God's Ways Are Not Our Ways

Joshua 6:2-5 - Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.  March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.  Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.  When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

The commander of God’s army delivered God’s instructions….a simple 7 day plan of attack. The fortified city would crumble all on its own…all they had to do was silently march around it one time for six days...then on the seventh day they would march around it 7 times.  The only sounds for the marches would be the 7 ram horns the priests would blow as they led the Israelites.

Joshua did not argue with what must have seemed a strange plan to him.  He obeyed… carrying out every instruction to the last detail. The camp woke early for the next 7 days …and fell in behind the ark and the priests and silently obeyed the instructions Joshua had received from God.  All that silence ended in a mighty shout when they finished the last march around the city…as the walls crumbed before their eyes.

This story is a great reminder of two things. First…God works in his own unique way.  His ways may seem strange and weird to our earthly brains…but if we trust him in faith…he always keeps his word. Second... God’s timing is perfect...even when we don’t see the purpose right away. God build strength and confidence in the Israelites as he slowly placed fear and terror in the people of Jericho,

Romans 8:28 keeps popping up in my pathway. It promises that if we are obedient like Joshua…. We are assured that whatever has happened is a part of his greater plan to save the world from evil.  It says…..” And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  I still cling to my favorite verse….Jeremiah 29:11…which says that whatever that plan is….it is meant to prosper me and not to harm me…to make my future a good one.

Father...thank you for the reminders that you work in ways that I am humanly not able to fathom…and all those plans are meant for good not evil.   Forgive me for the times that I forget that promise and begin to doubt the goodness of your love and care while I wait on your timing. Help me to be strong and courageous like Joshua..trusting in you even when your plan is not what I imagined it to be.  Amen.

Real Faith Does Not Limit God

Joshua 5:14-15 ^-“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”  The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua had led the people over the Jordan River…and followed God’s instructions to circumcise the children that had been born during their wanderings.  He woke this morning…the fortified city of Jericho staring back at him…and wondered just how God planned to give them this city.

I have no doubt that Joshua had plenty of faith to know that God had a plan…but perhaps his earthly mind couldn’t help but set up battle scenarios…cause that how most of us think.  We want the pre-game details…the full plan of how something is going down.  The only problem with that is….no faith is needed for that.

When Joshua saw that soldier…who just happened to be God’s chief in command…he didn’t recognize him…cause God had dressed him as an earthly soldier. Joshua had his “ah-hah moment”…his “burning bush experience”… when the soldier told him not only who he was…but that he was standing on holy ground.

How precious that moment must have been to Joshua.  He was honored….and humbled….and terrified all in the same instant. His earthly mind had to turn off any thought processes it had been processing…and his heart had to open up to hear God’s message from this heavenly visitor. Because Joshua had real faith…there was no delay in him hearing God’s message.

What a great reminder that when our earthly thought processes begin to overthink God’s plan in our life….God shows up with an experience that is so not earthly. In that moment… he takes our thinking right out of the earthly realm…giving faith a whole new perspective.

Father…thank you for the reminder that real faith lets go of the earthly thoughts we try to use to explain you.  Forgive me for limiting myself with only my own thoughts.  Help me to find a way to visit you on your holy ground…so you can expand my visions of how you do things.  Amen.

Use Your 'Stone'... To Bring About Good

Joshua 4:6-7 - to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

God had fulfilled his promise to Joshua and all the Israelites had crossed the high waters of the Jordan in flood stage…ON DRY GROUND!!!  But before they went any further…before the Ark and priests moved out of the river bed….God directed Joshua to tell one man from each tribe to get a stone from close to the priest’s feet.  As they piled them up in their camp that night…God told them that the rocks were to serve as a sign for every generation to follow….of the great miracle God had done for them that day.

It started me thinking of all the things God has done for me…and how important it is that I use those times he helped me to tell others about his love and grace. I am a firm believer that the hurts of our past are allowed ….in one capacity …. so that God can use your experience to bring about good later down the road. We become the fulfillment of Romans 8:28 that says…” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

The stone we are to gather from our pain is not to be worn as a weight around our neck. It is to be positioned in a place where we will see it daily…so that it will remind us to tell others how God brought us through it to the other side.  Our Jordan’s are all different….but the God who brought us to the other side of that river is the same.

One last thought. Romans 10:14 says…. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Some of the best sermons…aren’t from a fancy pulpit inside a church.  They can be simple stories …personal testimonies ….of how God dried up the river for you to get to the other side.

Father…thank you for the reminder that one of the best ways to share your love… is to share the story ..or stories…of how you have helped me through the roughest rivers of life.  Forgive me for the times that I forget that you can use every moment of pain I have felt to help someone else.  Open my eyes and heart and ears to every opportunity to share the love you have shown to me with others.   Amen.

Consecrate Yourself For A Boost Of Faith

Joshua 3:3-5 - … giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.  Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.” Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

Joshua had just taken over the responsibility of leading this massive group of Israelites. He waited for God to speak with him…then set straight out to the bank of the Jordan River.  Joshua made them stop and wait three days. These days were to be spent consecrating themselves …so that they would be prepared to not just witness God’s next great miracle among them.

God was going to dry the river bed for them to walk across.  It would be different this time….not a wall of water on either side like the sea they crossed before.  This time God planned on stopping the water upstream…during its flood stage.  The Jordan at normal times would be about 180 feet wide ...with a current of about 4mph…but the Jordan at this time would have been double that…with a current of around 10 mph. It could have been 65 feet deep at some points.

As soon as the priest walked into the water at the edge of the river…the water stopped flowing. The bed of that river dried up…and stayed dry till the ark was completely through to the other side. The people all crossed over on dry land…just as their ancestors had crossed the sea 40 years earlier.

It’s a reminder of how important it is to stop before venturing into any new territory. We need to make sure that God has given us all the directions we need to be his best servant. We should take time to identify and admit all our sins and weaknesses and clean up all the sin that might be able to entangle us…keep us from staying focused on the task that God gave us to do.  Joshua called this process consecration.

It is also a reminder to me to keep my faith ever strong.  Even though God has never asked me to cross a 65 foot deep river…with no boat…or life jacket…..he has led me to the edge of some pretty rough situations….with no clue how they would turn out. If my faith is anchored in God….he can help me through any situation…even envisioning what miracle he might do for me on the other side.  Amen.

Be A Rahab

Joshua 2:15 - 16   -  So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.  She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

Joshua’s first decision as a leader sent two spies into the city of Jericho.  It was a mighty city protected by a mighty wall. They went to a prostitute named Rahab…for lodging….perhaps not for the reason we might first think of. She ended up meeting God…and was used of him in spite of her lifestyle choices.

It struck me as I read the story how she is such a strong example of how God can use anyone to do his work.  She understood the power the God of these two spies was as soon as she met them…probably way before.  Rumors of the God of the Israelites had spread throughout this land God was giving them. She approached these men with fear…a reverent fear for her life if their God chose to give her city over to these people.

God used this fear to stir up a passion to save her family…which translated in protection for these two spies that had been discovered by the king.  She not only hid them on her roof under some flax plants…she lied to the king… and let them down from her window that just happened to be located on the city wall.  She even gave them instructions how long to hide…where to hide…and how to travel back safely to their camp.

Rahab accepted an offer from these spies to save her family… in exchange for their escape… and the hanging of a scarlet ribbon in the window they used to escape…her family would be spared when they came to take the city. She left behind all that she knew to become a part f this people of God….letting God build for her and her family a new future…full of hope.

Think about that for a second.  Her faith…not even fully complete…earned her a verse in what most Christians consider the hall of faith.  Hebrews 11:31 says… “ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^” Her life…scared and broken and dirty as anyone…even before she accepted Christ as her Savior….or God as her forever God…became an example of how to step out in pure faith…with just the simple word of two spies

I needed the reminder this morning that the simplest of faith….a tiny grain as small as a mustard seed …placed in God’s hands... will move the mightiest of mountains.  No matter what is in my past…all the broken pieces can be used of God to bring about good for his kingdom.

Father...thank you for the reminder that I need to be a Rahab.  Forgive me for the times that I let the past limit my faith. Help me to cling to that small seed of faith you planted in me when you saved me …so you can use it and grow it into all that I need to be the best that I can for you. Amen.

Tap Into God's Limitless Power And Courage

Joshua 1:5-6 -  No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

Joshua was entering a new season of life.  He was no longer the sidekick of Moses…God had made him the leader. God wasted no time speaking to him… breathing the very power into Joshua that Moses had felt at the burning bush. God would be with him just like he had been with Moses…it was all up to Joshua now to bring his best attitude to the picture….so God could make him as courageous and faithful as he had Moses.

God’s promise to Joshua is available to anyone that believes on the name of Jesus Christ.  They were Jesus’ last words before he ascended to heaven to prepare for all who believe. Matthew 28:20 records them… “ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.”

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us to take this statement to the highest level of praise…and claim the strength and power promised as well. It says… “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Hebrews 4:16 reminds us that to keep this power we must let God power and control the courage he places in us …and not let pride puff our humility levels out of whack. It says … “ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

I needed the reminder this morning that God can make me stronger than I could ever manage on my own.  He wants all of us to claim the power he has to keep us ever fearless of what the world can throw at us.  He wants us to all become strong…fearless…humble servants like Moses…like Joshua…like Jesus.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you can give me limitless power…courage inexhaustible… and infinite love for those you have placed around us. Forgive me for the times I have let fear rob me of a deeper experience with you.  Rekindle the passion you placed in me the day we met…and help me learn to humble myself into a vessel you can make into all that you need me to be for you.  Amen.

Focus On God's Future for You...Forget The Mistakes Of Your Past

Deuteronomy 34:5-8 -  And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.  Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.  The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

Moses…still full of strength and faith…eyes and heart focused on God like no other before him…climbed Mount Nebo to see the land that God was giving to the Israelites. At 120 years young…God brought his mission of life to an end…and buried him in secrecy. We are not told how long Moses lived on that Mountain…but I am sure in my heart that he spent every last minute God gave him praying over what he saw…for God to bless them…to given them all the strength they would need to succeed with Joshua as their new leader.

Think of the most majestic view God has ever allowed your eyes to see. Consider the awestruck panoramic view of the Grand Canyon…Look Out Mountain in Chattanooga TN…Clingman’s Dome near my own home….or even the view from the tallest Mountains known to man…the google says that there are at least 109 mountains with elevations greater than 7,200 meters worldwide. None of those compared to what Moses saw when God focused his eyes of Canaan.

Here’s what really struck me… Moses never argued one time with God about his last moments.  He knew he deserved what God had spoken and was content to stare at this land in the presence of his Lord as long as God would allow. I just bet there were non-stop prayers for those people till he took his last breath…. a sort of prayer walk with his eyes.

I needed the reminder not to focus on the mistakes that placed me where I am…but to keep my mind and heart and soul completely focused on God so he can tell me what to do next. Jeremiah 29:11 seeps out of my being…and I am once again sure that he has a purpose for me...to prosper me...for my life to benefit others with good...not evil. Even if what is next is death…I can look forward to seeing Jesus face-to –face myself…and my knees buckling under me as I stand in his glorious presence.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are in control of every minute detail of my life. Forgive me for focusing too many times on the mistakes I made…letting them drag me down and make me unusable to be your servant.  Help me to tap into the same power and strength that Moses had…with prayer…with two –way conversations that will empower me to do your will…and with Bible study…that will teach me all that you placed me here to do. Help me to focus on the future you have for me...instead of bashing myself for the mistakes that have slowed me down. Amen.