FAITH AND POSITIVE THINKING

03- 06- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION

FAITH AND POSITIVE THINKING

(Numbers 12:1- 9) 1- “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2- And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 3- (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) 4- And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 5- And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 6- And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7- My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8- With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 9- And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.”

When the Israelites were in need and were negative about their plans and their position as they were about to take the land, Joshua was positive and was strong in his stand for God and His Word. When Moses sent the spies to check on the condition of the land, Joshua was positive with Caleb standing with him. I believe Joshua took and used the positive side in the life of Moses the servant of the Lord. The Lord God defended Moses against Aaron, Miriam and the rebellious Israelites. He confronted them for Moses’ sake, but Joshua who was Moses’ assistant at that time was out of the picture. It means he was not a problem but the solution of the problem. He did not stand and rebel against the man of God. No wonder when the time has come for Moses to go…, God picked him (Joshua) up and turned over to him the baton. Joshua did not step over Moses’ head to get to the front line in the ministry, it was God who promoted him and gave him the baton of leadership and responsibility. In the book of (Numbers 13:1- 3) 1- “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2- Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3- And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.” And in the following verses, it shows how the people of Israel reacted on the news that they have heard from the spies. Verses 27- 33- “And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28- Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29- The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30- And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31- But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32- And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33- And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

FAITH AND OBEDIENCE, THE LADDER TO GOD’S GIFT OF SUCCESS

03- 05- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Jonah 1:1- 2)
FAITH AND OBEDIENCE, THE LADDER TO GOD’S GIFT OF SUCCESS
1- “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2- Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Moses during those times was dealing with the rebellious people, but now God was telling him (Joshua) that he has to take the lead and he has to start right away while they were still in mourning for his (Moses’) death. I imagined in my mind that Joshua could say that “ministry was not that exciting as he thought it was”. As many of the pastors and missionaries who may have said the same thing while they were in the field and went through tough times have said that “ministry is not always as exciting as they thought it was”. One day in one of the coffee shop here in Michigan; I was asked by a stranger that I was talking with after I shared to him that I am a pastor. He said, “Is ministry a very challenging place and work to be in?” I said, “No, it’s not just challenging, it’s exciting…” But how could you be excited when you have this message in your email, facebook or God’s Word revealing to you what God wants for you to do right away while mourning for your dead love one or friend. God said, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan…” It was not just a message for him to “arise and go”, but a message for everybody during his time as well as this present time. What are the difference between Joshua and Jonah? I assumed that many of our readers will say that Joshua obeyed God while Jonah disobeyed Him which is really true. If you read and study their lives, Joshua and Jonah had 2 different circumstances, calling and crisis. Joshua was mourning when God called Him to “arise and go” while Jonah was mean and indifferent. There was no compassion and love in him. But they get the same command and message from the Lord. (Jonah 1:1- 2; Joshua 1:1- 2) 1- “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2- Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 1- “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 2- Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.”
Joshua was trying to comfort himself when the Lord talked to him about his responsibility and calling while Jonah was in his own comfort; he was very comfortable when the Lord commanded him to “arise and go…” He was even financially stable that he did not even worry about money and his fare. There are Christians who are in the same situation and condition as Jonah. They are financially and economically stable, but they are spiritually in a 50/50 condition. I don’t know about Joshua’s actual economic and financial condition, but I’m very much sure that he was a mature and responsible leader. He was a man of God who has a passion for his people and most of all for God. He did not complain when the Israelites including Aaron and Miriam complained and stood up against Moses. (Numbers 12:1- 9) 1- “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2- And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 3- (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) 4- And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 5- And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 6- And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7- My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8- With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 9- And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.”

WE NEED FAITH AS WE STEP INTO THE LADDER OF GOD’S PREPARED SUCCESS FOR US

03- 04- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Joshua 1:1- 3)
WE NEED FAITH AS WE STEP INTO THE LADDER OF GOD’S PREPARED SUCCESS FOR US
1- “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 2- Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3- Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4- From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.”
I had 4 deaths in the family from 2002 to 2008. First it was my father who died and he was the 2nd family members who is very close to us that died after I became a Christian. And it was followed by my oldest brother and then my mother which after a few months my younger brother went to be with them. It was not easy going through things like that, it was tough and it will really get into your emotion. During the time of Joshua, he went through the same struggles and pain. It was by the death of Moses, his leader, his mentor, his friend and he was dear to him and Moses was his example and the one who help him grow in the Lord and in the leadership. But God has to call his servant Moses home and for Joshua, it was not easy. In verse 1 notice what it says, “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,” It’s good to have someone to talk with when you’re going through things like this. It’s a blessing to know if you have friends who would be there for you when you just lost a love one. During the time of Joshua, they don’t have facebook, internet or email to check into if you have friends from far left you a message saying that they’re praying for you and they love you and say their condolences and sometimes gives you some comforting words. So for Joshua, he has to go through to at least 2.5 million people to get some words of comfort and sympathy. And he may have some fresh words and encouraging words from friends and families. But the time has come that it was the Lord who was to speak to him not to comfort him but to ordain him, to pass on to him the baton, to give him the responsibilities to lead the children of Israel on to their journey to the promise land. The Lord spoke to Joshua to make him get up and start working for Him and for God’s people. (Psalm 37:23) “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” I don’t know what would be your feeling if your boss or employer will call you while you’re mourning for the death of someone special to you and would ask you to come in for work. When my mother passed away, my employer gave me a paid vacation. When my brother passed away, they do the same. And of course, you expect people to call you and say good and encouraging words to you, but calling you to “arise” and “go”; “ah, uhmm, ah, I don’t think so” or “let me think about it…” could be answer. But that was what the Lord did to Joshua; while he was mourning due to the death of his mentor and leader, God called him to “arise and go…”
And notice the Lord’s instruction to Joshua the son of Nun in verses 2 and 3; “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3- Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.”

WE NEED FAITH AS WE STEP INTO THE LADDER OF SUCCESS

03- 03- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Joshua 1:8- 9)

WE NEED FAITH AS WE STEP INTO THE LADDER OF SUCCESS

8- “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9- Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

People that are in the peak of their success do not realize that success on their part could be bad for them. Success could also be the key to failure in their life as my Filipino pastor friend said in a small group Bible study. My friend can’t remember the word for the key in English and he ends up using lock and I interrupted him and gave him the right word for it which is the key.

The then president Marcos of the Philippines during his hay day looks very successful especially when he was a new president and I was very young back then; but I could still remember how he was loved by people including my parents as the new president of my dear Country, the Philippines. But the way I looked at it after the 1986 February Revolution, he doesn’t looked good and millions rallied against him where they toppled his government and he ends up in Hawaii. After those powerful years in the government and great success, being in that situation with a failed government behind him could be a failure to many. And it’s happening right now in many parts of the Middle East where people rallied against their present government who once enjoy the peak of success and wealth. Now, that is in the political arena, but what about in business? I used to have a friend who was in business at a very young age. He was in his late 20’s and I was just about 16 or 17 years old. We would usually go to a bar or restaurant with live music and he would talk to the owner or manager about me and would request me to sing 2 or 3 songs. In the Philippines back then, it was not illegal to be in a place like bar even when you’re under age. Anyway, my friend was a millionaire and he owns a bar where I was his first entertainer. When I left to go to Manila for some opportunities, my other friend told me that he killed himself (shot himself on the head in his bathroom). I found out that in spite of his financial success and his success in business, he was struggling with his relationship with his wife and children and along with that was his problem with alcoholism. We would sometimes start drinking from 8 or 9 PM and would stop in the morning. His businesses did not last longer than I thought. People in business looks like they’re successful but they have their own struggles and failures. Notice what this man said while the Roman government was preparing for his execution. He was writing this, not during his hay days or during his journey in his peak of success, but during the time where he was in prison preparing for his death. I don’t know how many of us could stand before man and God right now and can say with honesty and a pure heart that you’re a success… This man was a prisoner and could be in a dark dungeon but notice what his words of farewell from the Book of (II Timothy 4:6- 8) 6- “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7- I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8- Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

WE NEED FAITH FOR SUPPLICATION

03- 02- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Philippians 4:16- 19)

WE NEED FAITH FOR SUPPLICATION

16- “For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17- Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18- But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19- But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

The greatest follower of the Lord Jesus Christ was in need but it does not mean that he was not in want. Although he was in need but Paul knew contentment and he practiced contentment in his daily life. For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. With little and with much, Paul has the satisfaction and contentment in all areas of life. But Paul has the faith in God’s providence even in his lowest point in life. This was something that he did not learn from Ananias and Gamaliel but from the Word of God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was in prison, under persecution, problems with people, under pressure and went through a powerful storm and shipwrecked, but Paul said; “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Paul made something great out of every situation, be it in trials or in triumph or in problems and prosperity. He made something good out of the prison cell to the pinnacle of the church or temple. He knows how to suffer and he knows how to enjoy God’s grace and supplication. It requires faith, strong and true faith in God. In verse 18, Paul recognized the generosity of those who supported him while he was out there in the field as well as when he was in prison for the sake of Christ and while doing the work of the Lord. He also recognized their faithfulness to God, but all those things did not work out well without the faith and the love of Paul for God and His cause. Notice what he said in verse 18, "I have all, and abound...” Paul has no other desire because he has more than enough. Paul was saying, I do not desire a gift for the gift’s sake, “for I have all, and abound.’’ They sent him a small token and he did appreciate all of them but it also requires faith. “I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent by you.” We are indeed a needy people and we either give or receive. People are also full of discontentment and we’re not satisfied of what we already have; we want more and more. But whatever we need as God’s children, we believe like the Apostle Paul that He will supply such needs according to His riches in glory. But we need faith for our supplication. The Lord provided the need of Abraham for his offering to God when he sacrificed Isaac. He also provided the need of Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness for as long as they were on their way to the promise land. The Lord provided the needs of Elijah when he obeyed God in his journey and ministry. All these and many more is the Lord’s testimony of grace and supplication by faith. The Lord is the one who supply all our needs, but we also need to exercise our faith in Him in every situation and condition. When Apostle Paul was in prison, he learned to exercise his faith in God even when he was about to be executed. It was Paul’s desire to be a testimony of God’s grace. Verse 19- But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

WE NEED FAITH AS WE SEPARATE FROM SIN FOR GOD

03- 01- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (I Corinthians 6:15- 19)

WE NEED FAITH AS WE SEPARATE FROM SIN FOR GOD

15- “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16- What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17- But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18- Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19- What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20- For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

(Philippians 3:21) “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” The Lord Jesus Christ honored our whole being by giving His life for us. We must not abuse our bodies by sin, and make our bodies look vile and stained by our daily habitual sins that displeased our Lord. Instead, we should make a vessel that honors our Lord. The day we came to Christ for cleansing through His shed Blood on the Cross of Calvary, Jesus made a union with us through His Holy Spirit and made us one, one in Christ.

“It is not so much an abuse of the body as of somewhat else, as of wine by the drunkard, food by the glutton, etc. Nor does it give the power of the body to another person. Nor does it so much tend to the reproach of the body and render it vile. This sin is in a peculiar manner styled uncleanness, pollution, because no sin has so much external turpitude in it, especially in a Christian. He sins against his own body; he defiles it, he degrades it, making it one with the body of that vile creature with whom he sins. He casts vile reproach on what he Redeemer has dignifies to the last degree by taking it into union with himself. Note, We should not make our present vile bodies more vile by sinning against them. V. The fifth argument against this sin is that the bodies of Christians are the temples of the Holy Ghost which is in them, and which they have of God, v. 19. He that is joined to Christ is one spirit. He is yielded up to him, is consecrated thereby, and set apart for his use, and is hereupon possessed, and occupied, and inhabited, by his Holy Spirit. This is the proper notion of a temple—a place where God dwells, and sacred to his use, by his own claim and his creature’s surrender. Such temples real Christians are of the Holy Ghost. Must he not therefore be God? But the inference is plain that hence we are not our own. We are yielded up to God, and possessed by and for God; nay, and this is virtue of a purchase made of us: You are bought with a price. In short, our bodies were made for God, they were purchased for him. If we are Christians indeed they are yielded to him, and he inhabits and occupies them by his Spirit: so that our bodies are not our own, but his.” (The Bible Collection, Henry Complete- Matthew Henry)

(I Timothy 4:6- 8) 6- “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 7- But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 8-For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”

WE NEED FAITH AS WE SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM SIN UNTO GOD

02- 28- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (I Corinthians 6:19- 20)

WE NEED FAITH AS WE SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM SIN UNTO GOD

19- “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20- For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

“Here he takes occasion to warn them against many heinous evils, to which they had been formerly addicted. I. He puts it to them as a plain truth, of which they could not be ignorant, that such sinners should not inherit the kingdom of God. The meanest among them must know thus much, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God (v. 9), shall not be owned as true members of his church on earth, nor admitted as glorious members of the church in heaven. All unrighteousness is sin; and all reigning sin, nay, every actual sin committed deliberately, and not repented of, shuts out of the kingdom of heaven. He specifies several sorts of sins: against the first and second commandments, as idolaters; against the seventh, as adulterers, fornicators, effeminate, and Sodomites; against the eighth, as thieves and extortioners, that by force or fraud wrong their neighbours; against the ninth, as revilers; and against the tenth, as covetous and drunkards, as those who are in a fair way to break all the rest. Those who knew any thing of religion must know that heaven could never be intended for these. The scum of the earth are no ways fit to fill the heavenly mansions. Those who do the devil’s work can never receive God’s wages, at least no other than death, the just wages of sin, Rom. 6:23. II. Yet he warns them against deceiving themselves: Be not deceived. Those who cannot but know the fore-mentioned truth are but too apt not to attend to it. Men are very much inclined to flatter themselves that God is such a one as themselves, and that they may live in sin and yet die in Christ, may lead the life of the devil’s children and yet go to heaven with the children of God. But this is all a gross cheat. Note, it is very much the concern of mankind that they do not cheat themselves in the matters of their souls. We cannot hope to sow to the flesh and yet reap everlasting life. III. He puts them in mind what a change the gospel and grace of God had made in them: Such were some of you (v. 11), such notorious sinners as he had been reckoning up. The Greek word is tauta — such things were some of you, very monsters rather than men… None are cleansed from the guilt of sin, and reconciled to God through Christ, but those who are also sanctified by his Spirit. All who are made righteous in the sight of God are made holy by the grace of God.” (The Bible Collection, Henry Complete with Matthew Henry)

It is only by the grace of God and by strengthening our faith in Him that we will be able to stand against the wiles and the temptation of the devil. The Apostle Paul did not tell the believers to be separatists and not to fellowship with the unbelievers and the practicing sinners, but Paul was telling them to separate from their wickedness. What he meant is we need to turn our back from their sinful acts and we must not be the partakers of their sins. We can be with them but not be one of them and be among them. (Romans 12:1- 2) 1- “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2-And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”