Rebellion in the Camp

These men are arrogant and presumptuous—they think nothing of scoffing at the glories of the unseen world. 2 Peter 2:10, Phillips.
It is hardly possible for men to offer greater insult to God than to despise and reject the instrumentalities He would use for their salvation….
In the rebellion of Korah is seen the working out, upon a narrower stage, of the same spirit that led to the rebellion of Satan in heaven. It was pride and ambition that prompted Lucifer to complain of the government of God, and to seek the overthrow of the order which had been established in heaven. Since his fall it has been his object to infuse the same spirit of envy and discontent, the same ambition for position and honor, into the minds of men. He thus worked upon the minds of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, to arouse the desire for self-exaltation and excite envy, distrust, and rebellion. Satan caused them to reject God as their leader, by rejecting the men of God’s appointment. Yet while in their murmuring against Moses and Aaron they blasphemed God, they were so deluded as to think themselves righteous, and to regard those who had faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
Do not the same evils still exist that lay at the foundation of Korah’s ruin? Pride and ambition are widespread; and when these are cherished, they open the door to envy, and a striving for supremacy; the soul is alienated from God, and unconsciously drawn into the ranks of Satan…. While endeavoring to destroy the confidence of the people in the men of God’s appointment, they really believe that they are engaged in a good work, verily doing God service….
It is by sinful indulgence that men give Satan access to their minds, and they go from one stage of wickedness to another. The rejection of light darkens the mind and hardens the heart, so that it is easier for them to take the next step in sin and to reject still clearer light, until at last their habits of wrongdoing become fixed. Sin ceases to appear sinful to them
Conflict and Courage p. 108
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Prayer Requests
—– Sonja is in ______ today and tomorrow for several doctors appointments. A few weeks ago they found some significant abnormalities in some CT scans they did on the region of her previous cancer and surgery site. She will see two different doctors for further tests and hopefully clarification of what the CT scans are showing. Please keep her in your prayers. Pastor Bowman
—-Please pray for Mike who is needing God’s help in a very serious situation regarding his children and also for spiritual fortitude. E
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Dear Friends,
When Eileen was seven, we were in a store looking at baby clothes, since it would not be long before Ronnie Jay would be born. The clerk , smiling, said to Eileen, “It looks like you will soon be a big sister! Isn’t that wonderful?”
Eileen said, “Yes! I prayed and prayed for a baby and finally Jesus said, ‘Oh, all right! You can have one.’ ” Both the clerk and I had a hard time holding in our laughter.
Later, as I reflected upon what my daughter had said, I wondered how many times I had said with exasperation in my voice, ?Oh, all right. You can have one.? in answer to her constant begging for something. From that moment I determined that I would not give in to her pleading because I had been inadvertently giving her a wrong idea about prayer and how and why God answers. From then on, I was more careful to explain why I could or could not grant her requests.
Over the years had many conversations with my children explaining that God answers our prayers even when they seem to gounanswered. He knows far better than we do what is best for us. Jesus assures us, “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” “Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matt 6:8, Luke 11:9,10 At first that seems like we will get anything we desire, but that is not the case. Our dear Saviour tells us the conditions for answered prayer, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7
The apostle John adds an additional qualifier to answered prayer. ?And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.? 1 John 5:14, 15 James gives us another reason why we do not always get what we ask for, “Ye ask, and receive not,because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3 What a wonderful Heavenly Father we have! He listens to ourprayers and weighs each request. Then He gives us an answer that is better than we could ask or think. It may not seem best in our finite judgment but could we see the end from the beginning, we would choose the same. May we have perfect trust and confidence in the answers God gives us to our prayers even if they are not the answers we expect.
Rose