Ken Winter
On To Our Paran

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

After having camped at Mount Sinai for almost a year, the cloud lifted and the Israelites set out on their three-day journey to the wilderness of Paran.(1) (You may recall that the wilderness of Paran is where Hagar and Ishmael found refuge when Sarah had Abraham send them away.(2)) The wilderness of Paran was bounded to the north by southern Canaan, otherwise known as the Promised Land. They were in the fourteenth month of their exodus from Egypt and they were now closing in on the prize that was before them – the Promised Land!

On To Our Paran
Ken Winter
Bread That Is Sufficient

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

The day God provided a ram to be sacrificed in the place of his son Isaac, Abraham called that place Jehovah Jireh, meaning “The Lord will provide.”(1) That day was to be a reminder to all generations that the Lord will provide. He will be faithful to provide just what is needed at the exact time it is needed. He is seldom early; but He is never late! He seldom provides in the manner we anticipate; but He always provides in a way that is sufficient. That was true for Abraham and Isaac, it was true for Moses and the Israelites, and it is true for us today.

God promised Moses and the Israelites that each morning He would provide bread that would be sufficient for every person for the day – everyone would have their fill.(2) After the people had gotten over the shock that this “white, flaky stuff” was God’s bread for them, they set about the process of gathering what was needed for their household. God’s provision, though “packaged” in a very unexpected way, came with very specific instructions.

Bread That Is Sufficient
Ken Winter
Chosen to Serve

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast,CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

There is no such thing as a perfect church. That statement does not come as a shock to any of us, whether we are a part of a church … or not. However, i do believe that those of us inside the church often tend to want everyone to believe we have it all together. We have a tendency to hide the “real me” behind a mask and cover up the things, the hurts, the doubts, and the imperfections that we don’t want anyone else to see. (It’s similar to the way most of us – believers and non-believers alike – tend to portray ourselves on social media.)

i also believe that those outside the church often project that false impression – that we think we’re perfect – upon the church, and enjoy highlighting the downfall of those within the church when they fall.

No, the church isn’t perfect, but then again, it never has been! But we endeavor to worship, follow, and follow the example of the only One who is and ever was perfect.

Chosen to Serve
Ken Winter
Perilous Times

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

We live in a day filled with upheaval, confusion, and uncertainty. It therefore comes as no surprise that the rates of depression, anxiety, and fearfulness about the future continue to reach new highs  among adults in the U. S. according to a Gallup poll published in May 2023.(1) But as followers of Christ, we can take heart that the perilous times in which we find ourselves are also indicative of the days to come that Jesus described two thousand years ago. We can embrace the hope we have through the promises and assurance He gave to His disciples—and through them, to us.

Jesus was sitting on the slopes of the Mount of Olives with His disciples telling them about the perilous times that would signal the end of the age and His return.(2) The disciples, in turn, asked Him three questions:

1.    When will all this happen?

2.    What sign will signal Your return?

3.    What sign will signal the end of the world?

Perilous Times
Ken Winter
His Face Was Set

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

The New King James translation of Luke 9:51 says “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” The timeframe of this particular journey recorded in Luke 9 was well over a year before Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. He still had much yet to do, messages yet to preach, and miracles yet to perform. But in this verse, Luke is reminding us that Jesus never lost sight of why the Father had sent Him. No matter what was on His “to do list,” His face was always set, His eye was always focused, and His stride never wavered from His ultimate purpose.

Sometimes, as we remember the events of Holy Week, we can fall into a trap of thinking that Jesus’s crucifixion was the result of Judas’s betrayal, the Sanhedrin’s envy and hatred, Pilate’s spinelessness, and the soldiers’ cruelty. We can be lulled into thinking His death was involuntary. And salvation was the result of God taking something that the enemy meant for evil and using it for His glory and our good.

His Face Was Set

Trusting God

Leaning On Our Own Understanding

Leaning On Our Own Understanding

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

The situation had changed, and Joshua and the Israelites had no idea. The memory was fresh of their absolute defeat of Jericho. The imposing walls of Jericho had proven to be no problem whatsoever! The men had just returned from spying out the city of Ai. It was nowhere near as imposing as Jericho! Defeating Ai would be a piece of cake – it would not require any effort.

And though the spies didn’t say this, the confidence in their remarks communicated – “we don’t even need God to defeat Ai! We can defeat them ourselves!” “We can even leave 597,000 of our fighting force back in the camp. We only need 3,000 warriors to do this. And they won’t even break a sweat.” Obviously i am putting words in their mouths, but i believe it fairly expresses the sentiment of the spies.

Running by Faith

Running by Faith

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

In a few weeks on September 23rd, my book about the life of Enoch will release. Scripture doesn’t tell us a lot about Enoch, other than he walked with God. The writer of Hebrews gives us added insight by including him in the all-star list of men and women who walked by faith. But the writer of Hebrews didn’t just include him randomly in that list. His life was listed in the verse just prior to the one that is used as the very definition of what it means to walk by faith:

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

God, You Left Out A Few Details

God, You Left Out A Few Details

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

The day Moses stood before the burning bush, God gave him a promise. He promised that after Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, he would return to that very same mountain to worship God. God didn’t tell Moses all that he was going to encounter along the way, and that is often true for us as well.

A number of months passed between the day God gave the promise as recorded in Exodus 3, and the day Moses and the people arrived back at the mountain in Exodus 19.(1) During those intervening months, Moses suffered rejection from his wife when the journey first began.(2) He suffered ridicule from the Egyptians when he delivered God’s message.(3) He suffered rebellion from the Israelites almost every step of the way.(4) As a matter of fact, he was subjected to more grumbling, complaining and death threats than anyone before or since has been forced to endure. And God never mentioned any of those details when He gave Moses His promise. God never said, “After you have endured being the object of rejection, ridicule and rebellion, you will return here and worship Me.” God, however, did say, “After you’ve completed the assignment I’ve given you, you will return here and worship Me.”

God didn’t tell Moses all that he was going to encounter along the way….

The Lessons of the Detour

The Lessons of the Detour

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

The journey of our lives often resembles a car ride on an interstate highway. Sometimes we are able to fly along with very little interruption from traffic. But most often, we are surrounded by crowded lanes of traffic that slow our progress. The congestion too frequently leads to accidents and, on occasion, to unexpected detours.

We never planned to encounter the accidents or the detours, but the reality is that they are a part of traveling along the interstate. The same is true of our lives. This week let’s look at the detours we come upon along the way, and heed some of the lessons the Israelites learned through the detours they encountered during their journey.

Their forty-year journey was almost at its end….

What Is God Waiting For?

What Is God Waiting For?

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

Frequently in response to my weekly posts, i receive comments or questions about why God didn’t intervene in a specific tragedy. If He is sovereign, why didn’t He keep that tragedy from occurring? The comments, in most instances, are from people crying out for an answer with a sincere and broken heart. On occasion, it is pouring out from a heart that has become bitter and hardened by the tragedy. Some have even gone so far as to conclude that since God didn’t act in the way we think He should have that He must not exist.

i will confess that i too struggle with some of those very same “why” questions. Why does God permit pain and suffering to continue? Why hasn’t He returned to earth and ended the disastrous consequences of our sin? To quote Tevye from “Fiddler on the Roof”: “Wouldn’t now be a good time for the Messiah to come?” (And i would hasten to add the word “again” to the end of that question.)

You Have Not Passed This Way Before

You Have Not Passed This Way Before

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

Just this morning i heard from or about a number of good friends who are walking through difficult circumstances or life-altering events. One has been intubated and placed on a ventilator as his body fights the ravages of Covid-19. One is grieving the death of a parent … and still another the passing of a spouse. Another has been exploring a job change and is now dealing with the disappointment of a recent rejection. Yet, still another announced with great joy that he is embarking on an exciting new career opportunity.

And right now, we are all watching while the people of Afghanistan are experiencing a traumatic and chaotic transition that appears to have caught everyone by surprise. We pray for the many whose lives have been uprooted as they flee their homeland, as well as the many more who are bracing for the unknown as they remain in their country.

At the same time, the people of Haiti are reeling from the devastating effects of the recent earthquake ….

What Happens When The Water Is Gone?

What Happens When The Water Is Gone?

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

All of us have been through a lot over these past eighteen months. Experiences like we have been through tend to cause us to consider what it is we can really count on when we find ourselves in a tough spot. What can we depend on to get us out? Is it our possessions (do we have enough money to pay our way out)? Is it our position (do we have enough pull or ability to get ourselves out, or at least ride it out)? Is it our relationships (do we know the right people who have the answers and can help us get out of this jam)? Those aren’t really new questions. Humankind has been thinking that way almost from the very beginning.

One example is a man who had faithfully gone to a pool each day for thirty-eight years. He was trusting in the miraculous powers of a pool of water to heal him. But he came to learn that there was One in whom he could trust even if the water was gone. He could have confidence even if the possessions, the position, or the relationships suddenly disappeared. There was One who would never fade away or forsake him….

What’s So Special About Cana?

What’s So Special About Cana?

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

Have you ever believed God was telling you to do something that makes absolutely no sense? Did you ever find yourself asking Him, “God, you want me to do what?!?” If so, there is a lesson for us to learn that comes out of an otherwise very inconsequential place.

It was an obscure corner of Galilee. Very few people knew where it was, let alone traveled to it. As a matter of fact, the village of Cana is never mentioned in the Old Testament, and it is only referred to three times in the New Testament. Most people only passed through Cana on their way to somewhere else. It wasn’t a center of activity like Jerusalem or even Capernaum. But Cana became significant one day, not because of what it was, but because of what took place there. It became significant because Jesus came there. It became significant because of how a group of people responded to Him….

Even John Had His Doubts

Even John Had His Doubts

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

Are you walking through a difficult situation right now? Have you been calling out to God … but He doesn’t seem to be answering? Are you feeling like Jesus has abandoned you? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us have been there at some point – including some whom we might least expect.

John the baptizer was a man of conviction and courage – the greatest of the prophets. He came in the spirit and power of Elijah and even dressed and ministered like him. Like Elijah, John had a message of judgment for the entire nation of Israel. The prophet Isaiah had foretold John’s coming. John’s ministry was to prepare the nation for Jesus and present Jesus to the nation. He had been sent to earth with a pretty impressive mandate from God….

Never Lost

Never Lost

[A personal note: i actually wrote this blog post several weeks ago – before the events of January 6th. But once those events occurred, i paused its publication because i did not want anyone to mistakenly connect what i was saying with that event. This is a post about the confidence we can have in God in every circumstance we may encounter or experience in our lives. It is not about armed rebellion. It’s about a trustworthy God!]

*****

We see a sharp contrast between two groups of people when we read the account of the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho.(1) On one side of the wall stood the people of Israel. They were confident and assured that, though they were facing an imposing enemy, their God would grant them victory. They weren’t trusting in any person, or any group of people; nor was their confidence in their own power or ability. Their confidence was in their God!

On the other side of the wall stood the citizens of Jericho, as they cowered in fear. It wasn’t a reverent fear of God; rather, it was a paralyzing fear.(2) They knew the God of the Israelites had already given their land to His people.(3)

The posture of both of those groups of people was completely determined by their view of God. Thirty-five hundred years later in 2021, that is still the case. Our posture is also completely determined by our view of God. We face many unknowns, just like they did. The enemies we face may look different, but the God we follow is not….

WHERE CAN WE SEND YOUR E-BOOK?

Enter your email address to get a free copy of The Journey Begins e-book delivered to your inbox. You’ll also be added to my Readers’ Group with updates about new releases, etc. You can unsubscribe at any time.