“And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you; take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore; meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot-breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand; He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.” 
Deuteronomy 2:4-7 

 
It is interesting to note that during the 40 years that Israel walked in the wilderness, they lack nothing; God took care of their every need.  Furthermore, by the time they found themselves leaving the wilderness and going towards the Promised Land, God would instruct them not to “meddle” with certain people they found on the way. Since, the people whose land they would pass through had already received a previous promise from Him.  In this case, the land the Israelites would pass through had already been given to the descendants of Esau and Lot; men who were highly favored by God through their own stories. 

There are going to be times when there are things, people, or opportunities you desire, pray for, or simply want that have already been promised to someone else.  And, in order to receive it, you will have to pay for it, sometimes dearly —simply because it is not yours for the taking, and will not come freely.  There will be a cost extracted from you for the provisions you will need.  However, isn’t it wonderful to know that once you have been given the promise of a blessing to come, God will not allow anyone or anything to take it from you, except maybe your own arrogance and ego. 

Hasn’t it happened to you where you worked on a task, a job, or had an opportunity where it seemed the heavens opened for you?  Everything you touched flourished easily and flawlessly; it was simply yours for the taking.  Your ears were fine-tuned to God, and your steps seemed custom-ordered for you. You listened intently. Then, because of your ego, arrogance, or lack of obedience, the next tiny issue, something that should have been simple, turned into a major dilemma and somehow you had to pay for it dearly.  

Take the time today to pray for a sense of discernment; the ability to know the difference between what is for you from God, and what is not.   This way you don’t waste time confusing the two; trying desperately to take the things that are not for you, paying dearly; and, ignoring the things that really are for you and not seizing the opportunity.   L. 

Study Reference: Deuteronomy 2:2, Genesis 11:24-27, 12:1-4
From:"When It Is Not Yours."  In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.  
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell 

“Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to His gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.”     Romans 16:25-26

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of [God’s] Vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”  This statement was written by the late Poet Audre Lorde; I took the liberty of replacing her word “my,” with the word “God”.  We have to assume when Ms. Lorde wrote this statement she was referring to her own vision for her life.  However, the word powerful seems more profound and fortified with God in the text. 

When we are given the power to step out of the ordinary to embrace the higher aspects of ourselves, we can opt to be fearful, or dare to embrace the possibilities of life and run with it.  Throughout the Bible there are examples of those who chose to embrace God’s power in their lives, simply to find enough trouble to fulfill multiple chapters and verses. Yet endure they did, embracing the process and fulfilling their purpose.  God never said it would be easy, He said, “My Grace/strength is sufficient unto thee.”   2 Corinthians 12:9

There are some aspirations you will have that, unbeknownst to you, are divinely inspired; times when you simply are not certain how you came to want a particular thing for your life, yet somehow the dream lives and burns in the depths of your soul, waiting to be fed, nurtured, and birthed in the reality of your existence.  Do you dare to fulfill its calling, or do you simply fear its strength, cower into yourself, and vanish?  

There will come a time when you are summoned to use your strength in the service of God’s vision, and you will have to decide whether you have one or the other; overwhelming fear immobilizing God’s vision for your life, or enough over-powering faith to conquer your fears and put the vision in motion.  L.  

Study Reference: Romans 16:25-26 
From:"The Power to Endure."  In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.  
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell 

“And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife well stricken in years.  And the angel answering said, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. And behold, thou shall be dumb, and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season.”
Luke 1:18-20

 Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was a priest in the temple of God.  Based on priestly hierarchy, he was the priest who lit the incense while people prayed in the temple. The Bible says, he and his wife “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (Luke 1:6) Yet, although he was an experienced priest, with what we assume to be many years of service in the temple, when Gabriel, the Archangel, appeared unto him with the information that he would not only become a first time father in his old age, but also, father to the son who would announce the coming of the Messiah; Zacharias did not believe him.  And, because of his unbelief, the Bible says, he was stricken with dumbness, unable to speak for the entire nine month of his wife’s pregnancy. 

We can imagine Zacharias, a pillar of strength within the temple of Judean society. A man worthy of marriage to a descendant of Aaron, the famed high priest of Israel, going about his temple duties with love and devotion to God.  It is easy to imagine his supplications on behalf of the people being fulfilled with answers from God; while his secret prayers to be blessed with children throughout his life, went seemingly unanswered by the Lord.  And, just when he finally accepted his fate of never being the high priest, never having an heir, and never being able to see the birth of a son, along comes Gabriel with a message of both shock and hope!  

Unbelief is not limited to the unrighteous, or the ungodly, many times it is found in the very faithful.  Those whom we believe should easily accept God’s responses and promises to their pleas whenever they manifest.  Yet truthfully, even in our staunchest testimony of our faith in Christ, sometimes we will fail in our belief when we need it most.  It is in those times when we are the most vulnerable in remaining steadfast that we need to strengthen our belief in God; because no matter how it appears on the outside, God is forever faithful!   L.

Study Reference: Luke 1:5-64
From: "Appearance of Faith."  In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.  
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell