Friday, March 4, 2011

Little By Little

Why do you suppose that God told the Israelites that he would deliver them little by little when they were coming into the promised land?

Deut. 7:22 Amp.
And the Lord your God will clear out those nations before you, little by little; you may not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase among you. 
For one thing, the Israelites didn't have a very good track record. They suffered from having a hardness of heart towards God, and they often rebelled against him. If they had been able to the land immediately then they would of just taken God for granted again
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The beasts of the field could have been their attitude. They murmured and complained, made a golden calf and worshipped it, and they often had to be punished for their sins. They were often guilty of the sin of pride, and they also didn't trust God like He wanted them to.

When I was reading about this, I remembered a scripture from Proverbs.
Proverbs 13:11 Amp.
Wealth [not earned but] won in haste or unjustly or from the production of things for vain or detrimental use [such riches] will dwindle away, but he who gathers little by little will increase [his riches]. 

The King James version of the above scripture uses the word labor instead of little by little. This scripture is referring to how you get your money. If it is made honestly, then God will let you keep it. You could also regard spiritual riches in this verse also. It doesn't just mean monetary wealth and riches.

What kind of track record do you have with the Lord? What can he trust you with? Do you expect God to honor His promises to you, and when it comes to doing your part, do you fail Him? There have been times that God has delivered me from situations and has moved for me immediately. If I didn't fully obey Him, then the next time I asked for His help I had to wait awhile, and my deliverance didn't happen as quickly as it did before.

It is time that the Christians got down on their knees and asked the Lord to help them become honest with God, and with self. When God gives you deliverance little by little it is for a reason. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it is. If you really want to know, He will show you.

Sometimes God does it to help you increase your faith. Also, it may overwhelm you if He gave you deliverance all at once, and may hinder your Christian growth. Or, it could be God testing you to see how strong you are in believing Him for your miracle. If you got your miracle all at once then you may get puffed up with pride. Little by Little isn't always a bad thing. God's ways are much higher than ours, and so are His thoughts. Sometimes God uses the little things to confound the mighty. Sometimes Little by Little is used to strengthen us in faith.

Lets get honest with God. If you open up your heart to Him, and worship Him, Love Him, and Honor Him, He will do the same things for you. The Bible says it is the "little foxes that spoil the vine". One little thing in your life can cause you to stumble if you aren't careful. Jesus taught us to watch and pray that we might not enter in temptation. When the devil tempts you, it starts with something little, like a thought that he puts into your mind. Acting on that thought is what gets you into trouble.

What is the opposite of "little foxes spoiling the vine"? Little by Little, God gives you your victory!