1 Corinthians 10:7, “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”

As Believers in Christ, we always read the Old Testament through the lens of the finished work of the cross. Before the shed blood of Jesus that bought redemption for all, God had to be severe when dealing with the rebellion and stubbornness of heart His people continuously displayed. Punishment for their sin drew them back to placing their undivided attention on Him so they could live in His blessing and begin to prosper under His watchful care. Today, God does not punish us when we forget Him and stray away from His care. Instead, through our own disobedience and cooling of our devotion towards Him and His ways, we walk right out from under His blessing and protection, opening our lives to the destructive consequences of living independent from Him. Paul warns us to not frustrate the grace of God in this way and reminds us of the destruction the children of Israel faced when they did. Except, this time it will not be by the hand of God that destruction comes into our lives, but by our own thoughts and actions that lead us away from Him and into the domain of our enemy, the devil. The main offence against God that Paul warns us to watch out for, is an unthankful attitude and mistrust towards Him. The children of Israel bitterly questioned God’s plan and His provision for them, and fixed their attention on what challenged their flesh, instead of His obvious goodness towards them at every turn of their heads. How many times, when things become challenging and our flesh is uncomfortable, do we find ourselves entertaining thoughts that feed worry and doubt concerning the path or plan we know God gave clear direction and instruction for us to walk in? When the path He showed us seems to be unfruitful in the moment, or more demanding than we care to enjoy, do we allow negative thoughts to dominate our minds? When we recognize those thoughts for what they are, we are to immediately stop, turn our attention onto the Word and allow it to steer us back on course. It will deal with incorrect thoughts and attitudes and re-align us with the truth of God’s promise of protection and provision as we trust Him and obey His perfect plan for our lives. There is every guarantee that this will usher the flow of His power, peace, and supernatural joy into every area of our lives, as we follow His lead with thankful hearts that are devoted to Him and His ways.