I’m sure you were greatly blessed by the part1 of this series. Glory to Jesus! Now we shall begin to explore various pictures of Jesus in the Old Testament. There was a time the children of Israel were under the attack of ‘fiery serpents’! Hmm… The attack was so serious that the Bible records that the serpents…
‘…bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died…’ (Numbers 21:6)
Wow! It was really a ‘deadly’ scenario! In fact, the Bible reveals that they cried to Moses to…
‘…pray to the LORD that He TAKE AWAY the serpents from us…’ (Numbers 21:7)
Hmm… ‘…TAKE AWAY…’! Have you ever been in a situation in life where your prayer was…
‘…Lord, please TAKE AWAY this disease from me…’
‘…Lord, please TAKE AWAY this financial struggle from my family…’
‘…Lord, please TAKE AWAY this marital delay from my life…’
‘…Lord, please TAKE AWAY this academic frustration from me…’
Hmm…. Now listen: the answer to the challenges of life is NOT for God to …take them away…! This is why many believers are frustrated in their prayer lives and the devil end up deceiving them that God does not answer prayers!
Now you may be wondering: ‘…what then should I pray…’? Hmm… Let’s find the answer in God’s response to the cry of the children of Israel.
‘…Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live…’ (Numbers 21:8)
Wow! Oh…I love this response God gave to Moses! Funnily, this is THE SAME answer God gives to us when we pray…’take away’ prayers…and it seems God is not answering!!! Now follow carefully as we explore this answer God gave to Moses on behalf of the children of Israel.
1) MAKE A FIERY SERPENT (that is, make a prototype of the very challenge that you are facing)
2) SET IT ON A POLE
3) Everyone who is bitten, WHEN HE LOOKS AT IT…shall LIVE…!
What a loaded response!
Hmmm…
‘…So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived…’ (Numbers 21:9)
Notice that Moses did not take one of the ‘fiery serpents’ that was biting the people and put on a pole! He made a prototype! What does this symbolize? Hmm…
‘…And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up…’ (John 3:14)
Wow! It was all about SEEING JESUS ON THE CROSS! God’s answer is always SEE THAT CHALLENGE JUDGED ON A POLE! Imagine one of the children of Israel who was bitten by the fiery serpent…. looking at the wound on his leg…and crying…instead of looking at the ‘bronze serpent’ on the pole…! What do you suppose will happen to him? Hmm…
Many believers are LOOKING at their challenges instead of seeing that challenge JUDGED IN THE BODY OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS! No wonder many are frustrated in their prayer lives! You might be wondering: …is this teaching practical? Hmm…
I once prayed for a woman who was dying of ‘cancer’ in a hospital…and the doctor has called her case ‘closed’…. It wasn’t a long prayer….in fact, it was over the phone… ‘…because JESUS has taken away your sickness by dying for you….no matter the cause of this sickness…even if was your ‘sins’…I decree this sickness cursed in the name of Jesus…! …and she said Amen!!!
That was it! That same week…she was healed of the deadly disease! (This testimony was shared at one of our conferences). Glory to Jesus!
How practical is it to SEE our challenges JUDGED on the body of Jesus!
Instead of praying: God TAKE AWAY this challenge…
Why not pray: Lord, show me a FRESH REVELATION OF JESUS IN THIS CHALLENGE!
The answer is not in looking at the wound…. The answer is in ‘…LOOKING UNTO JESUS, the author and finisher of our faith…'(Heb 12:2)
Hallelujah!
In conclusion: never forget that instead of praying: God TAKE AWAY this challenge…
Always pray: Lord, show me a FRESH REVELATION OF JESUS IN THIS CHALLENGE!
And you will be surprised how the challenge would vanish simply by LOOKING UNTO JESUS AND HIS FINISHED WORK ON THE ‘POLE’! Hallelujah!
Stay tuned for another revelation of Jesus in the Old Testament… in my upcoming post! Glory to Jesus!
Amen.
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