We’re going to take one Scripture from Numbers fourteen. And then we’re going to proceed with the rest of the Word. Please stand for the reading of that Scripture today.

When you reach Numbers fourteen, verse thirty-three, please signify by saying amen. In Numbers fourteen and verse thirty-two, thirty-three (I’m sorry) it said,

33. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for who You are and for what You do. Father, hide Your son behind the cross, that Your people would see You and not me. And father, as I decrease today, I ask that You would increase. Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. In Jesus’ holy and blessed Name.

The people of God said amen. You may be seated in the house of God.

He said, “Your children are going to wander.” What does it mean to wander? It means to roam and to ramble, to get off of the right path that God has ordained for you to be upon. It means to move about from place to place without a reason or a plan.

God had given unto the children of Israel a promise. And when God gives you a promise (glory to God) more than anything else it’s going to require that there be a change in your life.

You see, you may have been promised something from God. But before the promise can come to the fulness of the promise, there’s got to be a supernatural change in your life. Glory to God.

When we look at the children of Israel, God had given them a set course for them to follow. But because of their lack of understanding about God and trusting God, they began to get of course.

You see, if I don’t get in position to trust in God, if I don’t get in position to get on that path that God has ordained for my life, then my whole life will be nothing but a mess. Oh, you don’t want to talk to me today. I’ll constantly be confused. I’ll constantly be depressed. I’ll constantly feel the spirit of oppression of my life if I don’t understand my God. Hallelujah to Jesus.

It was because of their lack of understanding. You see, the Bible says in the book of Proverbs, with all of your getting... You see, you’re going to get a lot. But with everything that you get, get understanding.

You and I have got to get in a position where no matter what is going on in our lives we get an understanding of right where we are, before we try to get to the next place.

You see, your promise is going to come to pass. But in order for the promise to come to pass, I’ve got to understand where I am right now. “God, what are You saying to me right now? God, what are You doing with me right now, Jesus?”

Right now understanding is more valuable to you than trying to understand your future. You see, if you don’t understand your now you won’t understand your tomorrow. Oh, you don’t want to talk to me today. See, if you don’t understand your right now, see, if you’re in a place of confusion right now, don’t think your tomorrow is going to be anything less.

But if I get into a place of understanding right now, then I can build on tomorrow. And then when I get to tomorrow, I’ll... Tomorrow you don’t have anything that I can’t get into a place of understanding about. Because I understand my today.

God made you a promise. And we spend all of our lives trying to get to that promise. But while we’re trying to get into that promise, we’re in a state of confusion. Oh, my God.

You see, God, the Bible says, is not the author of confusion. The Bible says He’s the author and the finisher of our faith. But He’s not the author of that thing (glory to God) that’s causing you to be confused and dismayed and perplexed and bewildered. He’s the author and the finisher of that thing that’s going to cause you to walk by faith and not by sight.

He had performed many miracles for the children of Israel. And just like the children of Israel, God has performed many miracles for us. How many times do you recollect in your mind that God has parted the Red Sea for you? Oh, you don’t want me to talk to you.

How many times has He prepared a table for you in the midst of your wilderness? Somebody better give God some glory today. How many times has He caused your Pharaoh to be dropped into that Red Sea, when he pursued after your life?

God got to a point where He said, “Wait a minute. With all that I’ve done you still don’t trust Me. With all that I’ve said and performed you still don’t believe Me. What more do I need to do to make you understand that if I be for you I’m more than the world against you?”

With all of our getting we’ve got to get understanding.

God had given them a plan. But they didn’t stick to the plan. You see, even though we walk by faith and not by sight there has been a map laid out for your individual life. Yes, there’s a map laid out for the body of Christ. But you got a map for you that you need to follow.

Every day I need to get before the Lord. The Bible says that, “Those that seek Me early are going to find Me. In other words, those that wake up early in the morning are going to get instruction from Me for the rest of the day.”

See, but it’s when we want to lay around in the bed. Oh, you don’t want to talk today. Then we want to try to hear something from God. God already spoke earlier that day. You missed out. And now you’re in a state of confusion. My God, my God. Who am I preaching to today?

He gave them a plan. He gave them a purpose. He had given them a promise. He gave them a course to follow. He said, “Now watch My hand.”

You see, when God’s hand begins to move for you, you can move by His hand. You see, if you’re in a place where the Anointing of God is flowing, then you’re moving by the hand of God. But if you’re in a place that’s dry (glory to God), and you’re never getting a breakthrough (glory to God), then you done missed out on God’s hand. And God’s hand is going somebody else.

It’s like the children of Israel when God led them by a Pillar of Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. He said, “Move when I move, but stay when I stay.”

When God is in a place, I don’t care what you’re going through in your life. You better stay in that place. Who am I... If God is in a place, I don’t care what is going on in your personal life. You better stay in that place.

Don’t think that there’s another God someplace else when you move. He said, “I’m the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.”

And the Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. And if God is there, I may be bound for a moment. But baby, them chains are coming off of me after while. You don’t want to talk to me today.

He had given them a promise. He had worked miracle after miracle.

I’ve been on phones years ago talking to bill collectors. You don’t want to talk to me, because you ain’t never been there. And I say, “Lord...” They say, “We want it right now.” And I say, “Lord, I ain’t got it right now. You going to have to work a miracle.”

You don’t want to talk to me, because you ain’t never been there. You all looking at me like I’m crazy, like I’m the only one that been in that place before. My God.

And I say, “Lord, in the Name of Jesus. I thank You that You are in control of every situation, every circumstance. And when man says no, You say yes.”

They’ll get back on that phone and say, “Man, I don’t know why we doing this. But this is what we going to do for you.”

I say to myself, “I know why you’re doing it. Because Jehovah Jireh is the Lord God my Provider.” My God. Hey, I feel like dancing up in this house today. I got a promise. I got a plan. I got a course that I’m going to stick and stay with in the Name of Jesus.

God was in the place. Feeding them manna from heaven. But in the midst of God feeding them manna from heaven, they had to the nerve to say, “What is this?”

You see, you may not understand the meal that you receiving all the time. But if God is feeding it to you... Let me tell you, whatever God feeds you, it’s going to satisfy you. It’s going to make... He’s going to make sure it nourishes you. He’s going to give you what you need when you need it.

He gave them a purpose and a plan. And He was saying, “Stay on course, but stay on course by faith, by faith.”

Go with me to chapter thirteen. In chapter thirteen, verse twenty-six.

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. Nevertheless...

Whenever you got a “nevertheless” or a “but” you got a problem.

28. 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.

29. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south...

They went on to talk about the different tribes that were in the different places. But look at verse thirty.

30. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses,

I can see Caleb now. See, a lot of times we think that when somebody tells us to be quiet, “Shh. Shh...” Our flesh begins to rise and say, “Who you think you’re talking to?” I can see him now. Because he wasn’t in the midst of a few people. He was in the midst of thousands of folks. I can imagine him saying, “Shut it up!” There had to be some authority there.

See, except you walk with authority, nobody’s going to listen to you. He said, “Be quiet before the man of God. Because there’s something that’s got to be said.”

See, you have got to know them, the Bible says that labor among you. He sent those spies out, but only came back, Caleb and Joshua, with the right report.

You got to know everybody that labors among you. Because the report you got got to be the report that they got. Oh, I need to say that all over again. What you are saying has got to be what they are saying. Or else confusion (Oh, I must be hitting that thing) is going to weave like a snake in the midst of the... You don’t want to talk to me. In the midst of the congregation. And then you wonder where it came from. And it’s coming from those that you sent out. Oh, come on and talk to me today.

They got to say the same thing you said. Their mouth has got to be the same mouth that you got. Even when they’re not in your presence, they got to say it like you’ll say it.

You got to know them that labor among you. That even though you’re not there, you can count on what they’re saying.

It’s like a husband and a wife. A wife learns her husband, doesn’t she? And that husband may not be there at the time. But she know what her husband would say. And so what her husband would say, that’s what she’s going to say.

Know them that labor among you.

God told them about a land that was flowing with milk and honey. But they focused on the obstacles.

You see, when God gives you a plan and a purpose, it’s not going to be without an obstacle in your way. It’s not going to be easy to get to. There’s going to be something that’s going to try to hinder you from getting to that plan and that promise that God has for you.

But will you be like that woman with the issue of blood and press your way through every obstacle that’s in your way and say, “I will not be denied. I won’t be denied”?

An obstacle is something that blocks your way, whenever you’re trying to go with God. Fear may try to come upon you, to cause you to compromise. But if God said it, don’t compromise about it. If God said it, do not compromise about it. Stand on what He promised. Stand on it.

If the obstacle is in your way and you don’t know how to get it out the way, then that’s a place of seeking Him early for instruction on how to get that obstacle out the way, so that you can get to the promise.

“Here he go talking about five o’clock prayer again.”

See, you got to sacrifice to get to the promise. See, you can’t piggy back on my back to get to the promise. Because if you piggy backing on me, then you going to slow me down. Oh, you don’t want to talk to me.

But see, we’re supposed to be in this thing together. Now if you fall, I can pull you up. But if you got strength, but you trying to piggy back on me, you going to pull my strength from me. And though I be the under-shepherd and I receive the vision from God, I’m going to be to tired to get the vision done. Amen, pastor.

God didn’t say it would not be without a cost. Any time God has something for you, it’s going to cost you something.

I like what Pastor Doug said yesterday about laying hands on people for them to get this Anointing to get this ministry. See, I got to be careful about it. Because a lot of you don’t know it, but I went through hell. You don’t want to talk to me today.

When my pastor laid hands on me to give me his mantle, he knew that I was going to be faithful to the cause of Christ. He knew that come hell or high water I was going to perform the mission that God had given to me.

See, if you want an anointing from God, because He promised you a ministry, it’s not going to be without a cost. It’s going to cost you everything, if you’re going to be a real one. Now you can be a fake one all you want to. But if you’re going to have results, then it’s going to cost you everything.

He had given them a course, a plan for their lives. He was trying to get them to trust Him in the midst of the desert. He provided for them. He protected them. But yet in still they murmured and complained.

If you are a murmurer or a complainer, then you need to get that devil dead. Kill it. Because it will hinder you from your destiny. It will hinder you from your promise. It’ll keep you from moving forward. And it will take you back to Egypt.

God has us on a course. But there is warfare along the way. But He that began this good work in you (this is my favorite Scripture right here) is faithful to perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.

The Bible says God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love that you have shown to the saints and still do show. It may seem like it’s been all in vain, or it’s in vain right now. But you and I have got to remember that He is a righteous God. And if you have been walking in righteousness among the saints of God and with God, He has not forgotten about it. And you’re this much closer to reaching your destination.

Today I want us to refocus. Because there’s been an obstacle that we have been trying to get around.

And let me tell you something. I don’t care what the TV evangelist says or the radio evangelist says, if you are going to be in Christ, you are going to suffer. If you are going to get a promise from God, there will be an obstacle in your way.

But get on your face early. And God will show you what to do beforehand. Come before Him in secret. And the Bible says He will reward you openly.

Stop being down and depressed, because it seem like you can’t see your way out. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” And any way that is in Jesus is the right way. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is going to come in the morning.

Job said there’s a path that even the fowls of the air don’t know about. There’s a path that God wants you to go down that nobody else has seen and nobody else has been down but you and God. So in other words, man’s intellect and man’s advice has not tainted it. It has come from the revelation of the Word of God.

Stick to the plan, and stay on the course. And the promises of God shall be yours.

Come on, give God a handclap of praise today.