The book of Numbers puts God's holiness, sovereignty, and mercy on display. The Israelites grumble against Him, but He remains faithful to the covenant He made with them.
We are a new creation in Christ. Nevertheless, the old power of sin still wages war against the Spirit within us. We are in a soul-forming process by which the Spirit puts to death in us the deeds of the flesh. It is vital, therefore, that we remind ourselves who we are as fruit-bearers in the Spirit.
Measuring the success of discipleship is important; however, we must make sure to employ the right tools of measurement in order to judge that success.
Trusting God (transferring our confidence and hope from ourselves to Him) leads to obedience; together these concepts form the fifth of eight "spiritual essentials" (core aspects of the Christian faith), which Ken Boa is covering in his Friday morning men's study at First Redeemer Church (Cumming, GA).