Have you ever craved something? Maybe you
were 28 weeks through a pregnancy and craved ice cream with peanut butter or
kosher sour pickles. Possibly you were on an expedition in the Himalayan
Mountains and began craving an “In and Out double-double with onions”. Whatever
it is you crave, would you be willing to give up your freedom for it? Where do these
cravings come from? Why do some people crave power and struggle to gain control
at any cost?
In the case of the Israelites, they were
ready, able and willing to forsake God, His provisions and return to their
former bondage in Egypt all for a leek, onion, cucumber, fish or foul. Even in
my own life I have to constantly battle cravings, lusts and desires struggling
to put God’s will first. These thoughts can appear right out of the blue,
during a worship service or bible study interfering with our communion with
God.
So why
do men struggle for power in a church organization when Jesus commanded us to submit
to one another, to put others first and to fulfill our unique roles in the body
of Christ. He wanted us to wash each
other’s feet in the water of the word of God. Men lust for popularity, power and
become Jealous of other’s ministries. The root cause is pride. God hates pride
and had to design a plan to cancel it out of our lives. His plan involved
sending His One and Only Son, Jesus, to earth to live a sinless, spotless life
where He satisfied all the requirements to become the “Lamb of God”. As the
Lamb, it would be His blood that would forever be applied to the doorposts of
the human heart.
In Numbers chapter twelve, we glance at the
world’s greatest sibling rivalry where Miriam and Aaron become jealous of their
brother Moses and lust for power and recognition. Lucifer once walked among the
fiery stones laid out on God’s holy mountain where he lusted to be like the
Most High. God alone is worthy of our adoration, He alone deserves our praise;
He alone is worthy to receive our worship. We can’t approach Him in our present
sinful state, in physical bodies, or we will be consumed by His glory which
burns hotter than our own sun.
Too often it’s our pride that gets us
grumbling and complaining. Once its loose in our congregation it spreads like a
flu virus infecting everyone who comes into contact with it. It’s similar to a
forest fire that starts from a single spark then grows in size as it becomes a
raging forest fire consuming everything in its path.
The sickness starts in various ways and is
transmitted through various vectors but always produces the same result time
after time, division in the body of Christ. Worship teams, elder boards and
youth ministries are tinder boxes that, if not continually bathed in prayer and
humility, will ignite and burn to the ground leaving only ashes, hurt feelings
and frustration.
The rebellion of the Israelites, and
particularly Miriam and Aaron, illustrates what happens when we do not yield to
God’s Spirit but lust after power and control. The Holy Spirit will always
guide you in truth. He wants to illuminate your path and get you into fields
that are ripe for the harvest. In Zechariah 4:6 the Lord says “It’s not by
might, not by power but by My Spirit says the Lord!”.
We have all been born into an ancient,
spiritual battle where we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood but spiritual
powers in high places. All those who hear take heed and begin today to prepare
for war. Although the battle ultimately belongs to the Lord, we have a
responsibility to daily put on our battle armor. We must seek and petition God
to help us quench the fiery darts that are fired from various places and will
not only infect us but will also spread and cripple others. So how do we battle
our cravings, lusts and desires?
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand.” Read about it yourself in the New
Testament letter to the Ephesians 6:10-20
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