Look Up and Live
Read This Week: Numbers 21
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then, when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. – Numbers 21:8-9 NIV
There’s something deeply human about Numbers 21. It feels like life. Progress mixed with frustration, victories interrupted by complaints, moments of faith tangled up with fear. The chapter opens with a quiet but important shift: Israel experiences victory. After years of wandering, they finally defeat the Canaanite king of Arad. It’s a moment of breakthrough, but it doesn’t last long in their hearts. Almost immediately, the people grow impatient again. The same pattern resurfaces. Discomfort leads to complaint, complaint leads to distortion, and distortion leads to rebellion. They begin to speak against God and against Moses, questioning why they were brought out of Egypt at all.
We can experience real progress in life: a win in our career, clarity in a relationship, a breakthrough in leadership, and still find ourselves frustrated five minutes later because the next step is uncomfortable. Growth rarely removes discomfort; it often introduces a new kind of it. And when expectations don’t match reality, it’s easy to rewrite the story in our minds. That’s what frustration does when it goes unchecked: it edits memory and reshapes truth.
Then comes one of the most striking moments in the section. After their complaints, venomous snakes enter the camp, and many are bitten. The people recognize their mistake and ask Moses to intercede. God’s response is unexpected. He tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who looks at it after being bitten will live.
It’s a strange solution, but a powerful one. The very image of what caused their pain becomes the means of their healing, if they’re willing to look at it. There’s something deeply practical here. Healing often requires us to face what hurt us, not avoid it. Whether it’s a leadership failure, a broken relationship, or a personal blind spot, transformation doesn’t come from pretending it didn’t happen. It comes from acknowledging it, lifting it into the light, and choosing to respond differently.
There’s also a humility in the act of looking. Imagine being bitten, in pain, and being told, “Look up, and you’ll live.” No complex solution. No self-reliance. Just trust. In a world where we pride ourselves on solving problems and controlling outcomes, this is a reminder that not everything is fixed through effort alone. Sometimes the most powerful step is surrender.
As the chapter continues, the tone shifts again. Israel moves forward, and this time, instead of complaining about water, they sing about it. It’s a subtle but profound change. The same need is present, but the posture is different. Instead of resistance, there’s gratitude. Instead of frustration, there’s worship. The people are no longer just reacting to their circumstances; they’re engaging with what God is doing.
In life, the difference between burnout and resilience often isn’t the situation; it’s how we engage it. The work is still hard. The journey is still long. But when perspective changes, energy follows. The chapter ends with more victories. These aren’t small wins; they’re significant, territory-shifting moments. But what’s interesting is that these successes come after the internal shift. It’s as if external progress finally aligns with internal growth.
The Scriptures remind us that leadership, growth, and life itself are rarely linear. We can win and still struggle. We can move forward and still feel stuck. But the real work isn’t just about changing our circumstances. It’s about allowing our perspective, posture, and trust to grow along the way. We have to pay attention to our spiritual and emotional life along the way. We have to avoid distorting reality because things feel hard. We have to face what needs to be confronted. We have to trust when we want to control. We have to look up and live because the breakthrough we’re looking for isn’t just in the next step, it’s in how we’re seeking God and choosing to see the one we’re already in.
Numbers Chapter 21 Verse 5-9
5. And the people spoke against God and again against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light light (contemptible ..unsubstantial ) manna.
6. Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many Israelites died.
7. And the people came to Moses, and said, we have sinned, for We have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people.
8. And the Lord said to Moses, make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.
9. And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived.
~Walking With God~
God Is Saying To Me:
Repentance makes you in right standing with me. By faith in Jesus, you are cleansed of sin.
What This Means To Me:
Sin can permeate into my life at any time. It’s up to me to discern sin and it’s affect on my life. I must raise my voice to God with a steady conviction, clinging to Jesus whom God lifted up on the cross so that I can have eternal life with Him. Focusing on Jesus wholeheartedly and non-dismissive is my true way to live peacefully in my life today. ❤️
******Father God Also Gave Me This Insight******
~Grace And Mercy Are Enough~
God Is Saying To Me:
I am reminding you again that complaining against Me has consequences but repentance leads to My mercy for you.
What This Means To Me:
In times of testing, God’s favor is with me. I must rely by faith on Jesus to supply all of my needs because lacking this faith results in death. Life with God’s mercy leads to life and gratefulness. Repentance and dependence by faith brings healing and victory. Even in the darkest moments, I can find refuge and appreciation for God. Gratefulness for God’s provision and His sustaining grace is enough. I do not have to fear, become discouraged or become impatient because of my reliance on God’s strength and direction that sustains me. ❤️❤️
Have you ever thought about this… what if God’s judgment is actually good?
Because when we think about judgment, especially God’s judgment, it can feel harsh. It can feel heavy. It can feel hard to understand. But what if we’ve misunderstood it? What if God’s judgment is not something working against us, but something working for us?
A lot of people think, “If I do something wrong, God is going to judge me.” And there’s truth there—but that’s not the whole picture. Because today, because of Jesus Christ, everything changes. For those who are in Christ, judgment is no longer about punishment—it’s about reward. It’s about what we do with Him, through Him, and for Him. Like the saying goes: this one life will soon be passed; only what’s done with Christ will last.
And here’s the reality: God gives us the opportunity to experience heaven right now—a life with Him, led by Him, filled with His presence. But for those who continually say no to Him, they experience the opposite. And that’s what makes God’s judgment righteous. Because God is not being “judgy”—He is being just. He separates what is true from what is false, what is good from what is evil, and what leads to life from what leads to destruction.
And here’s the good news: God doesn’t want anyone to be lost. God is always the one who reaches first. He reaches in love. He calls. He draws. He makes a way. And then it becomes our choice to respond. The Bible says that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. That means no one is beyond reach.
I remember hearing a story that really stuck with me—a man describing what he believed was a near-death experience. He said he felt himself going down into darkness… deeper and deeper… surrounded by fear and evil. And in that moment, he realized where he was headed. But then something happened. He remembered, as a child in Bible school, the song, and he began to sing, “Jesus loves me…” And before he could even finish, everything changed. Light broke in. Darkness disappeared. And he felt himself being pulled up.
Now whether someone debates that story or not, here’s the point: even in the darkest moment, God is still reaching. That’s His heart. And that’s why His judgment is good. Because His judgment is not just about consequences—it’s about calling people back to life.
And the way back is simple: respond to Jesus. It’s responding to His call of love that brings salvation, and it’s that same response to Jesus that shapes our life, grows us, leads us, and gives us victory. It’s the same response—from the moment of salvation, to every step of growth, to every victory in life. It’s always about responding to Jesus.
Because in the end… God always wins.
1. God’s Righteous Judgment is Good
God’s judgment is not against us—it is right, just, and meant to lead us back to life.
2. Jesus Paid the Price
Jesus took our sin upon Himself and paid the full penalty so we could be forgiven and restored to God.
3. The Victory is in Jesus
Victory in life and eternity is not earned—it is found in walking with Him and responding to Him daily.
God Always Wins When You’re Walking in the Spirit with Him
Picture this: God’s people had been wandering for years, and they were tired. But even in the wilderness, God was providing for them—daily manna from heaven, His presence, His guidance. These were not small things… these were God’s gifts to them. Father God loved them!
Yet instead of receiving those gifts with gratitude, they began to grumble:
“This manna is miserable… there’s no water… why did you bring us out here to die?” (Numbers 21:4–5, AMP)
Their complaining wasn’t just frustration—it was rejecting what God had already given.
And when we reject God’s gifts, we begin to lose sight of His goodness.
So something serious happened.
Fiery serpents came into the camp—venomous, painful, deadly. People were getting bitten, and fear spread quickly.
Finally, they came to Moses and said:
“We have sinned against the Lord and against you. Pray for us.” (v. 7)
And Moses prayed.
And God, in His mercy—even when they didn’t deserve it—made a way.
He said:
“Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, will live.” (v. 8–9)
That’s it.
No long process.
No striving.
No earning.
Just look up… and live.
From Complaining to Victory
What’s so powerful is what happened next.
The same people who had been bitten… kept moving forward.
And God gave them victory over kings like Sihon and Og.
The ones who were just in crisis became the ones who were walking in victory.
That’s our Father God.
He takes the very place where we fall…
and turns it into a place where we rise.
When we respond to Him.
Faith Is Simpler Than We Think
If you were there, you might have thought:
“How is looking at a bronze snake going to help me?”
But healing didn’t come from understanding.
It came from trusting what God said.
All they had to do was lift their eyes. And believe
And faith still looks like that today.
• Choosing to trust God when things don’t make sense
• Believing you are forgiven when guilt tries to stay
• Thanking God even in a hard place
• Saying, “Lord, I trust You,” one more time
Faith is simply looking to God and taking Him at His Word. And walking with Him through it.
Listen to yourself when you speak, do you speak words that are good?
Jesus Was Always the Plan
John 3:14–15 (AMP)
“Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”
And in John 12:32:
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.”
That bronze serpent was a picture of the cross.
Sin bites.
It poisons.
It brings death.
But Jesus was lifted up… so we could look to Him and live.
No earning.
No fixing yourself first.
As you walk with Jesus you make better choices, you learn how to speak. How to listen!
Learning to have faith.
The Heart of It
Maybe today you feel like something has “bitten” your heart—
anxiety… regret… fear… discouragement… something from your past… unmet expectations.
Here’s the truth:
You don’t have to fix yourself first.
Just like them, you can say:
“Lord, I’ve sinned… I need You.”
And then…
look up. Talk to Jesus He is right there with you!
Every time you choose to look up instead of giving up…
you are walking in the Spirit.
Because the moment you do…
peace comes in,
strength rises,
and life begins to flow again.
God always wins…
and when you walk in the Spirit with Him,
you step into that victory. ✨
Prayer you can pray
Father,
Right now, we come to You just as we are.
Some of us are tired…
some of us are hurting…
some of us feel like something has “bitten” our hearts—fear, regret, anxiety, or things we wish we could take back.
But today, we stop running…
we stop striving…
and we turn to You. We look to You!
We confess, Lord, that there have been moments we’ve complained, doubted, or taken Your gifts for granted.
Forgive us. Cleanse our hearts.
And right now…
I”m going to choose to look up.
Jesus, I look to You.
You who were lifted up on the cross…
You who took the venom of sin for us…
You who made a way where there was no way.
We put our trust in You.
Holy Spirit, please strengthen me within, renew my heart, and help me walk in step with You.
Lift every heavy weight.
Quiet every anxious thought.
Break every chain that’s been holding me back.
Teach me to walk in the Spirit with You—
to trust You,
to follow You,
to stay close to You in every moment.
And Lord, remind me daily:
You are right here.
You are with me.
You are for us.
We receive Your peace.
We receive Your strength.
We receive Your life.
And from this moment on…
I will look up, not down—
I will trust You, not fear—
and I will walk with You, knowing…
You always wins.
Amen
And I love you with my whole heart ❤️
Thank you, Father God, for blessing us with Jesus
And thank you Jesus for all you do and I’m so thankful that your Holy Spirit is right here to help me guide me into the right direction, but I do have to listen and respond please help me thank you so much ❤️⭕️❌
PODCAST
This Week in the Life: Numbers 21
The Message: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260322message.wav
This is what I got from God in Numbers 21. Satan seeks to destroy me, but he has no power when I put my faith in Jesus. Satan tries to prevent me from reaching the Promised Land through bondage. He knows my weaknesses and he wants to put me in environments where I am more prone to sin. It’s important for me to not stray away from the herd, and to continue to surround myself with like minded Christians. Accountability is so important. I need to surround myself with God’s army He has put around me. I need to stay away from things that can keep me in bondage. God will help me free others captured in bondage. I don’t want to long for my old life. My old desires will control me, if I don’t control them. I can control them with God’s help. I need to saturate my mind with God’s Word. I need to give thanks for everything in my journey. God has His own timeline. That timeline may not match mine. God allows my hardships to bring me to repentance, and good will come out of it. The punishment I go through can correct my behavior. It’s important for me to repent of my sins, and bring it out into the open. I must have faith that Jesus took my sins, and that my sins were placed on the Cross. I need to focus more on singing God’s praises. He loves worship, and He will be my shield, if I take refuge in Him. When I trust God, and walk with Him, no evil can prevail. I need to fear God by hating evil. Thank you God for all my victories!
This week in Numbers chapter 21 I have a song
Trusting
Let’s lift are hands high let’s lift are hands high praising our Lord being filled with the Holy Spirit being filled with the Holy Spirit. We are trusting in our Lord we are trusting in our Lord. He always wants us to succeed. Sometimes we stumble or think we can’t do things, but when we trust in our Lord, asking him to help he will guide us. Our Lord is always listening. Our Lord is always listening, our Lord, is always listening let’s trust in our Lord every day amen.
When we struggle or stumble, we need to worship our Lord so we can be in the Holy Spirit asking for a help. Let’s listen to the Lord and everything we do amen.