January 11, 2023

I want to encourage you to stand firm in your faith. God's plan is not to harm you but lift you out of the mire. Stay humble before him, being careful not to accuse or rebel against him. If you feel like you are in the wilderness, now is not the time to blame him; he is the one to lead you out. He will give you water when you thirst, feed you when you're hungry, and heal you when you're broken. It's a mistake to shake your fist at him; ask his forgiveness now if that is something you've done. 

Do you remember the story about the Israelites who rebelled against Moses in the wilderness, accusing him of leading them to their death because they were thirsty? None of them were allowed to enter the promised land and died in the desert. Their unbelief provoked God and grieved him, and he promised they would not see the land of Canaan. We have all experienced trouble and hardships, but God will show us the way out; he is not the enemy, so don't break his heart by becoming angry at him.

As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? Hebrews 3:15-17