DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE CAGED

A story of a conquered Elephant was told by pastor Dr Chris kwakpovwe I read and liked it, decided to bring it here as it may form some of my story as to why you should not allow yourself to be caged according to my topic today \”Do not allow yourself to be caged\”.

To be caged means to trap or enclose someone in a particular space or area. Adversity causes some to break down while for others they use their adversity to break record. The bible reading of today will be taking from the same Joshua 14:6-14. I am using Caleb in the illustration of my story line according to the pastor\’s story of a conquered Elephant which I stumbled into while I was trying to write on \”I cannot be limited\”. immediately I read his story I changed my topic to adopt his story and decided to couched the topic I\’m writing now ie [DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE CAGED].

. Joshua 14:6-14. (NASB).

6. Then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, \”You know the word which the LORD spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea. 7. \”I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. 8. \”Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the LORD my God fully. 9. \”So Moses swore on that day, saying, \’Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever , because you have followed the LORD my God fully.\’ 10. \”Now behold, the LORD has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. 11. \”I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. 12. \”Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken.\” 13. So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14. Therefore , Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully.

Caleb as we are told in our reading was 40 year old when he was recruited by Moses amongst the scouts that were sent to spy the Land God promised them to occupy but while others are seeing the negative side of the land and came back with horrifying story Caleb stand out to say a cheering report to doused whatever evil report that had been said.

Do you know that based on that report people loose heart and broke faith and was already dejected as such see themselves as grasshopper in the midst of giant and that formed their stand in their future references or decisions.

Do you know that fear can hinder you and put you in an unseen cage wherein all your life you are caged and may not achieve much. Yes fear of the unknown has limited a lot of people, most times most of us from Africa may say \”black otumokpo\” or \”witches and wizard\” are after them as such cannot bear good fruit when the LORD already had declared in Genesis 1:28

28. \”God blessed them; and God said to them, \”Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth\”.

Caleb was faithful in following God from the beginning; Yes! It is true he saw a great city richly blessed when you considered the kind of good yields it produces. Yes! Caleb also saw the Giants of the land because the dependants of Anak were a race of Giants who inhabited part of the land before Joshua and his armies conquered them yet it did not influenced him to follow the crowd of bad report. He held unto the sight of the sizes of the grapes , the pomegranates and the beautiful city; believing that God will deliver the land to them if they did not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by what they saw. (Numbers 13:18-30).

Some people may put themselves in a cage due to ingratitude, they murmur and complain virtually over everything. Not ready to see the good side of a coin; always comparing things trying to live a life of pass glory very reluctant to dare or venture into an unknown ground. No matter what you do to such a person you most count your lost because they will always see reason why they should not cooperate with you and may want to drag you to the same pit.

.\’ 32. \”But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, 33. who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go. 34. \”Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, 35. \’Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36. except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully.\’ (Deuteronomy 1:32-36).

Because of Caleb\’s faith God granted him a special portion of Land amongst his people at his 85 years old which was after 45 years of God\’s promises to him; he was alive to inherit his inheritance which was for him and his children. May we inherit all the promises of God Almighty in our life, I pray that it doesn\’t stay longer than expected so that we will enjoy them fully in good health and of sound mind before we are too old to appreciate them in Jesus name 🙏

Do not allow yourself to be caged by circumstances like the Elephant. Believe in the Lord and wait in obedient prayerfully so that you will not miss your own promised Land. May God bless you and be merciful unto you Amen 🙏. Thanks for staying with Binongo 🙌 Remain Blessed. Cheers !!! ✍️ BlessingOnugha❤️