The giants and the desert brought out what was lurking in their hearts. The people found fault with Moses and God himself.  It is amazing that there are people who think they can teach God something. (Numbers 14:4-9). They complained about their present circumstances and they complained about their future challenges.  The two men who didn’t complain should have gone in but were hindered by the rest for another forty years. (sobering) The point is that your attitude will keep you in the same circumstance you are complaining about, and until our attitude glorifies God, we may not be delivered.

It is not suffering that glorifies God, (anyone can suffer) but suffering with a right attitude does glorify God.  We do not look for suffering as it will come any way. Jesus suffered gloriously without complaint and with trust. God is looking for us to demonstrate our trust in Him. Our ability to trust is shown by our stability in character.  Some people are positive one day, but the next, they are negative, critical, cynical, and flaky.

Know that God is in charge and He has not changed His good plans and purpose for your life since last week or last year.  Let’s match His faithfulness with some of our own.

It was a surprise to all. Nobody knew she had the jar with her. If anyone had noticed they would never have guessed what she was going to do.   Most never even noticed the girl until she broke the alabaster box.  But then everybody knew.  The whole house was filled with the fragrance, and everybody knew what had been inside the box, it could not be hidden. That is the power of the broken vessel! And we have all seen it happen.

Some people share and they are polished, clear and contained. We are impressed by their gift but we know little of their life. But others admit to being nervous, they tell a story of pain and share their struggles.  Somehow, their honesty opens everyone’s hearts. We won’t remember their giftedness but we’ll never forget the feeling of awe as the grace and fragrance of Jesus filled the room.  Actually, it happens every time someone steps out and take a risk for Christ.  Maybe an initial attempt at prophesying or a song. Perhaps it was going over to pray for a new neighbour, or stopping to help someone in trouble when you’re busy. It's breaking your vessel and releasing the fragrance.  And they notice!

Paul said it like this “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.    W e are ..  always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.   2Co 4:7 -10.   Paraphrased:  " The powerful life of Jesus within me will affect and bless lives if I choose to let my vessel be broken."

Friend, we can stay self-contained. You don't have to risk being broken and no one will ever know what or "who" is inside.  But it is only when our vessel is broken, that the fragrance of Christ is fully released.  Breaking the vessel simply means that by taking a risk, we no longer hinder or impair the expression of the Life that is within us. Go ahead and make their day.

In the middle ages, many sons of noblemen were apprenticed to knights. They learned to be knights by wielding weapons and fighting in armour until they were successful in war and were able to guard the house (castle). They became sons of the house through warfare.

Spiritual sons know they are part of an army and they know who their enemy is. Sons understand that, when Jesus defeated the devil, He did it in their name. Jesus never came to earth to prove He was greater than the devil – He’s always been that! He came here to defeat him as a human being on our behalf.  The devil was a strong man who could only keep his goods until a stronger one came upon him. That stronger one is Jesus and His Church!  The enemy is still our foe but now in the presence of the enemy, Jesus provides victory.

King David said “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;” (Psalm 23:5) There are some things God only puts on the table for us in the presence of our enemies. In other words, most of the times we receive something fresh from God are in the midst of a battle.  In an environment where we need nothing, we receive little. The Christian life is a life of being in need. We should get used to it! We need Jesus every day to live as a Christian. We can’t heal the sick or forgive constantly without Jesus; we can’t cast out devils or defeat our enemies each day, except through Him.

Jesus said to one of the churches in Revelation, “…you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17) They had everything they wanted but nothing they truly needed. If we know our true need, God will be our garment, our life, and the anointing we need to see clearly. Sometimes our greatest challenge is to know what we truly need. Like this ancient church group, sometimes we need an enemy to fight!

Friend, to increase in authority there has to be an increase in the challenges we face. God works on the basis that His provision for us is not just sufficient but is more than sufficient for our need and the things we face. If our enemies are a two on the scale, then His grace can be a four. If our troubles are a five, then the strength and more than sufficient anointing that He gives us, will be a seven plus.

As the Pharisees waited for Jesus' answer of judgment on the adulterous women, Jesus stooped over and wrote with his finger on the ground.“This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground”( John 8:6-8). He did so to separate the sinner from those that would condemn her and to deliver the sinner into freedom. He stilled the voice of her accuser and provided mercy that had the power to change her.The Pharisees brought the women to the right person but for the wrong reason. They brought her to Jesus for judgement for sin, instead of help for her sins. There is nothing wrong with the law in its ability to condemn us but it can’t help us live up to its standard. The law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The purpose of the law was not meant to bring death to people but death to sin. The purpose of the law is life and righteousness. In His life, Jesus fulfilled the law not destroyed it and through His love, forgiveness and empowering grace, Jesus can fulfill the law in us.The only one without sin, cast no stones but instead said: “Go and sin no more.” Grace doesn't free us to continue sinning but it tells us what type of life, is now possible. Grace releases empowering gratitude and life-changing self-worth and value.

Friend, the best thing that happened to the woman and to us, was that we are caught by the law and brought to Jesus and His powerful grace.

God met Moses in the desert.

The Lord said, “What is that in your hand?" Moses replied, "A rod."  And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail" (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand”(Exodus 4:2-4).

Moses looked down at the old shepherds stick he held in his hand and felt a twinge of shame. Moses thought it was only a shepherd’s rod; but worse, he felt it was a symbol of the 40 years spent in the wilderness and all the mistakes he’d made in the past. It reminded him of the time he lost his temper and made some serious mistakes. It represented all his failures and all his worst moments.
When God said to take the rod and cast it away from him onto the ground, God was helping Moses get some perspective. ” Stand back, get some perspective and see it as the serpent that it is. It is not you; it is separate from you. Your past is not you, it just happened to you. Failure is never a person but only an event”
The enemy had spoken lies to Moses for 40 years. “You are useless, you blew it, you're pathetic, your no use to God and no use to the Hebrews” and it had crippled Moses with regret and shame ever since.
It is never the things that happen to us that become the problem but it is always the lies that Satan attaches to those events and failures that affect us most. God wants us to see that the past is not our identity and wants us to be free from every lie of the devil.
Finally, God said, “Take the snake by the tail it will become a sign of your authority from me.” As Moses tentatively picked up the serpent, it became a rod which he took with him on his mission to Egypt.

Friend, our past is not our identity. Once free from our past, it can become a great ministry tool to those you are called to reach. Take up your rod today. God is about to turn the mess of yesterday into your message of freedom tomorrow.

C.T Studd the missionary talked about Chocolate Soldiers in the church.  Those that melt in the heat and who need to be wrapped in foil to survive life.

We all live through the heat of battle at some stage in our lives.   In Gideon’s day, the Midianites always waited till Gods people were about to harvest and then they attacked. They come to steal the harvest and fruit from Gods people. Just when it seemed that God was giving something to Israel, the enemy came to take it away.  They needed a Gideon.  Maybe you were just beginning to prosper in an area of ministry or life and something came along and it brought you back to square one. You were tripped up or did something stupid in your life.  It seems like it has been two steps forward and one step back.

God has a way to defeat your enemy but it will require you. It is never “whatever will be will be”, but whatever you let be will be.  With God, whatever you defy can be defeated but we cannot conquer what we will not confront.   Gideonites beat Midianites.

God calls his Gideon “a mighty man of valour” and God calls you that today. You are what Heaven says you are.  God sees something in you, you can’t see in yourself.  Hell only fights you over what Heaven calls you. The devil didn’t show up until after God said to Jesus “You are my beloved Son.”  The devil only turns up after the Dove.   Father tells us who we are and the devil comes to see if we believe it!

Friend, believe it today. You are not chocolate; you were birthed from above and sent from God. The same heat that softens the chocolate only tempers steel and prepares earthen vessels for Him.  You don’t need to be wrapped in foil because God has promised to be your shield and buckler.  Stand up and drive the devil off your harvest, your family and your finances.

Many years ago I “hit the wall”. In the space of one year, I lost my mentor, my assistant pastor left, my own father died, and we lost a child before it was born. One day I found myself refusing to answer the phone - I could not face another problem or loss! Whether it was emotional burnout or depression, it all felt the same to me.
Depression is now a major health problem in the world and is the leading cause of suicide. Apparently, depression is experienced more by females than males and it occurs most in the 40–55 age bracket. In saying that, anyone can feel depressed in a very stressful time of life.
Depression is an emotional state marked by feeling of sadness, worthlessness, dejection, and worry, but it is not new. The earliest book in the Bible records the acute depression of a man called Job. After losing his possessions, his children, and any understanding from friends, he exhibits all the symptoms of a depressed person. We also know that Elijah and David’s had bouts of depression.
There is a continuum of severity of depression, from situational depression, to neurotic depression to clinical depression. Clinical depression (or major depressive disorder) is more severe than situational depression; it can be caused by disturbance in neurotransmitters, organic or hormonal imbalance. People who experience this are not able to respond to teaching, advice or being told to cheer up. They will not respond positively to parties, picnics or even prayer meetings. Anyone in this situation and anyone suicidal should see a doctor and receive treatment.
However, nearly everyone at some time experiences some situational depression stemming from emotional and mental stress. Jesus, in His humanity, certainly felt emotional pain and depressed emotions in the garden, but He fought it off perfectly. Depression can stem from a severely oppressed upbringing or losing someone or something important to you. It can also be brought on by a blow to our sense of value, a virus, or wrong priorities that bring on fatigue. It can be as the result of a traumatic event such as childbirth, divorce, the death of a friend, a serious accident or retirement. Sufferers may look sad, and feel empty, pessimistic, rejected and unloved. Their eating and sleeping can be affected and if agitated, can find it hard to sit still. Sometimes they have episodes of crying and may withdraw from activities and it can be accompanied by suicidal thoughts. Most people who experience situational depression begin to have symptoms within 90 days of the triggering event.
While there are many possible causes, it is far more profitable to know how to get out of it, rather than to know what causes it. Bestselling author and psychologist Dr Minrith of Minrith clinic believes that there are things we can do to help ourselves and that there is no reason why a person, particularly a believer should fall into situational or neurotic depression. Depression is not something a person chooses but it is something that we must choose to deal with. Dr Minrith states while it is totally avoidable, we must follow the right path to avoid it. In other words, happiness is a choice. Depression is not caused so much by the initial problem, but more by our response to that problem. Doctor Minrith, after treating thousands of depressed people, says the most common root condition that predisposes people to all types of depression, is pent up anger, either toward themselves or from holding grudges toward others. He said some people come to him thinking they have endocrine deficiency or hypoglycaemia, but what they actually have is an unconscious resentment they aren’t aware of, (or they are too ashamed to admit that they have). These people he said, have found an excuse for their bitterness and call it battling depression.
Dr Minrith says three things enable any person to overcome depression and live a happy life: Having a personal sense of value, intimacy with other people and feeling right with God.

Ourselves: Make sure we are not angry at ourselves through guilt or even false guilt. True guilt is our conscience telling us that we have violated Gods law; we feel guilty because we are guilty. Thank God He forgives us when we ask Him. Guilt also should motivate us to change our behaviour - when we stop doing the wrong, we can stop some feelings of depression.
False guilt and shame on the other hand, comes from breaking some convention of man or because of the judgments of significant people in our lives (like parents or partners). E.g. feelings of not measuring up or meeting their expectations. We need to refuse guilt that does not stem from some specific disobedience to God and receive assurance that our value comes from our Creator, not from what people may think. It is good to admit to friends that you need timeout and it is important to eat healthy food and exercise. For me, a quiet week in the country helped restore my soul a lot.

Others: Remove all resentment or grudges against others. If we do not deal with it daily, we will wake up depressed. We need to forgive people fully, finally and freely every day. To get angry is not sinful yet it can become sinful when it hurts you or others. If we have got a “thing” about a parent, a sibling or someone else we must forgive them. Refuse family feuds- do you best to resolve it and leave the rest to God. Continue daily routines regardless of your feelings and even do something good for others every day or week- it will make you feel better. Build important relationships by going out with your wife and playing with your kids. Create balance in your work life. You may need to earn a living for your family, but your family needs you, 1000 times more than they need the extra money. Spend time each week with people that leave you feeling better not worse. Do not wait for others to come to you but take the initiative to build a strong relationship with two or three friends lest one leaves town. Jesus in his darkest hours chose some close friends to be with him. He shared with them his feelings and asked for their support in prayer and proximity (Matthew 26:36-38).

God: If you need to, get back into relationship with God. Each day relate to Him as an understanding Father who runs to help you in your failures. Be thankful for your blessings and pray for patience and strength in your battles. Jesus poured out his heart in prayer “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” but in the end He rested His soul in the wisdom of God. Then we need to intentionally reprogram our mind with God’s promises, so it does not just replay on a loop of negative depressive thinking. It is uncommon for people with a positive attitude, to succumb to depression.

Being burdened by shocks in life is inevitable but failing under their weight is not. In Gethsemane Jesus shows us a way that is not painless but also is not passive. He was delivered troubles that He never wanted but He found a way through. He shared with His trusted friends and asked them to watch and pray with Him. He poured out His soul to the Father and rested on the wisdom and love of God. Jesus looked beyond the pressures of the moment to a future before Him that was filled with joy and hope. Although difficulties in life are not avoidable, it seems that depression might be.

The film “Frozen” is a favourite with the kids of every age. I have seen it myself and my grandkids can sing the songs. What is better than a princess who can turn things into ice. Of course, hundreds of popular films are based upon superpowers, miracles, and witchcraft where people can transform themselves into other things or creatures. It is great entertainment, but I came away thinking about how closely it parallels the real world in which truth is stranger than fiction.
Last year a frightened woman asked us to come to her house where a spirit had taken up residence. The spirit appeared at nights in the adult son’s bedroom and that half of the house had become really cold, like frozen. The son had shifted his bed into the lounge to stay warm and refused to go near his bedroom. After sharing how Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to forgive and save us, they received Christ. We removed all the witchcraft items from the house and commanded the spirit to go. The next day they rang me, happy that the apparition had gone and the man was back in his bedroom plus the house had become warm again.
A few years back I was in Vanuatu holding a village crusade. While I was preaching there was a commotion at the back, and after the meeting, some boys came forward to explain what had happened. Apparently, a local witch doctor had morphed himself into the form of a dog and was coming out of the bushes to disturb the meeting. When the boys threw rocks at the “form,” it cried out with a man’s voice and ran back into the bushes. Three days later the witch doctor from three villages away, died. This was a bit hard to believe until a missionary acquaintance of mine told me how he was threatened on a mountain road in Mexico, by spirits appearing as mountain lions and by witchdoctors who flew through the sky like bats.
While these things are strangely fascinating, they have a more sinister message for people everywhere whether in the west or the third world. There is an unseen world just as real and more long-lasting than the one we can see with our eyes. Paranormal TV shows catch on camera, the activity of spirits but seem unaware of the origin and disposition of demons. Mostly they conclude that they are the spirits of a long-departed resident or a friendly or sometimes crotchety ghost, rather than a demonic spirit impersonating a departed person. The spirits of dead people do not stay around the house, instead evil spirits remain among us deceiving and destroying everything God wants for people: peace, happiness, freedom, relationships and health.
We know that evil spirits hate the Lord Jesus and people, not just because the Bible says so, but from experience. One night I was visiting a couple who had been involved in witchcraft. As I sat in their lounge calmly explaining from the Bible how they could be put right with God by repenting and calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, the woman suddenly leapt up from her chair and rushed at me snarling like a wolf with her hands out to grab my throat. The name of Jesus prevailed! Another lady in our church had been involved in a coven and although she had left the witches coven, they continued to torment her. On the night of the coven meeting, spirits would astral travel into her house and sprinkle the walls with blood. Also, when she initially took the Lord's supper, she would break out in welts all over her body.
After rebelling against God, Satan came to earth to deceive the people and usurp worship by standing behind idols, false religions and godless philosophy. He has continued to promote rebellion against the Creator, by convincing people to decide for themselves what is right or wrong. He blinds people spiritually, so they remain unaware of the spiritual realm (naturalism) or illuminates them to the world of the occult, witchcraft or the calling up of spirits. He fosters pride in people’s hearts to think that they can fix the world themselves (humanists) or foolishly claim they know everything about a world they cannot even see (atheists). In ancient history, he spawned numerous religions that demanded human sacrifice and sexual perversion, resulting in broken relationships, hatred and mistrust in families. Today the altars for the human sacrifices are abortion rooms, perversion spews continuously from the TV and false religions are considered part of some nations culture. One family after seeing their son set free from drugs and alcohol, came to enquire how this happened. After sharing the love and power of Jesus, the whole Hindu family committed to following Jesus Christ. At their house, we removed all the idols and altars and that night for the first time in many years, the mother was not attacked by snakes from the spirit realm as she slept and was free from what had been nightly torment and pain. Removing idols is necessary as demons inhabit or associate with any occult object or “deathly hallows,” in your house. I once told a tormented man to destroy a death mask he had in his house and a scream came from it, as we burned it.

If evil spirits operate on a family or personal scale and they do, then we know that they will also have a global presence and strategy to ensnare mankind. The Bible tells us there are spirits that seek to rule cities, nations and even the world itself.
Demons do not just inhabit Hogwarts and cold castles, but also the halls of powerful political and financial establishments. There is a demonic scheme to extend the devils rule on the earth through human representatives and a global government. He cares not whether people are religious or secular, Satan only needs the world to ignore Christ and for people to give in to the same three temptations which Jesus refused as a man, in the wilderness: To act independently from His Father, to distrust Gods protection, and to want something other than Gods will. Thankfully, Jesus did not want to be independent of God, He did not need God to prove Himself and Jesus did not want the world, He wanted only us.
Jesus came to warm frozen hearts, to deliver people from the icy grip of a hateful enemy, and to bring us into His kingdom and His care forever. To be on the right side of history and eternity, we too need to choose dependence upon God, believe without seeing and reject any allegiance with the “lord of the flies.”
There is only one Spirit on the earth who wills our good. He is as powerful as He is loving. The Holy Spirit is called the Helper, the Comforter and the Counselor. We do not have to call him up or draw him down with candles, bells, food offerings or altars, we only need to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit will come to us. He will dwell in our homes and our hearts and warm our lives with His presence and help until at last, we dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Many years ago, my wife and I were in Israel. It was beautiful to be there but surprising in many ways, particularly the philosophy of the kibbutzim. The early settlers to Israel were from Marxist Russia and families continued their community and farm practices, in Israel. With both parents working the collective farm, they had little time with their own children, who were brought up by other workers. All the comrades ate communally, and the children of both sexes had joint showers even up to their teens.

Marx, the founder of communism, hated God and admitted, “My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.” The church and the family presented obstacles to his Utopia and the hierarchical society affirmed by Scripture prevented the rise of the proletariat. The Garden of Eden was replaced with “Utopia” and God by the collectivist state. Under communism, all property is communally owned, the state controls all aspects of economic production, and theoretically provides citizens with their necessities, including food, housing, medical care and education.

However, communism has failed everywhere and since Lenin forced his theory upon the Russians in 1917, communism has been responsible for more deaths than Hitler by a huge margin. One hundred million died in Russia, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, China and other places where Marxist socialism was implemented. One estimate says almost half of all martyred Christians since the time of Christ, were killed by communism.

Thankfully, in New Zealand, we are not ruled by communism, but we are affected by socialism, communisms safer cousin. Marx and Engels themselves did not clearly differentiate communism from socialism and modern communists refer to socialism as the first, necessary phase on the way to communism. Under socialism, individuals can still own property, and their socialist goals are pursued through the democratic processes within existing political structures, not by violent revolution.

World over, citizens in democratic nations generally get to vote for parties that seek less government control (liberal-conservative parties, the right) or ones that seek more government control (socialist/green parties, the left). The socialist left claim the moral high ground, promoting social equality and invoking concern for the “disadvantaged” but in modern western nations, both left and right parties have concern for the poor in society. After the first world war politicians from both sides of the house, informed by the Word of God, socialism and British law, created social welfare legislation which protects and assists the vulnerable. Think Michael Savages “Applied Christianity.” While New Zealand and other nations have adopted social programs (state housing, free education, health care, child care), the thing that makes all these semi-socialist states work, is capitalism. Someone needs to make taxable money to pay for the benefits that the more socialist governments give in their attempt to redistribute wealth. We need the government to promote economic growth for business and individuals and both sides of the house will assure us of their intention to do so.

If parties seem much the same, does it really matter who governs? What we are more voting for, is the philosophy that guides the parties. If humanism has replaced Christian thought within the parties, support for the vulnerable may continue, but the morality that informs social policy to do with marriage, abortion, cannabis, gender issues, justice, euthanasia, will have decreased or totally disappeared.

The biggest problem with socialism is not its social programs but its rejection of God. “The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion.” – Karl Marx. Under humanism (the religion behind socialism) there is no god, so there are no absolutes and no moral rules to govern its decisions. Humanism believes that man is inherently good, therefore if a person acts wrongly, they must not have been given the type of society and support they needed from the government. According to socialists "The issue of wealth and income inequality is the great moral issue of our time, it is the great economic issue of our time, and it is the great political issue of our time."(Bernie Sanders) In other words, all the world problems can be solved just by spreading money around. A totally materialistic worldview based upon the idea that that salvation or even human good is achieved by the re-distribution of stuff. Jesus asserted the opposite saying that seeking God, not seeking natural things, was the place to begin. (Matthew 6:31-33). Fortunately, all people can be equally blessed with the most important things in life. Jesus said that a full and abundant life comes not from possessions but from a Person.

The next great curse of socialism is its injustice. It often punishes character when it distributes wealth to individuals according to their need, regardless of effort and the reasons for their need. Of course, there are people in genuine need, but the Bible teaches that any able person who refuses to work when it is offered, should be refused aid. Socialism punishes the industrious, taking their “talents” and giving them to those who may never have used the talents that they themselves were given. Socialism spawns from a deep resentment of the bosses and the bourgeois. It does not serve the socialist agenda for a nation to have millions of wealthy people. Only the votes of the people dependent upon the government can be brought by the promise of more benefits. It suits them to grow the needy masses, but we need people who can generate huge amounts of wealth, who own businesses so people have places to work, and we need developers, so we have houses to live in. I notice the ruling socialists have not capped their salary to the level of New Zealand average wage.

Finally, as we ourselves saw in Israel many years ago, socialism from its beginning has sought to destroy marriage and family. Friedrich Engels, the co-author of the "The Communist Manifesto, said that “the society he envisioned would be one where the single-family ceases to be the unit of society and the care and education of the children becomes a public affair.” Essentially, what godless socialism seeks is for the state to replace the family and for the state to decide what religion, philosophy, and morality will be taught our children in our state schools.

It seems obvious to me that we should look for political parties that still honour God, promote wealth in society and protect the family. Surprisingly, a recent Barna poll found that 24% of Americans thought Jesus would prefer socialism and only 12% believed He would prefer capitalism. Probably because Jesus helped and healed the sick and needy but unless you are able to multiply bread from nothing and find money in a fish’s mouth, you will need to have some money if you are going to help your needy neighbour. Two “broke” people cannot help each other. But Jesus is not American, and He does not represent any “ism.” He was not from here and He did not come as a candidate but as the King of Kings. Jesus was inevitably political - He talked about two-kingdoms and asked for allegiance to only one Kingdom - His. His goal was not just to give people bread from the cradle to the grave but to give all people an abundant life now and eternal life beyond the grave.