196-Newcomers, New Styles, New Thinking#
196-Newcomers, New Styles, New Thinking
(JP Text Group - Yun Dan Feng Qing Compilation)
The topic of sharing is: Newcomers, New Styles, New Thinking
2 Corinthians 5:14-17,
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh (the original text says "the flesh." This verse is the same), even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You! It is You who prepared this time for Your children to worship and praise You here! We share Your words and receive Your personal supply and nourishment! We are in Jesus Christ. We are new creations, not the old self that has not died completely, but people who have been resurrected from the dead by You in Christ. We are people who possess the likeness of Jesus Christ. We live in this world with the likeness of Christ, and You give us strength! In our lives, we can manifest Your glory, thank You and praise You! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!
We do not strive to change, saying, "I am a Christian, so I must change, otherwise I would be letting God down." It is not like that.
Such change still relies on yourself. Why do we need to renew our minds and change our behaviors? It is the love of Christ that compels us! First, we must understand that Jesus loves you. How does He love you?
"We judge that if One died for all, then all died." Jesus died for me; He died for my sins. Have I died? I have already died. "And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves."
Are we alive? We no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again. In other words, when you accept Jesus, you know that the old self has died, and now the one who lives is not the past person, but a new person. It is Christ who lives in you. You may have lived for your children, for money, for power and fame. But now you live for Jesus! You live for the resurrected Jesus Christ.
Verse 16 says, therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.
The original text refers to the flesh, which means in the past we evaluated people based on their appearance, status, and wealth. It is not based on this anymore. Although we have known Christ according to the flesh in the past. When people saw Jesus, what could they see? First, He was not handsome; second, He had no outstanding status. He was a carpenter. So people said, "I don't see any great power!"
But precisely because of this, God wants to demonstrate His great power through Jesus. We should not regard people according to appearance; the world recognizes you based on your appearance, whether you are the CEO of a certain company or an employee of a well-known company. They recognize us through these, but we must know that you belong to Jesus Christ, and your identity is a child of God! Hallelujah!
In verse 17, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
If anyone is in Christ, how can this person be in Christ? When you accept Jesus, Jesus Christ died for your sins, and three days later He rose from the dead. If you believe that Jesus indeed did this for you, you are in Christ, a new creation! Jesus does not remodel our old self.
Many people say, "Every day I must crucify the old self, I must renew the old self daily, let the new self grow a little, let the old self die a little more." This way is completely wrong. Jesus came to this world not to remodel our old self; He lets our old self die directly, and now gives us a new life. Amen! Our old self has already died; when did it die? When you believe in Jesus, what do you believe about Jesus? He died for my sins. Our baptism symbolizes that we died and resurrected with Jesus. The one who is resurrected is a new person; we cannot look at ourselves in the same way as before, and this is precisely how you can gain victory in life!
If you always feel, "Look, I believe in Jesus, but how come I am still the same as before? I feel like I haven't believed," you are looking at the past old self with the current new self, putting the past old self on yourself, which is incorrect. It is very difficult to overcome your life this way. We must remember that the old self has already died; we are new creations, a completely new person!
What does the new person refer to here? Our spirit! To describe it in terms of spirit, soul, and body, our spirit is new, it is the Holy Spirit. Those who do not believe in the Lord do not have the Holy Spirit within them. When you accept Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus, or the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, enters into our hearts, and we become a new person; in God's eyes, we are new!
For those who do not believe in Jesus, God sees them as sinners, and what else? Actually, they are dead. At that time, God clearly told Adam, "In the day you eat of it, you shall surely die." If you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die. In God's eyes, when Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, on that day Adam died. We say, "No, he lived for over nine hundred years." Actually, it is not like that; in God's eyes, the spirit in Adam was already separated from God; in God's eyes, he was already dead, just how long it took to completely die.
Those who do not believe in Jesus are in the same situation in God's eyes as Adam was after he sinned. How can they be made alive again? They must accept Jesus! When they accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in them, and they come to life. This is just like when God breathed into Adam's nostrils after he was created, and the Bible says he became a living being. When you accept Jesus, you become a living being again. In God's eyes, you are no longer dead; you are alive. Amen! So the Bible says: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The Holy Spirit dwells in us; we often talk about renewing our thoughts and renewing our minds. What does this refer to? The soul part. So it is not about renewing the spirit! The Holy Spirit itself is complete; what we need to renew is the soul part. The soul includes intellect, emotion, and will, which we refer to as intelligence, feelings, and will; these are parts of our soul. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, but we have our own thoughts; God does not control our thoughts, so we need to adjust and align our thoughts with the Holy Spirit. If your current thoughts completely align with the Holy Spirit, then you can do what Jesus did.
Some people ask why my ability is so small? It is simple; your thoughts are too far from the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly says this, and you say, "I don't believe," so your thoughts and will remain as they were before, unless you renew your thoughts. How do you change this thought? Use the words of the Bible to renew your thoughts, let the Holy Spirit guide your life, which is to renew your mind. Amen! This is what is said here: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. This refers to our spirit being new, and our soul is being renewed.
What else is there? The body. This body is indeed a corruptible body. Many people say, "I don't want to sin," but why do I keep sinning? Where does the problem arise? If the thoughts of the flesh prevail, the flesh will sin; if the thoughts are obedient to the Holy Spirit, victory can be achieved. Thoughts use the body to do things.
You see, some people suddenly behave very gently; it is the Holy Spirit guiding them. Suddenly they become furious; it is the flesh guiding them. As long as you still carry this body, you will inevitably sin, to some extent, because this body still needs to be renewed; this body has not died yet. Our spirit is already alive, the soul is being renewed, and the body is gradually dying. When will the body be renewed and completely become new? When Jesus Christ comes again, or when Jesus returns, God will change their flesh, transforming it into a spiritual body.
The past you has already died; God allows them to be resurrected, becoming a spiritual body again. In the future, in the kingdom of heaven, it will not be this flesh, but a spiritual body. However, the form will still be recognizable; that body will never sin again, and spirit, soul, and body will all be new. Amen!
What needs to be renewed now is our soul part. Once the soul part is renewed, the flesh will naturally live out a new style of life! Thank and praise the Lord! Now you are a new person; in God's eyes, He does not look at our bodies. God does not look at you because of who you are; I want to save you; it is not like that. As long as you are willing, and the Holy Spirit is within you, you are all children of God! Amen!
Because we have accepted Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit within us; in God's eyes, you are a new person. You are not striving to become a new person; according to God's words, you already are! "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." We need to start a new life according to God's words; you are a new person with a new style. You need to renew your thoughts. In the past, we regarded people according to appearance; now we should not regard people according to appearance; in the past, we lived according to our preferences; now we live according to Christ's way.
Is it easier to live according to Jesus Christ's way or according to your own way? Actually, it is easier to live according to Christ's way. How long does it take to build a building? Can it be done in a month? No, no matter what, a month is quite difficult. But you know, when Jesus Christ created, what was created in a month?
Did our God create the world in a month? No. In seven days, the world you see now has many unknown places, such as things in the sea and underground that you do not recognize; God completed everything in seven days; this is our God!
Was it very difficult for Jesus to calm the storm? Was it very difficult for Him to raise Lazarus? Was it very difficult for Him to heal those sick people? Can a doctor finish a surgery in one minute? If it can be done in one minute, it is not called surgery. Just casually sticking it on is not called surgery; surgery takes a lot of time to proceed, right? Was it simple for Jesus to heal those people? So this is the way of Jesus. You can live according to your own way or according to Christ's way because you are now a new creation. Amen!
In the past, we lived under curses, pain, and the bondage of the devil, but now it is different; now you have escaped the dominion of sin; sin will no longer be your master. You are righteous! You are a righteous person loved by God! Why can some Christians still not live a victorious life? What part is the problem? It is the soul part!
Do not learn from the Israelites in the wilderness; although they had already escaped from Egypt, Egypt symbolizes this world. Pharaoh symbolizes the king of the world, the devil. We have already escaped the dominion of the devil and have entered into Christ, but many people still live in the wilderness.
Exodus 12:40-41,
40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that very same day, it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.
If you were one of the Israelites at that time, when leaving Egypt, did you think you were part of God's army? Did those people think they were God's army? They only thought of themselves as slaves. "We have been slaves for several generations. You say we are an army; what do we have? First, we have no skills; second, we have no strength; how can you say we are an army?" But in God's eyes, His children are the army. When you accept Jesus, it means you have come out of the world, out of the bondage of the devil. From the day you came out, in God's eyes, you are an army! Do you know what an army is for? To win battles! The purpose of establishing an army is to win battles! Amen!
What does the army rely on to win battles now? The weapons in their hands, their military strategies. Does God rely on these? Think about it; what weapons does God use to defeat His enemies? You already possess the most powerful weapon in the world. David said at that time: "You defeat me with the weapons in your hand, just your bronze spear. I defeat you in the name of the Lord of hosts!" So I say you are an army; you do not defeat him with that weapon; you just need to invoke the name of Jesus Christ, and he will fail.
You are the army of the Lord! When you accept God, you become God's army. Many people may not have thought about this issue. "I am just a slave; I am worthless!" In God's eyes, although this group of people is weak, when they use the name of God, they are incredibly powerful! At that time, Moses defeated the Egyptian army relying on what? God's words, God's authority! You must defeat the devil's schemes; do not rely on anything else; rely on the authority and power that God has given you! Amen!
But did the Israelites know this? Although they had come out of Egypt, their style and thinking were still the style of Egypt. They complained every day when they were in Egypt, and they still complained every day when they were in the wilderness.
Numbers 20:3-5:
3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying, "If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there any water to drink."
Brothers and sisters, did they encounter problems? They began to complain. Why did you bring the assembly of the Lord into the wilderness to die here with us and our livestock?
May I ask, did God bring them out of Egypt to let them die in the wilderness? He brought them out of Egypt to enter the land flowing with milk and honey, the land of Canaan. Today, does God want you to believe in Him to make you more miserable? Does God say, "You lived too comfortably before; believe in me, and I will make you very miserable"? Is that God's will? This is not God's will, but many people live like the Israelites, saying, "It was pretty good before I believed; after believing in the Lord, nothing goes smoothly; why should I believe in You?" They begin to doubt, which proves that they do not know God and need to renew their thoughts.
"Why did you make us come out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place?"
No one forced them out of Egypt; it was their cries that reached God's ears. "Lord, we want to leave this cursed place; they do not treat us as human; they whip us every day and make us work without pay!" Then God sent Moses to save them. After they came out, they immediately turned around and said, "Why did you make us come out of Egypt?" You see, our God is truly full of love, full of mercy, and slow to anger. Why did you bring us out of Egypt to this evil place? This place is not good for sowing, and there are no fig trees, grapevines, pomegranate trees, and no water to drink.
But the place God wanted to take them had all these things. They would rather complain in the wilderness than move forward; isn't this the pitiful aspect of humanity?
We tell others, "After you believe in Jesus, you will receive Jesus' grace and enter His abundant land." They say, "You are a heretic!" They would rather stay in the wilderness, and they said, "Lord, why is this place not good for sowing? There are no figs, this one is missing, that one is missing..." God says, "This is not the place I want you to go; you are not there yet, and you start complaining on the way." The Israelites, although they had come out of Egypt, had thoughts that were too different from God's.
Always remember, brothers and sisters: after believing in Jesus, if your thoughts are not aligned with the Bible, not aligned with God's thoughts, you will complain, and you will find that after believing, it is not as good as not believing. This is where your thinking needs to be updated to align with the Holy Spirit, to see your life through God's eyes. God wants to redeem you; He absolutely does not hope you die in the wilderness; He hopes you enter His abundant land. In other words, God wants to give you His abundant grace!
So do not complain when you encounter problems; you should say, "Lord, I believe You will lead me into the abundant land; although now it is the wilderness, there is still Your supply in the wilderness." The Israelites did not see: they were a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, a people loved by God. They did not see all this; you must see this, Amen! Even in the wilderness, God does not lack; there is always supply, and how much more in the beautiful land of Canaan? The supply is even greater, Hallelujah!
Numbers 11:4-5,
4 Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
Brothers and sisters, think about where their minds are now? Is it on the land of Canaan or Egypt? If God put them back, would they be happy? You see how pitiful this group of people is! If they always thought about the land of Canaan, these problems would not matter; indeed, there were cucumbers and free meat in Egypt, leeks, and onions, but there were also whips, daily insults, and curses; why do you not mention these?
Our thoughts need to be renewed. Some say, "How come believing in the Lord is not as good as not believing?" Do you know what the result of not believing is? Life is dead, living under a curse, encountering problems with no hope. If you say, "I do not feel any hope after believing in Jesus," go to a hospital's intensive care unit or cancer ward, and look at the eyes of those people to understand; what frightens them is not the disease but the dominion of death. But you are different; you have already escaped the dominion of death.
The Israelites always thought about the little benefits of the past, forgetting that the harm Egypt caused them was much greater. We are a group of people redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ redeemed us from death and curses, bringing us out of the lies of the devil. What we need to see is the grace of Jesus Christ! Just like the Israelites, they should see God's grace; although there are no cucumbers, no watermelons, no leeks in the wilderness, there is God's presence, God's protection, and God's continuous supply, the manna.
Brothers and sisters, do you know? People especially pay attention to nutritional balance; what food goes with what food is good for the body, but do the Israelites need to consider these issues? Eating only one kind of food, all the nutrients are balanced. If this kind of food really existed now, could you afford it? How expensive would that food be! A tomato can only provide a little vitamin; other nutrients must be obtained from other foods. But what God gives is different; God has given them the best, but they did not see it.
We are new people; we must have new thinking, using this new thinking to look at all things. You will understand that what God gives is the best, Amen! God has already given them the best, and He has also given you the best, Amen! Some ask, "Can Christians eat blood?" The most frequently asked question during the New Year is this; some say no, some say yes. Actually, it is not a matter of whether you can or cannot; it is a matter of whether you are willing.
In the Old Testament, it is "You shall not eat; in the day you eat, you shall surely die." Under the New Testament, it is not about keeping commandments; under the New Testament, it is about whether you are willing. Although the Bible says you shall not, if you eat today, will you go to hell? No. So we are not under the law. The characteristic of the law is that if you violate it, there is a curse. If you eat blood, will there be a curse? No. It is not about whether you can or cannot; it is about whether you are willing! To put it simply, if you must eat, God will not send you to hell just because you ate blood. The grace of the New Testament is not about us keeping it; it is about us understanding God's heart and willingly obeying Him because we know that God has prepared the best for us.
How to face this issue? I tell others that blood contains many bacteria, which are of no benefit to us; even if there are benefits, they are very few. But later God directly gave me a new revelation; God said: The reason I do not let my people eat animal blood is that I have prepared the best blood for them, the blood of Jesus Christ, which is the Holy Communion! Amen!
God does not let you eat animal blood because He has prepared something better for you. In the wilderness, God did not prepare watermelons and leeks for them because God had already given them the best, Amen! Brothers and sisters, do not get entangled in whether you can eat blood anymore; if you want to eat blood, eat the best, the Holy Communion!
If you insist on telling me, "What good elements are in that blood..." The Holy Communion will definitely have the elements you need, right? So choose the best! Hallelujah! The blood of Jesus Christ, the body of Jesus Christ, God has given Him to us; this is the best. God wants you to receive the best. The blood of Jesus Christ is far better, more valuable, and more beneficial than animal blood! Amen! You must believe that what God has prepared for you is better!
God wants us to live according to His way; this is much easier and more abundant than living by yourself. Although we may not understand all the words of the Bible, we must believe that God wants you to do this; it must be beneficial for you because God does not let you believe in Him and then leave you lonely and empty. God wants to give you better things, to bring you into His abundant grace!
Just like our Lord, He wants to bring the Israelites into the beautiful land of Canaan; the purpose is not to let them die, the purpose is not to let them die in the wilderness; this is not God's will! God wants to bring them into the land of Canaan; how good is that place?
The Bible also says: two big men carried a cluster of grapes back; there were ready-made wells and vineyards there. Is there anything they had in Egypt that they also have here? And it is better! So you must believe that if you believe in Jesus Christ, you will live better than the world, not only in your life but also in your living conditions!
Some say that this kind of talk is secularization. It is not secularization; it is that your spirit, your life, and your body, God wants you to have the best! Thank and praise the Lord! You must believe in God's guidance! You say, "I still don't see it now." It doesn't matter; keep moving forward, and you will definitely see it! The Israelites missed it because they did not believe.
Here is a story to share:
A wealthy man saw a very poor beggar on the roadside, begging from passersby, and the passersby did not give him much. This person's situation was already very bad, very pitiful. At this moment, the wealthy man felt compassion and said, "Come with me; I will help you." The beggar followed the wealthy man forward. At this moment, do you know what the wealthy man was thinking?
"I will first take him to take a bath, then arrange for him to have a good meal because he is too dirty. After bathing, I will take him to eat, and then arrange for him to work at my house; it is better than begging on the street." The wealthy man was thinking about these things but had not yet put them into action. But do you know what the beggar was thinking? "Why don't you give me something to eat? Why don't you give me a bun? Why, why, why..." When the wealthy man arrived at the bathing place and looked back, the person was gone.
Why did the beggar leave him? Because he did not believe! The wealthy man said, "Come with me; I will help you." Many times, our disbelief in God is like this! "Why haven't you given me anything? I have been following you for so long; why hasn't anything been accomplished?" The Israelites fell in the wilderness because they were at the door of the land of Canaan, and they said, "We cannot enter; the city gate is too high; they see us as grasshoppers..." Actually, this is not true! This is just their own thought. What is God's thought? I will surely lead you into the land of Canaan! No one can stop you! Amen!
Hebrews 3:12-19
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. 15 While it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
I want to explain this passage from another perspective. "Beware, brethren," first, is it the believers or the unbelievers? It is the believers. "Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." Does this mean they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven? It said "brethren" at the beginning, and then it says "lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from God." Does this mean they are not saved? No!
The Bible must not be explained with just one verse. Look further down, "But exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Originally, if there are some people who are not at ease with God in certain matters and are unwilling to rely on God, they will sin, and their hearts will become harder and harder.
Verse 14 says, "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."
Being partakers of Christ does not mean: you must continue to believe until you die, and then you will be saved. If that is the case, it would be troublesome; who can guarantee that we will always hold on to our faith without any doubt until we die? Who dares to say that they have never doubted since believing in the Lord? Our salvation is certainly not like this; what does it refer to?
"Hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." What kind of confidence is this? Do you remember? "I believe that the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross cleanses me from all my sins; I believe that He rose from the dead three days later; I am justified!" It refers to this kind of faith. If you can hold on to this faith, hold on to the end, then you will be partakers of Christ. It means you will constantly possess the power of Jesus Christ, and you will see God's abundant grace! When you believe this way, is there any merit of yours in it? Everything Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross for you has nothing to do with your own merit; it is all because you believe!
Then it immediately tells us why they did not enter; it was because of their unbelief. Did the first generation of Israelites die in the wilderness after forty years? Why did they not enter the land of Canaan? The Bible says they could not enter His rest because of their unbelief. Does this mean this group of people is not saved? Their salvation is not based on anything else; it is based on the blood of the lamb! Those Israelites in the wilderness were saved by the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels; they were saved because they believed in God, so they came out of Egypt and were baptized when they passed through the Red Sea.
But why does it say they were disobedient? Because they did not enter the abundant land. In other words, today there will be two types of Christians, one is the Christian who dies in the wilderness. God's promise is not for them to live in the wilderness; it is for them to live in the land of Canaan. The second type of Christian is the one who enters the land of Canaan. Why did the second type enter? Because they believed!
This does not mean they did not believe in God; always remember, many people say, "Do you believe?" You say, "Yes, I believe," but why hasn't this matter been accomplished? Many people often say, "Because you do not believe in Him." You say, "I believe in God," these are two concepts, and people confuse them. Did the Israelites believe in God? Did they believe that God was their God? Yes, they believed! Everyone believes this! But the problem is they did not believe one thing; what was it? They did not believe they could enter the land of Canaan. Do you understand?
For example, you prayed for something, prayed left and right, and finally said, "I guess God will not accomplish this for me." It does not mean this person does not believe in God and is not saved; it means in this matter, he does not believe in God! So in this matter, he cannot see God's grace! Do you understand? This is two concepts; it has nothing to do with salvation; it has to do with victory! The Israelites believed in God and saw God's miracles; they just did not believe in God's ability to enter the land of Canaan, so they could not enter the land of rest. They saw the environment and gave up God's words.
Numbers 13:30-33
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
They had already reached the door of the land of Canaan, sent twelve spies, one from each tribe, and went for a full forty days, then returned. When they returned, two men were carrying a cluster of grapes, saying, "God did not deceive us; that land is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey; it is so good, but we cannot enter!" Twelve people went, and Caleb and Joshua experienced the same environment and saw the same enemies, but their reactions were different. What did Caleb say?
Caleb quieted the people before Moses, saying, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." What did Caleb rely on? He believed in God's promise! Because God told me that this land is the land He wants to give us! How wonderful; God will surely lead us into that land; any enemy is not a problem; He will surely eliminate them. Brothers and sisters, we must have such faith! In everything, we must be like Caleb and Joshua; although the environmental resistance is great, we still believe this is not a problem; we are well able to overcome! We rely not on our own ability but on God's ability.
Verse 31 says, but the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we."
Brothers and sisters, are the people of that land stronger than them? Yes! Christians do not comfort themselves by saying, "Although there are difficulties, we will look at it as if there are no difficulties..." and deceive themselves. We do not engage in such spiritual consolation. Acknowledge that they are taller than us; they are descendants of giants. But so what? We must see another fact: God is greater than them!
They are descendants of giants; we are descendants of God! This is a fact! If you cannot see this, you will see your own problems, saying, "Look at those three-meter-tall people; we look like grasshoppers in front of them, bouncing around; how can we fight them?" If you look at this matter with this mindset, you will always feel like a failure. Those other spies reported a bad report, saying, "The land we passed through is a land that devours its inhabitants; that land cannot be entered; it is a cannibal tribe; if we go in, we will be eaten by them, and the people there are of great stature, all descendants of giants!"
You see who they are praising? They are always praising their enemies! How many people always praise how great the environment is, always praising how powerful the devil is? Even many pulpits talk about "how terrifying hell is! How cruel hell is..." What are you talking about? You only need to talk about God's power being greater! Did those who reported a bad report mention God? You see how they spoke: they are descendants of giants; the people are of great stature; in our sight, we are like grasshoppers, and they see us the same way.
But brothers and sisters, do they really see it this way? What is the truth? Later, two spies entered Jericho, and the prostitute Rahab in Jericho told them the truth: "We have heard about the miracles your God performed on the Egyptians; we know about your victories over those kings in the wilderness; the hearts of everyone in the city have melted; no one dares to take up arms against you."
Why is this? Although this group of people had no weapons, their mouths were too powerful. Their God does not rely on weapons to defeat enemies; He relies on the words that come out of their mouths! Amen! If you realize this, are those enemies still scary? Are the walls very strong? Are the enemies very tall? So what? God will defeat them. Is it really like what we talk about in the Three Kingdoms? The walls are high, and the brothers and sisters climb up with ladders and fight, regardless of the cost, to take the city? Is it like that?
The only time in the world that a city was attacked was when the people kept quiet and walked around the city for seven days, and after one loud shout, the walls collapsed. God's people did it! They used the words from their mouths! God has given you the most powerful weapon! Living this way with God is much simpler than relying on yourself. Caleb believed: God is greater than the environment! They had experienced so much of God's power in the past, and it is the same now; Caleb and Joshua's thinking is completely grace thinking! The thinking of the other Israelites is law thinking, relying on their own thinking.
I wish brothers and sisters, in the new year, to live relying on our God, to think of His power, to think of His grace, to believe that you are all the army of the Lord! Believe that God's promises will surely be fulfilled! Although there are environments, the environment is nothing!! You must believe this; others do not believe, and they cannot see it. In the end, Caleb and Joshua saw with their own eyes what they believed!
You should also believe this; although there are difficulties and environments now, it does not matter; beyond this environment is the abundant land flowing with milk and honey! Amen! Because these people spread bad news quickly, always remember: negative statements are contagious! Those ten people did not believe; they said, "We are doomed; we cannot enter," leading over two million Israelites to cry and not sleep at their tent doors. This is the power of negative statements.
Brothers and sisters, when you cannot see God's promises and God's grace, you may convey negative thoughts; these negative thoughts will affect your family and your interpersonal relationships. But you need to renew your thoughts; in the new year, we know we are the army of the Lord, and God's power is upon us! Amen! We are new creations! God's grace is upon us! Hallelujah! God crowns you with grace!
Finally, let us look at a passage from the Bible, Mark 16:15-20
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
No matter how you viewed this God in the past, I wish at the beginning of the new year, you correctly recognize our Lord Jesus Christ and understand His grace. You must believe, God chose you absolutely to bring you into the land flowing with milk and honey! He hopes you live better than the world! He wants you to receive double blessings, one heavenly blessing, a spiritual blessing, and one earthly blessing, because you are to manifest the power of Jesus Christ on earth.
God's people should be rich, joyful, and full of strength! God also hopes you are like this! How to do this? Believe in Him! Simply believe that He is a Lord who loves you like this! Amen! No matter how the environment is, you must believe that what God has reserved for you is abundant blessings! When we believe this way, remember: those who believe will have signs and wonders following them; even if there are environments and problems ahead, our Lord will surely give you the strength to overcome the environment! Amen!
In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover; these are all promises God has given us! Do not care about the environment you are encountering now; even if Jericho is really blocking your way, relying on the name of the Lord you speak, you can surely overcome it! Hallelujah! Be full of expectation for the new year. You must believe that God will turn your family around! Turn your career around! Turn everything around for you! On every level, God wants you to experience His abundant blessings! Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You! Thank You for leading us to share Your words today! Let us know that we are new people; when we accept Jesus, we become new people! We are new creations! The Holy Spirit has already dwelled in my heart; the Holy Spirit possesses all Your attributes, all Your power, and all Your authority in my heart! I will continuously renew my thoughts through Your words, allowing my soul to be continually renewed! Let me willingly obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit! Live according to Your words!
I believe I will surely be blessed in all things! You also give me the strength to preach the gospel! To tell the beauty of Christ to the world, let them know that God wants to lead them out of Egypt into the abundant land flowing with milk and honey, which is the beautiful land of Canaan! Lord, I believe that today You have brought me to the land flowing with milk and honey! I no longer rely on myself but live by the grace of Jesus Christ; I believe You have turned everything around for me! Let me see the world with Your thoughts and Your eyes, let Your joy fill me, let Your wisdom fill me, and let me live with Your power, manifesting Your glory! Thank and praise You! May all glory be given to our Heavenly Father! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!