09/08/2013 - GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

• 
• 
• 
• 

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

Numbers 13.1-2

The twelve men sent to the Promised Land as spies had great responsibility, because the happiness of their people depended on their reports. God expected them to look at the land in accordance with his Spirit, so that they would return with good news, and strengthen the faith of the Israelites. That is what we must do in everything the Lord guides us, always seeking his support and help to fulfill the mission entrusted to us.

Each mission the Most High gives us is of great responsibility. Those who do not accomplish their mission in accordance with God’s directions will be harming themselves and those who listen to them. The devil does not want the servants of God to be victorious. On the contrary: his goal is to frighten us to make us easier preys. He wants to frustrate God’s plan for our lives.

The spies were prepared to serve the Almighty God, but they ended up being fooled by the devil. So be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour those who have been raised by the Lord to carry out his works (1Peter 5.8). Although we have been called by the Most High and, in the eyes of the world, we are qualified to the work, only through God’s mercy and help we are able to fulfill the mission with which we were entrusted.

If God sends you to a certain region of the country or abroad, go. If you feel the need to consecrate yourself in order to be used in a different way, do not allow the devil to convince you otherwise. He who trusts in the Holy Spirit’s power will arrive precisely at the destination the Lord has in mind for his children, because when we are guided by him we start seeing things the way he sees them.

If the enemy proposes you independence, do not rage against all wise judgment (Proverbs 18.1), because this will be a sign that you are seeking your own desires. Only our heavenly Father has the right to choose who will do something different in his Church.

The spies acted in an evil manner and accepted the way the devil made them feel. Therefore, they dishonored the Word of God, making all the congregation feel betrayed (Numbers 14.1-2). As a result, ten among them – in addition to the other men who, on that day, were at least 20 years old – were prevented from entering the Promised Land and died in the desert (Numbers 14.28-30).

The lesson we learn from this story is that rebellion costs a high price, because it despises the Word of God; so do not nurture any feelings of rebellion in your heart. The former leader who strayed from God’s path, for example, does not serve to be your counselor, because we know that a spring sends forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening (James 3.11-12). Be wise and follow the Lord’s directions.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares