GPS 3 - Disobedience
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. Exodus 13:21-22, ESV
The scripture above reminds us that God is always leading us. He is the same God of yesterday, today, and forever. He is our GPS, and He will never leave nor forsake His children. However, disobedience can hinder us from reaching the destination He has set for us. It can even shorten our time on this earth before our designated season is fulfilled.
The Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land when God instructed them to because of fear. Most of the spies who had assessed the land brought back a negative report, spreading fear among the people. Although Caleb and Joshua gave a different account, the people refused to believe them. In fact, they even wanted to stone Caleb and Joshua! Had the glory of the Lord not intervened, they would have perished. Instead of trusting God, the Israelites grumbled, complained, and outright rejected His command. They even sought to appoint a new leader to take them back to Egypt (Numbers 14:4).
God heard their complaints and was ready to destroy them immediately, but Moses interceded on their behalf. Nevertheless, God declared their fate:
"Tell them: As I live—this is the Lord’s declaration—I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. Your corpses will fall in this wilderness—all of you who were registered in the census, the entire number of you twenty years old or more—because you have complained about me. I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun." Numbers 14:28-30, CSB
God continued:
"I will bring your children whom you said would become plunder into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years and bear the penalty for your acts of unfaithfulness until all your corpses lie scattered in the wilderness. You will bear the consequences of your iniquities forty years based on the number of the forty days that you scouted the land, a year for each day. You will know my displeasure. I, the Lord, have spoken. I swear that I will do this to the entire evil community that has conspired against me. They will come to an end in the wilderness, and there they will die.”Numbers 14:31-35, CSB
Grumbling, complaining, and disobeying God have serious consequences. We must be careful not to fall into Satan’s traps. His goal is to catch us in our weakest moments so that we act based on our feelings rather than standing on God’s promises. Fear is never an excuse to disobey God.
Even in their disobedience and the discipline they received, God still watched over the Israelites. Though He led them away from the Promised Land, He never abandoned them—He was always their GPS.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You that Your presence is always with us and that You never leave nor forsake us. Even when You discipline us, You do not abandon Your children. We repent for our disobedience and ask You to silence the noise in our minds so that when we are tempted to stray from Your Word, we pause and surrender to You. Help us, Lord—we desire You more than anything, and our only aim is to obey You In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
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