KJB Daily
Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Friday, February 19, 2016
Chapters: Numbers 31-33
Message: Numbers: Being A Good Soldier
Hello My Friend,
As Christians we are to be a light that always shines Christ through us, and while we are to be as meek and mild as Jesus, we must realize we are in a war. With every war it needs trained soldiers, and since every person who has received Christ has the qualifications to become a soldier we can be sure that God is going to bring some challenges in our lives to train us to be good soldiers. “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” - 2 Timothy 2:1-4.
Part of being a good soldier is obeying orders, as with any armed service it is important to obey orders as it may be a matter of life and death. After God set the Israelites back in order, it was time for Him to get vengeance on Moab for enticing them with idolatry, immoral behavior, and trying to curse them. They were commanded to gather soldiers from each tribe, and kill every man, woman, and child who worshiped these idols, but they did not do exactly what they were instructed to do. .
“And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.” - Numbers 31:7-9,14-17.
“these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam,” Our worst enemies are those who draw us into sin, no matter who they are. God will either convert them, chasten them, or destroy them. You see, while we are accountable for our own actions, those who entice and introduce us into sin get it much worse because God always avenges those who cause His people to turn to sin. “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:6,7.
Being a good soldier means that we are going to have to fight sometimes, but victory comes with great rewards. We have to be careful not to let the rewards we receive distract or tempt us to accept things that will hinder our walk with Christ. After their victory, the tribes of Ruben and Gad saw that the plush land of Gilead was ready for the taking, they saw it as an opportunity for them to stay there. After some pleading with Moses, he allows them to dwell there under one condition, they help the others get to the promised land and obtain it.
“Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” - Numbers 32:1,5-7,20-23.
“and be sure your sin will find you out.” Hidden in that beautiful land was the wickedness and corruption of the world, they were blinded by the dangers of it because all they saw was the surface. While the promised land had much of the same, the one thing that was different, it had God. While God does put His people in the midst of the world, He expects us to remain faithful to Him, and the only way we can do that is to stick to Him like glue. We can be saved and live as we please, we can even appear to love God, but our sin will find us out. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” - Matthew 7:15-17.
Being a good soldier also means that we are always on duty. Yes, God gives us rest from fighting, but we must always be prepared and ready for a fight. An account is given for the Israelites journey through the wilderness from the time they left Egypt to Mt. Hor where Aaron died, then their final stop before the promised land, Jericho. It is there that God tells them what He expects of them once they get there.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.” - Numbers 33:51-56.
“that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes,” God gave them all a stern warning, once they crossed the Jordan, they were ordered to drive out the worldly people and every thing that would tempt them to sin. If they did not they would face constant affliction and suffering, not only by them. God instructs all His people to drive out anyone and thing that would cause them to sin. It is not as though we cannot live among them who are of the world, but if we do we can be sure that it will cause great sorrow for us. Why? No matter how strong we are, or how close we are to God, if we dwell with them we will fall right into their sin. “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:15-18.
Today's Prayer: God, It never ceases to amaze me just how loving and merciful you are to us, no matter what we have done with our lives. You call all of Your children to be the light that shines Your Son in this dark world, You call Your faithful to be good soldiers that not only lead others to Your Son, they stand by You and fight the good fight of faith in Your word. Lord, lead us and prepare us to be good soldiers, give us Your power to resist the temptations of the day and to be a witness to others so they too can know of Your great love, mercy, and grace also, and let us always be prepared for the return of Your Son. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
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Date: Friday, February 19, 2016
Chapters: Numbers 31-33
Message: Numbers: Being A Good Soldier
Hello My Friend,
As Christians we are to be a light that always shines Christ through us, and while we are to be as meek and mild as Jesus, we must realize we are in a war. With every war it needs trained soldiers, and since every person who has received Christ has the qualifications to become a soldier we can be sure that God is going to bring some challenges in our lives to train us to be good soldiers. “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” - 2 Timothy 2:1-4.
Part of being a good soldier is obeying orders, as with any armed service it is important to obey orders as it may be a matter of life and death. After God set the Israelites back in order, it was time for Him to get vengeance on Moab for enticing them with idolatry, immoral behavior, and trying to curse them. They were commanded to gather soldiers from each tribe, and kill every man, woman, and child who worshiped these idols, but they did not do exactly what they were instructed to do. .
“And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.” - Numbers 31:7-9,14-17.
“these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam,” Our worst enemies are those who draw us into sin, no matter who they are. God will either convert them, chasten them, or destroy them. You see, while we are accountable for our own actions, those who entice and introduce us into sin get it much worse because God always avenges those who cause His people to turn to sin. “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:6,7.
Being a good soldier means that we are going to have to fight sometimes, but victory comes with great rewards. We have to be careful not to let the rewards we receive distract or tempt us to accept things that will hinder our walk with Christ. After their victory, the tribes of Ruben and Gad saw that the plush land of Gilead was ready for the taking, they saw it as an opportunity for them to stay there. After some pleading with Moses, he allows them to dwell there under one condition, they help the others get to the promised land and obtain it.
“Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” - Numbers 32:1,5-7,20-23.
“and be sure your sin will find you out.” Hidden in that beautiful land was the wickedness and corruption of the world, they were blinded by the dangers of it because all they saw was the surface. While the promised land had much of the same, the one thing that was different, it had God. While God does put His people in the midst of the world, He expects us to remain faithful to Him, and the only way we can do that is to stick to Him like glue. We can be saved and live as we please, we can even appear to love God, but our sin will find us out. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” - Matthew 7:15-17.
Being a good soldier also means that we are always on duty. Yes, God gives us rest from fighting, but we must always be prepared and ready for a fight. An account is given for the Israelites journey through the wilderness from the time they left Egypt to Mt. Hor where Aaron died, then their final stop before the promised land, Jericho. It is there that God tells them what He expects of them once they get there.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.” - Numbers 33:51-56.
“that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes,” God gave them all a stern warning, once they crossed the Jordan, they were ordered to drive out the worldly people and every thing that would tempt them to sin. If they did not they would face constant affliction and suffering, not only by them. God instructs all His people to drive out anyone and thing that would cause them to sin. It is not as though we cannot live among them who are of the world, but if we do we can be sure that it will cause great sorrow for us. Why? No matter how strong we are, or how close we are to God, if we dwell with them we will fall right into their sin. “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:15-18.
Today's Prayer: God, It never ceases to amaze me just how loving and merciful you are to us, no matter what we have done with our lives. You call all of Your children to be the light that shines Your Son in this dark world, You call Your faithful to be good soldiers that not only lead others to Your Son, they stand by You and fight the good fight of faith in Your word. Lord, lead us and prepare us to be good soldiers, give us Your power to resist the temptations of the day and to be a witness to others so they too can know of Your great love, mercy, and grace also, and let us always be prepared for the return of Your Son. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
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