Seize the Moment – Day 575
Remain Faithful to God’s Call!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, October 13.
There are many Christians who need to pay attention to this important story found in Numbers 14 and not make the same mistakes as the Israelite congregation. In the same way, there are many pastors who need to learn from Moses’ example on how to remain faithful to God in their calling to the people.
Moses and his associate went to prayer together! Caleb and Joshua tried to intervene, but the people picked up stones to kill them (10).
Moses responded in faith! Numbers 14:17-19 records Moses’ faithful petition to God on behalf of the people even while they were in rebellion against him:
But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, “The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.” Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
Amen!
Seize the moment and remain faithful in your daily walk with Jesus Christ. Don’t bail before the blessing!
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Seize the Moment – Day 574
Confirmation Bias!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, October 12.
Do you listen to reports with faith or with fear?
That is an important question because of “confirmation bias.” People naturally prefer and process information that confirms or strengthens their existing beliefs or values.
The nation of Israel was on the border of the Promised Land and in Numbers 13:1-2 God commanded Moses to send twelve men to spy out the land. After forty days they brought back their report.
“We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Two contrasting reports based on the same observations:
- Caleb’s report confirmed his faith that God would do what God promised to do—make the way into the Promised Land!
- The other spies’ sight was distorted by fear (33) and their report confirmed their fear that the giants of the land were too big to defeat.
Both were right! The giants were too big for the Israelites to defeat, but God … God is bigger than any giant and God always makes a way for that which God promises!
Seize the moment and let your faith in God confirm the way of victory!
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Seize the Moment – Day 573
Humility in the Face of Hurt!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 11.
Have you ever experienced a deeply hurtful betrayal from someone you love and trust?
Numbers 12:6-8 reports God’s words to Miriam and Aaron when they spoke against Moses:
If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?”
God came to Moses’ defense not only in these words, but also in a dramatic judgement against Miriam—she was struck with leprosy! God, being moved to compassion by Moses’ prayer, healed her, but insisted that she experience a public consequence for her betrayal and sent her out of the camp for a seven-day quarantine.
Why was God lenient with Miriam and Aaron?
I don’t think it was for their benefit, but because of Moses’ character. I say this because verse 3 makes an important comment about Moses: “(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)” This is possibly one of the most important things that can be said about a person in the Bible.
What will be remembered about you when you or your family are attacked, betrayed, or ridiculed?
Moses is remembered as the humblest person who ever lived. King David is remembered as being a person after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Jesus described Himself as being “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
All character statements!
Seize the moment and remember that it is your character that is being put on display by how you handle difficult circumstances—show the world Jesus!
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Live Like a Champion – Week 41
The Promise of Peace (Part 1)
Over the next three Sundays, I want to teach you about God’s promise of peace. I first introduced this promise to you at the church picnic on August 1 when we met at Memorial Park for our service in the park. I will now take the next three weeks to help you know about and experience the power of the promise of peace in your everyday life.
- The promise of peace with God (vertical) from John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
- The promise of peace with yourself (internal) from Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- The promise of peace with others (external) from “The Promise of Peace!” (Part 3) Ephesians 2:14 “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.”
There are three aspects to this peace that I will invite you to experience as the provision of God’s promise for you: (1) peace with God is your salvation—it manifests as your holiness; (2) peace with yourself is your mental health or peace of mind—it manifests as your wholeness; and (3) peace with others (a peaceful heart)—it manifests as your ministry. These three aspects of the promise of peace are a cord of three strands (Ecclesiastes 4:12) for us to experience the joy of the Lord and to fulfill His Greatest Commandments for our lives (Matthew 22:37-40).
This promise is part of a larger teaching of Jesus found in the revelatory passages of John 13-17, the night before the crucifixion. Listen to John 14:23-31,
If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, “I go away, and I will come to you.” If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.
Jesus is preparing the hearts and minds of His disciples for His death and promising the coming of the Holy Spirit, who can only fulfill the promise of peace in any person because of Jesus’ saving work on the cross, which is the only way to restore our peace with God!
Jesus defeated the power of death and the forces of evil to restore us back into right relationship with the Father; it is only “in Christ” that we can have “peace” or “access to” or relationship with God. When we talk about having peace with God, we must remember first and foremost that peace is the very essence of God—He is Jehovah Shalom (Judges 6:34-34). Peace is God’s presence—His wholeness in a situation! That is what shalom means and this is God’s desire for His covenanted people (Isaiah 26:3, 12; 54:10; 66:12)—peace with Him!
Jesus is our “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Listen about God’s peace that Jesus promises us:
- John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
- Colossians 1:19-22 – “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”
- Romans 5:1-10 – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Today, our focus has been on our holiness, that must flow from the Cross of Calvary and Jesus’ imputed righteousness. Next week we will focus on our wholeness, our peace of mind, and the mental health only God can give to us as we learn to walk in His ways and be transformed by the renewing of our minds through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As we will learn our wholeness flows from our holiness.
You can listen to the message presented today here:
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Seize the Moment – Day 571
Today’s hymn focus will be
“Wonderful Peace”
Peace, Peace, wonderful peace. Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray! In fathomless billows of love.
He stuffed it back in his pocket and returned to the meeting place. After the service was over, the host pastor, Rev. Cooper, was cleaning up the grounds and found the paper. After reading the words, he went over to the organ and began composing a tune for the song. He added another stanza and published it in 1892.
We need to wake up in God’s peace by taking everything to the Lord in prayer, and rest in the assurance that He has everything under control.
YOUTUBE:
Wonderful Peace
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Peace! Peace! wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above;
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,
In fathomless billows of love.
Buried deep in the heart of my soul;
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll. (Refrain)
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul. (Refrain)
Where the Author of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing,
In that heavenly kingdom shall be: (Refrain)
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark;
Oh, accept this sweet peace so sublime. (Refrain)
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Seize the Moment – Day 570
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, October 8.
The most valuable resource in any church is people filled with the Holy Spirit.
In Numbers 11:27-29, Moses responds to a challenging leadership situation in a surprising way:
So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “Moses, my lord, restrain them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”
Moses’ response foreshadowed the New Covenant and Acts 2 Pentecost!
Moses was frustrated and exhausted because of the people’s complaining (1-9). After praying for them, Moses went to God and complained about the heavy burden of leading the people that God had placed on him (10-15).
God heard his prayer and responded to Moses in verses 16-17:
Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting … and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.
Even though Eldad and Medad weren’t part of this gathered group of seventy elders to receive the Spirit (24-26), Moses saw no problem because he knew the more Spirit-filled people there were to help, the less he had to bear it all alone.
Whereas the attendant of Moses, Joshua, was jealous for Moses and wanted them restrained, Moses saw an opportunity because “many hands make light work.”
Seize the moment and seek ways to help in your local church. The Holy Spirit makes the burden light when we work together in the easy yoke of Jesus.
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Seize the Moment – Day 569
The First Step!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, October 7.
Have you ever watched a baby takes its first step?
It’s a monumental moment in any person’s life! Very often, the parents participate with eager excitement to support their child in this next step of his or her journey!
Numbers 10:33-36 narrates when the Israelites took their first step away from Mount Sinai as they finally broke camp after being there for about a year receiving the Ten Commandments and the Levitical Law, learning how to be the children of God:
Thus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them. The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.” When it came to rest, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the myriad thousands of Israel.”
God, their loving parent, was fully present to them in this exciting moment and they praised Him for His presence and power to lead them in their next faith step towards the Promised Land.
Moses’s song of victory was later quoted and expanded upon by King David in Psalm 68:1-7:
Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee before Him. … Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him. … O God, when You went forth before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.
Seize the moment and rejoice that your Heavenly Father holds your hand when you follow Him into your next faith step. God is with you, whether on your first or last step!
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Seize the Moment – Day 568
Dependence on the Lord in Decision Making!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, October 6.
How do you know when to make an allowance for something that is not exactly the way you thought it was supposed to happen?
Numbers 9:6-8 records an episode of Moses demonstrating mature spiritual leadership:
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” Moses therefore said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”
Spiritual leaders cultivate a humble heart and a patient mind to wait upon the Lord to give direction. Moses could have quickly decided on this issue. These men were going to have miss Passover this year because they were unclean, a clear-cut case. But instead, Moses waited on the Lord.
When discerning decisions, please cultivate a humble heart to wait upon the Lord and a patient mind to listen for His voice.
Just like in this situation, the Lord may disclose to you a new way forward. In Moses’ case, God spoke to Him and set a secondary date for the observance of Passover one month later for not only these men, but for many others who would find themselves in similar situations in the future (9-14).
Seize the moment and learn to be dependent upon the Lord for your decision making. You never know how God will use your times of waiting upon Him to bless many!
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Seize the Moment – Day 567
A Living Sacrifice!
Numbers 8
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, October 5.
Do you understand what this would have meant to Paul and a Jewish audience?
The precedent for a group of people being a living sacrifice to God is found in Numbers 8:9-11:
So you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites. Aaron then shall present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may qualify to perform the service of the Lord.
A “wave offering” is a technical term in the sacrificial system for an offering presented to God but not put on the altar for consumption; it was, instead, given to the priest (Leviticus 7:30-34). In today’s chapter, this term is being used in a peculiar way—a group of people are being offered to God, not for destruction, but for consecration and given to the priests for the work of the tabernacle.
Therefore, when Paul calls you, a Christ follower, to present yourself as a living sacrifice to God, he is calling you to participate in the ancient consecration rite of being a “wave offering.” God is inviting you to live a set apart (holy) life for His purpose of redeeming you—“to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5b).
Seize the moment and find your life by giving it as a living sacrifice to God.
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Seize the Moment – Day 566
Unity in Giving!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 4.
Numbers 7 records each of the twelve tribes of Israel giving the same dedicatory offerings. The leader of each tribe, on his prescribed day, over a twelve-day period, brought an identical offering to the priests. This demonstrated the unity of the twelve tribes as the one people of God and their common commitment to the Levites and the functioning of the tabernacle system.
Interestingly, the offerings given to God were then disseminated based on a division of labor between the clans of Levites. Numbers 7:4-9 describes how the gifts of God’s people were used to equip the religious workers to do their specific work in the tabernacle system:
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Accept these things from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.” So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service, and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder.
Seize the moment and give generously to the work of God knowing that the resources you give will go where they are needed to do God’s work.
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