Camped Outside Of Canaan

Camped outside of Canaan

Numbers 32:1

Numbers 32:1

Complacent -

1. pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied:

2. pleasant; complaisant.

How many here don't want to be complacent in the things of God?

How many here want to be all that God has called you to be?

Believe it or not the Enemy would like to get you and I to become complacent or satisfied in the things of God and miss out on what God really has for us.

That is what happened to the 2 and a half tribes we just read about in Numbers 32:1-3.

They were promised by God to enter into Canaan, but they got comfortable with the land they were in and wanted to stay right where they were at...'

See what happened is they came out of Egypt - they had conquered the Moabites and the Midianites and now they were on their way to the promised land, but on their way to the promised land they ran into some land that had green grass.

Now they had a lot of cattle and cattle like green grass.

So they figured Hmmmmm instead of going into the promised land why don't we go talk to Moses and see if can we just stay right here. This land is suitable for livestock and we have livestock...

See the Lord wanted to give them Canaan, but they wanted to settle where they were at.

They were no longer in Egypt, but neither were they in the promised land.

So one day they came to Moses and said Moses we have something to ask you.

We want to know if its ok if we just stay right here in this land because it is green and has a lot of grass and we have cattle and cattle like grass. So we wanted to know if we can just stay right here, please don't make us cross the Jordan.

Crossing the Jordan representing more work, more faith, and more commitment.

It was easier to stay right where they were at, instead of believing God to take them across the Jordan.

They wanted to become satisfied right where they were at.

How many know the challenge for you and I is not to become comfortable where we are at?

That challenge is do we move forward for all that God has for us, or do we become satisfied and complacent outside of the promise that God wants to give us.

Tamed geese on the pond: - Jim Moss.

Ronald Meredith, in his book Hurryin' Big For Little Reasons, describes one quiet night in early spring: Suddenly out of the night came the sound of wild geese flying. I ran to the house and breathlessly announced the excitement I felt. What is to compare with wild geese across the moon? It might have ended there except for the sight of our tame mallards on the pond. They heard the wild call they had once known. The honking out of the night sent little arrows of prompting deep into their wild yesterdays. Their wings fluttered a feeble response. The urge to fly--to take their place in the sky for which God made them-- was sounding in their feathers, but they never raised from the water. The matter had been settled long ago. The corn of the barnyard was too tempting and became better than the feeling of flight! Now their desire to fly only made them uncomfortable. Temptation is always enjoyed at the price of losing the capacity for flight.

See the enemy of great is always good.

Sometimes you and I can settle for good instead of going for great.

How many here this morning don't want to just be good, but you want to be great for God?

God has called us to be the head and not the tail and above and not beneath...

He hasn't called us to just get by, or to be complacent, or average. No the Bible says those who know their God shall be strong and do great exploits.

Israel had conquered the Moabites and the Midianites, and the ideal grazing lands on the east side of the Jordan River were laid out before them. The tribal leaders of Reuben and Gad were content with these lands, and asked to be given them as their tribal inheritance.

See after you and I have conquered a few things in our walk with God, we need to be careful not to become complacent and settle outside of the promises that God has for us.

Today I would like to point out 3 areas that you and I will be tempted to become complacent in.

1. Mentally - our mentality and the way we think and look at things