to castigate anyone or make someone feel sad. It is to enlighten us all on how to react when things go wrong especially since we all have such experiences. Everyone who believes in God and His Son must remember that God will put them through things to build us up in Him. It won't always be pretty. He is also very merciful to keep teaching us so we get a passing grade and the devil won't be able to use the same old tricks to trip us up. God wants us to honor Him even in the tough moments. He will give us people to help us through those times and He Himself will be right by our side. We just have to hold on to His hand, mindful to not publicly disparage or dishonor Him.

In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray that none of us will break faith with God. That in our challenges, we will find strength in Him to keep going, anticipating His word in Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Amen.

God bless you richly and I hope to see you at Noon EST when we'll gather to worship the Lord and pray for His people everywhere. During the last 10 minutes of fellowship, we'll collectively pray to be those who don't break faith and don't give the devil room to gloat against our God. See you then.