Faith To Come Out; Hesitant to Go In?

Hebrews 3:7-11

"7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:
'Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;  I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’  11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

God is such a wonderful Dad. He wants to bless us even more than we want to be blessed!  

Now, no one in their right mind would knowingly hinder those showers of blessings, right?   Yet that is exactly what the Children of Israel did.  

The story of what happened to them is a lesson from which we can all learn.

Just before they were to enter the promised land, they sent the 12 spies into Canaan to scope it out.  In those days, the Anakim and Rephaim lived there, a race of giants. They were some of the demon/human hybrids that broke out after the flood.  Before the flood they were called "Nephilim."

(For more about this subject, follow this link: http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/01/as-it-was-in-days-of-noah.html)

The word "Anak," in Hebrew, means "iron chain around the neck." It is a depiction of the yoke of the Law.  That is what the devil uses to try and put us under bondage.  He uses this tactic to try and prevent us, Church, from entering God's rest.  

We certainly don't want any of that in our midst!

(Caleb brought back a favorable report.)

God simply told them to spy out "the land;" not bring back a report about the inhabitants. It was their fear of the giants that prevented all but the under-20 set plus Joshua and Caleb from entering God's rest, meaning the Promised Land.  Instead of focusing on what God said which was "BEHOLD I 'HAVE GIVEN'  YOU (past perfect tense) a LAND flowing with milk and honey," they focused on the Anakim:  Their enemies, their "giants," unilaterally deciding it was safer to send in spies to see if the land was all God said it was.  

Checking up on God was a BIG MISTAKE!

TEN TIMES during their wilderness wanderings the Israelites refused to believe God. TEN! 

This time with the Anakim was their TENTH.  It was the last straw. So, for each of the 40 days the spies were, in effect, "checking up on GOD," He said they would wander one year in the wilderness. 

OUCH!!!

It's no different than when you or I focus on the wrong things: Our problems, our symptoms, our lack; our "Anakim."  We also are not be able to "enter into God's rest;" to trust in His provision.  We, in effect, make our problems BIGGER THAN GOD.  Then we wonder why we still don't have that breakthrough. It's because of unbelief.

We have the faith to accept Jesus as our Savior.....to "COME OUT of bondage.....but are hesitant to believe that Jesus has a land flowing with milk and honey for us.....TO ENTER INTO HIS REST.

This same question is asked of us today in Heb. 3:7-11
"Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS as in the rebellion,
8 In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
9 And saw My works FORTY years. Therefore I was angry with that generation,
10 And said,‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath,
11 ‘They shall not enter My REST.'"

Notice God didn't say "they shall not enter My Land."  He said "rest," because His inheritance for us is HIS REST.  REST leads us to all His other blessings!

Even though you may fall short in that area, please understand that GOD IS NOT ANGRY AT YOU.....He's not angry at anyone for that matter, saved or unsaved.  But where there is unbelief, His hands are tied. He'd like to bless us but we, however unintentionally, refuse to receive. 

The unsaved can't receive at all since they don't even meet the minimum standard.  God can only be merciful and bless those who are in covenant relationship with him.  For more on this topic, follow this link:   http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-we-pray.html?m=1

We must BELIEVE that He is and that HE IS, and that HE IS A REWARDER OF THEM THAT FEAR (worship) HIM."  But if you don't believe Him for your need today, He'll just wait.  Unlike us, He has all the time in the world.  He'll simply have to give the blessing to your children....or to their children.....or their children.....

Why not simply believe God, Church.  Don't have faith to come out and then be hesitant to go in.