Men are always to pray and not faint.
The season is now upon us where we need to reassess and re-evaluate where we are going and where we need to be and by when. In 2015, the Lord raised the theme, the Sons of Issachar, which provoke men to consider the times that we are living in. How can we know the seasons that we are in if as men, we lack understanding of the times and as such are unable to move in a line and in time with God?
There are many barriers, pitfalls and obstacles that prevent us as men of God from reaching our potential and as such continue to live below our privileges. The question begs, what is it that causes the men of God to doubt the word of God and the transforming power of the word.
Paul wrote, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me….’ Notwithstanding this, somehow we have learnt to internalise the negative experiences from our past, which in turn has reinforced the doubt we sometimes harbour and as a consequence, we find it hard to be an overcomer gaining those spiritual heights that God intends for us.
The Bible declares in Romans 12:2;
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”.
Let’s briefly consider the text Numbers 13: 2-33, because this will set the backdrop to the three workshops. Here we will focus on the challenges that the spies faced and the reasons why the majority returned with a somewhat negative report. The question begs, why did their observations lead them to believe that these were insurmountable obstacles. In addition, what caused them to develop a mindset that eventually shaped their decision making (hence they saw failure before they even attempted to overcome it). And last of all, one of the workshops will consider, why Moses changed Hoshea name to Joshua (Num. 13:16), looking at this in relation to Godly impartation.
It is interesting to note (Numbers 13: 27 & 28) the first few sentences of the report read very well indeed. Then, there came the, ‘nevertheless ……the size of the people …the perceived issue…. the problem… the hurdle… the assignment, is all too much for us. What could have caused such a shift in thinking?
Why was it that none of the spies cognisant of the word spoken in Deuteronomy 1: 8, which remind us that God had already promised them, Canaan?
What caused the majority of these appointed leaders who were under the ‘covering’ of Moses, to become so fearful;
- Despite God’s faithful promises, they said, ‘the people who dwell in the land are strong’.
- Despite God’s faithful promise, they said, ‘the cities are fortified and very large’.
- Despite God’s faithful promise, they said, ‘we saw the descendants of Anak [a tribe of large men] there’.
- Despite God’s faithful promise, they said, ‘Amalekites dwell . . . the Amorites dwell . . . the Canaanites dwell’ – all the land is taken up, there are no vacancies!
- What changed the men’s heart and perception? Surely, the answer was in the many miracles God had already performed and that he had promised them this land?
The reconnaissance mission took forty days. When God takes us through a process there is a significance in numbers and in this case it represented a period of trial.
Finally, what will it take for the men of God to have the mind of an overcomer; what needs to happen to equip our men to understand that in Christ we can do all things and how can the aged men who are converted help to strengthen the brethren’s?