We Have An Inheritance

Brenda Gittens
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Divide the land among the tribes in proportion to their populations, as indicated by the census." (Numbers 26:52-53).

Every ten years the census conducted is to count the population of the United States and they need information from us to describe our families, households, and communities. I thought about the census that was taken in the book of Numbers, the results of it, and what the descendants from the twelve tribes of Israel were granted by God. They received an inheritance back then, and we as His people today have received one, because we're counted in "God's Census."

God required that every man in Israel be counted, because each family was entitled to an inheritance. And when they died, it would only go to their sons. Take notice, a female receiving it was unheard of until these five. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah, were the daughters of a man who died in the wilderness named Zelophehad who was a son, grandson, and three-time great-grandson, but he had no sons of his own.

These sisters called a meeting with Moses, Elezar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community to say that they should receive their father's inheritance. "Why should the name of our father disappear just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives." (Numbers 27:4). So Moses took the sisters case before the Lord and it was granted for them!

This was a decision of the Lord, and what a breakthrough for women also! And the LORD replied to Moses, "The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You must give them an inheritance of land along with their father's relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father." (Numbers 27:6-7).

The Lord's granting of the allotments of land as an inheritance, showed His goodness and justice to His people. Today, He still demonstrates His goodness to believers, by granting us eternal life. And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:11). And Paul lets us know that God has qualified us for our share.

"May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light." (Colossians 1:11-12). This right here ought to be enough for all of us to rejoice in, no matter what the economy looks like, or who backs the stimulus package!

WE HAVE AN INHERITANCE!

PRAYER: Lord God, You are a wise and kind God. You extend Your goodness to Your people both now and in time past. We thank You for counting us among Your people, Hallelujah, and we praise You Lord for granting us an inheritance, the gift of eternal life through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen!

Dreaming For Your Kids

Ron Luce

And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. - Joel 2:28

We hear Joel 2:28 in church and think about how revival needs to come to the younger generation. But, instead of concentrating on that part of Joel 2:28, I want to draw your attention to the "old men will dream dreams" phrase.

I used to overlook that part of the verse most of the time, thinking, "I'm not going to be old for a long time yet, so I'm not going to talk or think much about the old men dreaming dreams." But it is the older people in our society who dream dreams for the younger generation; and so it must be the parents who dream dreams for their children.

They Didn't Ask for This Garbage

Looking at the culture barrage hammering our teens, whether it's what is sold to them, written to them--movies and music--or the point-and-click pornography available to them, there is one thing we can all agree on: Our children are not the ones who invented these things.

Just about every one of these social influences, media entertainment, technological inventions or opportunities on the Web destroying kids, have been dreamed up by the older generation. These older dreamers prey on young people because they have plenty of money. They appeal to young people's most corrupt desires to get them to empty their pockets.

The fact is, the kids didn't ask for this garbage; they were sold it by people trying to make a lot of money without any thought to moral consequences. Of course they will tell us, "If people didn't buy it, we wouldn't make it" as if it's a moral obligation to sell people things that will destroy them just because they buy it.

Here's the question: Are we not dreamers? Cannot we, the people who love God, dream a dream for the young people in our churches? Is it only the secular culture that has a dream for our children?

You can protect your kids from the disaster of being shaped by a confused generation of adults selling media, but it will take deliberation. It will take sweat. It will require emotional and mental engagement with your kids, starting when they are at a very young age.

Dream for Your Kids

Dream a dream for your kids. You can determine if they will be entertainment oriented or service-to-others oriented; constantly appeasing the flesh and desiring the next thing to engage and tantalize them, or those men and women who lay down their lives as a sacrifice for others? As you dream for your kids teach them how to think critically and pursue growth in their relationship with the Lord. If you sacrifice now, you'll reap a blessing for the rest of your life; and the world will never be the same.

Not only must we be the dreamers, but we must also teach our kids to be the dreamers for their own generation. These will soon to become the leaders who will soon determine the culture and morals of America. You can help them get a vision of how God could use them to change their generation and make a difference in the world.

Every time we allow our kids to watch, see, feel, touch and embrace this culture, they become a part of a dream belonging to someone else. The fact is, we must either be the dreamers or we will be a part of somebody else's dream.

Merely giving birth does not make you a parent. Sacrificing while your children are small, laying down your "deserved" freedoms and deeply thinking about how you're shaping your children will ensure their lifelong freedom from the chains of slavery to our culture. It's called loving your children.

It's called being a parent.

Direction, Not Intention

Direction, Not Intention

Milan Ford


This past weekend, my wife and I took our kids on a road trip to Washington D.C. to attend the high school graduation of their uncle. As the parents of two daughters (ages 3 and 2), and a 6 month old baby boy, I'm sure you can imagine just how difficult that road trip was for us.

If it wasn't for our children's godmother (who came along with us), we would have certainly had to check into a psychiatric ward once we got back.

During this trip, I learned a few things about myself that I hope (after reading this) will help radically reshape the way you and I have long perceived the direction and path God may be leading us to follow.

My wife and I go absolutely nowhere without our GPS system. From locating the nearest restaurants and gas stations, to discovering what roads and highways serve as the best shortcuts, our GPS has been like a distant cousin to us both. So much so we gave it a name: Anne.

Although we had been to D.C. a few times before, navigating in and around the city has always been a daunting task. Not only are the multiple Beltway interstates (I-95, I-295, I-395 & I-66) a never ending maze, the number of two-way streets that turn into one-way roads will make your head spin. So needless to say, having Anne around with us on this trip was extremely vital.

On the morning we were set to return, I had the bright idea of stopping through downtown to take some pics of the family in front of a few monuments; been a big fan of them ever since I was a kid.

We packed up the car, fastened all the kids in their seats, and then took our favorite person in the whole wide world (Anne) out of the glove compartment. I turned her on, overwhelmed with joy to begin entering in the addresses for the monuments we wanted to visit before leaving town. But suddenly, my joy quickly turned into shock as Anne uttered these four very frightening words:

Unable To Locate Satellite.

This message from Anne was something (I'll admit) I had seen once or twice before. It happens every time I would forget to charge her up over night. Without a full battery, Anne became useless.

So being the revolutionary man that I am, I decided to take matters in my own hands, and tried to drive downtown without Anne's assistance. (In my mind) I didn't have the time to wait on Anne to charge back up; I wanted to get there by myself.

I'm sure you can just imagine where this story is heading now, right?

It never ceases to amaze me how we as believers find it difficult to wait on the guidance and direction of God concerning our lives. Despite the fact that He has proven time after time that He will never lead us astray, many of us still seek to take the wheel of our lives in our own hands and navigate along certain paths that He may (in many circumstances) never intended for us to take.

I learned a very valuable lesson nearly two years ago from a message by Pastor Andy Stanley. It serves as the underlining message of his brand new book, The Principle of The Path.

Here it is: Direction, Not Intention, Determines Destination.

No matter how much you and I intend on doing the right things in life, we need to assure that it is God who is directing and guiding our decisions, and not our individual pursuits and desires. More often than not, the paths many of us find ourselves on are driven by how we feel, and what we see, rather than the paths God may have for us, which are never bound or dependent on our senses.

Is there anything wrong with wanting a better job? Absolutely not. Is there anything wrong with wanting a bigger home, or nicer car? Again, not at all. And yes, I realize the timetable you set for getting married has come and passed, but before you try to grab the wheel and make something happen, allow these words to redirect you as they did for me this weekend:

Direction, Not Intention, Determines Destination.

If you're heading down the wrong direction, it doesn't matter what destination you intend on reaching, you will never get there (no matter how hard you try or how hard you pray). God's laws of guidance do not bend towards us. We bend towards them.

Funny thing happened once we finally got downtown to visit one of the monuments (a 45 minute trip that on any other day would have taken less than 10). As soon as I parked the car, Anne (our GPS device) found the satellite and prompted us to enter in our directions.

God is quite the comedian, isn't He? Gotta love Him.

Memorial Day

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

Love

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching
spiritual death.

Martin Luther King, Jr.