The Things They Carried
Psychologists have found that the contents of our purses reveal a great deal about us. For instance, women who carry everything but the kitchen sink tend to be more anxious, preparing for any possible emergency. Women whose bags are organized and neat tend to live more patterned lives in which they feel empowered or confident.
It’s really a fascinating concept–so fascinating, in fact, that there is even a web business that will diagnose you by the contents of your bag! All you have to do is send a picture of the contents to them and wait for a reply!
Our hearts can be likened to the purses women carry; although the Bible says that only God “knoweth the secrets of the heart,” I am certain their contents would surprise us if we could view them! We can learn much from those within the Word of God and the things they carried with them.
Consider the rod of Moses compared with the spoils of Achan.
Moses carried a rod with him during his ministry. While it is uncertain when, where, or why he began carrying the rod, it soon became a reminder of God’s promises and mighty power upon his life. The rod itself was nothing special. It wasn’t made of magic wood; it didn’t float down from heaven. Instead, God used the rod to show Moses what God could do with a regular, mundane object once it was surrendered to God’s purpose and anointing. In essence, the rod served as a reminder for Moses that, despite his fallibility as a man, God could and would use him to affect the miraculous. Furthermore, we see a shift in the labeling of the rod. As late as Exodus 4:4, it was just a rod that Moses carried, but by Exodus 4:20, it had become “the rod of God.” If we will stop being concerned with our ministry and simply obey God as he works his ministry through us, our perception will enable the miraculous!
It took time for Moses to understand this concept. In fact, even with the miracles God performed by him, he declined the call of God, claiming, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue” (Ex. 4:10). Notice, he complains of his weakness first. Then he says he was not eloquent “neither heretofore,” meaning up to the time he was approached by God, and then says “nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant.” In essence, he is saying, “God, you didn’t fix the problem when you called me to this ministry.” He is blaming God, not realizing that just as God could use a knotted, splintering, common piece of wood, he could likewise make a mighty conduit for his purpose out of imperfect men! Understanding this, we can see why it was so important for Moses to carry the rod throughout his ministry!
Achan, on the other hand, carried a different kind of baggage. As the children of Israel were fighting to gain the land of Canaan under the direction of Joshua, Moses’ successor, we find Achan’s willful disobedience shook the entire nation. In a prior battle, the children of Israel were commanded to take no spoil for themselves, yet Achan disobeyed and hid the spoils in his tent. What he carried lead to the defeat and reproach of the nation of Israel in its battle against the city of Ai. Not only was this man’s sin revealed but what he carried with him from the enemy’s tent reveals much about him. He claimed, “When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it” (Joshua 7:21).
Did he simply not trust that God would indeed give his family the inheritance He had promised them in Canaan? Was he trying to get a head start on his brethren to gain position, esteem, or wealth? Or was he envious of the things those in the world had? How many of us hold onto things of this world, unable to free ourselves from their enticements?
Whatever the reason, the secular things he held onto not only brought defeat to his nation but many lives were lost. Could the worldly things we hold onto cost others in our churches their soul? Furthermore, the things he carried lead to the stoning of his entire family (Joshua 7:25). Sometimes, we have to make some tough choices: pleasure for a season or the safety of our families. Quite simply, when we fall, we never fall alone.
Now, many of us would have said, ‘but it was just a garment he held onto.’ “You mean that a choice of clothing can condemn you! How ridiculous!” BUT I am here to tell you that it is not the simple article of clothing he carried that condemned him; it was the condition of his heart that made him hold onto that item in the first place! Many of us hold onto worldly things, saying “What? Is God going to send me to hell for this little, trivial thing or item or piece of clothing?” -- But, consider what your ‘holding onto to it’ reveals about your heart.
As my sister-in-law so beautifully said, we must stop looking at standards of holiness like they are rules that keep us from things. She said, quote, God is not trying to keep you from things; He is keeping them from you! It’s like a fence that blocks the drunk driver in his car from your baby playing in the yard. It isn’t that you’ll never allow your child to drive a car or that you don’t want her to see anything beyond the yard; it is for her protection.
These statutes are set in place for your protection. If you can’t see that, then the problem is not holiness and it is not that God and His Word need to be updated. It is much deeper.
Here are several things it could mean:
** There is a possible mistrust of God and godly leadership in your life.
** There could also likely be low self-esteem; you don’t think you’re worth protecting.
** Or, it’s a lack of faith. You think you need these items to be found attractive or to be taken care of. Don’t you think God can provide for you?
Even had the items not been forbidden to Achan, we have no need to stockpile goods! Look at the children of Israel; they were to gather manna daily except on the Sabbath, as it would rot overnight. It was not because God couldn’t come up with better food for them or that preservatives hadn’t been invented yet! It was an exercise in faith!
Similarly, men of God in the New Testament were commanded to trust God for their needs. Luke 9:2-4 gives us the account: “And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.”
I would ask us today, what are we carrying?
You can always tell when a woman carries a heavy purse, she lugs it about and favors one side. In fact, studies have shown that lugging a heavy purse for a long period of time can actually affect the curvature of your spine. Similarly, you can tell what someone carries within by how they react to life.
There are many things we were never built to carry: fear, hurt, bitterness, resentment. Many times those who have hurt us are completely unaware that they have done so or have forgotten the incident long before we ever let go of the hurt and forgive. The fact is, we were never meant to carry these burdens. Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Furthermore, we are encouraged to cast all our cares upon him for he cares for us (1 Peter 5:6-7).
It is only when we lighten our load by handing these things to God that we can carry the items he meant us to bear, such as the fruit of the Spirit and faith! When we carry faith–real faith–it is infectious! Our faith can inspire faith in others, leading to their healing and salvation!
There are so many blessings of God but often, we want to hold onto the hurts, bitterness, or even worldly things we carry in our hearts. We just expect God to somehow balance the blessings, the healing, or even the joy of the Holy Ghost on top of all this other junk in our heart!
It’s like having a purse full of oranges and wanting to add apples as well. Wake up call! You’ll have to remove some of the oranges first so you can fit the apples!
Don’t expect God to carefully balance out gifts of wholeness and healing if you won’t let go of the victim mentality. Don’t expect God to balance out a gift of joy in the Holy Ghost if you refuse to forgive those who have harmed you and let go of the burden of bitterness you are carrying. You can’t have both. An exchange must be made!
Trust me, the things God wants us to carry are worth so much more than the trinkets we often choose to carry!
Most importantly, we are to take up our cross and follow him (Luke 9:23). Once we take all our needless stuff out of our heart/bag, we can fit the cross in there! Just take heed how you carry it!
I am reminded of the time that the Philistines had captured the ark of God through the misuse of it by the Israelites. The ark was a representation of God’s presence and was to be handled with care. Twenty years following the release of the ark by the Philistines, King David sent for the ark to be brought back to its rightful resting place. We find the account in II Samuel 6: “And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it…And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.”
Notice, Uzzah died because he transgressed the commandment that they not touch the ark. He likely would not have made this mistake, however, had King David and the ministry carried the ark as they were commanded in the first place. According to Exodus 25:13-14, the ark was to be fitted with staves which slid through rings on the sides of the ark. These staves were to be used to lift the ark onto the shoulders of the ministry, known as the Levitical priesthood.
It is interesting to note that this particular technique has been used in many cultures for carrying their monarchs from place to place. Such vehicles were known in some cultures as litters; the monarch would sit within an enclosed or semi-enclosed cabin through which staves were attached. The servants of the monarch would then carry him through the streets in dignity.
Similarly, the ark was indicative of the presence of God and was to be carried by his ambassadors, the priesthood! Instead, they loaded his presence onto a cart pulled by oxen just like any other burden. How do you wear your Christianity? Is it just one more hat you have to wear, just one more load you carry? Or is it a privilege to be called into his service? Do you gratefully carry that cross daily as an ambassador of the King of Kings, his child and his heir?
Today, before you pack your bag for tomorrow, take a look into your nap sack. Just what are you carrying? Were you meant to carry it or has God been asking to relieve you of it all along? And of those precious items He has given you, how do you carry them?
Try This Exercise:
STEP ONE: On sheet of paper, I want you to write three things that you know you need to let go of. You can write more if you want to, but everyone has at least 3!
STEP TWO: Now, on the other side of the paper, I want you to write 3 things you’ve been asking God for or that you’ve been needing in your life.
STEP THREE: Look at the paper in your hand. Some of you may wish to hide the contents you know you need to let go of while others will want to hide the list of things you need, for fear others will judge you for not having them already.
Realize, we are all in need of an exchange today. This sheet of paper you hold in your hand is like a coin. It cannot be heads and tails at the same time. It is one or the other.
Today, God is offering you an exchange.
** Your sickness for His healing.
** Your worldly lusts for His ministry.
** Your hurts and bitterness for His wholeness, joy, and peace.
But you have to choose to let go first.
STEP FOUR: I want you to envision the 3 things you want from God so desperately….How will your life be with those things? Imagine the joy, the peace, the fulfillment.
STEP FIVE: NOW, I want you to shift your focus to the other side of your list. Envision those 3 things that are keeping you back from what you need from God. ….Are they really worth losing out on God’s blessings? Why are you holding onto them? What do they reveal about your heart?
Today…not tonight. Right now…not this evening. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the moment of deliverance.
While it is true that some of these things cannot be released without God’s help, you must become a willing vessel. Take a moment to pray about these two sides of your life’s coin; it’s time for a change!
