Today while I was getting ready to read the bible and I heard Hebrews 3:17. I had heard and read it before more than once recently so today I asked why am I reading this again? and I believe I have the answer.
Hebrews 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
At first I was like Lord are you saying I am like the children of Israel? and what I got was that I was going to be separated from the sins of my father...Amen! and then I got more.
Numbers 11:32
Surely nome of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob because they have not wholly followed me
Numbers 11:33 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite and Joshua the son of Nun: For they have wholly followed the Lord.
According to Joshua 14:7 Caleb was 40 when he went to spy out the land so we can guess that he was around 80 when he entered into the promise land and the oldest of the other children of Israel was 60 and the youngest was at least 40.
This realization caused me to bubble up with Joy. It was as if God was saying you are worried that you are getting older but the youngest of the children of Israel to enter into the promise was 40 years old!
In the 40th chapter of Isaiah in verse 31 God says he will renew our strength. In Joel Chapter 2 verse 25 God says he will restore our years. In Deuteronomy 29:5 God says that for the forty years that the children of Israel wandered in the desert their clothes and shoes did not wear out.
God is a God of Miracles and he is a God of Restoration and Preservation; he is more than able to supernaturally keep us. Most of us have met someone who causes heads to turn and mouths to open when they say how old they are; God is able to do the same for us. Fear not, there is still time to enter into and enjoy the promises of God.
I felt led to come by the water for a while today. God told.me he wanted to spend some time with me. The song "The Lord Is Blessing Me" came to mind. I heard God say "sing it to me". I was reluctant but I sang the chorus; not loudly...as far as I know my only audience was God. After I did I heard him say that's all I wanted. You don't ask us for much when you really think about it, do you God? What is God asking of you? It may be as simple as a song. Be blessed.
I am still waiting on the manifestation of certain promises God has made me. There may be a promise that God made you that you are still waiting on. The bible has countless stories of people being given a promise that did not come immediately but one thing the stories have in common is that the promise was fulfilled. Hebrews 11: 36 (says) For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. The story of the Israelites leaving Egypt and spending 40 years in the wilderness is a perfect example of what not to do while waiting. From Exodus to Numbers we learn of how God performed miracle after miracle for his beloved Israel and of his desire to lead them to Canaan as he had promised Abraham. The older generation died in the wilderness and did not enter into the promised land because of unbelief. Could their unbelief have been the result of the lack of a personal relationship with God? Moses talked to God face to face but when the Israelites had a chance to become closer to God they distanced themselves and told Moses to tell them what God said (Exodus 20:19). Could their unbelief also be tied to their refusal to completely let go of Egypt and its idols?
God says that those that come to him must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6)...that's not asking too much; GOD IS.
God is not limited to time and if we are in him and one with him he is able to redeem our time and empower us to not be bound by time; he is well able to renew and restore.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
Sometimes the cares of this world hardens our heart and we resent the trials and tribulations that God uses to purge and mature us; we grow weary while waiting on our promise; but don't harden your heart. Rest is ahead....not the rest where we sit down and do nothing but the rest where the yoke is easy and the burden is light.
Hebrews 4
4 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
verse 9 of Hebrews Chapter 4 says
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
and 16 says
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
We have access to the promises of God by being in the resting place. We must be careful not to forfeit the promise through unbelief and disobedience. God commanded us to have a Sabbath; a day of rest and in that day we gain access to the promises of God.
4.These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5.And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before
it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth and there was not a man to till the ground.
The provision was already there God only needed to speak so that we would be able to perceive and access it in this realm. We keep striving to do things out of our own strength when we should heed the word of the Lord to Zerubbable...not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord". (Zechariah 4:6)
Enter into God's rest.
Matthew 11
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
I was reading Proverbs Chapter 14 today and the 23rd verse really stood out.
Proverbs 14:23 (says) Much food is in the tillage of the poor but there is that is destroyed for want of judgement. As I was reading that verse I saw a vision of people reaping in a field and leaving some of the harvest behind. I thought about how Boaz told the people under his employment to leave extra for Ruth.
Ruth 2:16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
I thought about a time where I went with a friend of mine to pick greens that a farmer had left behind. The farmer had gathered what he had wanted to gather and there was plenty left. We picked as much as we wanted.
Leviticus 23:22 (says) And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shat leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
In the Torah Shmita is the "Sabbath Year" or the "Sabbath of the Land". It is the seventh year where everything that is produced is hefkar, ownerless and free. People are to refrain from planting, pruning, plowing or harvesting, or engaging in any other form of farming their lands during this time. The Shmita is said to shift the relationship we have with material possessions.
The seventh equals rest.
Genesis 2:2 says And on the seventh day God ended his work which he hand made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he made.
Let's Look at the word "rest" in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for rest is "nuach" which is nun+vav+chet. Nun=the seed, thus continue, heir, son; Vav= the tent Peg, thus add, secure hook, Chet= the wall, outside, divide, half
Rest in the Lord Jesus Christ and he will add to you all that you need. As an Heir of Christ we can be at peace knowing that if we seek him he will take care of the things we need however he chooses to be it through people, a raven, water from a rock or bread (manna) falling from the sky God is well able to provide all of our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:19).
I recently finished rewatching all of the episodes of "Touched By an Angel"; I am also watching "Highway to Heaven". At first I thought it was just a coincidence that I was watching them both. I had watched the "Flying Nun" and I thought it was because I wanted to watch shows that were more wholesome and although I did there was more to it. As I watched "Touched By an Angel" and "Highway to Heaven" I began to think more about angels. Saturday as I sat by the water God said he was Lord Sabaoth which means the "Lord of Host" or as I had heard it before "Lord of the Angel Armies". God also told me "I love you, it's going to be okay". Glory of Zion's Sunday topic today was "Lord Sabaoth" it was confirmation that felt like a trumpet being blown and God announcing " I AM LORD SABAOTH". I know various names of God and their meaning. But him introducing himself using a particular name let me know that this was the virtue of himself that he was releasing. There will be an increase in angelic activities. Recently I talked to an old friend about the period of being set apart I had gone through. I told her I had asked God "are the angels gonna be my friends?" She said, "well now they may be". I love that about her; the fact that she recognizes the greatness of God. Yesterday as I sat by the water I also reflected on how God is removing fear from us. I first noticed this in my life when I realized that I had stopped wearing masks (as protection from Covid). I had been strict about wearing them when I was in public and then one day I was running low on them and didn't buy more and just stopped wearing them. Even before Covid fear had crept into different areas of my life. I found myself being apprehensive about going certain places by myself. I like to be alone sometimes and that may be in an areas that are kind of secluded. I had started to think, maybe this isn't safe; whereas before the thought never crossed my mind. As I sat by the water after dark with my windows down and earpods in my ear looking at the water I felt completely safe and there was a freedom in that, that I had not felt in a while. As God continues to break fear off of us and dispatch his angels to subdue the enemy rejoice and fear not.
Luke 2:10
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
