Title: Spiritual Branching
Contents
spiritual pruning
(Deuteronomy 20:1-9)
God tells Moses to remove those who fear or have a different heart from the battlefield.
If you look closely at the text of the text, (verse 5) those who built a house and failed to inauguration ceremony, (verse 6) those who planted a vineyard and did not eat the fruit were not allowed to participate. And (v. 7), those who were engaged and unmarried were not allowed to participate in battle.
What are the characteristics of these three groups of people?
① Those who have built a house and have not had the inauguration ceremony worry about when to move in.
② Those who have planted a vineyard and have not eaten the fruit are concerned about the fruit.
③ A person who is engaged and cannot marry a woman cannot properly fight a war in the opinion of a woman.
And ④ in verse 8, if there are those who are afraid because they are afraid, they are told to send them back too. It's a kind of pruning.
1. It is a lesson not to hesitate to prune.
Combat must be coordinated.
If you give an order to charge, but you say you are sick, that your life will not be worth it, and that you are not feeling well, you will charge tomorrow, and it will be difficult to win the battle.
If you look at the history of Israel's wars, when Gideon, the judge, fought against the Midianites, he sent all 32,000 men back, leaving only 300 remaining.
Believers, we command you to prune for the spiritual victory of the church. Our members are the church. Temple. Therefore, spiritual pruning must be carried out decisively.
2. Second, it is a lesson that in order to prune, the rationale for pruning must be clear.
It means that God must have the right to decide whether to be selected or eliminated.
Because God decided, everyone could agree.
Delegating the final decision to God allows you to make clear and transparent decisions.
Unnecessary pruning to live a spiritual life must be according to God's decision. Please believe that we will never fail if we make spiritual decisions according to God's will.
3. Third, it is a lesson that we should do it with a heart out of mercy.
He knew the pain of those who went into battle and could not fight.
Not everyone has to go to war and fight. Not everyone has to be a warrior. For those who tremble at the sound of fighting, you have to do something else.
God sent them back considering their circumstances.
It was done with a heart of mercy, a heart of love.
You must understand that it comes from the merciful heart of God.
I hope that you will become the Lord's noble warriors who are victorious in the spiritual battle in the name of Jesus Christ by resolutely abstaining from unnecessary branches in your religious life.♣