What’s Blocking Your Blessing?

Hey there! When we climb a hill, we got to keep our eyes on both the top and the bottom. We need to see the rocks that are stopping us from getting up. It’s the same in our lives. We all want God’s blessings, but we don’t realize what’s holding us back. Sometimes, we’re so caught up in the obstacles, like a rock blocking our tire, that we keep pushing harder and getting stuck in the same spot.

[1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NIV] 1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Godly walk of Ancestors  

Paul writes to the Corinthian’s church to learn from the mistakes of Israelites and not treat that as old history and not think that may not apply for us. So here is a comparison of how God is the same for our Ancestors and for us

Key Things to Consider	Our Ancestors	Current world
God’s calling	The Israelites in the Old Testament were saved by God from slavery in Egypt. This was based on the promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [Exodus 2:23-25 NIV] 23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.	God gave us the same promise He gave to Abraham, saving us through faith and making us spiritual Israelites so He can help us too [Galatians 3:14 NIV] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Baptism	They were Baptised by the Moses [1 Corinthians 10:2 NIV] 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea	Through faith in Christ, we are baptized. God has promised that we will be with Jesus forever in eternity if we follow His commands [Galatians 3:26-27 NIV] 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Walked in Cloud	God guided them with a cloud, day and night. In Nehemiah, we read that they walked with God in the wilderness for 40 years. Nehemiah 9:19 NIV] 19 "Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take	After baptism and obeying to his commands, we begin walking with God’s Holy Spirit. [John 14:15-16 NIV] 15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--
Spiritual Food	God gave them the same food—manna and water in the desert. He also kept them safe, and their clothes and feet didn’t wear out. They had everything they needed. [Nehemiah 9:20-21 NIV]. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.	Jesus is our spiritual Father, and He gives us His Word as daily food to live by. [Psalm 119:105 NIV]  Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Paul concludes this summary to say, God was not pleased with

[1 Corinthians 10:5 NIV] 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

• When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, there were about 603,550 men (Numbers 1:45–46), not counting women, children, or the tribe of Levi. The total Israelites population was around 2 to 2.5 million based on theologian estimates.

• How many entered the Promised Land? Only Joshua and Caleb, from that adult generation made it [Numbers 14:30 NIV] 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun..

What Differentiated Joshua / Caleb?

1. They were Servant of God – Both Joshua (Was aide) and Caleb (Was Servant) were servants to Moses.

• [Joshua 1:1 NIV] 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide:

•  [Numbers 14:24 NIV] 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

As children of God, we’re also called to be His servants. Even if we’re not full-time ministers, we’re still called to serve Him. It’s not enough to just be a believer for years—we should step out of our comfort to serve in whatever way we can. Ask God he will show his way.

2. Both Sought God early in youth - There is no record of Joshua’s age, but for Caleb he was 40 Yrs. Old. We read in Joshua 14, God gave  strength to Caleb in 85 Years also as the Strength of a 40-year-old.

• [Joshua 14:10-11 NIV] 10 "Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.

After giving your best years to the world, Don’t wait until old age to serve God. Give your best to God now, it’s not too late —He will value it.

3. They Followed the Lord wholeheartedly – The word Wholeheartedly means doing something with complete sincerity, dedication, and enthusiasm.

• [Joshua 14:9 NIV] 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.'

• God blessed their wholehearted work, not only to them but to their generations and generations –

• Joshua’s tribe was tribe of Ephraim , a sum of 32,500 men entered the promised land

• Caleb’s tribe was the tribe of Judah, a sum of 76,500 men entered the promised land. We know the blessings God has for the tribe of Judah,

• Don’t just focus on your own blessing—God is faithful to bless your family and future generations if you serve Him with all your heart

Learnings from our Ancestors

[1 Corinthians 10:6 NIV] 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

There were 6 Sin’s that prevented them from entering the promise land

1. Sins of Revelry:  Israelites minds were always in eating and drinking and indulge in a party attitude (Revelry)

[1 Corinthians 10:7 NIV] 7 (b) ..; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry."

• This is a wake-up call for us. Today’s world is filled with excess—more food, more drinking—and those who don’t join (Men & Women) in are often seen as strange.

• Party culture belongs to the world, not to believers who have been saved by Jesus’ blood.

• Sins of Revelry / Eating and drinking comes from Satan, We are tempted to Sin by looking around the world. We must surrender them to God and ask Him to free us from worldly passions.

• God is the same God who protected Lot from the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah , he can also protect us our sinful generation as well if we ask him like Caleb

2. Sins of Idolatry :

[1 Corinthians 10:7 NIV] 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were;

• We all know when Moses had gone to the mountains of Mount Sinai (also known as Horeb) to receive the Ten Commandments from God, Aaron made calf and worshipped it, They worshipped an image that eats Grass, as God

  
  

•  [Psalm 106:19-20 NIV] 19 At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. 20 They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

• As believers of Christ, we may not have idols at home, but Satan is clever to give us modern idols. That we have our mind focused on and keep our eyes from God.

• Anything that’s secondary to God is all a modern idol.

• Ask God to show you the idol’s what you are bonded to flee from them.

3. Sexual immorality

[1 Corinthians 10:8 NIV] 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

• The Israelite men in Shittim got involved with Moabite women, who were from a different tribe. They committed sexual sin and adultery.

• It didn’t stop there. The Moabite women invited them to eat food offered to idols, and the men gave in. They worshiped false gods in exchange for pleasure. They turned away from the true God and gave themselves over to sin.

• This was very wicked in God’s eyes and stirred up His anger. We read about God’s judgment on this in Numbers 25.

  
  

• This is a wake-up call for us. We may not bow to idols like the Israelites did, but today’s world brings sin in new ways—especially through social media. We’re exposed to things that go against God and can be tempted into ungodly relationships. We must stay alert and guard our hearts.

• Many of sins today are hidden and done in secret, but remember—nothing is hidden from God. His eyes are on everyone, and no one can escape His judgment.

4. Testing God for Food

[1 Corinthians 10:9 NIV] 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes.

• The Israelites tested God for the food they craved [Psalm 78:18 NIV] 18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.

• When we walk with God, He provides everything we need—food, water, and more. He’s a caring God. If He fed Elijah using a raven, He can take care of us too, because His promises are true [Matthew 6:25-26 NIV] 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

• You are allowed to test and see God only to discern if the spirit is from God or false spirit [1 John 4:1 NIV] 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

5. Grumbling attitude

[1 Corinthians 10:10 NIV] 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.

• We read the account of their grumbling despite the blessings that God did for them, Grumbling is nothing but not satisfied with what you have and always in a complaining mode, they grumbled by raising the voices and crying day and night.

• [Numbers 14:1-2, 11, 24 NIV] 1 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? ... 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

• Out of all this we read Caleb had a diff spirit not to grumble Numbers 14:24

• Check to see how is your attitude in life, do you always complain and are not  thankful for what you have received. If you are grumbling day and night, remember God will destroy you with his angel

6. Unfaithfulness

[Hebrews 3:12 NIV] 12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

• Even after 40 years of being led by God, the Israelites were still unfaithful. They did not trust God’s promise and their faith became futile.

• They lost the “saltiness” in Christ and were denied the promise because of it.

• God was angry with them, even after caring for them so faithfully  [Nehemiah 9:19-21 NIV], Their unfaithful hearts stirred God’s anger [Hebrews 3:10-11 NIV] 10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' "

• This is a wake-up call for us today. In a world that moves fast and depends on what we see, we must not forget God’s past faithfulness in our lives.

• Relfect back what he has done in your life to regain the faith in him, don’t look down.

Summary

• God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was the God of Abraham and Moses, and He is still our God today. We walk under the same cloud of His protection, through the promises made to Abraham.

• Only Joshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land because they followed God wholeheartedly and served Him from a young age as servants of God.

• The six sins that made the Israelites fall—and can do the same to us—are: idolatry, revelry, testing God, sexual immorality, grumbling, and unfaithfulness. These are not just sins of the past—they still exist in our lives today.

• Take time to examine your heart, turn away from these sins, and repent. As Paul says, “Flee from sin,”so we can receive the promises God has prepared for each of us.