Discernment and Deception

I’ve always been intrigued by the account of Joshua and the Gibeonite deception. This unique story, found in Joshua chapter 9, still sends chills down my spine. It went something like this.

The Israelites had just crossed the Jordan river on thier way to the promised land. After conquering Jericho and Ai, they set thier sites on Jerusalem and its surrounding cities. Among the people destined for slaughter were the Gibeonites, who had heard about Joshua and Israel’s advancing army. Not wanting to be listed among Joshua’s conquered cities, the leaders of Gideon resorted to deception as a means of survival. And what did they have to lose? They knew they were no match for the armies of Israel.

The Gibeonites sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys down with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins. They wore worn-out sandals and ragged clothes, packing their travel bags with dry, moldy bread, hoping the Israelites would fall for their ruse. When they arrived at Israel’s camp at Gilgal, they embellished their twisted tale, saying they had come from a distant land and petitioned Joshua for a peace treaty.

Instead of consulting the Lord about these strangers in their camp, Israel’s leadership council relied on what they saw rather than what they sensed–a huge mistake!  After examining their food and listening to their concocted ”story”, Joshua adds insult to injury by making a peace treaty with the Gibeonites and promising them protection, guaranteeing it with a binding oath. Little did they know they were signing their names to a promise that would haunt them for years to come.

Three days later it was discovered that the Gibeonite representatives had totally deceived the Israelites, telling them they were from a far off country, when they in fact lived just a few days journey away! Joshua and the leaders of Israel were completely deceived by the Gibeonites and all Israel was in an uproar. The deception had completely caught Joshua and the leadership off-guard– and the people of Israel let their leadership know exactly how they felt about it.

We’ve all made that same mistake at one time or another. Someone deceived us along the way and we fell for it–hook, line and sinker. I wish I could tell you it’s never happened to me, but it has. And more than once. If we were to scan the books of the Bible, we would see story after story of lies and deception. Eve is deceived by the serpent and eats the forbidden fruit. Cain deceives Able and kills his blood brother in broad daylight. Jacob deceives his feeble, and nearly blind father Isaac, into believing he is his brother Esau. Judas betrays Jesus with a deceptive kiss and the list goes on and on.

Thank God that we now have the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives! Just as Jesus and the early disciples were empowered with wisdom and discernment through the Spirit, we now can discern situations we face each day by that same power of the Holy Spirit.

In the old covenant, people had to rely on their local priest at the place of worship to discern the will of the Lord. Now that we are the temple of God, the Bible says that we can know the mind of the Lord by the Spirit that now lives within us.

You and I don’t have to be in the dark concerning the will and plan of God for our lives! You may have struggled in the past, wondering which way to go, or where to turn in a given situation. But it’s a new day and a new season in your life! The word says ” the old is gone and the new has come”.

Let’s not be fooled by outward appearances! God has given us his Holy Spirit, to discern situations correctly. Relying on the Spirit’s help will keep us on track in this new season of life and ministry.

Prayer: Lord, in this new season, may we rely on the Spirit for wisdom and discernment, and not be deceived by our own natural inclinations. Amen.

MISPERCEPTIONS

People don’t always know who they really are. They don’t fully comprehend their calling, or the role they play in the lives of others. Some overestimate thier importance, while others underestimate thier contribution to the lives of those around them.

Jesus fully understood who he was and the role he was to play in God’s kingdom. So did John the Baptist. When the Jewish priests and temple assistants asked John if he was the Messiah, the prophet Elijah or some other, he said ” I am a voice crying in the wilderness, clear the way for the Lord’s coming.” I don’t think it can get much clearer than that.

When Jesus returned home to Nazareth with his disciples, the locals said to one another.” Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed ” He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.( Mark 6:2-4)

These people had only known Jesus as the local kid who grew up in Joseph and Mary’s household along with his brothers and sisters. When his healing power manifested, they couldn’t accept it, comprehend it, nor appreciate it –for the simple fact that he was one of them– a Nazarite. Even Nathanael, who would soon be disciple of Jesus too, commented on Jesus’ home town saying ”can anything good come out of Nazareth?” But these things didn’t sway Jesus at all. He knew why he had come, who his Father was and was fully aware of his earthly mission.

In the book of Judges we see another famous character who hadn’t a clue as to who he was or his divine purpose. The Israelites were living under the harsh rule of the Midianites, who had no problem conviscating their sheep and cattle, not to mention stripping the Israelites clean of all thier crops, leaving nothing but the bitter taste of dust of thier mouths. Israel needed a leader, but no one was volunteering for the job. So God drafted an unlikely man for the mission.

Gideon, the son of Joash, was hiding in the family wine press, keeping himself and what was left of the family grain out of view from his enemies, when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him. The first words out of the heavenly messengers mouth were these. “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Obviously shocked and taken aback, Gideon replies “ Sir, if the Lord is with us, why have all these terrible things happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about?

The Angel, shoots right back at Gideon without hesitation and says ” Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”  Gideon, still doubting the words of the angelic messenger replies; “How can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Mannaseh and I’m the least in my entire family!”

Then the Angel of the Lord speaks those immortal words that have been spoken for centuries to the patriarchs, from father Abraham to the great Apostle Paul. “I will be with you”. With those four simple, but profound words, Gideon took courage and defeated the enemies of Israel.

Gideon didn’t fully comprehend his calling until God spoke his word through the Angel of the Lord.( Judges 6:11-16) The Apostle Paul didn’t understand his divine purpose until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.( Acts 9:1-19) Daniel did not know he was highly esteemed of the Lord until he experienced an angelic vision while fasting for 21 days.( Daniel 10:1-10)

Many times we miss out on the blessings of God for the simple reason we don’t fully understand who we are in Christ! The Bible says that we are blessed, highly favored, sons and daughters of God, and more than conquerors through Christ. The word of God tells us explicitly that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Just as God called men and women long ago to follow his will for their lives, so God calls each of us to his will–his plan.

The Bible says ” Our lives our hidden in Christ”.(Collosians 3:3) If that statement is true, than it only makes sense that we will never truly discover our kingdom purpose until we surrender our lives completely to Christ. Do you understand who you are in Christ? Has your heavenly calling been confirmed in your heart?

If you are reading this and still struggling with your calling , do this. Saturate yourself in God’s word. Spend quality time alone with God in prayer. Commit yourself to a local church and build relationships there. Be willing to serve others with a humble spirit. In time, God will reveal his plan and purposes to you, and show you who your really are in Christ. If he did it for Moses, Gideon, Daniel and Paul–he’ll do it for you too!

Thanks from Mike Santiago of Focus Church

Thanks from Pastor Mike Teeter of New Destiny Church in Denver, NC

Tags: Church Plant, Denver, Mike Teeter, NC, New Destiny Church

Don’t Stop Short of Your Promise

Before Abraham and Sarah were the superstars of faith’s Hall of Fame, they were simply known as Abram and Sarai. Way back in Genesis, God made a powerful promise to a childless Abram saying, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have.” Quite the promise to a man who’s wife had tried to bear children and given up decades ago.

The cold hard facts were staring Abram and Sarai right in the face. They had hoped and prayed earnestly for children but came up empty. Now the window for bearing children had closed and thier only heir would be Eliezer, a servant in Abram’s household. Needless to say, that was not what Abram had signed on for. Had he made the mistake of his life? Leaving home and family, only to follow the voice of a God he’d never heard of – for this?

As tensions grew to fever pitch levels between Abram and Sarai, Sarai takes matters into her own hands and proceeds to give her servant girl Hagar to Abram. “Go and sleep with my servant.” Sarai tells Abram. “Perhaps I can have children through her.” Abram, wanting to appease his distraught wife, agrees to sleep with her Egyptian servant girl, and in time, gives birth to Ishmael. But was this the promised child God had spoken of?

Many times we take matters into our own hands regarding the promises of God that have been spoken over our lives, much like Abram and Sarai. God did in fact make a promise to them, but the promise lay unfufilled for many years. So what were Abram and Sarai to do? What would you do if you found yourself in their shoes?

Waiting patiently on the promise of God may be one of the hardest things a believer will ever have to experience. What’s the old saying? “God is never in a hurry, but he’s always on time.” Habakkuk 2:3 says, ”if it (the vision) seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” God’s time is almost never our time, but his timing is always perfect.

In time, Sarai would give birth to her first and only son, Isaac, the promised child. The Bible says she was well past her child-bearing years when she bore Isaac, and actually laughed at the notion of having a child so late in life! Abram would eventually be known as Abraham, because he would become the father of many nations. Sarai would become Sarah, the mother of many nations.  So, the miraculous promise was indeed fufilled!

Countless believers have given up on God’s promises, thinking that God’s delays are his denials. But nothing could be farther from the truth! Many times God is waiting on us to take steps of faith in preparation for his promise to come to pass. So, if truth be told, he’s waiting on us!

Don’t stop short of your promise. Don’t settle for an Ishmael when God has promised you an Isaac! We must constantly remind ourselves that we are children of the king and heirs of the good promises of God. And all his promises are yes and amen in Christ!

As the children of Israel were preparing to enter into the promised land after 40 years of wandering  in the desert, there were 2 1/2 tribes who petitioned Joshua for special approval to stop short of the promised land and settle on this side of the Jordan. Gad, Asher and the 1/2 tribe of Mannasah told Joshua plainly, they were content to stay on the other side of the Jordan for the simple fact that it was good farm land, and excellent for raising flocks and herds. They couldn’t imagine finding anything more beautiful on the other side of the Jordan.

Reluctantly, Joshua and the elders allowed the 2 1/2 tribes to have their way, but warned them that they were vulnerable to the enemy, separated from the rest of Israel by the Jordan River. Secondly, there were no natural defenses from their enemies, such as a body of water, mountains or even rocky terrain. They were exposed and they new it. However, they chose to stop short of the promised land and happily settled into the land that lay before them.

This story is a picture if you will of many christians today who settle for less and stop short of God’s promise. If God wanted a few of the tribes to settle on this side of the Jordan, he would have said so! These 2 1/2 tribes were not interested in “pressing on” with the rest of Israel. They were content on this side of the promise. Not only that, they based their decision on their stuff, rather than the word of the Lord!  Hebrews 4:1 says, “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful not to fall short of it. Refuse to settle for second best! Good things are worth waiting for.

I recently heard the story of pastor Tommy Barnett, who for years had hoped to build a Dream Center; a place where broken and hurting people could find Christ, get a second chance to turn thier lives around, and live a life of freedom and purpose. When asked how long he carried the hope of a Dream Center in his heart, he said, “I held on to the vision of a Dream Center for 40 years before it became a reality! Today, there are more than 70 Dream Centers across the US and around the globe.

Don’t stop short of your promise! Someone has said, “if you can hold on to your dream for 5 years, and not give up, it will come to pass.

Facing Your Giants

At one time or another, we’ve all heard the story of David and Goliath. David, the youngest son of Jesse, dashes to the battle line with only a sling and a few stones to face Goliath — the Phillistine giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. Standing some 9 feet tall, he seemed more like a freakish monster than a man.

Goliath, the Phillistine champion, had been fighting battles since his youth and by all accounts was a seasoned professional. He was so intimidating, he would challenge the Israelite army each day, taunting Saul and his men to send out someone who dare challenge him to a one on one duel to the death — winner take all. The only problem was, no one had the guts to face the giant!

David had been back at home watching his father’s sheep while his older brothers were encamped with the rest of Saul’s army at Elah. Jesse, wanting an update from the battle lines, sent David with some fresh bread and cheese to be delivered to his brothers and their officers. He was to inquire of their disposition and return immediately home. But that’s where the story takes a dramatic turn.

When David reaches the Israelite camp, he finds his brothers, drops off the bread and cheese, and views Goliath for the very first time. Hearing his defiant words, mocking Israel’s army and the God of heaven, David asks, “Who is this pagan Phillistine anyway, that he’s aloud to defy the armies of the living God?” And after finding out there was a handsome reward for defeating the giant, David tells King Saul. “Don’t worry about this Phillistine, I’ll go fight him.”

Now, one would think young David had completely lost his mind. How could he — a young shepherd boy with no battle experience — even consider facing Goliath, a champion fighter, in the open field. So bold was David, that he not only agreed to the Phillistines’ challenge, the Bible says he “ran toward the battle line.”

Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, and sneered in contempt at the ruddy faced boy. “Am I a dog” he roared at David ” that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the name of his gods. David replied to the Phillistine, “You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today I will conquer you and I will kill you and cut off your head. And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people.”

And we know the rest of the story. David conquered the giant by striking a fatal blow to the head with his own sling and stone. Then David finished the job, taking Goliath’s own sword and cutting off the giants head. When the Israelite army realized Goliath was dead, they immediately pursued the Phillistine army and the Phillistines ran for thier lives!

Looking back on the story, one would wonder how David ever mustered up the courage to face the giant in the first place. Did he really think he could defeat the Phillistine’s champion with just his sling and a few smooth rocks? Or did he know something we don’t know?

When it comes to facing our giants (and we all will face them at one time or another), what can we glean from this well known Bible story? I believe there are a few clues that help tilt the favor toward David defeating the giant. Here are a two of them. One practical and the other spiritual in nature. Let’s start with the practical.

This was not David’s first fight. Serving his father as a shepherd helped prepare David for the bigger stage. David had already fought predators such as bears and lions,  protecting his father’s sheep. If the animal turned on David, he would grab it by it’s jaw and club it to death. If he could do that to a lion or bear, why should he be intimidated by Goliath?

David didn’t fear death because God had already promised that he would be the next king of Israel. This speaks of David’s amazing faith in the prophetic word of God. He believed so strongly in God’s promise of kingship through the prophetic words of Samuel, that he was ready to risk his life for the glory of God and for his people Israel.

David faced his giant head on. He didn’t run away. He didn’t cave. He fufilled the calling God had placed on his life. Every calling God places on people has an element of risk to it. Better said, it is the element of faith that enables us to face our giants.

Fear and intimidation are too of the biggest giants we’ll ever face. They seem to stand against us at every turn like Goliath; mocking us and defying the word of the Lord spoken over our lives. Instead of shrinking back in fear, may we stand strong in faith, trusting that the battles we’ve already won have positioned us for such a time as this! And may we never forget, our God will bring us ultimate victory over our enemies. For we are more than overcomers through Christ!

Wounds and Arrows

The story is told of a rebel soldier who’s leg was severely wounded while fighting at the bloody battle of Bull Run; one of the Civil War’s most infamous battles. Following the conflict, the young soldier walked nearly 200 miles to his homestead in North Carolina, only to die a few weeks later from his untreated leg wound. Sadly, many of our brave soldiers lost thier lives, not from the wound itself, but from the complications that followed. What lesson can we learn from this 150 year old civil war story? Wounds left untreated can take your life.

There’s a fascinating Bible story tucked away in 1 Kings about a faulty alliance between good King Jehoshaphat of Judah and the notorious Ahab, King of Israel. The story line is so outlandish, you would think this can’t be true — but it is. And it’s legendary.

King Ahab has been up to no good for some time now. He and his impish wife, Jezebel, have led the people of Israel away from God to idol worship, put hits out on the prophets of God, and murdered an innocent man for the sole purpose of obtaining his valuable real estate.

One day when King Jehoshaphat is visiting King Ahab, the two discuss partnering together to attack Aram and win back the border town of Ramoth Gilead. “Will you join me in battle?” asks King Ahab. “Why of course!” King Jehoshaphat responds. “My horses are your horses and my troops your troops. But first let’s find out what the Lord says.”

King Ahab wants nothing to do with the prophets of God and says “yes, there is a man who prophesies for the Lord, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.” Jehoshaphat, not wanting to embarrass the king of Israel in front of his court replies, “That is not the way a king should talk! Let’s find out what he says.”

The prophet, unwilling to risk life or limb, says to Ahab, “Go ahead king. Lead your men to battle. You will surely be victorious.” Then King Ahab, realizing that the prophet was telling him what he wanted to hear, responds with an edge to his words.”How many times must I tell you to speak only the truth to me? What does the Lord really say?”

Then the prophet speaks boldly the word of the Lord. “King Ahab, you will not return from this battle”. You are going to die. If you return from this battle alive, the Lord has not spoken through me”. And that is precisely what happened to King Ahab.

Circumventing the word of the Lord, King Ahab dresses himself in a disguise to hide his identity, while King Jehoshaphat entered the battle in his royal robes. As the chariots of Aram were closing in on King Jehoshophat, the commanders realize that they’re going after the wrong man! “This is not the King of Israel – this is Jehoshaphat. We have no quarrel with him.”

Then, as fate would have it, an Aramean soldier randomly shoots an arrow at the Israelite troops, hitting the disguised King of Israel right between the joints of his armor. ”Turn the horses and get me out of here” says King Ahab. “I’m badly wounded.”

Needless to say, the prophets words came to pass. A random arrow mortally wounded the wicked king. The story goes on to say that Ahab propped himself up the remainder of that day, but his untreated wound did him in.

There’s a lot we can learn from this Old testament story, but let’s focus on one simple truth. Unattended wounds will take you out. Like the rebel soldier returning from the front lines, battle wounds need to be attended too. They must be cleaned and dressed. It’s a fact that more men died from infection in the Civil War than any other injury.

The word of God speaks continually of the spiritual battle that rages between the forces of good and evil. Unfortunately, some very good people are wounded in battle. Even the best of soldiers can be taken out. That is why it is so crucial to stay connected to your brothers and sisters in Christ. We were never meant to battle the enemy alone. We are to dress the wounds of those we fight shoulder to shoulder with.

The Bible says our words hold the power of life and death.  Words can cleanse and words can heal. Words can also destroy and dismantle relationships. Random words can be as lethal as a random arrow, and find the unprotected joints in our spiritual armor. Words spoken in a fit of rage can wound people for a lifetime.

Let’s ask the Lord to give us understanding in these simple truths. Yes, wounds may come and arrows may fly, but here is God’s promise:

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. ( Psalm 91: 5-7)