Pitch a Tent with God … Don’t Pitch a Fit
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How do you find the strength to go through the storms of this life?  Or more candidly, how does anyone find strength to do anything in this world since this world is a place of storms … an unfriendly wilderness?  Have you ever thought that the world is a highway of cars who’s sole purpose is to cut you off, signal to you that you’re number one with their middle finger, then get in front of you to block your way.  Well unfortunately, because of sin, this is the way of the world and because you are reading this that means you are in the world and you are subject to the effects of sin in the world and the sin inside of you.  You are dying and the world is dying .. dying because  of sin in the wilderness of this world.

OK, I’m glad I could cheer you up about the state of the world.  Do you feel like pitching a fit now? … or do you want to see how you can pitch a tent with God in the wilderness of this world and have His fellowship and all sufficient supply for your needs?   First, I want you to understand, this article is written for born again believers who are saved from their sin by Jesus Christ.  You must “first” be born again in Jesus Christ before you can have fellowship with God and pitch a tent with Him.  Anyone can pitch a fit to God and that includes born again Christians but only a born again Christian can “pitch a tent with God” and experience His unfailing grace and love. 

A – Admit your a sinner

B – Believe Jesus is Lord

C – Call upon His name

 

(with the mind you believe and with the heart you receive)

The concept of pitching a tent with God comes from the time when the children of Israel, after making an Exodus from Egypt, camped in the wilderness, dwelling in tents as they waited for the Lord to bring them into the promise land.  

“The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance.”   – Numbers 2:2

“Then the cloud covered the tent of the meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”  – Exodus 40:34

The Jews “Tabernacled” with God as God Himself “Tabernacled” with them above and within the “tent of meeting” … i.e. the “Tabernacle” … the portable dwelling place of God.  This is such a beautiful design for going through wilderness of this world, especially when you consider that the order and way the 12 Jewish tribes camped around the Tabernacle would have appeared as a “cross” from a Heavenly perspective!  

  • The camp of Judah, consisting of the tribes of Judah (74,800), Issachar(84,400), and Zebulun (57,400), a total of 186,400 men, camped to the east(Num. Num. 2:3-7).

  • The camp of Reuben, consisting of the tribes of Reuben (46,500), Simeon(59,300), and Gad (45,650), a total of 151,450 men, camped to the south(Num. Num. 2:10-16).

  • The camp of Ephraim, consisting of the tribes of Ephraim (40,500), Manasseh(32,200), and Benjamin (35,400), a total of 108,100 men, camped to the west(Num. Num. 2:18-24).

  • The camp of Dan, consisting of the tribes of Dan (62,700), Asher (41,500), andNaphtali (53,400), a total of 157,600 men, camped to the north (Num. Num. 2:25-31).

  • Each group was to “camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house” [emphasis added](Num. Num. 2:2).

  • The tribe of Levi was unnumbered and camped around all sides of the tabernacle (Num. Num. 2:17Num. 2:33). Num. 3:21-38).”1

However, when it came time to leave the wilderness and enter the promise land the Jews feared the might and size of the inhabitants of Canaan more than the goodness and grace of God, except for the two witnesses “Joshua and Caleb” who did trust God and gave a good report to enter the land.  Therefore, because of the unfaithfulness of the other 10 witnesses the whole bunch had to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years until all those over 20 years of age died, except Moses, Joshua and Caleb. 

On a side note, consider the fact that during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation period, two witnesses will have a message for Israel to repent and prophecize about the coming judgement. 

Numbers 14: 26The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me.28“Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 29your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 

The analogy of  wandering in the wilderness is similar to the way we are to live in this world today.  For a Christian, their promise land is Heaven and their wilderness is this earth.  We are sojourners like Abraham and we are to live in a tent like Abraham did.  In comparison, Lot went into the city of Sodom and Gomorrah and was grieved and surrounded by the sin of the city.  It is not sinful to live in a city or own a house but when you make the place you live a fortress to hide from God and do “your own thing”, then you are NOT dwelling with God and you are in conflict with God’s will for your life.

God is preparing a city in Heaven for His children to live in, it’s called the “New Jerusalem”.  And those who truly love God and want to abide with Him are setting their sights and hope in living in this mansion in Heaven, not the ones people build on earth.  The New Jerusalem is a place of beauty and wonder beyond compare of anything in this world.  It was because of this promise of a future dwelling place that Moses and Abraham and the prophets chose to forsake the riches of this world, trust and obey God, rather than to live in houses of grandeur on this earth.

Hebrews 11: 8By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 

The jest of this article is that God wants to fellowship, i.e. “tabernacle” with you in this world and provide for your needs.  As the Jews wondered in the wilderness it never failed that every morning the “manna” would be on the ground for them to gather and eat for the day, lasting only a day.  Then on the day of the Sabbath, the manna they gathered the day before would last so they did not have to work to gather the manna on the Sabbath. 

God gave the Jews “Deliverance” and promised them a “Destiny” of a land flowing with milk and honey but first they had to face the “Development” of Godly character in the wilderness – Tony Evans.

God was with them in the wilderness providing for their daily need and God will provide for our daily “needs” … not our selfish wants.    Pray to God and ask Him for what you need or more importantly “reason with God” and tell Him “why” you need it, and He will meet that need … or God will take you home to Heaven, the real promise land where you no longer have daily needs but you only have the the desire to worship and serve Him!

We are like the moon and the light that falls on us and shines forth from us comes from the “Son” of God but our desire for earthly is like a lunar eclipse where the earth blocks the light from the Son. – Tony Evans

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. – Philippians 4:6

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19

God tabernacled with His chosen people, the Jews, in a tent but during the Church Age God’s tabernacles in the heart of those who choose Him.  God came down from Heaven and took on the tent of a human body so he could pay for our sin, as the perfect substitute, dying in our place so that whomsoever believes in Him, is forgiven of their death sin penalty.  The moment you “believe” in Jesus you also “receive” the Holy Spirit into your heart and God tabernacles within you!  The Holy Spirit is the comforter and teacher who is born into the heart of a believer to give you the assurance of your standing in Jesus Christ and to teach you how to be “transformed” into the image of Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity of God, who is able to abide within us and guides us through this wilderness.  The Holy Spirit “seals us” as a child set apart unto God and God will never forsake those who have put their trust in Him.  And even better, one day God give us a resurrected body that will never die!  Tell me where you can find that kind of deal like that at Walmart?

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  – John 1:14

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”  – Hebrews 13:5

OK, we have talked about how a born again Christian is suppose to tabernacle with God and be lead by the Spirit of God but let’s take a look at the story of Jacob who wrestled with God instead of walked with God.  Maybe Jacob’s story will resonate with you and prevent you from getting you hip displaced before you learn to trust God and walk with Him.

The name Jacob means “supplanter”, or “heel catcher” because Jacob held onto the heel of Esau as he was born from Rebekah.  Even in the womb Jacob wrestled with Esau and Jacob’s wrestling ways continued as he tricked his brother Esau out of the first born birthright and then tricked him again out of the blessing from his father Ismael.   However, there really was no need for this trickery because the Lord told Rebekah at the time she gave birth that although the nations born from Esau would be stronger than Jacob, the older Esau would serve the younger Jacob (Genesis 25:25).  After tricking Esau out of the blessing, Jacob fled and met a trickster greater than him in Laban and Jacob was tricked into working 14 years to get the bride Rachel that he originally wanted.  Finally, Jacob left with the big family he had been blessed with, to return to his home land and confront Esau his brother, whom he feared.

Genesis 32:6The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; 8for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”

Here is the account of the restless, wrestling night Jacob spent wondering what do to about meeting Esau.

Genesis 32:24Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

This story has always perplexed me, in that it seems that the Lord blesses Jacob though Jacob wrestles against the Lord but as I study the story and my own life … I see that God blessed Jacob because Jacob wrestled “with” God to understand what to do in his dire situation.  Jacob finally stopped running from his brother and there he is wrestling with God to understand how God is going to deliver him from his brother and fulfill the blessing of making him a great nation.  Jacob wasn’t use to trusting God to provide for his needs but Jacob was use to wrestling people until he out witted them and got what he wanted (even though Laban out witted Jacob for his first wife).  

Jacob wrestles all night to defeat the Lord and get this blessings.  This shows good intentions on Jacob’s part but the Lord puts Jacob’s hip out of place as if to tell him, you don’t need to run away from your problem and deceive people any more.   Moreover, Jacob clinged to God for a blessing, as a married couple are suppose to cling to one another, as they look to God for the purpose of their life together.  This wresting match is the place and time where Jacob comes to the understanding that God is “for” him not against him and God changes Jacob’s name to Israel, which means “May God prevail” or “one who prevailed with God”.   After this wrestling incident, Israel fears about the future subside and he stops scheming up ways to increase his prosperity.  Israel learns to tabernacle with God and follow the easy and light yoke of God’s promise.

Are you beginning to see the kind of life of trust and assurance you can have and enjoy now and forever in Christ Jesus when you pitch a ten with God and tabernacle with Him?  Life is hard and we have good works prepared by God for us to do in this world but we don’t have to struggle and wrestle with this world in worry that we will succeed.  We may wrestle in prayer against the world, the flesh and the devil but we don’t have to wrestle with God.  God’s wants to bless us and in Him we already have the victory over the grave!  Our job is to be holy and be faithful.  Trust and obey God to get the treasures that last, don’t scheme to obtain riches that perish in this world.  Here are a couple of favorite verse to remember when you feel like you have to wrestle and figure things out your own way.

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

As a final note, there is a Jewish feast that celebrates the time that the Jews tabernacled with God in the wilderness … it’s called the Feast of Booths or Sukkot.  This is the seventh and last Jewish feast of the year and it has it’s fulfillment in the Millennium period of 1,000 years when there will be relative peace on earth, as Jesus and His Saints (the Church) rule on earth with a rod of iron.  

Blessings to you as your pitch your tent with Jesus.  – Rogersings

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I'm a born again child of God loving and serving my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

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