I write this particular sermon during the "Corona Virus - Covid-19 " quarantine days, which is shaking the whole world. With lots of speculations about the reason behind this great toxic virus and the death of huge number of people around the globe, I came across this scripture: "Those who died by the plague were 24,000.(Numbers 25:9). " Well, while I meditated, God gave me several revelations which I document here below: I have divided my presentation into three different parts for better understanding:
Strategy of the enemy! Part 1
7 Altars!
Numbers 23:1”Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here."
What caught my attention were the 7 altars! As you keep reading the chapter you will get to know the relentless pursuit of the enemy to destroy and curse the people of God. Be alert and listen carefully! The devil is not going to get tired or exasperated, each time he wants to attack you, he devices news methods to destroy you, it is so subtle that you can’t detect it with a natural eye, that’s exactly why Apostle Paul tells us to pray for spiritual enlightenment, Ephesians 5:8 “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light .”
Ephesians 1:18 “Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.”That Sunday class teacher who looks very pious and godly may be satan in disguise sent to destroy your Sunday school. Caveat! Stay with me as I expound this scripture to you; Balak was the king of Moab and Balaam was a false prophet engaged by Balak to curse the people of God.
Altars: Look at the way the enemy prepared the altars, not one but 7 with seven bulls and seven rams, they thought they could entice God with goodies, foolishly there are many who think they can buy God. Our God is a righteous Judge! Proverbs 21:27” The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent! Verse 3 says “Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go..” Balak was asked to closely monitor the offering by standing beside it. Did you watch that? The pagan king, left his palace and followed Balaam and was doing his best with his goodies to make Balaam curse the people of God. Even after Balaam returns, he finds Balak diligently standing near the altar with all the leaders of Moab, yes, the devil meticulously plans and he gathers a group to attack you, I write this to caution you and not frighten you. I wish our believers have this kind of commitment and determination towards the God they serve like these pagan people, look at the way Balak standing close to the altar. Is anybody hearing me today??? Why do young pastors give up so easily when they don't see results? Why do they keep jumping from one project to another? They start an internet ministry, when nothing happens they jump to releasing music albums then another then another......they keep aping men rather than listen to God. They lack perseverance.
Run that church even if two people attend, run that Bible class even if nobody turns up, keep practicing and learning, dont give up on your new music lessons, learning guitar pains initially, dont give up please. I want someone to get this today, the devil wants to chase you out of your destiny. Grind your teeth, dig your heels deep and keep moving. God is watching your efforts, hard work, your sweat, your tears, your pain, your loneliness and most of all your passion. Just while our free school for the poor that I started in Hyderabad, India, was moving from a small building to a new building with lots of facilities, boards and a lot more, many teachers resigned. I was flummoxed! The teacher who was maintaining all our school registers besides teaching also vanished. Her loss affected me a lot, because I was very close to her, I stayed back in my hostel room and cried the whole night alone. I felt Lord how much load can I take?? I am not young as before.....I have two grown up children, I have other responsibilities too...The Lord knows your capacity, though! in the morning God gave me a scripture:Psalm 126:6- "He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him." I mustered up my strength and started writing registers, teaching and cooking too in the school, slowly my daughter who had finished B Tech Computer Engineering resigned her job and joined me in ministry, some wonderful teachers joined us, my husband is now the school Correspondent and the show is running wonderfully. We run a Government recognized, English medium school with free uniforms, free lunch, books and a lot more. Besides this, we are also running a free shelter Home for the poor children called Abide Angel Home and Shiloh Revival Church. Well, there were days I just wanted to scoot and run away but God helped me stand firm and work hard. Pull up your socks and run for God. Will you???
The devil is after your house, your kids, your spouse, your assistants, your ministry volunteers, your team, your helpers and everyone connected with you, what are you doing to protect your family ? While we were conducting meeting in a different city, some local engineers would come and help us, one day one particular young man who is very useful for our ministry came to me and said, ”sister, today one particular vendor came and gave me a keyboard as gift and said ‘I used to give such gifts for the previous employee also.” Keyboard???? The devil knows what to gift you! I told him to refuse the gift. We got to have eyes all around us like Nehemiah and pray for everybody connected with us.
Strategy of the enemy – part 2
Different methods/location:
Numbers 23:13”Then Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there."
The devil now takes you to a different location to allure you! Did we not read how Jesus was taken by satan to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." (Mathew 4:8) But Jesus gave an apt reply: Get away satan. We got to likewise not flounder and delay but right on the face of the tempter, say, ‘get away!’ Every delay is a loophole for satan to enter and tempt you again and again. Are you there?
In the previous location, Balaam was able to see the entire people of God and he was awed, he said: “Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel?”(Numbers 23:10) So, Balak cunningly devised another plan and took him to another location from where he was able to see only part of the people: Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there."(verse 13) Also 7 NEW altars were built with 7 bulls and 7 rams, look at the extent he goes to shrewdly and astutely terminate you, he chases you again and again and again. So the devil is playing with your mind because he has already ‘identified’ the weakness in you! Pause here to think. He knows your weakness for girls, your weakness for money, position, fame, beauty, lust, …….having studied you thoroughly, he will throw his balls not carelessly but precisely and fastidiously. Well, Balak failed the second time also but he was not going to give up, though.
One young Christian woman from an affluent background joined me for work, she very enthusiastically participated in prayer, conducted prayer and also sometimes attended fasting prayer at our church. She was a great boon to me; however, her husband a lukewarm Christian who drinks and parties was looking for ways to stop her. BAM, he found the chance, on her birthday, he took her out for breakfast, lunch and dinner with three different sarees, after a couple of days, she came to me said, ‘she was resigning.’ With three sarees and hotel food he tricked her, how sad! Alas! This woman who heard me preach for 40 days during a fasting prayer, everyday listened to me counsel her and preach to her fell for the tactics of the devil.
I cannot leave this story here, because the aftermath of disobedience should also be told, isn’t it? After a couple of years, she came to see me on her own, and gave me a shocking news, her husband who was doing very well at work and also had a booming side-business (which is not right) suddenly went on terrible loss and they had to sell even their house and they moved into a rented house. Your folly brings you down like the way Balaam, the false prophet also was punished eventually. “
Ezekiel 28:7:I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.”
PART 3
Numbers 23:28”Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland.”
The enemy woos you to his territory! Caveat!
The third time, Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooked the desert.(v 28) Now, ‘Peor’ was no ordinary place, Baal (pagan god) was worshipped here, and it was thence called Baal-peor. He chose this place with a hope to get favor from his god. Look at that! Also this particular location was facing a desert and wasteland, so Balak felt, now it would be the right place to get a curse out of his mouth towards his people. At times, famine, desert, crisis and afflictions bring the worst out of people rather than patience, peace and tranquility. Anybody there?
Apostle Paul was right when he said: “ if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” (1Corinthians 10:12) Boy, that’s a warning right there! Soon after I got saved and I was jumping all over the place, one elderly aunty said, ‘we got to always pray that we stand and don’t fall’, I felt ‘ how could anyone move away from such a wonderful experience?’ I thought aunty crazy then but how wrong I was!!! Caveat!!
The tactics of the devil is to bring you close to his territory so that you are vulnerable and weak, make note of that. When you go to the wine shop, night clubs, hookah clubs, drug groups and say, “hey, I am not participating but just chilling with them”, then you are mistaken, slowly you would be drawn into the web. You are who you run with! A young hindu man attended our home cell meetings several years back, he got saved, got delivered from several demons and we also put him in a good church; however, his wife was not into the Lord and she had enormous demons in her, so the devil used her to torment him. Well, we counseled him, gave him all the help and I also pulled him out from the place where he was connected with lot of idol worship and took him closer to a pastor’s house, I did all this because we were staying in another State altogether, I had to travel 15 hours in train to reach him, which I did.
Well, after few years, along with his wife he continued to visit their relatives and attend hindu rituals which involved deep idol worship. ( enemy territory), I got the news that his wife was in serious condition having been possessed by now with lots of devils, I rushed to his house, stayed with them for one week, slept with the demon possessed woman in the same room, helped them along with the local pastor, advised them and left. Number 23 and 24 talks about what our Father God did for the people of Israel and how he protected them from behind. Coming back to the wife she was ungrateful, did not go to church and died of brain hemorrhage few years later. The husband now a young widower with two sons is still living a roller-coaster life despite the severe losses, it has been more than 15 years of struggle with that family which did drain me emotionally. Some people don’t get it at all!
Coming back to Balaam, after his umpteen spiritual experiences with the Lord, dream in the night, encounter with the angel and encounter with God, rebukes and warnings from God; yet, he went ahead and gave wicked plans to the king of Balak to mix the pagan people with the people of God and thereby take the protection OFF the people of God.
Read Revelation 2:14 “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication.”
Did you see that? The Israelites fell into transgression due to these traps and God sent a deadly plague to them as a result Those who died by the plague were 24,000.(Numbers 25:9). Was Balaam spared? No. He was killed in a battle, read: “…they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. (Numbers 31:8)
Why did all this happen? It was because of greed for money, careless attitude towards idol worship and disobedience to the word of God:
2 Peter 2: 15 They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor,[a] who loved the wages of doing wrong,
Read: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.(1 Timothy 6:10)
PART 4
PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS:
Isaiah 51: 1"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, Who seek the LORD…”
This would be quite a crazy statement to make to a bunch of people who are pursuing film celebrities, entertainers, magicians, con men, rock stars, sports stars and all the stars in the world except the ‘bright morning star’ – His name is Jesus! Above scripture talks to people who pursue righteousness……and seek God! The devil chased Balaam because he had already sniffed his 'LUST FOR MONEY and knew he could be trapped. Are you listening?
Several years back, a friend of mine asked me to write for his group of friends and when I started shooting out my devotions, they threatened him and said, ‘ask her to stop writing’, few of my colleagues after reading my devotions said, ‘she is just too much’; however, I formed my own group and started sending my devotions, there were haters and lovers. After a decade, one particular young engineer came forward on his own to sponsor and open my own website where my devotions are posted, until today. (https://worshipjesusministriestrust.org/) Well, I heard someone tell me, people in my office are too scared to read your devotions because they take you deep to the dark crevices of their heart and open up hidden sins. I got to talk because the Lord said,” Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression..” (Isaiah 58:1)
How could the Lord bless our worship when the guitar and keyboard are bought in black without paying taxes? How could the Lord bless the church when it is built on land without approval? How could the Lord bless the music album when it is produced through pirated software and stuff that are without license? You can produce but there would be no fruits..in other words ..souls will not be redeemed. I was getting my book printed in a Christian printing press, he had a huge photo of his parents in the main hall and also a photo of Christ; however, he has not bought a single software that he uses for his business, in fact, he told me he would download some for me.(gutter water) When I explained that it was not ethical to do business with pirated software, he gave me a weird look and from that moment his attitude towards me was downright rude. Thank you Jesus!
You know what, the world cannot stand you when you point out their wickedness, you see this happening to Apostle Paul when he tries to point out the truth to Felix in Acts 24: 25,26 read,
25 But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you."
26 At the same time too, he was hoping that money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and converse with him.”
Did you see that wicked heart? The Bible says: Psalm 11:6” Upon the wicked He will rain snares, fire, brimstone, burning wind will be the portion of their cup.”
Clean file
Isaiah 58:8”…your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
“The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard”! His protection would follow us wherever we go, isn’t this awesome? It is so important that we maintain clean records in our life so that we can go to God with our clean file during times of danger and emergency and tell Him like Daniel, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime." Daniel 6:22. Did you see that? You can be bold like a lion in the midst of lions when you have an honest life and clean chit before God.
I was invited to preach in a village and stay with the pastor’s family for three days, more than the congregation, the pastor was being touched tremendously, on the last day the pastor came to me and said, ‘I have been taking electric current from the Government connection for my personal use and also for the church; however, I got my own power connection, but still I continued to use the facility drawing free current from the Government connection illegally since I didn’t have to shell out any money but these three days God had been pointing out my mistake and correcting me. I will now cut the connection and use my own.” Glory to Jesus! This is repentance. Sometimes ignorantly people continue to do unrighteous acts and at other times they presumptuously live a corrupted life despite knowing the truth, God says, “Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.” Proverbs 11:21
Several years ago, we had saved up some money to buy a camera for shooting our sermons, we needed a good one though, when we started doing enquiry, we found out that if we buy a camera without bill then the cost was drastically low; nevertheless we stuck to our decision and waited for God to give us more funds so that we could buy one that we can afford in the righteous way. Can I tell you the fruits of such acts? Such purchases become a great blessing for you! Check out your life!
Deuteronomy 6:18” "You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore to give your fathers”
God bless you!
