Prepare Plans, then Make War

[S] Proverbs 20:18 -- ¹⁸Prepare plans by consultation,
         And make war by wise guidance.

[O] As a soccer coach I would never show up to a game unprepared as I would work on the lineup, figure out who's injured or won't be at the game, and study about the opposing team to better strategize for a strong and successful game.  This verse explains how critical it is to prepare for war beforehand making plans by consulting experts of war, sources of intelligence against the enemy, and with the military commanders.  What areas in my life am I not making proper plans by consulting with the right people for wise guidance?  I can so easily be in this place I must constantly ask this question.

[A] I can feel the sense of urgency as we come to our first year mark of the small group ministry at our church because in many ways we are settling into moving further on however along with that momentum, our enemy is hard at work alongside us, too.  I'm realizing this is more than just running a program but an act of war against the enemy's schemes.  I will need wise guidance and that's going to come from the Word as well as others who's expert at doing this.

[P] Dear God, please show me the consultants to receive wise guidance as I engage in this war in the battlefield of small groups at our church.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Have You Seen God at Work?

[S] Deuteronomy 3:5,21-22 --
 ⁵"All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns.

 ²¹"I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, 'Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings; so the LORD shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross.
 ²²'Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.'

[O] The Israelites are up against an obstacle as they are about to enter Canaan according to God's commands.  They know they have to enter there and conquer but what they see with their eyes puts fear in their hearts and are afraid to enter that land.  Here, God is reminding Joshua about how He had defeated the two kings and that He will do exactly that when they enter Canaan.  The Israelites were no match for these two kings they fought but God provided them the victory because He fought ahead of them.  In verse 21, "your eye have seen" made me to reflect on what my eyes have seen God do His miraculous works.  I shouldn't forget about these to remind me whenever I face obstacles that God is bigger than any road blocks I may face.

[A] The small group ministry is facing some challenges right now and as Joshua should have remembered how he witnessed God's victorious battle against the two kings (Og and Bashan), I need to remember how God had blessed and grew the previous small group ministry I was involved in and persevere forward.  And I also need to pray for the leaders so they would also remember the great things God had done in their own lives so they would also see what's ahead of our ministry rather than focusing too much on where we are and what issues we are facing.

[P] Dear God, I want to live my life totally relying on Your going ahead to fight for me against the enemy's power.  I want to see the invisible dreams and I want to live my life reflecting such a faith.  May I learn to cling on to You 100%.  Thank You for training me at all times.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

No Collateral Damage

[S] Numbers 31:3,48-52; Mark 9:22-23 --

³Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD'S vengeance on Midian.
⁴⁸Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses,
⁴⁹and they said to Moses, "Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing.
⁵⁰"So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."
⁵¹Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles.
⁵²All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.

²²"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"
²³And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

[O] What a successful victory! After the leaders of the army reviewed the damage report they were thankful for not losing any soldiers during the war. Perhaps they did this as part of the military discipline but nevertheless it displays their care for their men. And since God was fighting in behalf of them, no one was missing (i.e., hurt). These officers and captains knew that such a war can cause a lot of damage including the lives of their men and so when they found the good report of no one missing, they gave credit to the Warrior who went ahead of them to fight this battle for them because from verse 3 we can see that Moses made it clear whose battle this belonged to. So many times I'm too focused on the task at hand in doing ministry for God I lose focus of whose ministry I'm taking part in and when things are moving along "successfully" my desire is to grab all the attention and credit instead of doing what the leaders of this army did by giving credit to God through their offerings. In light of this realization, there were thanksgiving, unity (everyone gave), and sacrifice. How am I doing in these fronts, I wonder....

[Sidebar] Mark 9:22-23 is not really related to the Numbers portion but this section gives me the goose bumps every time I read it because that "If you can?" is quite piercing to me. In New Living Translation (NLT) it says, "What do you mean, 'If I can?'" I can just imagine the facial expression of Jesus saying this. In today's lingo it'd be something like, "Hey Dude! What d'you mean I can?" This is piercing to me because I say to Jesus "If you can ..." everyday. I have too many doubts in His power and strength playing out in the routines of my life.

[A] Remember at all times, we've embarked on the small group ministry at our church by God's commission and therefore I must recognize that He is in full control and fights ahead of us even the spiritual warfare we face. As I take my own "census" I also should be thankful for His provisioning power and the unity of the leaders, and then offer my sacrifices to Him because He deserves them all.

[P] Dear God, so thankful for going ahead of my life, my family members' lives, and our ministry because if You didn't do that, everything would fall on our own power and efforts which I know to be short-sighted, short-lived, and full of holes. Please continue to abide in the midst of us even though we come short so many times. In Jesus' name. Amen.