inkhorn

When the Promised Land is in sight and things seem to be progressing towards a natural conclusion, that’s when you’re pulled up in your tracks and life hands you a set of incomprehensibly, painful situations. As confusion and doubt war in my mind, I find that nothing is secure. All I believed was solid and unshakeable, has come crashing down like a house of cards. And all I can do is fall before my Maker and cry, “Help!” And through the pain and fear, I feel a peace descend; and I realise that there is something that is unchangeable, something strong and concrete – Jesus. I remember His words and promises and it is like a burden is lifted off my shoulders. Light breaks through the darkness and I feel a calm assurance flood my soul as I hear His voice, “My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.” * I remembered the Israelites and how they turned their back on the Promised Land when they saw the problems and faced their own weaknesses. I am at that point and I have two options – tur...

So many times I’ve questioned certain circumstances And things I could not understand Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision Then my frustration gets so out of hand Its then I am reminded I've never been forsaken I've never had to stand one test alone That's when I look at all the victories And the spirit rises up in me And its through the fire my weakness is made strong He never promised that the cross would not get heavy And the hill would not be hard to climb He never offered our victories without fighting But He said help would always come in time Just remember when you’re standing in the valley of decision And the adversary says give in Just hold on, our Lord will show up And He will take you through the fire again I know within myself that I would surely perish But if I trust the mighty hand of God, He'll shield the flames again - Gerald Crabb

So what does a spy do? To my (frankly Alistair-Maclean-James-Bond-ish) knowledge, a spy is a person who gathers facts and useful information regarding an enemy and reports it to his superiors. So going by that, the spies Moses sent, did a pretty good job. They were asked to gather specifics – which they did. In truth, they went a step further and brought along some fruity proof as well! Speaks a lot for their initiative. Listen to their report – “…the land…truly flows with milk and honey…the people are strong; the cities are fortified and very large…the Amalekites dwell in the…South; the Hittites, the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” Top marks on the spying job wouldn’t you say? They had their facts straight and were logical, reasonable and rational. However, Caleb’s impassioned appeal to go up at once and take possession of the land was met with a lukewarm response. Logic and cold, hard reas...