Have you ever been around people, or maybe you are that person, where someone asks you to do something great and promises to bless you, something that benefits you? It usually has a cost to do it and your response is something like, “That sounds great … but…”
So many times, we have the opportunity to be blessed. Someone wants to buy your dinner, take you somewhere nice, or just wants to bless you in some way, and they even make it simple for you. Then you respond with “I would … but.”
Often people know what they should do … but! For example, I know I need to get saved and change my life … BUT! I really do need to hang out with different people that won’t get me in trouble … but! I know I should go to church … BUT!
In the Old Testament book of Numbers is the story of the children of Israel on the edge of the Jordan River, just the other side of the land of Canaan, the land that God has already promised them, a land “flowing with milk and honey.” Sounds like a great place, doesn’t it? Moses sends 12 men to spy out the land and bring back a report to the people before they cross. He just knew that the report would be good, because God had already promised them that He would “give” them the land, and that it was fruitful (Numbers 13:1-2).
God had given the children of Israel a promise that He was giving them the land and all they had to do was go and take possession. Not only did God promise them the land, but He even gave them clear direction on how they should go and come (vs 17). He also gives them confidence for their journey and to bring back some fruit from the land to show the others (vs 20).
The Bible is full of promises for guidance, health, protection, provision and most importantly, a personal relationship with the God of creation, salvation and eternal life. We have been given clear direction, written in one Book that is at our fingertips. And more than that, God has given us His church, a body of believers to live out the example in front of the rest of the world. If that were not enough, the Lord also gave pastors, teachers, and evangelists to teach us the Word in case we struggle to understand or have questions. How much easier could it be?
12 spies went out with a promise, direction, and confidence, and they came back with their report. Numbers 13:27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country — a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces.”
The spies said, it is just as the Lord said it would be and here is the proof. Often, I hear people that have heard the Bible preached or read a portion of it, and wonder, “could it really be so easy?” Then they meet someone who was once in their similar position, and that person has been changed, transformed, is completely different, living fruit. They see the difference and it proves what they read and heard. Yet their response may be just like the faithless spies Moses sent out;
Numbers 13:28 “But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!”
How many times has God promised you something, showed it to you in His Word, sent someone to tell you something that is proof, and we, much like the children of Israel say … but? God told them, God showed them, and God promised them, yet their “but” got in the way! I see it, I hear it, it all lines up, “BUT!”
Can I make it plain for you?
Don’t let your “but” get in the way of your blessing!
Quit making excuses for why you don’t want to change, why you can’t go to church, why you don’t want to find better people to hang around with. God tells us in Philippians 4:19 that He will supply our needs. I believe this is a promise for our spiritual, emotional, physical, and financial needs, if we will trust Him. I often hear people say they want a breakthrough, right up until breakthrough breaks into their personal comfort. Jesus said in Matthew 7:14 “But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” People may not find it because they allow their “but” to get in the way of their blessing.
It is not just those that don’t know Jesus that allow their “but” to get in the way. The religious crowd is often just as bad, if not worse. We say we want the world to change, that we need revival, we desire an awakening, then when it happens, our “but” gets in the way. But do we have to go to church every night? But what about my favorite television show or I might miss the game, it’s too late, I must get up early for work tomorrow, or but it is the weekend and that’s my only day off. There will always be a “but” that will get in the way of your blessing if you allow it.
It is time to stop the excuses. We should determine in our hearts what we will focus on (Philippians 4:8), who we will listen to (Luke 8:18), and what we are going to believe (Proverbs 4:23). Because the spies focused on the giants instead of the promise, because the people listened to the ten instead of the two, and because they did not believe the Lord when He said, “The land I am giving you,” a whole generation lost the blessing. Don’t let your “but” get in the way of your blessing!
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