Your spiritual condition determines where you are living – Egypt, the Desert or Canaan.
Egypt is prototypical of the World and its corrupt systems, the place of bondage to sin, your sin and the sin of others. Here the Egyptian slave drivers work you to death with piles of addictions, money problems, serving other gods, health issues caused by overwork, and lack of education. And when you complain that you are unhappy the slave master adds more sins for you to deal with, symbolized by the bricks, yours and those of the others around you. If you beg to be released, even more work is placed on you, including the additional work of serving additional false gods, sex, money and power.
The Church is Rescued
The Church is that body of believers who have, by the grace of God, escaped from the dominion of Satan and his plan to steal, kill and destroy as well as from the dominion of the world. We are in “it” but no longer “of” it, unless we choose to return to its domination. And that does happen. We wander around until we have the faith to beieve for the full Kingdom of God and his Government.
Numbers 14 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Today, they may change their attitude but they are comfy in church and they stay with their hearts still back in Egypt, leading us to compromise the church of its message, if we allow it.
40 Years is a symbol of testing
Meanwhile, the church remains in the desert for purposes of discipline. They got out of Egypt, but Egypt was not out of them. The path of holiness is the lesson in the desert. These 40 years are for the purpose of being rid of jealousy, strife, confusion, addictions, unforgiveness, marriage and family dysfunctions, sloth, evil speaking and gossip, back-biting and competition, lifting up men instead of God, destroying other gods instead of worshiping them, faithlessness, pride, self-love and absorption, pandering and slander, libel and perfectionism and control-freakiness, and you fill in the blanks.
Unfortunately, God cannot properly use those whose allegiance is still to themselves. He can save you for heaven in the hereafter, but to be effective in the here-and-now, change must come. For that, He has the Kingdom.
God said, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so they kept wandering around until by faith they saw the promised land ahead. The map above shows the lessons to be learned in the desert with the instruction of the Holy Spirit, and for us, these days, the Bible itself.
In lieu of the pattern of wrong in our souls we replace it with the list of beatitudes listing under St. Sinai.
The Kingdom on Earth
Yes, we can have the Kingdom of God on earth, here and now. Because God defines the kingdom this way:
Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Note: He says, theirs IS the kingdom not WILL BE. This is one of the many reasons God hates abortion; we are killing little ones who are presently living in the Kingdom until they reach the age of accountability.
Will it be Fear or Faith?
The Kingdom is presented in such a way that believers must make a choice between their fear or their faith. The two spies enter Canaan and find fruitfulness and prosperity as they’ve never seen before. But on the heels of that there are “giants” in the land. Those giants are evil nations bent on their destruction. Those nations still exist today; North Korea, China, Russia, Syria, Iran, Northern Sudan and much of Islam. Remember, God wanted the Jews to evangelize the nations and they refused. So God chose the Christians for the job.
To do that you must be prepared for battle, cleaned up on the inside and your spiritual man clothed for power and war.
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Seven is the Number of Completion
Any one piece of armor missing means you are vulnerable at some point. On the Kingdom side of the map we find all the promises of God are there, but they must be won in the face of opposition, danger and unbelief.
As I write this anarchists are in the streets of major cities in America to destroy our nation and its promises of freedom of religion, press, assembly, the blessings of a strong government and dedicated citizens. It could all slip through our fingers so we must put on our armor and go to war in the spirit.
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©CorneliaScottCree.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission, from this blog’s author and/or owner, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to CorneliaScottCree.com. Thank you for cooperating in the effort to give glory to God.
If you enjoy these articles please subscribe and then honor us with comments. We provide Think Pieces for a public on the brink of mammoth changes and we need all hands-on deck.
©CorneliaScottCree.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission, from this blog’s author and/or owner, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to CorneliaScottCree.com. Thank you for cooperating in the effort to give glory to God.
©CorneliaScottCree.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission, from this blog’s author and/or owner, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to CorneliaScottCree.com. Thank you for cooperating in the effort to give glory to God.