Presented by OY

[See attached Audio/Podcast below]


1 AND ALL the congregation cried out with a loud voice, and [they] wept that night.

2 All the Israelites grumbled and deplored their situation, accusing Moses and Aaron, to whom the whole congregation said, Would that we had died in Egypt! Or that we had died in this wilderness!

3 Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be a prey. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?
Numbers 14:1-3

The children of Israel got scared after hearing the reports of the spies who were sent to Canaan to scope out the land. While reading this passage during my personal Bible study, the thought occurred to me that if I were in their shoes I won't say let's go back to Egypt but instead I would set up camp right outside Canaan and be content with the fact that I almost made it. In addition, recently I've had a few conversations with friends recently where I kept hearing phrases like I'm bored or I'm waiting on God's promise concerning an area in my life or I don't know what's next in life for me.

It sounds like the modern day version of Numbers 14:1-3 where people are stuck just outside of Canaan, in a waiting room and are not moving forward or going backward.

How come?

Some of us are leaning on excuses. In the story of the lame man by the pool in Bethesda, in John 5:1-9, with emphasis on verse 7: The invalid answered, Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool; but while I am trying to come [into it] myself, somebody else steps down ahead of me.
Notice how he had a pre-packaged excuse ready to give Jesus when asked if he wanted to be healed. For someone who had stayed in the same spot for almost 40 years, one can almost deduce that he must have told this story to so many different people to be able to garner pity to get food, clothing and shelter.

If you don't know what next and your excuse is that you haven't gotten direction from God about what next, be persistent in seeking His face. See Luke 18:1-8 with special emphasis on verses 7 and 8:
7 And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He [a]defer them and [b]delay help on their behalf?

8 I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [[c]persistence in] faith on the earth?

It could also be that we may have given up hope. A classic example is the response Martha gave to Jesus when she told him that Lazarus was dead in John 11:21-24. Especially as Christians, we try to explain away our disappointment in what I like to call christian-speak. But the good news is no matter how dead the situation seems to be, no matter how long you think you've been cooped up in the waiting room, the hope can be resurrected.

Most important of all is fear. Fear can keep you rooted in one spot. Too afraid to turn back but afraid of what is ahead. Of course we know that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of lover, power and sound mind. But in addition to that, we should pray that God opens our eyes to see from His perspective. (2 Kings 6:8-17)

Hello friends,

If you missed the last TERC meeting, you can listen to the audio here:

AUDIO FILE

Also, to listen to our future conferences, you can:

1) SUBSCRIBE to our iTunes channel here: TERC on iTunes

2) Add our PODCAST feed to your RSS feeds: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TERCPodcast

This is a summary of the message from this past Friday:


Lesson #1:  First Line of Defense- The shield of faith (as the full confidence in God and His word) is our first line of defense. Before the enemy can touch any area of our bodies, he has to first go through the shield of faith. If the shield of faith is not strong enough in the battle, this is the only time we can get shaken and attacked in other areas. What we strongly believe in cannot be taken away from us, but if our faith is shaky, then what we have can be taken away in battle and destroyed. 


Lesson #2: Protection While Standing- Sometimes, all we need to do is stand firm. A battle is not just about progressing forward and shooting the enemy. In parts of the battle, when you can't press forward, it is advisable that you don't turn back either. All you can do at that time is to "stand," until you receive the order to move forward again. In those moments of "standing," the shield of faith is our protection. (Ephesians 6:13, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able towithstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.") The Greek word for "withstand" here is Anthistemi which means "to resist or oppose." The word "stand" is the Greek word "histemi" which means to "come to a halt," "remain still or fixed," "be established," "stand upright." The fact that we remain fixated at one point does not mean that the shield of faith was removed from before us. It is still right there in front of us, protecting us. 


Lesson #3: Overlapping of Shields- Our shields of faith joined together is a powerful force against the enemy. A team is only as strong as the weakest link. One shield is not just for the defense of one soldier. It's for the defense of the soldiers standing right next to him, and greater than that the entire nation. (Reference-The Body of Christ: Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:20-22)

Lesson #4: Quenching Fiery Darts- The Bible says the shield of faith quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one. We are in constant battle with the wicked one, even when we think we are not fighting, he's constantly throwing arrows at us, and not just ordinary arrows but arrows with fire that can ravage our bodies and spirits. Lies, doubts, arguments that exalt themselves above God, erroneous mainstream cultures and traditions. But the shield of faith is our protection. When the arrows come, it effortlessly quenches these fires and performs the functions of protecting us.

Lesson #5: Protects Our Minds- When the shield is raised up, it protects our heads (the seat of reasoning). 2 Corinthians 4-5, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." Our minds are intelligent because they were created after the image of an intelligent God. But often, we want to prove that we know more than the One who created us to know. Pride sets in, and then we realize that we can't exalt ourselves against the knowledge of God. He is all knowing, and the depths of His knowledge are beyond human reasoning. The shield of faith protects our human reasoning.

Lesson #6: Protects Our Hearts- When the shield is in front of us, it protects our hearts (the seat of emotions). Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."