Boundaries by Pastor Wayne Foster
Today’s Passage – Numbers 34 – 36 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 5 – 8; Proverbs 28; Psalms 141 – 145
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89
Read a previous post from this passage – “The City of Refuge,” and “Taking Care of the Preachers.“
Read the “Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) 3 Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: 4 And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon: 5 And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.” (Numbers 34:1-5)
God is a God of order. We see in numbers 34 God is establishing borders for the nation of Israel when they inherit the land of Canaan. Borders are a controversial subject. Who controls what, and how much has been the cause of countless wars for thousands of years. Just as nations have physical boundaries, we as Christians should have spiritual boundaries in our lives. There should be places we do not go because as Christians, we know sin dwells there. What kind of testimony would it give if we are in a bar, even if we are not drinking? We are constantly bombarded with music in stores, bad language from coworkers, or lucrative commercials and shows on TV screens. Our home is our haven. It should be a place of quiet rest. A place of sound boundaries protecting us and our families. Our Goal here on earth is holiness. Boundaries are necessary in our lives in order to keep striving towards that goal. We have boundaries for our children, personal lives, clothing, jobs, our own yards have fences around them. Why then, do we neglect our spiritual boundaries? They should be at the top of our priority list. Most of us, sadly, have them listed at the bottom. We need to re-examine our order of priorities and make sure our spiritual boundaries are set in stone. If we want to be Christ-like and live holy lives we need to make sure our boundaries won’t come tumbling down like the walls of Jericho at the first sight of trouble.
“40 Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)
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Five Peace Killers … by Pastor Wayne Z. Foster
Today’s Passage – Joshua 10 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 Timothy 1 – 6; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read a previous post from this passage – “The Day the Sun Stood Still“
Read the “0315 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
In the Book of Joshua, we see the record of the Children of Israel as they go through and claim the Land of Canaan. We know this as the Promise Land. These passages are historical recordings of Israel’s exploits. Time and time again we see how God delivered Israel’s enemies into their hands. What we read can be directly and spiritually applied to our lives today.
In Joshua 10, the five kings Adonizedek, Hoham, Piram, Japhia, Debir, were angry that Gibeon had tricked Joshua into making peace with them. This is a prime example from the Bible of why we should pray or we will pay. These kings want to destroy Gibeon. This is because Gibeon made peace. In our lives when we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts we receive something we never had before. It is the peace of God. Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Peace is something that the world desires but never achieves. This is because we live in a world run by chaos and confusion. This world is run by the Devil. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: “Ephesians 2:2. When we get peace our flesh automatically starts to attack and tries to destroy it.
There are 5 things that will erode peace in your life:
- Worry: Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Worry is like a rocking chair it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere. Peace is based on trust. If you are trusting God you will have peace. It is when you don’t trust God to handle your problems or situations that worry creeps in and steals your peace. Trust God!
- Doubt: Matthew 14:31 “And immediately Jesus stretched forth [his] hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” When you get saved you are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that you cannot accomplish for God. With God all things are Possible! The Devil knows this and takes full advantage. He gets you to doubt. Doubt your self-worth in Christ. Doubt that God can use you. Doubt that you are good enough. The ceiling that blocks your prayers is doubt. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is the opposite of doubt. Do not doubt God, have faith in Him!
- Sin: James 1:15 – Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Sin is like an unlimited credit but with 100% interest. You think it will give you everything you want but in the end its takes everything you needed and wanted. Sin is like the monster you used to think hid in your closet when you were a child. The problem is this monster is real. Even if you close your eyes it’s still there watching you, haunting you, and draining you of your peace. Sin makes you paranoid just ask King Saul. Sin makes you crazy just ask Samson. Sin will steal your peace just ask David.
- People: Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Setting yours eyes on people instead of God will steal your peace. Often times we are so concerned with others opinions, we lose track of the one we really should be concerned about, Jesus. In our lives we live to please God not people. Pride pushes us to please people. The Bible pushes us to please God. You should not worry about how people view you. Be aware of how God views you. If you are living for God, the right people will have the correct view of you.
- Fear: Psalm 37:1 “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.” Fear is paralyzing. It inhibits you from accomplishing what God has for you. Fear causes us to stay put instead of doing great things for God. In the wild a lion roars to stun its prey. Often that roar instills a fear so great it paralyzes the prey. That’s what Satan does to Christians. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” There are many fears that will hinder your peace. Fear of failure. Fear of change. Far of loss. God does not want us to live in fear. We are meant to live victorious in Christ. Fear will hinder your walk with God. It will steal your confidence in Christ, and bring you many sleepless nights. Don’t let fear rob you of peace, we are more than Conquers!
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Miserable Friends … by Pastor Wayne Foster
Today’s Reading – Job 15 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Philippians 1 – 4; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
Read the “0609 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” (Job 16:1-2)
Everyone has been through tough times. The times that seemed like everything was just going wrong, and everywhere you turned the walls were closing in. This is where Job finds himself having lost everything. He lost all of children, and all of his wealth. In times like this, when we are in the depths of despair we need encouragement.
Where do we get encouragement from? Hobbies, family, or friends. They are to bring us comfort, hope, joy, love, even peace (Romans 12:15). Job’s “friends” didn’t come with encouragement; they came with judgmental attitudes. Job called them “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). With everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s easy to be unsympathetic to people. There are a lot of people hurting. Even those closest to us could be hurting inwardly without showcasing it to those around them. Often it is easier for us to be judgmental than empathetic. As Christians we should feel others hurt in our hearts. When Job was suffering emotionally and physically, he needed friends to give him encouragement. Sometimes in life you just have “miserable friends.” The ones who are always complaining about this or that. The ones who are the “Negative Nancy’s”, or “Debbie Downers.” In times of deep grief, we need support. Unfortunately, instead of looking up, most of us draw that support from our “miserable friends.” So how do we keep ourselves from being those “Miserable Friends” Job had? How do we encourage others? A true Christian friend can be supportive, loving and caring. The best way we can do this is by pointing people to Christ. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is whom we draw our hope, and strength from. Show kindness. Show love. Don’t be a “miserable friend.”
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God Is in the Details by Wayne Z. Foster
Today’s Passage – Exodus 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Proverbs 28; Psalms 136 – 140
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Read the “0128 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “Pattern What You Preach“
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” (Exodus 25:8-9)
In a broad overview, Exodus 25-27 speaks of the order of God. The God that created the universe. The God that created you and me. He is a God of detail. He does things with great care, and everything is by design. As believers we should try to emulate our Lord. A true statement and one we should live by is: “preparation is the key to success.” We should prepare and plan so that we can excel in the details like our Savior (1 Corinthians 14:40).
Exodus 25:2 discusses our offerings. Our offerings are an opportunity to worship our God. Worship should be done with a willing and cheerful attitude. We should be glad and willing to give him our time, abilities, and finances. Be willing to give of yourself (Roman 12:1)
The Old Testament is a beautiful recording of history. Every word is breathed from the mouth of God. It is a very intricate puzzle. When completed, it shows Jesus as our Lord and Savior, who died on the cross, and rose from the grave.
The Ark it is a picture of Christ. Made of wood, it spoke of Christ’s humanity. The Ark was overlaid in Gold. This speaks of His deity, the hypostatic union. The mercy seat pointed to Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary in which He shed his blood to blot out our sins forever. The Ten commandments in the ark shows Christ as the Truth (John 1:17). He was the only person who walked in truth, and fulfilled the law. Due to this He was able to give grace. The manna shows us Christ as our sustainer. He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Aaron’s rod that budded pointed to His resurrection, and the work that he does in the believer. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” (Ephesians 2:1).
In Chapter 26 of Exodus the tabernacle pointed to the Holiness of God. There is a process that had to be completed. To approach God because he is holy, we should remember as Christians that one of the defining attributes of God is His holiness. The Seraphims do not say Love, Love, Love. They fly in the presence of God saying “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8).
Exodus 27 is all about the Altar. The altar in our lives is a place to live, not visit. We need to die daily to self to be affective Christians (1 Corinthians 15:31). It is hard to sacrifice what you love. We as human beings love ourselves. We constantly put ourselves first in our decisions, not God. Through life we must fight to demote the flesh, and put Christ and others first before ourselves.
Brother Foster is the pastor of Open Bible Baptist Church in Millville, NJ.
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