Numbers 21:9
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

You may ask, I know that God is my healer. But why is this sickness and pain still in my body?” If you have been looking at your sickness and pain all this while, stop looking at yourself and start looking at Jesus. Did He or did He not take upon Himself your sickness and pain?

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isa 53:5)
Since Jesus has already taken your sickness and pain at the cross, then He cannot “untake” them. Even if you find it hard to believe that Jesus has paid for your healing, especially when the pain is unbearable, the truth is that it is still paid for. It is a finished work!

God is not saying that your sickness does not exist, nor is He asking you to pretend that it is not there. He is asking you to look away from the sickness, painful as it may be, and look to the truth that it has already been judged at the cross in the body of His Son.

While still in the wilderness, the children of Israel were bitten by deadly desert serpents. The serpents were real. The bites were painful and deadly. So God told Moses to point the people to the bronze serpent put on a pole—a picture of the cross (see John 3:14). Bronze signifies judgment. In other words, the serpent—their problem—was already judged at the cross.

Those who kept their eyes on the bronze serpent lived. Those who focused on their wounds died. So stop looking at your sickness. Instead, look to the cross and see your sickness already judged in the body of Jesus. Surely He has borne your sicknesses and carried your pains! That is the truth of God’s Word. And His Word supersedes natural facts.

My friend, you let natural facts rule or establish God’s truths over your problem by what you choose to focus on. So decide today not to focus on the facts concerning your problem. Instead, establish the truth of God’s Word and Christ’s finished work over your problem—and live!

Stay Blessed 😊
Ravi

🥥 In a Nutshell 🥥

~~No Change
These Israelites never changed for the better even after God had prohibited them from entering the Promised Land. They stuck to their old habits that resulted in disastrous turning of events.

Contended
The Israelites once again contended with Moses and Aaron in Kadesh due to lack of water. They quarrelled with the leaders asking them Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Why did you bring us into the wilderness? (Num 20:1-5).

God had repeatedly met their needs. And they repeatedly quarrelled, grumbled and murmured. Their behaviour pressurized Moses and Aaron to hit the Rock when God told them to speak to the Rock. God forbade Moses and Aaron entry into the Promised Land (Num 20:8-12).

Discouraged
The Israelites became discouraged on the way from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. Immediatey they spoke against God and Moses with the same question: Why did you bring us out of Egypt? They described the manna as worthless bread (Num 21:4, 5).

God sent fiery serpents among the people. Many died from the snake bit. The people came to Moses and acknowledged their sin. And as usual Moses prayed for them and God told the remedy. He had to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Those bitten had to look at the bronze snake to be healed (Num 21:6-9).

Years later Jesus used this illustration to relate His redeeming work. All are sinners. There is no human cure for the malady of the soul. But like the Israelites in the wilderness, the soul drenched in sin has to look at Jesus the Saviour on the cross, with faith to be cleansed of their sins (Jn 3:14, 15).

Dear Ones in Christ, contending and quarreling yield disastrous results not only on us but also on those who are associated with us. Our prayers may not be answered according to our timetable. The way God leads may be tough and hard. But remember it is God who leads us.

It is high time we did an introspection answering the following questions.
▪️ Do we repeatedly complain and contend against God?
▪️ Are we impatient like the Israelites when things don’t work out as we expect them to?
▪️ Do we keep on annoying God with our ‘WHY’s?
▪️ Have we changed to be better Christians?

God bless us to be channels of blessings.

Mrs Sheela Jebakumar ✍️
17-08-2020