Wake Up! Get Up!

Wilderness Mentality

by Joyce Meyer - posted February 15, 2017

The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have dwelt long enough on this mountain. Tum and take up your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites.... Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.
—Deuteronomy 1:6-8

Those of us who are parents know these words so well: "In a minute. Just a little longer." We call our children to leave their playing and come inside, but they want just a little more time to stay out with their friends. For now, at least, they're content playing and don't want to think about getting cleaned up or eating dinner. It's always, "Just a little longer"—if we let them. And at times, we adults act a little like those children who cry out, "Just a little longer."

I've met miserable people—those who disliked their lives, hated their jobs, or were in intolerable relationships with the wrong kind of people. They knew they were miserable, but they did nothing about it. “Just a little longer." A little longer for what? More pain? More discouragement? More unhappiness?

Those are the people who have what I call the wilderness mentality. I want to explain that. Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt. If they had obeyed God, stopped their grumbling, and moved straight ahead as God originally told them, they could have made the trip in eleven days. But it took them forty years. 

Why did they finally leave? Only because God said, "You have dwelt long enough on this mountain." If God hadn't pushed them into the Promised Land, I wonder how long they would have stayed and longed to cross the Jordan.

They were people in bondage. Although they had seen miracles in Egypt and had praised God at the defeat of the Egyptian armies at the Red Sea, they were still in bondage. The chains were no longer on their bodies, but they had never removed those chains from their minds. That is the wilderness mentally.

For forty years, they grumbled. They had no water, and then God provided it for them. They grumbled about the food. Manna was all right, but they wanted meat of some kind. No matter what the situation, they were still mental prisoners. As they had been in Egypt, so they were in the wilderness. No matter how good things became, they were never good enough. They had forgotten all the hardships and slavery in Egypt, and every time they were dissatisfied with Moses' leadership they moaned, "Oh, if only we had stayed in Egypt." They had forgotten how bad things were; they had no vision for how good things could get. When they had the chance to move into the new land, they were afraid. "There are giants in the land," they cried out. They had seen God's deliverance in the past, but they weren't ready for it in the present.

Finally God said, "Okay; it's time to move out." The Bible doesn't tell us about their attitude, but there's no reason to believe it had changed. I can imagine they cried out, "Let's stay just a little longer. Things aren't good here, but we know how to live in the wilderness. We are afraid to leave this place. We have become used to it."

If you don't like your life, but you won't make the effort to change, you may have a wilderness mentality. If your mind stays filled with negative thoughts, they will keep you in bondage. 

However, you can do something about it. You don't have to waste any more time. You can say, "I've dwelt long enough on this mountain. Now I'm going into the Promised Land—the land where I'll live in victory and defeat Satan's plans."

Great God, help me cast off the wilderness mentality. Help me take on the Promised Land mentality and live in victory, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

BLESSED IS EVERYTHING THAT COMES FORTH FROM YOU

By Joseph Prince – Posted February 15, 2017

Deuteronomy 28:4

Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…

The Bible records that Jesus’ spit healed a blind man (Mark 8:23–25), Peter’s shadow healed the sick (Acts 5:15), and handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul’s body drove out evil spirits and diseases. (Acts 19:11–12) This tells us that what comes forth from our bodies can be so blessed that it brings about blessings and miracles to others.

Indeed, God said, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…” He was not just referring to your children, or He would have simply said, “Blessed shall be your children.” No, God meant that everything that proceeds from your body will be blessed. All that is of and from your body will be of top-notch quality!

This includes your health. So even if your doctor has said that you have a particular medical condition in your body, just believe that God calls your health, the fruit of your body, blessed. And expect to walk continuously in divine health!

God calls your thinking ability, the fruit of your body, blessed too. You will impress your teachers and schoolmates in school with your mental prowess, or your superiors and colleagues at work with your innovative ideas and solutions. Your mental faculties will be of quality par excellence!

If you are married, you will enjoy a truly blessed marriage and a fulfilling sex life with your spouse. A secular song that laments, “I can’t get no satisfaction…” will never be true for you because God calls your marital relationship (both the emotional and physical parts of it), the fruit of your body, blessed!

If you are a parent, God calls your children, the fruit of your body, blessed. This means that they are special, having exceptional qualities. So the child you are taking care of is not just a child. You are holding a champion in your hands. He will grow up to be a general in God’s kingdom!

Beloved, because Jesus has paid the price—His body was beaten, scourged and pierced for you, all these blessings are yours. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body!

Thought For The Day

Because Jesus has paid the price, everything that proceeds from your body will be blessed.

Stand and See

By Joel Osteen – Posted February 15, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"...stand and see the salvation of the Lord..."
2 Chronicles 20:17, NASB

TODAY'S WORD:

So many people today run from anything that’s hard. They run from their problems. They run from responsibility. They run from people they don’t like. They run from the past. They run from anything that makes them uncomfortable. Instead of facing the issues and dealing with them, they just take the easy way out and go down the path of least resistance. But if you’re going to live in victory the way God intends, you have to learn how to face your challenges head on. Notice today’s verse doesn’t say, “Keep running until you see the salvation of the Lord.” It doesn’t say, “Bury your head in the sand until God delivers you.” No, God wants us to stand strong, set our faces like a flint, and fight the good fight of faith. And the good news is, you don’t have to do it in your own strength! He’s equipped you with His supernatural power to overcome every obstacle!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father, search my heart. Show me any area in my life where I may be running or hiding. I choose today to stand in faith and invite You to move mightily on my behalf in Jesus’ name. Amen."

Do Better and Be Better

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted February 15, 2017

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
Hebrews 12:7

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 12:1-11

Pastor Tony Evans advises modern parents to remember the importance of teaching their children to honor and respect them, and to earn that respect by becoming models for their kids. “When my dad disciplined me for acting up in school,” wrote Tony, “as much as I disliked it, I grew in my respect for him. He had given me plenty of warning that misbehaving in class would not be tolerated. He had always followed through on his warnings in the past. And by being consistent that day by spanking and grounding me, he showed me once again that he was a man of his word.”¹

In the same way, God has given us a Book letting us know how to do better and be better. When we consistently disobey Him, we can expect His discipline. He allows discomfort to come into our lives in some way to develop the qualities we need. This isn’t a withdrawal of His love but an application of His love. God’s discipline is evidence that we are His children whom He loves dearly.

Almighty God…Create within us clean hearts, and renew right spirits, that we may do better and be better.
Peter Marshall

 Read-Thru-the-Bible: Numbers 19 – 21