"Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because
of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 'Has the LORD spoken only
through Moses?' They asked. 'Hasn't he also spoken through us?' And the LORD
heard this." Numbers 12:1-2 (NIV)
Both Miriam and Aaron were rebelling against Moses;
not because of his leadership, but because of his choice of a wife.
Where did this criticism come from?
From the evil one, the one who thrives on conflict. A
whisper was all it took for them to jump on the bandwagon of being critical.
They had forgotten that when we concur with the evil one, he will swallow us
whole, leaving us wallowing in despair.
God came through big time for Moses. He responded to
Miriam and Aaron: "Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the
entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped
forward, he said, 'Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not
true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.'"" Numbers 12:5-7
(NIV)
Our Heavenly Father informed them that they were
completely wrong. They were, in fact, creating havoc instead of unity!
Miriam, the leader in this case, ended up leprous:
"When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam--leprous, like
snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy." Numbers 12:10 (NIV)
When we concur with the evil one, there are always
consequences. He does not have our best interests at heart. In fact, he wants to
destroy us! Negativity, on the other hand, is not part of God. He is an
encourager.
Miriam was healed, thanks to Moses who prayed for her:
"So Moses cried out to the LORD, 'O God, please heal her!' The LORD replied to
Moses, 'If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace
for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can
be brought back.'" Numbers 12:13-14 (NIV)
In this day and age, too many concur with the evil
one. At times, they don't even know they are dealing with the devil; but when we
concur with the evil one, we will have repercussions.
I met a guy who had been completely healed by our
loving Father from a a chronic autoimmune disease that attacked his spine. Then
he started to doubt. The evil one was after him and he started to concur that he
might lose his healing. Within days, he lost his healing. The devil will do
that. He will make us doubt our Father, and then we are toast. My friend is now
paralyzed once again and he regrets concurring with these notions which came
from the evil one.
I will stand by him that he will again be healed, and
I hope you will too. Just like Moses prayed for the healing of Miriam, healing
will reoccur in this man's life as well!
Last time I shared a story from Hilarion who lived in
the 4th centiry. I would like to share this with you again, as this is what
prompted me to share about concurring with the evil one:
" A charioteer, from Gaza also, was struck by a demon
while in his chariot and his whole body so completely stiffened that he could
neither move his hand nor bend his neck. He was carried on a stretcher to the
saint, able to move only his tongue to indicate his petition, but he heard and
understood that he could not be healed until he believed in Jesus and renounced
his former occupation. He believed, he promised, he was cured, rejoicing more in
the salvation of his soul than in the cure of his body." (The Life OF Saint
Hilarion, 15:254).
The evil one would do anything to take our health
away. In fact, he wants to destroy us completely.
A few months ago, I was diagnosed with glaucoma. The
doctor wanted to see me to document how far it had spread. While I was driving
to the appointment, I, too, was attacked by the evil one, telling me: "You have
glaucoma. Live with it. Nothing can stop this" At first I listened to him, but
then, thanks to the Holy Spirit, I was able to tell him to go away. I declared:
"I will trust solely in my Heavenly Father!"
The doctor examined me and was completely astonished:
"You do not have glaucoma any longer!"
I'd rather stand with God at all times. He loves me
and I love Him. He is the best Father in all the world, and He loves you too!
Rob Chaffart
To contact us click here
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.