Length: 6 minutes

Since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God had been teaching the Jewish people the gospel. One of the manifestations of their belief in the gospel was God’s promise that they would inherit the land of Canaan. God had been speaking this promise to them for generations, and when the Jews were enslaved by Pharaoh, God raised up Moses and Aaron to reiterate this promise to the Jews once again, and to deliver them from their slavery to Pharaoh, in a trajectory toward Canaan, the land of promise.

God brought them out with many signs and wonders, plaguing their enemies and splitting the Red Sea for them to walk through. They were now on a trajectory to the land that God had been speaking to them about for so long. And after all the words that God had given them, and even after the signs and wonders in Egypt to confirm that word, the people quickly began turning back in their hearts to Egypt. They hit a few difficulties. They began to hunger and thirst in the wilderness and the moment their belly started grumbling, they forgot the word of God that had been spoken to them for so long and began to resign themselves again to a life of slavery in Egypt.

How quickly they forgot the word the Lord had spoken to them. How quickly they were discouraged from the prospect of ever reaching the land of Canaan. Just a few small difficulties (because all difficulties are small), and it was as if that invalidated the word that was spoken to them. As if God must’ve been mistaken when He spoke, because He did not foresee these difficulties.

The problem was never the difficulties themselves. On their way to seeing the word of God fulfilled, they could have experienced a difficulty, sought God, seen those difficulties resolved, and still taken the land of Canaan. No problem. Not one of those difficulties was any hindrance to God fulfilling His word in them. The problem was never the difficulties. The problem was that Israel set their heart on those difficulties and forgot the word of God.

Sometimes, even though the Lord has spoken to us regarding what Jesus provided, or even given us specific words of prophecy, the moment we hit a difficulty, we are tempted to forget what the Lord has said. We may be tempted to turn back in our hearts and resign ourselves to the life we’ve always lived. We may be tempted to forget the trajectory that we are on, which began by believing the word of God. We may become discouraged of our prospects of ever reaching the land, all because of a silly, small difficulty. All of which, in Israel’s case, were quickly resolved.

Jesus has provided everything pertaining to life and godliness, redeeming us from every evil thing in this world. These are words of scripture and promises that we all have from God. We have so many things that God has spoken to us. Don’t allow any difficulty that arises to seemingly invalidate the word of God. Difficulties don’t invalidate the word of God, as if God did not have the foresight to know all things when He gave you that word. None of those difficulties were going to hinder Israel from taking the land. Not one of them. Despite the difficulties, they were still on the trajectory toward Canaan, to seeing the word of God fulfilled in their life. 

The difficulties along the way were not the problem. Those could be, and were, quickly resolved. The problem was when they hungered and thirsted in the wilderness, their bellies grumbled, and their heart turned away from the word of God, back toward Egypt. The problem wasn’t the difficulty. The problem was their unbelief. The problem was that they turned away from the word of God and turned back in their hearts to Egypt. In fact, it’s interesting that Psalm 78 says that Israel did turn back, but if you read the account, the Israelites never actually packed up and went back to Egypt. Acts 7 explains this, by saying that the people turned back in their hearts.

Psalms 78:41 (KJV) …they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

Acts 7:39 (KJV) To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt…

When Israel saw difficulty, they thought it meant that they would never reach the promised land, contrary to what God had told them. They turned back in their hearts, resigning themselves to the way it had always been, but don’t be like them. Now is not the time to turn back. Now is not the time to look back at Egypt and resign yourself to the way it used to be. You have been given words and promises from God. Don’t start turning back the minute your belly starts grumbling in the wilderness. Your belly grumbling (so to speak) does not invalidate what God spoke to you and the trajectory that your belief has set you on. Just because you feel your belly grumbling doesn’t mean you’re not on the way to lay hold of the land. Just because you’re presented with some difficulty does not mean you’re not on your way to manifesting the good place that’s inside of you. 

No difficulty invalidates the trajectory the Lord has set you on. It’s when those difficulties become opportunities for us to turn back in our hearts, and forget the word of God, that we veer from our trajectory. 

When you have a “yes and amen” through Jesus Christ, no person, no circumstance, no difficulty can tell you no. The only thing that hinders people from entering is disbelief in the “yes and amen” that God has already given you. 

When you hear the voice of God, don’t harden your heart against it like Israel did. They thought that their difficulties would kill them in the wilderness and that they would never reach the land. All the while, those difficulties were never a challenge to them reaching Canaan. The only challenge to their destination was whether they were going to believe or not. They chose poorly. You can choose differently. 

So don’t turn back. God did not call Israel out of Egypt just to die in the wilderness, and God has not spoken to you, to only take you halfway. You heard the word of God. Now meditate on it. Stir it up often. Cleave to it, but don’t turn back. Now is not the time to turn back. You’ve got a land to lay hold of. You’ve got a land to lay hold of!

Hebrews 3:19 (KJV) So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.  4:2) For we which have believed, do enter into rest…

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