STANDING STRONG IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT

Photo taken by Kathy Mitchell

As I was praying I began to think
about the church in Kermit where we
lived.  The church there was brought
to the brink and had to make a decision
 as to whether to allow the mass

of children that showed up to hear about

Christ get to continue coming or should 

we turn them away.  I am so thankful that

as our church met that night that we had

a Joshua and Caleb in the midst.  There
were also others who agreed this was much 

larger than what the church could deal 

with.  As we met and prayed the walls 

began to fall and it was decided to go
forth and allow the children to come. 

Even if the money was not available 

and we were absolutely positive that the 

children would surely make a mess in the 

halls and our furniture may not be as nice 

as it could be if we just asked them to stop

coming, we were willing to take that risk.
  This little church went from 15 to 

over 100 faster than we could think.  We 

all began to question what in the world was 

going on.  We didn't have the money 

to feed them and yet they were coming to eat.  

We didn't have the teachers to teach them

yet they walked into the classes expecting

someone to show up and teach.  It was

decided we would go forth with the 

power of the Holy Spirit leading and 

the money began to come in from places

that left us scratching our heads once again

 as to this mighty God we served.  

Wednesday night as our pastor was teaching 

my mind took off in a different direction as

I began to wonder what required more 

strength from Joshua and Caleb.  Was

standing up and saying we can go in and take

these giants and take this land take the most
strength or did it actually require more of
their strength because of the decision that
was made.   There were ten that shutter with
fear and proclaimed that the land was filled with

giants greater and stronger than the children of Israel 

and that they would surely die if they tried to go in.

I was reflecting this morning upon that thought.
Because of the decision that was made by the
children of Israel,  it required Joshua and Caleb
to stay and wonder in the wilderness with the
defeated foe for forty years.

They watch as the children of  Israel
suffered and struggled walking through the
wilderness day in and day  out.  They had to
walk the same path and eat the same food
that the defeated people ate.  They had to listen
to the cries of the people and they had to
do all they could do to stay focused on the

promise that one day they would go into that 

land and they would posses the land that was
flowing with milk and honey.  I am thinking
this is where they had to be strong in the Lord
and the power of his might also.  They
didn't demand the children move forward
into the land but they waited, watched and
prayed until the day came that they went
into the promise land together and yes they
did posses the land.

As I reflected on our church in Kermit and
the decision they made I began to realize
that had they not made that decision I may
have never written the books the I have written
and that God is using in a powerful way
each and every day.

It has taken much faith and
strength to go forward and do the things I
am doing but I say thanks to that group
of people who attended that night that
said, "Let's go forth in the name of
the Lord."  You gave me hope to
keep moving on and I believe God
will pour out his blessing on you
because you were strong in the Lord
and you gave all you had and I
believe when you stand before
the throne you will hear the words,
"Well done my good and faithful servants."

So as I pray this morning for one of the
churches reading the Digging a Well book
and praying about going forward, I pray
you go forth in the name of the Lord and
realize what blessings can break out upon
the people as you move forward.  I pray
you not hold the Joshua's and Caleb back
and make them walk through the wilderness
journey day in and day out eating the dry and
barren fruits. when they could be
walking in the blessing and delight of the
Lord.  But I also pray if you feel the mountain
is too big to climb and you are filled with
fear then the Joshua and Caleb's within the body
of Christ will wait, watch and pray together
until the day all can stand and say, "This promise
belongs to us and we will go forth in the power
of his might.  Until that day!

Stand Strong in the Power of His Might!

And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, 

and cut down from thence a branch with 

one cluster of grapes, and they bare it 

between two upon a staff; and they 

brought of the pomegranates, and 

of the figs.  The place was called 

the brook Eshcol, because of the 

cluster of grapes which the children 

of Israel cut down from thence.

And they returned from searching 

of the land after forty days.  And 

they went and came to Moses, 

and to Aaron, and to all the 

congregation of the children of 

Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, 

to Kadesh; and brought back word 

unto them, and unto all the congregation, 

and shewed them the fruit of the land.

And they told him, and said, We 

came unto the land whither thou 

sentest us, and surely it floweth 

with milk and honey; and this 

is the fruit of it.  Nevertheless 

the people be strong that dwell 

in the land, and the cities are walled, 

and very great: and moreover we 

saw the children of Anak there.

The Amalekites dwell in the land 

of the south: and the Hittites, and 

the Jebusites, and the Amorites, 

dwell in the mountains: and the 

Canaanites dwell by the sea, 

and by the coast of Jordan.

And Caleb stilled the people before 

Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, 

and possess it; for we are well able to 

overcome it.  But the men that went 

up with him said,  We be not able to 

go up against the people; 

for they are stronger than we.  

And they brought up an evil report 

of the land which they had searched 

unto the children of Israel, saying, 

The land, through which we have 

gone to search it, is a land that eateth 

up the inhabitants thereof; and all the 

people that we saw in it are men of a 

great stature.  And there we saw the 

giants, the sons of Anak, which come 

of the giants: and we were in our 

own sight as grasshoppers, and so 

we were in their sight.

Numbers 13:23-33

For those who choose to go forth in the
name of the Lord he says, in Nehemiah 9:8,
"You found his heart faithful to you, and you
made a covenant with him to give to his
decendants  the land of the Canannites, Hittites,
Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.
You have kept Your Promise because
You are Righteous.