03/07 Reading - Thoughts & Comments DX3

7-Mar Numbers 19-20 Romans 13-14 Psalms 26-30 Proverbs 7

Num 20:2-8 (NIV)2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"  6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

Why does God bring people into desert places?  He did it to the Israelites who promptly displayed their rebellious and contentious attitudes against Him and His leader Moses.  God led Jesus to the desert to be tested. God led Isaac to plant his precious seed in a desert land of famine and Isaac received an abundant harvest.  God took Saul to the back side of a desert for seventeen years before he re-emerged publicly as Paul, the apostle who would write 2/3 of the New Testament and who would evangelize the world and shake the nations for Christ.

God takes us to the desert for training, testing, and more training.  Soldiers are trained in the desert.  Flower children and pansies stay in paradise.  Have you been led out to the desert by the Holy Spirit?  You are in training as a good soldier for Christ.  You will learn how to walk using your blossoming staff.  You will learn how to speak to the rock and it will produce water for you.  You will learn how to lead rebellious people.  You will learn how to defeat Satan using the Word of God.  You will learn the life of "faith in God" when it seems that God has brought you out here to die.

I have an Army Ranger instructor friend who told me stories of their training experience.  They had to learn to survive in horrible elements. General Jerry Boykin (founder of Delta Force and Special Forces) tells the story of being lost in a blizzard and having the Holy Spirit guide him to the rally point. Though he had lost his ability to navigate because of the blinding snow storm, he arrived at the rally point hours ahead of the others because he had learned to listen to the voice of God.  That act got him a commendation to leader and founder of special forces in the early days of their creation.  My Ranger instructor friend told me that they had to learn to sleep while standing in Louisiana swamp waters infested with alligators and snakes.  How do you learn to sleep in that environment?  You DON"T sleep for around three to four days, and then you will sleep anywhere.  It's hard training, but it's for a purpose.

God takes us to the desert for real life training against the devil, learning the faith of God, learning teamwork with the Holy Spirit, and learning how to use your tools including the Word of God, your walking stick (anointing/calling) and your voice.

If God has led you to a dry place where it's hot, there's no fruit, no shade, no relief from the heat, no water, and no signs of life, then you are in training.  Remember that ALL TRAINING comes to an end once you passed the test!

I had a good friend in high school.  He was 100 pounds over weight, and he was an excellent drummer.  A Marine recruiter got ahold of him and promised him a place in the Marine Corps marching band if he would sign up.  Pat left on a bus for San Diego to become a Marine Corp drummer.  I believe his training would be 11 weeks of pure hell.  But because he was overweight and out of shape, his training would take approximately 17 weeks.  At the end of that 17 weeks he passed the test and finished the training.  He was lean and mean, 100 pounds lighter, and would become the man who carried the radio for the radio man, I mean - a grunt.  But he passed the test and he was forever grateful for the new life, new look, and new capacity he had acquired from his desert training.

I think that alot of us followers of Christ are very over weight spiritually, especially if we have lived in the USA where serving God is easy.  God is taking His followers to the desert for training.  It's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it!

At every COMPASS GUIDE seminar I do, I say, "This is not going to be easy, but it will be worth it!"  Nothing worth fighting for is easy.  No true prize that's worth anything will come easy.  The days of easy Christianity are over.  It's time to realize that we are matured, and it's time to get on the bus. We're going to God's kingdom training.  And for God's special forces, He will lead you to the snow packed mountaintops, the deserts, and to the swamps.   Why? He has many things to teach us, and He must get us out of our comfort zones, our normal ways of living, and our pleasant surroundings in order to have our full attention for training.

When the training comes to an end, you will be prepared for the calling and appointment that God has in store for you.  You will be a king, a priest, a warrior, and well  qualified to HAVE DOMINION in the land of promise.  You will be a giant slayer, and you will have new found compassion for the downcast, widows, orphans, and those who need God's protection and care.  Welcome to Kingdom Training 101 soldier!      

Tomorrow's Reading:
8-Mar Numbers 21-22 Romans 15-16 Psalms 31-35 Proverbs 8
9-Mar Numbers 23-24 1 Cor. 1-2 Psalms 36-40 Proverbs 9
10-Mar Numbers 25-26 1 Cor. 3-4 Psalms 41-45 Proverbs 10