The Same Place

Years ago, I heard Paul Crouch, then president of the Trinity Broadcasting Network say, “The brink of a disaster and the brink of a miracle are the same place.”  God does his finest work and proves His power when things look their worst. The hour preceding dawn is the darkest.  You may be in that hour, but take heart, morning’s coming!

Travel back with me to 1446 B.C.  Moses and the Children of Israel have escaped from Egyptian bondage.  But not without nerve-wracking consequences and further testing.  The people are backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit.  Things look pretty bleak for the approximate 1.5 million men, women and children. Many in the crowd begin to murmur against Moses. “Why did you bring us out here to die in this wilderness” (Exodus 14:11)?  Fear began to sweep through the camp, as horse hooves trampling the earth became louder. 

Disaster appeared imminent.  Between confusion brought on by the enemy and the grumbling of the people, Moses had his hands full.  His leadership was on the line, and God’s reputation was soon to be verified.    

But then…

Moses lifted his rod high and the waters of the Red Sea divided.  The breath of God piled the waters high on each side and dried the earth under the sea.  A pillar of fire then separated the Israelites from the fast approaching Egyptian army.  It was Israel’s finest moment, one that Jews still celebrate today!  We do, too!  In that hour, the brink of a disaster and the brink of a miracle were one in the same!       

Have you been there?  Perhaps you’re there now!  Backed up against the wall with seemingly no help in sight.  The enemy of your soul may even be taunting you:  “Where is your God now?”  

Keep praising.  Keep believing.  Your deliverance is on the way!  God has not brought you this far to fail you now.  “The horse and its rider WILL be thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:21b).   We used to sing this faith declaration:

“How great is our God!

How great is His name!

He’s the greatest One, forever the same.

He rolled back the waters of the mighty Red Sea.

And He said, “I’ll never leave you, so put your trust in Me!”

No matter how difficult your circumstances, no matter what you’re facing, the waters are about to part.  “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5b).  Let this incredible story from Israel’s archives, hold you steady today.  The same God Who parted the waters approximately 3,466 years ago is still proving His power today!  The brink of your disaster is about ready to become your most glorious victory!

Praise Him out loud this very moment! 

Victim or Victor?

Are you a victim or a victor?  How do you see yourself?

Your perspective determines your answer and your ability to successfully navigate life and positively impact others along the way.  Victims always focus on what others are doing to them or not doing for them.  Life’s circumstances are usually seen through a negative lens and victims always come up short – in their minds drawing the short stick.

Victims love the “Blame Game.”  To pass along the blame allows them to never take personal responsibility for their own attitudes and actions.  In so doing, they never break out of their cycle of criticism and negativity.  Nobody who has anything on the ball likes to hang around victims – except other victims!  Misery  breeds company.

Victims garnish the truth, often undermine others, jeopardize reputations and secretly gloat when others fail, because those things allow them a temporary reprieve from their own victim mentality.  Victims move through their world never impacting in a good way, only soliciting others who share their negativity.  They practice self-hate!

Victims never find fulfillment and tend to demean others so that in some sick way they elevate themselves to a temporary high.  When not affirmed or given attention, they seek lesser goals and attack those who strive to walk in victory.

Victors, on the other hand, never glory in their circumstances and refuse to play the “Blame Game.”  They take personal responsibility for their actions and attitudes, and understand that while life may be unfair and tough at times, they remain victorious.  They see themselves as overcomers.  They become not circumstance-driven, but Christ-driven.  They live in the expectation that Christ in them is a Victor and nothing can separate them from their intended victory. 

They choose high living over low living.  They realize that it’s not about them; it’s about Christ in them.  They determine to live above the potential defeat of circumstances and never feel sorry for themselves or compare themselves to others.  They are the masters of their destiny because they daily place themselves in the hands of the Master, the One who has purchased them with His blood and whose indwelling presence drives them toward continued and sustained victory.

Like the Apostle Paul, “The love of Christ compels (constrains) them.”  It captures them and won’t let go (2 Corinthians 5:14)!

Are you a victim or a victor?  Are you Christ-driven or others-driven?  Do you feel sorry for yourself or is the devil sorry when you wake up in the morning to begin another day of victorious, overcoming life in the Spirit?

Victims incessantly talk about their problems or other people.  Victors glory in the cross and the Christ whose power brings overcoming results.  They never run short of true friends, unlike victims who live with loneliness, dissatisfaction and like Henry David Thoreau said, “Who lead lives of quiet desperation.” 

True friends are rare because no one in his right mind likes to hang out with a loser mentality.  No one except victims wallows in the shortcomings of others, and chooses to spew their toxic waste on to unsuspecting bystanders. 

Are you a victim or a victor?

Remember, we are “more than a conqueror through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us…” (Romans 8:37).  Determine today to be a victor!

The Giants Won (part 1)

Today I want to discuss a story found in Numbers 13.  It’s a story about giants.  But first…

On October 3, 1951, third baseman Bobby Thomson hit a one-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the National League pennant for the New York Giants.  Thomson’s homer wrapped up an amazing come-from-behind run for the Giants and knocked the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Giant’s hated inter-borough rival, out of their spot in the World Series.  The Giants went on to lose the Series to the Yankees, but Thomson’s miraculous homer remains one of the most memorable moments in sports history.

“The Giants win the pennant!” radio announcer Russ Hodges howled.  “The Giants win the pennant!” “The Giants win the pennant!” He kept screaming until he lost his voice. Meanwhile, inside the Polo Grounds, pandemonium reigned.  Fans flooded the field.  Thomson took curtain call after curtain call.  People in Manhattan and Brooklyn made so many phone calls in the half-hour after Thomson’s homer that the New York Telephone nearly lost service in the two boroughs.

That happened in 1951.  The Giants also won in approximately 1440 B.C. One story was positive and revolved around sports history. The other revolved around a negative event in Biblical history. In the first story the Giants won the pennant.  In the second story, the Giants won, 10-2.  I want to talk about the power of negativity.

Background:  Moses sends out 12 spies—leaders in Israel—to explore the land of Canaan.  They are sent on a fact-finding mission.  Their orders were explicit:  “See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.  What kind of land do they live in?  Is it good or bad?  What kind of towns do they live in?  Are they unwalled or fortified?  How is the soil?  Is it fertile or poor?  Are there trees in it or not?  Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.  So they went up…” (Numbers 13:18-21a).    The 12 spies returned to Moses following a 40-day exploration.

In verses 26-38 these men deliver their report.  The vote was 10-2.  Ten were negative and fearful and only two responded in faith.  Ten were moved by what they saw and their responses spilled over into the entire nation.  Confusion and pandemonium broke out in the camp because of the power of a negative report (evil in KJV).  It reached epic proportions in nothing flat.  Fear, brought on by negativity, swept through the camp like a wild fire in drought-ridden California. 

I believe the enemy still uses negative people and negative reports in today’s world – even in churches – to thwart the move of God.  In today’s story, negative reports caused the nation of Israel to render null and void the promises of God.  The people became reactive instead of proactive.

Go ahead saints.  Listen to the news.  Be informed.  But pull back when your spirit becomes heavy.   Don’t allow the influx of negative reporting to rob you of your faith and to move you into the arena of fear.  The cause and effect of negativity can produce a ground swell of emotion that produces spiritual setback and loss.

I spend my days listening to people.  Some time ago, I sat in a room where several siblings took turns editorializing on current events and the news of the day.  They were all Christ-followers.  But the longer it went on, the more negative it became.  By the end of the conversation, everyone in that room lost their faith and in conclusion one said, “Where is God in all of this mess?”  They literally talked themselves into defeat!

Do you understand their progression from faith to fear?  Six family members sitting around the bedside of their loved one, who literally participated in a feeding frenzy, where faith was replaced with fear.  And then I heard, “Where’s our church is all this mess?” Negative thinking usually leads us to question the wrong source.  The enemy of our soul wants us to turn our thoughts in the wrong directions.

Let me remind you:  We live in a fallen world where “negativity” gets the press! Let’s determine to join ranks with the Joshua and Caleb generation!  “And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them.  Their protection is gone but the Lord is with us.  Do not be afraid of them” (14:9).

If we understand what a negative perspective of life does to us, we will most assuredly want to join ranks with those who refuse to be pulled into the arena of negative living.  Perspective is everything!

Here’s the report brought to Moses by ten of the spies.  Remember, God’s will is not necessarily revealed by majority vote.  Here’s what they reported:

“The ten gave Moses this account:  We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey.  Here is its fruit.  But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.  We even saw descendants of Anak there.  The Amalekites…Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites…and the Canaanites live there…” (verses 27-29) 

 Understand something.  The problem here is not their assessment of the situation.  They reported what they saw. They did not exaggerate the situation.  My friends, Faith never denies reality.  Faith never harbors a delusion.  Faith hits reality head on!  Faith wins the victory over fear!  Remember, you do not have to pray for victory.  In Christ Jesus, you already have victory.  Saints, let’s determine to walk in the victory that’s already ours!

(TO BE CONTINUED)