SENT FORTH AS SCOUTS
by Hollie L. Moody <hlmoody61@aol.com>

The Lord showed me myself on a beach
in front of a vast ocean. I was with a group of people. We were all
splashing in the shallows, playing, collecting seashells, having fun.

Then, I became set apart from the group of people I was with. I found
myself staring out across the water. The Lord was further out in the ocean
and was beckoning to me to follow Him. I was hesitant and fearful, but
slowly began to wade out into the water.

As I did, the further out into the water I went, strange and beautiful
and awesome sights met my eyes. I had never seen such sights before and
was awed and amazed by them.

At certain intervals, when something momentous seemed to happen to me in
the water, I would set up something that appeared to be some sort of small
buoy or marker. I didn't understand what it was, or what it's purpose was
for.

There were times I made as if to stop, and the Lord would beckon me to
continue. There were times when the waves became choppy and high, and were
confusing and frightening to me. During these times, I would glance back
towards the shore. The people I had been with continued to splash in the
shallows. I could faintly hear their cries of delight and their laughter,
and I longed to go back to them.

Once, when I turned around to rejoin them, the Lord spoke to me and said
that after having gone as far as I had, there was no returning and that I
would find no satisfaction in returning anyway.

Reluctantly, I turned my face away from the shore, and continued to follow
the Lord further out into the ocean.

There were tides I had to learn to swim in. Sea life I had to learn to
identify. I had to learn which sea life was friendly, and which was
dangerous. All the while, I felt so alone.

When I was almost all the way over the ocean, the Lord said to wait and to
look back at the shore. I did so, and saw that one person had come out
into the ocean and was up to their knees, then they were up to their
thighs. When they were almost to their waist, they stopped, and began to
beckon to and urge the people on the shore to come out also.

At first, the majority of the people excitedly began to join this person
in the water. Some remained on the shore. I sensed that they were
frightened and confused. The person left the water to go to the people who
were still hesitating on the shore. Some followed this person back out
into the water. The others who still refused to come out into the ocean,
were left on shore. Yet, they didn't appear as happy or as carefree as
they had been.

Slowly, the large group of people from the shore began to wade out into
the ocean. Some were obviously nervous and frightened. Others were wildly
excited. Others, seemed to be very serious about what was happening.

As the group drew nearer to me, I made as if to swim back to them. Now
that they were also in the water, I wanted to be with them. The Lord
stopped me, and directed me to swim the rest of the way across the ocean.

I began to reluctantly obey the Lord. I had wanted to rejoin the people,
and be with them. I had been alone and lonely as I was swimming in and
across the ocean. I wanted company.

I felt ground under my feet as I neared the opposite shore of the ocean. I
began to wade out of the water. When I had left the water, I turned to see
how the group of people were doing.

I watched as they swam and sometimes struggled through the waves. During
the more difficult times, they would stop at the buoy / marker I had set
up there, and rest a while before continuing to swim on. I was confused
once again by what all of this could mean.

As the people came closer to the shore upon which I was standing, I became
more and more excited. I felt that we were all finally going to be
reunited. I wanted to be with them, join them, talk about the journey
across the ocean we had all accomplished.

Then, I heard the Lord calling to me, and glanced in the direction of His
voice. The Lord was standing a distance from the shore. He was beckoning
to me to come and follow Him. I glanced beyond Him, and saw what appeared
to be some type of plot of ground. There was scrub brush and much sand and
small stones on this plot of ground.

I reluctantly walked over to where the Lord was waiting for me. "Follow
me," He said.

I hung back. "Where are we going, Lord?" I asked Him. "Why can't I wait
for the others and all of us follow You together? I don't want to be alone
anymore."

The Lord turned back to me. I saw compassion and gentleness in His eyes as
He gazed at me. "I have made you as a scout," He said to me.
"I have sent you before your people to define and mark the borders."

"Borders of what?" I asked. I felt very puzzled and confused.

"The borders of where I want to lead My people," the Lord replied. "I want
to lead them into a land of plenty. You will go before them and spy out
the land and send back reports of what they are to expect. You will leave
warnings for them at dangerous places, and mark clearly the way to places
of blessing.

The land of plenty that I am speaking of is not a place of personal
blessing for the people. It is a land of plentiful souls. As the souls of
My lost children are gathered in, My people will be blessed by this."

"Why are You asking this of just me?" I asked the Lord.

"You are not the only one I am asking this of," the Lord replied. "There
are many others who I am also sending forth as scouts. The danger for
these couts is discouragement and resentment and confusion. Being set
apart from the group they are leading, many will become discouraged by the
separation.

Some will fall to a spirit of resentment since they will feel they are
misunderstood and unappreciated. Others will also be confused by the
direction I am leading them. They will not understand what I am asking of
them, or why. If they listen closely to My voice, My Spirit will give them
clear guidance and direction. Follow Me," the Lord said to me again.

This time, I did.

******************

As I prayed about this, I felt the Lord speak to me and say that this
journey across the ocean began for me a year ago. At the time, I didn't
know or understand all the different ways the Lord seemed to be leading
me. I felt so alone much of the time.

At first, I thought this was just for myself (until the Lord replied to my
self-pitying question about, "Why just me, Lord?"). I now feel that
perhaps there are many in the Body of Christ who have been sent forth as
scouts to spy out the land. They have been sent before the group of people
they are with to go before them and set up markers and send back reports
of the trail ahead.

The danger here, is that the "scouts" can get impatient with the group of
people they are out in front of. They may not understand why they are in
front of and ahead of their group of people. They may despise and feel
proud that what their group of people is now being blessed or tested by,
is something they have already gone through.

The "scouts" could also feel so alienated and separated from the group of
people they have been sent before, that they get discouraged and stop
"scouting." I sense that this could lead some of the "scouts" to leave
the group of people they have been sent ahead
of, and to go on without them ~~ abandoning their group of people.

After praying more about this, and asking the Lord to help me to
understand and also accept this, I felt led to read about the Jordan River
and Canaan land.

Joshua 3 talks about the crossing of the Jordan River. Verses 3 and 4
read as follows ~~ {3} "And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see
the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites
bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. {4} Yet
there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by
measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must
go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore."

I thought also about the 12 spies sent by Moses to scout out the promised
land of Canaan. Each spy came back with a good report, but only 2 of the
spies had the faith that they could take the land. The other 10 spies
gave an evil report of fear and unbelief to the people. As a result, none
of those people from the age of 20 years old and upwards was allowed to
enter into the promised land, save for the 2 spies who gave a good report
(Numbers chapters 13 and 14.)

Those who are sent ahead of their group of people to scout out and spy out
the land, are to give a good report. They are to instill faith and hope in
the hearts of the people that what the Lord has promised them, He will
surely perform.

Numbers 14:7-8 ~~ {7} "And they <the two spies> spake unto all the company
of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to
search it, is an exceeding good land. {8} If the Lord delight in us, then
he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with
milk and honey."

This is the day and the time and the season in which the Lord has brought
the harvest before us to be reaped. It is daytime, the time to work; for
the night cometh when no man can work (John 9:4). It will take many
diverse ministries to reap this harvest. We are all laborers together. Let
us labor as the Lord has called us to labor.

In Him,