“To trust God in the light is nothing. To trust Him in the dark – that is faith.” Spurgeon

This is the wilderness of Paran where Moses sent out 12 tour guides (aka spies) to check out the land God promised these former Egyptian slaves – the Israelites.  

God described this piece of real estate as a land flowing with milk and honey. Keep in mind, at this point, they were in the Land! See much of that here? I don’t!

God was asking them to trust that He was fully capable of keeping His promises, even though they couldn’t see the goodness of the Land…yet.

We know the rest of the story. The guides brought back fruit for the people to see with their very own eyes and to touch with their very own fingers some of that milk and honey. They were standing in this desert and could see God’s word come true!

BUT, they heard about the giants and the fortified cities and whined against God. Liar, liar, pants on fire!

No, He was speaking the truth. He was simply asking them to trust Him.

Sometimes God gives us a glimpse of His plans for our lives and at other times He doesn’t. Either way, He wants to deepen our faith in Him in order to keep going, even if we are standing in the wilderness.

He never promises us that His plans for our lives will be easy, but always tasty!

When we discover what we want is what Jesus already gives, only then we will find that He is enough.

We say we are looking forward to heaven and being with Jesus. We ask the Lord to come, like yesterday. And yet, we hold onto this life with two white-knuckled fists.

Think about that for a second. Isn’t what we’re hoping to get out of whatever it is we are holding onto is simply a mere reflection of what is found in Jesus’ presence?

We say Jesus is all that we need, but we keep striving for what we already have, Jesus.

Is Jesus enough? Just a question He wants you to ask and let Him answer. You won’t be fulfilled until you do.

Every experience God gives us is the perfect preparation for the future only He can see.” Corrie Ten Boom

I once read, “We think we’ll prepare when the opportunity comes. No, you prepare for the opportunity to come. The Lord brings the opportunity when you’re prepared.”

There is no wheat harvest without the farmer doing all the preparation work months in advance. The farmer has to prepare the soil. They have to plant the seed. And then, they either pray for rain or irrigate the land.

They know where they are going and what they want – a large profitable harvest. And, they prepare for it by doing the work that leads to tomorrow’s harvest today.

Your Father knows all the plans He has for your life. A plan not to harm you, but to fulfill you. Lovingly obey and follow Him today; and, you’ll be ready for tomorrow’s plan when it comes.

The greatest joy in life is gaining what one can’t lose.

What are we truly willing to live for that doesn’t come through dying?

Without dying physically, we can’t taste the life that never ends. Without letting go of our goals, our visions, our wants, our desires, our way of living, and/or our way of thinking we can’t experience the life He has for us.

Yet, we fear what we don’t know. Jesus, though, knows what we fear and defeated it. The real question is, “Are we living to exist or existing to live?”

Jesus said whoever wishes to gain their life must lose it, and to those who choose to lose their life for Him will end up saving it. Seems like a paradox, but it’s the spiritual reality in which we live in.

We often live for what we can see, rather than for what we can’t. I once read that something doesn’t just happen and then we believe. No, belief comes first. Do we believe that through dying we gain something that we can never lose?

What is Jesus asking you to die to today in order to experience the life that He has for you? Salvation – a changed life now that enters eternity with us – will come.

It’s time to believe…first.

Seeds planted today bear edible fruit tomorrow.

I was recently on Kauai with my family. I sure miss the ocean. I currently live in the high desert where I am about 1.25 hours away from the beach. I miss watching the waves that mesmerize and calm me at the same time.

It was very cool to watch the swells roll in and finally see them form waves that surfers rode into the beach.

It was then the Lord brought me a message. Your life is like those swells. Storms miles away caused those swells where sometimes it only took days for them to hit a surface that allowed them to break into a ridable wave, the effect.

What you do today will be harvested – good or bad – tomorrow. What are the storms of your producing in you?

Keep in mind that God’s grace covers the ultimate consequence of our choices (eternal separation from Him) but not from all the consequences we might face here on earth.

Surrender to the Spirit and allow your life’s storms produce Christlike character in you.