Don't Go Back To Egypt

This is a brand new week, and if God told you that you can do something, then we have to stand up and do it! It's simple, right? Think again. Fear is something that prevents people from doing what they're supposed to do. It robs you of your true purpose. Real quick, I didn't plan to write this post today (I wanted to write on healthy relationships, but it should be released next week).

With that said, I was reading the last part of Numbers 13 and a good portion of Numbers 14. One thing that stuck out to me was this: only 2 of the 12 spies said that they can take Canaan, and the other 10 lied and caused the children of Israel to believe "the lie." Joshua & Caleb (the two spies who believed they could take the land), were looking at the spiritual and had faith that God can strengthen them to overcome what may seem overpowering whereas the children of Israel were looking at the natural. They cried to Moses saying, let's return to Egypt. I'm thinking they were probably singing "Let's Go Back To Egypt and live on top of the world." OK, that's a whole different topic, and I refuse to write about it here. Back to the children of Israel. 

Last year (April 25, 2011), I wrote a blog entitled Complacency & Hebrew Slaves. The summary of that blog was simply this: the children of Israel wanted to return to Egypt (a place of complacency, bondage, and slavery), even though God called to freedom. 

Even though what they saw in front of them didn't look easy, God was trying to get them to operate in faith. The tragedy of this is Joshua & Caleb had to lose 40 years (to suffer with the children of Israel in the wilderness) because they were a part of a team. And don't think for one second that the children of Israel were going to stay in the wilderness. They tried to take the land without God's assistance, and the result was self-explanatory.

My message to you all this week (and to myself), who's on your team? Are they heading to the place where God wants them to be? Are they operating in faith that God can sustain them through the ups AND downs in life? Are they trying to get you to return to Egypt? Don't let those you love (who are called to freedom in Christ) return to Egypt. Don't fret if you're part of the minority (like Joshua & Caleb) for God can use you and doesn't always use the majority. And most importantly, don't YOU go back to Egypt (your past, the place of complacency and bondage) thinking you can live on top of the world!