Grapes, Giants, and Grasshoppers
Do you sometimes find yourself feeling distressed, tired of situations, blocked from reaching your vision? Know that God sees our struggles, sorrows, pains, and sicknesses. He knows when we are tired, stressed, happy, sad, at peace or disturbed; and He has promised to deliver us from these challenges. GOD IS A DELIVERER!
In Exodus 6:8, God promised to deliver the Israelites from their situation -- 'that land,' and as we read and reflect on Numbers 13 we learn that "that land' held God's promises. The spies found the land and it flowed with milk and honey. The grapes were big and sweet. The spies even brought a cluster back to show the others. But, the spies very much like us, reflected more on the challenges [the giants] than on the promises [the grapes]. They even allowed themselves to appear as grasshoppers in their own sight. Self-doubt is a cruel and crippling emotion. It will rob its victims of security, dignity, composure and resourcefulness. The ten spies were paralyzed by fear and plagued by inadequacy; they were deficient in self-worth.
Yes, the grapes are real, the giants are real, but the grasshoppers are a figure of speech; thus the grasshoppers are not real. God gives us the grapes [the promises], the devil places the giants [challenges/distractions] in our path, and we create the grasshoppers. The good news is that we are not grasshoppers. The giants have no victory because God has given us the promises.
God had told them in Exodus 6:8 that the giants were there. He said the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites and other 'tites' were in 'that land,' but God's promise was to give the Israelites the land flowing with milk and honey. God has made the same promise to each one of us, but we must remember that sometimes before we get to God's promises we might run into some giants. God gives conquering provisions, but we must do our part. For example, I will keep you in perfect peace IF you keep your mind on Me. Ask, and it shall be given to you, Seek and you shall find, Knock and the door will be opened. We have to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK and be sure to keep our mind on God.
There is a giant that is keeping you from having perfect peace. There is a giant that is keeping you from having bill money, there is a giant in the way of you receiving joy. "These giants are standing there blocking the promises. They even let us know by telling us, "Before you can get to so and so, you will have to come by me." The giant can be your job or on your job, it can be in your home or a family member, the giant can be the traffic, it can be a person, place or thing, and it can even be in the church. We must learn to tell the giants, "Giant, you are not a part of God's promise, so get out of my way because what God promises me is mine!" We need God to reach the promise land.
God's promises are real. Do not let the giants of hopelessness, despair, unforgiveness, control, faithlessness, bitterness and what people say or think about you rob you of God's promises. The Lord, who has brought us thus far, will not disappoint us in the days to come, however difficult they may be. The abundant clusters of fruit in our everyday lives should encourage us. If we take a trip to our individual 'Cluster Valley' where the grapes are juicy and large, we are likely to find abundant evidence of God's unfailing generosity.
The ten spies magnified the problem and minimized the resources, unlike Caleb and Joshua, who were ready to take the land because they believed God. They trusted Him. They had experienced God's promises and remembered crossing over on dry land. The desponded ten spies viewed the scene entirely from their limited human perspective, leaving God totally out of the equation. We need God to reach the promise land.
Tell those giants to get out of your way and call on God to rebuke the giants and grasshopper images so you can enjoy the grapes. Remember, the promises belong to us: healing, finances, joy, peace, etc. Exercise your right to a promise for the next twenty-one (21) days and see your life change. Challenge yourself for the next 21 days to ponder the Word of God day and night and watch those giants disappear! You will get results, but you must do your part.
We are children of the King. Receive your breakthrough today and enjoy the GRAPES!
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