Becoming God's Army

In the previous session, we discussed how the Israelites left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. They walked the entire way on foot, day after day, bringing their families, food, drinks, and belongings. It was truly arduous. Is the life of a Christian an easy one? The path from slavery to the Promised Land is fraught with difficulty.

The Israelites' way of traveling is quite intriguing. God commanded: When it is time to camp, set up camp. When it is time to move, break camp. They kept walking and walking, which must have filled the Israelites with resentment. They must have wondered, What am I doing? We had food and drink in Egypt. Isn't this even worse than being a slave in Egypt? I'd rather be a slave than this! They trudged forward with their baggage, not knowing when it would end.

The common people and the military have different perspectives. The common people simply want to live their lives. The Israelites wondered if the Promised Land was truly as good as they said. If it was so good, wouldn't it be better to get there immediately? The more they walked, the more resentful they became.

Then Moses led Israel from Mount Sinai into the Desert of Paran. They traveled for three days without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” (Exodus 15:22-24)

If this happened to us, we wouldn't know what was going on, or what would happen next. It would be too difficult. They complained to Moses. They had walked for three days in the desert, with their water and food running out. Not having water was deadly. Three million people, young and old, were looking for water. God was truly harsh. The Israelites grumbled to Moses, What are we to drink? Was there no place to die in Egypt? Must we die in the desert?

There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he put them to the test. He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:25-26)

It's a bit strange, army? When did they agree to become an army? Without an army, how can they inherit the land? Wouldn't they just be waiting to be beaten? Why were they slaves in Egypt? Because they couldn't defeat them. If they didn't want to be slaves for generations, they had to rise up and build God's army. Do we focus on the hardship of walking these three days, or the hardship of building God's army? If we have a long-term perspective, we won't mind the suffering, and we will rise up to build an army to inherit the land and drive out the Canaanites.

God is a God Who Tests People

God has a wonderful plan, but every plan needs to be implemented step by step. If you have a long-term perspective, what is three days of walking? Three months doesn't matter. A characteristic of this era is: The victor is king, the loser is the enemy. History is written by the victors, who establish a nation after their victory and then write the preceding history. So we must also consider if we have encountered times of difficult walking. Every time we encounter a state of no water and no food, we must clearly know that God is testing us.

When Abraham left his country, his kindred, and his father's house to go to Canaan, he also walked it out step by step. It was just as difficult. It would have been much better to live in his own home, but God made Abraham leave his home and experience turbulent days. Whether or not you can endure turbulent days depends entirely on what you think in your heart. What you think in your heart is consistent with your reaction to God.

Overcome Trials, See Grace

Why were the Israelites suffering? Because they were not thinking far enough ahead, not seeing clearly enough. So they complained. They did not know that God was testing them to see if they could become a blessed people. God is love. Since God loves us, shouldn't we be blessed? God's love for us is unconditional, but being blessed is conditional. If you want to be a blessed person, it's a bit difficult. You have to be a victorious person.

But at this time, the Israelites complained, which is normal. God then showed them His deeds.

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. (Exodus 15:23-25)

Because they had no long-term plans, they just wanted to have a good day. We shouldn't think we are any better than the Israelites, we're really about the same. But we must know that this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison! So God instructed Moses to throw the wood into the water, and it became sweet. So we will experience trials and see God's grace throughout this journey!

Complaining and Indulging the Flesh are Both Bad Habits

In this life, whether you like it or not, the road is not easy. But walking with hope is different from walking without hope. A believer has God when they encounter problems. I think it's better to have God. People can complain a lot, but it's useless.

Complaining is a strange thing. If you complain, your whole life will be ruined by complaints. Complaining means you have no vision, no Mingding Destiny, and just want to live a small life. What awaits you is toil and trouble. The journey we take is too difficult. Some brothers and sisters saw how demanding we were of them and left the church one by one. Whether living well or not depends on whether God likes you. If you want to be an enemy of God, wouldn't that be a lot of trouble? We have walked this road with tears and sweat. These are the days of receiving the promise. The results we have achieved along the way are good. When we have illnesses, we pray and they get better. There was an elderly sister who was in pain. I prayed with her, and she got better in ten minutes.

We are a victorious people in battle. Our illnesses get better as soon as we pray. I really want to boast about my God. I wish everyone would walk the glorious road with me. The sisters who left our church in the past did not live well after they left. That's the problem. I tell everyone again today that people who live small lives do not live well. People who live small lives cannot bear anything. We are determined to be elite soldiers in the kingdom of God. Even if we sow in tears, we will reap with joy.

If you want to live well, try it. The result is that you will be a slave to the world and live very hard. The Israelites walked a very difficult road. In the blink of an eye, a month or a month and a half had passed, and they were very tired of walking. So they complained again about how good they were in Egypt. Weren't our lives good before? What are you doing bringing us here now? If people want to live a small life, isn't it just about eating and drinking well?

They thought they would live a good life, but now they are living even harder. I will tell you one thing: God wants to sift people out. Those who suffer for God without complaining, those who overcome difficult circumstances, will receive the promise. The people could go out and gather their daily portion each day. Every morning, food would fall from the sky, and what they gathered was enough for them to eat. They called it manna. God gave them one requirement: they could not go out to gather on Sabbath. On Sunday, they would eat what was left over from the previous day. Manna is a very spiritual thing. The Israelites began to live on manna. Eating the same thing every day would definitely get boring. Eating the same thing every day for a week is enough. When I was a child, I had an illness. I used to eat corn bread when I was a child, and I never wanted to eat it again. For more than ten years, I didn't want to eat corn bread again.

In those days, poor people ate coarse grains, and rich people ate fine grains. The Israelites ate manna every day, and they felt it was unappetizing after eating the same thing for three days. They felt they were tired of eating it, so they complained again. God provided manna every day, without changing the variety. The Israelites began to complain again.

It's okay if the adults don't eat it, but what about the children? Why are you tormenting the children with manna every day? Wasn't there food to eat in Egypt? They could eat three meals a day in Egypt. What God did was not very reasonable, in my opinion. It would be so much better to have some braised beef, roast chicken, and ham sausages. Since you are the Lord God, it would be so much better if we followed our own ideas. I tried it myself in the past, and it didn't work. Braised beef, roast chicken, and ham sausages cannot help people have a Mingding Destiny. Later, I ended up in a terrible situation.

After God heard the Israelites' complaints, He became angry with them. How did He express His anger?

The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. (Exodus 16:11-15)

This matter is very interesting. They ate manna for forty years. Many people died from eating quail. Many of our brothers and sisters like to eat a lot of good food. I tell you that many of people's problems come from eating. When I was a child, I was tired of eating corn bread, but I rarely got sick. When I was a child, it was rare to hear about people getting cancer, but now there are many cases of cancer and diabetes, all caused by eating too much. It doesn't matter if you eat less, but eating too much is deadly.

I have observed a strange phenomenon: Chinese people have many diseases because they eat everything after their living standards improve. Later, I discovered that the illnesses were caused by eating. It's good to suffer a little and eat simple food. Think carefully about whether you want to get the diseases of the Egyptians. If you do, then eat well. We need to think carefully about where the problem lies. According to the teachings of the Bible, Adam and Eve sinned by eating. If people like to eat, it's truly deadly! Later, I gradually realized that eating, drinking, and playing are the root of many problems.

Recovering Mingding Destiny: Understanding Why People Live

A person with Mingding Destiny is more likely to be joyful. The Israelites did not suffer from the diseases of the Egyptians because they ate more simply than the Egyptians. If you want your body to be healthy, a key thing is to be careful with your diet. One of our sisters eats one meal a day. Previously, it was because she was poor, but she hardly gets sick, which is very peculiar! What about later? Even when she became rich, she still ate one meal a day. Sometimes I say to her, Come on, have lunch. She says, I eat one meal a day. And she's doing quite well. I later realized that if you live like this: after cooking breakfast, you eat lunch; after cooking lunch, you eat dinner; after eating dinner, you watch TV, go to sleep, and you still have to wash the dishes after eating. Later, I thought, why is it so troublesome? One meal a day is quite good.

During the Chinese New Year, a lot of people came to me and stayed at my place. I gave them two meals a day because I couldn't possibly give them only one meal when they came. Some people said, So this is how you eat one meal a day. Actually, the night meal doesn't count; that meal only happened because you came. After these brothers and sisters leave, we go back to eating one meal a day, which saves a lot of time. Eating too much not only makes you sick and uncomfortable but also costs money for treatment. After the money is spent, you have to earn more. To earn money, you have to work. You see how serious this problem of overeating and overdrinking is!

The saying that sickness enters through the mouth is not my own, but one that people use. Do you want to live a healthy life? If you do, then slowly learn not to live to eat. Living to eat is tiring and meaningless. Be a person with Mingding Destiny, clearly understand what you live for, and you will complain less. Complaining is related to eating and drinking. People who complain less get sick less, and provoke God's anger less.

Let us contemplate further that people pay a heavy price for eating. Later, those who complained did not dare to go to battle and died in the wilderness. If we truly have a goal to run towards, to obtain the promised land, enduring a little hardship is nothing. May God bless everyone!