What Are You Looking At?
It's interesting that after God miraculously freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and gave them manna to eat every morning, they started complaining against Him and Moses and stirring up trouble. Then the Scripture says, "The Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died" (Numbers 21:6). Immediately the people changed their attitude, admitted their sin, and asked Moses to pray for them. When he did, God told Moses to "make a bronze snake, put it up on a pole, and everyone that looks at the snake will be healed." Why would He choose the venomous snake that was killing them? Because God takes the very thing that is the problem and turns it into the solution. The Scripture says He does that over and over again. "What the enemy meant for my harm, God turned for my good." The snakes didn't stop biting them, but from then on anyone who looked up at that bronze snake was healed.
Over a century later, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him" (John 3:14--15). Jesus was saying that Moses' bronze snake on a pole foreshadowed His dying on the cross, but how could that be right? After all, the snake represents evil, while Jesus represents good. The apostle Paul explains it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus became what He wasn't, so we could become who we were created to be. On that cross He took all our sins, failures, shame, and guilt. Now whoever looks up to the Son of God and believes in Him has eternal life and is the righteousness of God.
There are times in all our lives when we get bit by a sickness, by a divorce, by hurts, by a bad mistake we've made. My question is, what are you looking at? At the problem or the cure? Two thousand years ago, Jesus defeated the enemy once and for all. The Scripture says, "Jesus rendered him powerless" (Hebrews 2:14). The enemy has no power over you. He can't keep you from your purpose. Don't get discouraged when negative things come. Don't let that poison keep you from the awesome future God has in store. You have the anti-venom. Dwell on what God says about you, and get ready. Favor is coming, healing is coming, promotion is coming, victory is coming, and the fullness of your destiny.
Over a century later, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him" (John 3:14--15). Jesus was saying that Moses' bronze snake on a pole foreshadowed His dying on the cross, but how could that be right? After all, the snake represents evil, while Jesus represents good. The apostle Paul explains it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus became what He wasn't, so we could become who we were created to be. On that cross He took all our sins, failures, shame, and guilt. Now whoever looks up to the Son of God and believes in Him has eternal life and is the righteousness of God.
There are times in all our lives when we get bit by a sickness, by a divorce, by hurts, by a bad mistake we've made. My question is, what are you looking at? At the problem or the cure? Two thousand years ago, Jesus defeated the enemy once and for all. The Scripture says, "Jesus rendered him powerless" (Hebrews 2:14). The enemy has no power over you. He can't keep you from your purpose. Don't get discouraged when negative things come. Don't let that poison keep you from the awesome future God has in store. You have the anti-venom. Dwell on what God says about you, and get ready. Favor is coming, healing is coming, promotion is coming, victory is coming, and the fullness of your destiny.