Why Moses wrote Deuteronomy

Moses recorded the entire Israelites' history in the books of Exodus, Numbers and Leviticus. He even wrote the book of Genesis when they were in the wilderness. Israelites wandered in the wilderness for almost 40 years, while Moses was writing these books. And it was also the time to hand the leadership to Joshua. But why did he write Deuteronomy?

He was trying to tell the new generation of Israelites to not be afraid to go to war against the enemies because God would fight for them to take possession of the land promised by the Lord. The prior generation of Israelites could not enter the promised land due to their cowardness. They only needed to show their willingness to fight, and then God would be ahead of them to fight for them, so they could enter the promised land.

We must know that Moses had mixed feelings about what the Israelites did. God bought them out of Egypt, looking after them as if they were His children, why would God want to kill them? The Israelites were wicked. Therefore, Moses wrote Deuteronomy to warn the next generation of Israelites to obey the word of God, to encourage them to be strong and to fight to take possession of the promised land.

Whether we are going to enter the promised land does not affect our God at all. It is because we need to! If you are scared of fighting and you don't believe God will fight for you, you fight with your strength, then you will never gain victory over your enemies.

I believe many brothers and sisters are fighting in the spiritual realm. But we can look at Deuteronomy to find out if we have conquered the promised land. If you haven't, then be strong and don't be afraid, reject all the negativities from the devils. The Lord, our God will be fighting for you ahead, you will take possession of the promised land.

Don't be Afraid of Fighting

If the coming generation of Israelites did not believe in God and turned away from God, not wanting to enter the promised land, they would die in the wilderness the same as their ancestors. God would not care! This is substantiated in the Bible. We need to understand that God does not care about whether we enter the promised land or not. The Israelites did not enter the promised land just because of fear of fighting.

Fighting is not nice, especially when you are already scared. Though God would be fighting for them ahead of the Israelites, it was still hard. Similarly, it’s hard for us to fight in the spiritual realm, we need to dedicate ourselves to it, and we need to leave everything behind. God hopes we can be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or Joseph to establish the covenant with Him. Therefore, He commanded Moses to write the book of Deuteronomy emphasizing “ keep my decrees and follow them” over and over again. This is also the main subject of Deuteronomy.

We need to remember that if we obey the word of God, we will be blessed, we will be cursed otherwise. Why are we under the bondage of the spirit of Dragon? It's because we have something inside us that resembles the spirit of Dragon. It spreads lies which fit what we think, so we are easily controlled. We must fight against it even though it's not easy. The main topic of the Bible is to get the promise from God.

Don't Live in Nitty Gritty but Walk with God

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”(Matthew 4:4)

Today, a sister messaged me to thank me. Before she told me that one of her colleagues enjoyed the nitty gritty and she was the same. I took her to task on that to remind her of the consequences of the nitty gritty. So she thanked me as I pulled her out of this mentality. She had seen many curses among her colleagues, some of whom had brain cancer, lung cancer and many other illnesses.

We need to know that we will not have a good life outside the promise of God. Nitty gritty is not the way of living, walking with God is the only solution. I want to bring all of us to the promised land. The key is to obey the word of God.

What did the Israelites learn during the 40 years of their stay in the wilderness? They had been eating the same food for 40 years! I used to eat dough (made of flour) when I was a child. I never wanted to eat it anymore. It was not nice at all, although some people thought it was nice. Was it a good life when eating the same food for 40years? They had food and water, and their clothes were never worn out. That was not the promise made by God, it was the promise in the wilderness.

How long we want to stay in the wilderness is crucial. It determines whether we want to fight or not. We want to pass the fighting spirit onto our brothers and sisters. We will not get into the promised land if we don't fight. Fighting in the spiritual realm will have an impact on our nitty gritty, but we don't have a better choice. If you don't want to fight, then you will continue your life in the wilderness. Living in the promised land or in the wilderness depends on your choice.

The Bible is the Word of God

Our Lord used the power of His arm to bring us out of the land of slavery, giving us freedom, it's now our decision on whether we will be entering the promised land. Isaac promised Abraham, that salvation is God's promise to us, it's not because of what we have done.

My mum thought my younger sister was doing well as she did not need to inject insulin anymore. Let me tell you, my sister suffered from depression, then she was healed; she had type I diabetes, now she doesn't need to rely on insulin, she does not need to take sleeping pills. She spends all her time in church ministering to others. That's salvation!

The Israelites left Egypt under the mighty power of God. But that did not mean anything! As that was not the ultimate purpose. The ultimate aim was for the Israelites to become a blessing to other nations.

Do you know why your illnesses are healed in our church? It's because there is a group of people who have dedicated their lives to God, they want to follow in the footsteps of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. No matter how difficult the circumstances are, they will uphold their faith, continue running, and won't give up!

Don't ever think this is something that we can boast of! We merely uphold the word of God! If we don't want to be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or Joseph for this era, even if you have had the blessings from God, but you can't enter the promised land, you will still be in the wilderness, and eventually die there. What is the purpose of your life? God wants you and I to be Abraham to serve the world!

Looking at the journey of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was not smooth sailing, it was a non-stop battle! As we know that life is not always easy, we only achieve peace within the Lord our Jesus Christ! No matter how difficult it is in the world, God's promise resides in us!

Moses tried to warn us through the book of Deuteronomy for both the Israelites and us today. If you don't enter the promised land, you will be the same as those who died in the wilderness. They were supposed to enter the land that was promised by God to their ancestors. The outcome was the opposite. So you want to be the dead ones or the victorious ones?

My brother and sisters, we must understand our God rules over the universe, we do as He commands. If we walk in the journey of Jacob and Joseph, we will be entering the promised land! If you follow in the footsteps of Joshua or Caleb, obeying the word of God with all your heart, you will enter the promised land and be rewarded double.

We need to learn a lesson from the Israelites that eating manna does not mean we have achieved the goal, we are far behind! The sun rises on the evil and the good, God also shows mercy on the unrighteous, let alone it was the Israelites. He wanted to bring the Israelites into the promised land. However, the plan was tarnished as the Israelites were not equipped with the strength for battles! They were wicked in the eyes of God. We need to think about what kind of person we want to be. Are we the ones that please God or draw God's wrath?

Why the Israelites Couldn't Enter the Promised Land

It was such a tragedy! The Israelites were near the promised land, just because they believed the bad report about the land, they perished on the outskirts of the promised land. Because of their selfishness, also got Moses, Joshua and Caleb into trouble, spending 40 years with them in the wilderness.

Judging is a spiritual thing. If you are selfish, and only care about your interest, you will never compromise as it will cause loss. This kind of person will never be a part of an army that wins battles. Therefore, many problems will arise among selfish people. Their life will not be easy.

No Destiny, No Entry to Promised Land

Egotism always promotes nitty-gritty with glorious excuses. They don't think they can look after the house of God if they can't manage their family. It sounds very reasonable and all within reason. However, it doesn't matter how much effort you put in, if you have no destiny, you will not enter the promised land. As our God searches the heart and examines the mind, to reward what they deserve. From the book of Judges to 1 Samuel, it recorded how selfishness ruined Israel
As a result, the neighbouring nations rose to conquer them one after another.

Can you imagine what they went through? They saw the signs and wonders from God, the highs and lows on the way out of Egypt, they were a stone's throw away from the promised land, they started to grumble and thought God brought them out of Egypt to kill them.

It's extremely sad that after seeing so many signs and wonders, they still did not have the destiny to follow God. That's why God said

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”(Luke 10:20)

What does it mean? It means the most important thing is to draw the promises of God and gain the strength to fight in the spiritual realm! Moses regretted the decision of sending twelve men to explore the land. Why? Because toward the end of the 40 years in the wilderness, he summarised what the Israelites went through in Deuteronomy. Not only was it hard for the Israelites, but also Moses.

Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”
The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe.
(Deuteronomy 1:22-23)

The idea was good, but it did not do Moses any favour. Because he did not enter the promised land himself. Would you rely on yourself to Nyerere the promised land or rely on guidance from God? What Moses did was unnecessary and it was beyond surprise that the report on the land was so negative.

We must remember: God is our way! We cannot wait until we have understood everything and found out what we need, then come back to draw God's promises. We need to get out of the habit of exploring the way first and then putting our trust in the Lord. We must trust our God with all our hearts and soul.

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

It's clearly stated in the book of Proverbs that

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; (Proverbs 3:5)

We must not rely on our understanding! Although the Israelites did not explore the way before leaving Egypt, God went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way through the wilderness and the Red Sea. God had full control over when to encamp and when to move the camp. The men who came back with a bad report about the land were killed by the Lord in front of Moses. Because the report undermined the faith in God. That’s why we should never rely on ourselves. And this also taught Moses a lesson. He did not send any men to explore the land anymore.

We must not undermine our Lord, otherwise, we will be struck down by the Lord the same as the twelve men who spread a bad report about the land. But some people would argue that Joshua secretly sent two men into the city of Jericho to save the family of Rahab.

So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it— these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. (Numbers 14:36-37)

We must know that whoever undermines our God in the house of the Lord, God will strike them down without mercy. They may not die immediately like those men, but their life will not have a good ending.

Build up Faith in Him with Edifying Speech

We need to learn not to say something negative and build faith in God like Joshua and Caleb. God will lead us into the land He promised to our ancestors, He will be ahead of us and fighting for us. Similarly, we need to prepare for a fierce battle against the power of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. God will be ahead of us to enable us to gain access to the promised land. I strongly believe our brothers and sister will be set free!

Therefore, do not accept any negativity from others, it won't edify you in any way. When someone says something bad to you, you will get into a bad mood. You should avoid this kind of person. Those people who spread a bad report will come to no good end. And if you believe the bad report, you will not gain access to the promised land, either. I know some people particularly enjoy spreading bad reports. We need to be strong and believe our God will guide us through thick and thin.

It does not matter if you believe Moses, which parish you are in, you can still choose to believe God rules over us. There is no need to say anything else. Don't be the person that spread a bad report! Don't listen to the bad report! As it will comprise your faith in God, and the devil will kill you.

Don't be Afraid of People but Fear God

It's a strange phenomenon that the Israelites did not fear God, they were afraid of their enemies. It makes me wonder why so many people are scared of illness, scared of their managers and colleagues, but not scared of God. The Bible says:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Dear brothers and sisters, we must know God brought us out of Egypt, the land of slavery, and He intended to bring us into the promised land. However, there were only two men who entered the promised land, but who killed the rest of them? It was not the devil, it was the Lord who killed them. After reading about the killings, I am trembling at the words of God! That's why I still feel I have done enough to repent. Don't be afraid of anything, we only need to fear God! Only if we fear God, He will bring us into the promised land! No matter how great the size was, they would never be greater than our God! You should fear God, not the men in that place. That was the key problem for the Israelites.

Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. (Deuteronomy 2:14)

We need to fear God

Do you want to be the person who is struck down by God? If you do, then no one can save you! Today, I want to encourage every one of us to be strong like Joshua and Caleb, stand up and march into the promised land without fear! Although it is not going to be easy, we have God with us! The only thing we need is to fear God no matter what, we always believe God will prevail!

During my ministry, I have seen so many people complaining about God with the things they have done themselves. They question God, " Why aren't you healing me? Why is this happening to me? Why aren't things improving?" I find it hard to believe these people even exist. Have they not realised that whatever the situation they are in now, it's a consequence of their choice? Why can't you have a little faith in God and continue to fight? Then you will be closer to victory, you will be able to gain access to the promises made by God.

It's very surprising to see Christians are afraid of dying, and they don't want to do anything to enter the promised land. With such an attitude, how can they enter the promised land? We need to understand that there is no better choice other than following God!

We need to learn a lesson from the Israelites! They were only bothered about their life on earth and feared their enemies. Therefore, we will lay down everything for God, we give our lives to Him! Even if we die for Him, we will rise! We need to follow in the footsteps of Joshua and Caleb, the only two men who entered the promised land because they believed in God!

Only Following the Lord Wholeheartedly to See the Promised Land

We must know that we can only see the promised land if only we follow the Lord Wholeheartedly! Wholeheartedness is a quality character, we only stare at the Lord! I believe in God alone! I will do anything for Him and He will bring me to the promised land!

The reason why many Christians are cornered is that they would not dare to fight! So they live in misery as a result. However, if we uphold our conviction firmly, there will be a bright future ahead! Dedication to faith showcases your character, promiscuity is not the way! God struck down the Israelites because of their promiscuity toward Him, they forgot who brought them out of the land of slavery.

What I am sharing may have offended you, there are many people like the Israelites amongst us. If you are, you should follow in the footsteps of Joshua and Caleb, following the Lord Wholeheartedly. Not only did they live a blessed life, but they also entered the promised land!

It requires the character to reach the promise of God, those who don't have the character will never enter the promised land. Jacob has

People who have the character of Jacob will reach the promise of God. When he was 75, he went to see his uncle Laban with a staff in his hand, and he then looked after the flocks for his uncle Laban. No matter how hard it was for Jacob, it was incomparable to the covenant of God. You must sacrifice for the promise of God.

We must understand that working hard is not the image of God, it's way harder than fighting to get into the promised land! If you are smart, then you will want to be Joshua or Caleb! We only want to serve our God wholeheartedly! I'd you follow theirs with all your heart and soul, you know you will not die staying in front of the men with great size.

I have been in ministry for a long time and I have cast out many demons, if they were any good, they would have killed me. But they didn't! It means they are not as scary as we thought. Therefore, I don't need to be scared! I often demand people throw their idols away during my ministry. They are normally frightened because they believe the spirit will come back. Don't worry! The solution is very simple! We will fight with them! Because our God rules over the universe, He places all things under His feet! You must understand it's the demon that makes your life miserable, if you are in our church, the demons won't dare to touch you. Our God is greater than all, we must trust Him, no matter how difficult it is, we still believe in Him even if there is a fierce battle ahead of us.

All I can tell you is we won't be hurt! Because God will protect us against evil. So, don't be afraid, just follow the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and soul. Don't spread any negativity. If you don't have such a character, then start today and train yourself to be a person with the character of Jacob! It's not difficult! It's our choice!

God is Not with Those who Disbelieve

What attributes did Joshua and Caleb have? They both firmly believed in God! Those who believed in Him did not die! Those who didn't perish! God would not be with those who disbelieve in Him. It's very sad! Do you understand why? If God was not with them, how could they win the fight? It would almost be suicide. The devils will win!

But why did they go out to fight later on? Because they did a bit of calculation, they realised that if they stayed in the wilderness for 40 years, they would never have another opportunity to enter the promised land. After God gave His verdict, they decided to go out and fight. They lost the fight, suffering heavy casualties. Because they fought with ulterior motives. This is very selfish! Compared to staying in the wilderness for 40 years, they'd rather fight. But this disobeyed the word of God!

Summary

It is tragic for those who don't believe in God and stay stubborn, they will come to no good end! We want to be the people who trust our Lord, believe in the promise He gave to Abraham, we believe will receive it, and it will be ours! Why would you want to disbelieve God? Why are we living under all kinds of bondage and confused with many things happening around us? It’s because we are contaminated by those who spread bad reports.

We need to reject the noise from the devil, and spurn it! We need to learn to concentrate on what God asks us to do, don’t focus on what we are going to receive. This is the best shield in a spiritual fight. We need to depend on our God wholeheartedly to gain access to the promised land. This is also what we can infer from Moses: Never be the one that is denied access to the promised land!

If you lay down everything for God, He will protect us from the wicked! If you do it half-hearted, God will do the same in return! If you do not want to, then nothing will come back to you.
Dear brothers and sisters, we must believe in Him, He rules over everything! We must reinstate the faith in our God and fight in the spiritual realm without fear!

May the Lord bless you! Amen!