God promised to be with His people everywhere.
Even in battle.
No, especially in battle.
So after the Exodus.
After the Law is given.
After all the exploits God has shown to reveal His power.
It's showtime.
The 12 spies are sent to check out the promised land.
They come back with a split verdict.
Joshua and Caleb are stoked.
Excited at what will be theirs.
The ten? Well, not so much.
Afraid. They were afraid.
And fear spreads faster than the plague.
The people join in the fear and planned on stoning
Moses and Aaron. Even finding new leaders that will take them back to Egypt.
Egypt? Really?
You really want to go back to slavery and lack
when right in front of you is prosperity like you've never imagined?
So, how does God feel about all this?
He is hacked!
God is really angry.
Wipe 'em all out kind of angry.
God is angry because His people doubted His power.
And rightly so.
He parted the Red Sea for crying out loud!
The people saw the walls of water as they walked through, standing straight up as though in attention. They saw the Sea come back together to destroy Pharaoh's army.
They felt the mountain shake with just His presence.
Manna.
Quail.
Water from the rock.
How much more evidence did they need?
Why would they be afraid?
But alas, I look in the mirror and I'm astonished at my own lack of faith in His power.
Jesus said to the man with the demon possessed boy in Mark 9.
"What do you mean, 'If I can'? Anything is possible if a person believes."
Somewhere along the line I've been duped into thinking God doesn't do miracles today. That He doesn't do things like He used to. That was only a sign for the early church. Really?
Has God had a power outage?
Has He been exposed to kryptonite and somehow lost strength?
That's absurd! Of course He has the same power He's always had.
Maybe I'm the one with the problem.
I justify my lack of belief by hiding behind that famous phrase 'If the Lord wills'. Yes, it's always 'if the Lord wills'. But the Lord wills I walk in the power of His Spirit.
Why would Jesus tell His disciples "it is best for you if I go away, because if I don't the Counselor won't come"? John 16:7
See? That's the problem.
I've treated the Holy Spirit as a though He were that guy who sits next to the principal's office giving me sage advise on where to go from here.
I'm afraid I've deeply hindered the power of the Holy Spirit working in my life at the risk of being 'charismatic'.
Here's what I know.
With man nothing is possible,
but with God all things are possible.
Paul told Timothy
"For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity,
but of power, love and self-discipline" 2Timothy 1:7
And again,
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20 NLT
I insult God's power when I walk as though He limits it today.
When I ask and don't really believe.
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. ”
I'm afraid I've gone through my life with faith smaller even than a mustard seed.
And mustard seed is really small.
How small has my faith been?
Today, I choose to believe I walk in power.
Not my power. Oh no. Never!
The power that is at work within me.
Today, I say, "Holy Spirit I choose to live with your power working in me and through me...whatever that means."
Oh, and by the way.
We are at war.
God is with us!
RP
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