Dead Weight

 

Ever felt like there was just something holding you back, or keeping you from reaching a goal? Have you felt like you have been dragging something along with you and slowing down progress? You may be carrying DEAD WEIGHT!

 

This is exactly what happened to the children of Israel, and I do mean THE CHILDREN! After Moses had brought them out of Egypt, and sent 10 spies into the Promised Land to view it, only two brought back of report of faith-Joshua and Caleb. The other eight gave an "evil report" Numbers 14:37. Because of their sin of unbelief, or lack of faith, all adults over the age of 20 were punished to die in the wilderness for 40 years! They could not enter the Promised Land. Only their children could! They had harmed themselves, each other, and most importantly, their CHILDREN! This is what the sin of UNBELIEF can do to us! It acts as a DEAD WEIGHT- its halts, hinders, and hurts EVERYONE!

 

HALT! That is exactly what the nation of Israel did when they heard the report of the eight unbelieving spies! They stopped their journey forward and froze DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS! They gave no heed to the report of FAITH given by Joshua and Caleb! Instead, they listened to the lie of the other spies. Just as in I Kings 18:21 when Elijah asked the people "how long HALT YE ", they were HALTED BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS! They chose to not have FAITH in the Holy One of Israel! This in turn led to their own doom. In Numbers 14, they murmured against God, blamed HIM FOR THEIR TROUBLE, and even accused HIM of allowing their children to become prey in the wilderness! In reality, THIS IS WHAT THEY HAD JUST DONE! THEY WERE NAMING THEIR OWN SIN! How many times when things go wrong, all of our OWN ACCORD, do we start to complain, blame someone, and then accuse them of inflicting the hurt? Just as the children of Israel, we will blame our sin of UNBELIEF on the Lord, others, and then blame the Lord for the hurt WE have caused! Anytime we choose the route of NO FAITH or  NOT TRUSTING in the Lord, we will halt the work of the LORD! Just as the people were punished to die in the wilderness over 40 years, walking in circles, so will we run go 'round and 'round!

You can't advance when you can't see, through they eyes of FAITH, where you are going! Just as sand in the eyes will cause you to stop until you get it out, so you can see clearly, so will sin in your Christian walk! Get it out of there so you can keep on walking in the way the Lord WANTS YOU TO GO!

 

They were HINDERED! The adults that didn't believe were not hindered. They were halted! Their chance was gone, verdict passed. They were literally DEAD MEN WALKING, OR DEAD WEIGHT!  The ones that were hindered were the BELIEVING! Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb, and all of the children of Israel, 20 years and under, were HINDERED from entering the Promised Land! They were now off schedule from when the Lord had wanted them to go in! This same thing will happen today if we don't trust in the Promise the Lord has given to us! The Lord had told them they WOULD HAVE THE PROMISED LAND, all the way back to Abraham's day. So, this was not news to them! It was known by all just as well as we know where the local Walmart is! They just chose to ignore the Promise, which hindered the ones that gave it heed! The faithless kept the ones that wanted to go forward, believing in the NAME OF THE LORD, from doing so. How about us? When our church wants to go forward, are we the first to agree or object? When our spouse shares with us a desire the Lord has placed on their heart, do you listen or cut them off? When our children tell us of the thoughts the Lord has given them, for plans to follow HIM for their lives, do we encourage, or discourage? Instead of being a hindrance, we should be a HELP! We should encourage our church to keep moving forward! We should pray, being a true HELP MEET with our spouse about the desires from the Lord! We should guide our children with godly counsel from the scriptures and pray daily for them, even if it isn't what WE WANT FOR THEM! HELP and not HINDER TODAY!

 

Lastly, their faithlessness HURT! It hurt not only themselves, but ALL of those around them! Moses was hurt from being turned and wanting to stone him. The spies were hurt in that they were not believed and stopped from fulfilling the desire to take the land then! The children were hurt, in that they were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years, being 60 years old before they could finally make it home! But, most of all, it hurt the heart of God, when HIS CHILDREN didn't obey HIM! He wanted to bless, and instead had to chasten. He had promised untold blessing in reward for obedience, and instead had to give severe curse, or punishment! Our lack of faith does the same thing. Are we living on tidbits of blessing instead of by the bucketfuls? Is our lack of faith in the Lord's Promise to open the "windows of heaven" Malachi 3:10, keeping us from receiving God's abundant blessing for obedience to His Word? Most of the time, we inflicting our own wounds! No Faith is not working, No faith is not growing. To sum it up, No faith is no blessing! "But without FAITH it is impossible to please HIM; for he that cometh to God MUST BELIEVE that HE IS a rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM." Hebrews 11:6. Does this mean "name it and claim it?" NO! It is faith in what He has promised to give, and what we NEED, that we will receive! We are hurting ourselves, our family and our church when we don't have the faith the Lord wants us to!

 

Don't HALT! Keep on going! Don't HINDER! HELP the work of the LORD! DO NOT HURT! Help Heal! Let the Lord work in your life, family and church! "...lest we should hinder the Gospel of Christ." I Corinthians 9: 12. Get rid of THE DEAD WEIGHT of NO FAITH! "..let us lay aside EVERY WEIGHT, AND THE SIN that doth so easily beset us.." Hebrews 12:1.