Make A List Of Victories

Joshua 12:1, 7, and 24   -Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward:

….And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments,

…the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.

Joshua took the time to list the name of each king as the peace God granted was fresh and new. They had spent what most commentators think was around 7 years defeating these 31 kings.  My eyes got weary trying to read the names of all those kings…each one listed with the city or territory he ruled before the Israelites took it over.

I did not readily see a lesson in what seemed to be a simple listing of names…so I started researching some different commentaries to see what insight they could add. I stumbled on this great David Guzik point… “What seems a simple list to us must have been a reminder to Joshua of all God had done to clear this land for them.”  Got me thinking about sitting down and making my own list…so I would have it the next time I started feeling sorry for myself.

What a great reminder to take some time in our seasons of happiness and joy to make a list of all the victories he has provided in our lifetime. I’m even thinking of adding all the pain he has brought me through as well. I can’t think of any better way to have a tangible comprehensive list of all God has done to build our faith.

I needed the reminder as usual that God has seen me through every single moment.  He never left my side…sometimes he held my hand the whole time. He even let me sit in his lap a couple of the worst times and let me cry till my tears were spent. I may never fully understand why he let the things he did happen. I may not have been deserving of any of the bad…and I know that I will never be worthy of any of the good. But this one thing I know…God has a plan…for my good.  It is a plan to someday prosper me…and not meant to harm me.  It is a plan that gives me hope for my future.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to reflect on the many things you have done to build me into the person you want me to be.  Forgive me for the times that I make that list about the times when life was unkind ..letting my mind focus too much on the past. Help me to keep my list of victories close by…so when I begin to let the world get me down I can let the list of all you have done to strengthen me build me even stronger.  Amen.

God Can Handle Anything Life Throws At Us

Joshua 11:5-6  - All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom to fight against Israel. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”

Many of the other kings in the areas left in Canaan joined forces and made an enormous army…as numerous as the sand on the beach. But as soon as Joshua heard of it…God let him know real fast not to be afraid of them. God had a plan that would destroy even this innumerable army in just one 24 hour period.

What a great reminder that God can handle anything that this life throws at us. Nothing is too big for God.  He is bigger…and mightier…and more powerful than anything. He created this world and he controls every tiny detail of it…working it all to the good of those who love him.

The world might seem out of control…even your personal piece of it may be falling apart…but God knows every detail and has allowed it for some greater glory to his kingdom. I admit that it is hard to have faith when things seem their worst…but I believe that is when God teaches us our deepest lessons of how to depend only on him.

Father...thank you for the reminder that all things are in your control and under your power. Forgive me for the times that I let situations get me worried or concerned …failing to trust you fully with all things.  Help me have the faith of Joshua…to know that you will give me detailed instructions of how you plan to glorify yourself through what you allow in my life.  Amen.

God Can Bring Victory In All Situations

Joshua 10:6-8 - And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.”  So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.  And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” 

They had messed up…but knew that God would want them to keep the vow they made…so when the Gibeonites fell prey to the other kings…Joshua rallied the troops to go and help them. God let him know real quick that he was with them. In fact…God had already set in motion a plan to protect and defeat these kings that had set out to destroy the people he had allowed to become servants for Israel.

They surprised them by marching all night and attacking that morning. Anyone who escaped and ran was cut down from the confusion God let settle over the Amorites….huge hailstones that fell as they ran from the Israelite army… or by the swords of the Israelite army. Even the5 kings that found a cave to hide in were made an object lesson for the commanders of never to be afraid of a battle that God had sent them to fight.

What a great reminder that when God is in a situation…even if it was a mistake you made and turned over to God after the fact… God brings about the exact details to give us victory over the problems we are fighting. He can control every aspect of every thing that happens…even to the point of stopping the sun and moon to extend the orbit of the earth…giving us all the time we need to claim victory.

I needed the reminder that victory in every situation that seems hopeless rests in my faith in God…period.  There are no ‘ifs’ in trusting God…we are his child….he will take care of us. Galatians 3:25-27 says… “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

Thank you father for the reminder that you have all I need to be victorious in all situations.  Forgive me for the times that I fail to use even the small faith you gave me to claim your power.  Help me to rest in your love…and lean on your complete understanding…so I won’t be tempted to lean on my own. Amen.

What Would God Have Me Do?

Joshua 9:14 – 16 -   The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.  Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.  Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.

The word spread fast to all the Kings who lived in the land that God had given to the Israelites…that these people …who let Yahweh control their lives…were a great threat. One king decided to come up with a con…a ruse…a trick that would protect his people from the sure death and destruction that was coming. His people dressed in the oldest rags they had…worn shoes… worn out wine skins complete with the oldest wine they had …even packing only the driest moldiest bread they had…to plead for a treaty with God’s people.  They completed their ruse with a false story of their travels from a distant land.

They would not have gotten away with it…except that the leaders who made the decision to believe them…did not inquire of God what to do. They tasted the provisions these Gibeonites presented as proof...and agreed to let them become servants and woodcutters for the Israelites.  They fell for the ruse… had to keep their vow…even when they found out the truth.

What a great reminder to always check with God before making a decision. I sure am guilty… of making decisions too many times without stopping and whispering a prayer of “what should I do?” Especially when it it is what I perceive to be a small thing.  I needed the reminder that the more I include God in all my decisions…the less I will have to backtrack ….and ask him to help me fix the mess I made by jumping ahead of him.

Luke 11:9 reminds us...  “So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” I believe that goes for every decision we need to make. But James 4:3 reminds us to also ask with the right motives…to make sure our heart is clean and thinking with God’s ideals in mind before we ask. It says… “You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.”

Thank you Lord for the reminder to include you in every decision I make.  Forgive me for the many times I jump ahead of you…and forget to include a prayer for your will to be carried out in all that I do. Help me to stay in such a constant attitude of prayer that my only response to every deicision is to stop and ask you what would you have me do?  Amen.

God's Holy Spirit Can Give Us All The Courage We Need

Joshua 8:1-2 - Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

The Israelites had tried attacking Ai and his city once before…and suffered a huge defeat. So before God gave him the directions to go and attack him again…he reminded Joshua not to be afraid or discouraged. One thing was different this time…God was going before them...victory was a sure thing. The sin in the Israelite camp that had caused God to use the last lesson as an object lesson….had been purged from among them.

The message to my heart was clear…as soon as I read the words…”Do not be afraid…do not be discouraged.” They jumped right off the page and into my heart last night as I read them. I won’t give all the details…but I have this thing to do today…and I am more than a little nervous about it. I have prayed over it for several days...even talking to my official counselor friend to get her advice and her joint prayers.

I needed the reminder that God goes with me in everything I do.  Sometimes I take that fact for granted...like when there seems to be an angel swerving my car at just the right moment to prevent a wreck…. or that moment when I seem to know exactly what to do. Just because the perfect words and actions are not embedded into my head right now…does not mean that God will not show up when the time comes and fill it with all that it needs.

Part of the problem is that I don’t get to write down my words…I can’t use word processing to go back and change my script till it is exactly right. This deed I need to do requires face to face exchange…which I botch quite frequently.  I need to be courageous…and confident that God has just the right words for me to use today. He is in control and will work even what I see as a thing I am not prepared to handle… to the good of all that love him…per Romans 8:28.

Father...thank you for the reminder that you are with me in all that I do. Forgive me for letting my heart fret over what I need to do. Give me confidence and wisdom and just the right words to speak in this situation. Help me to feel the touch of your holy spirit today as I prepare…and follow through with my task. Help me to be courageous and not intimidated …so I can use your words and actions to complete what I know I need to do. Amen.

Sin...ALL Sin...Separtes Us From Our Source Of Power

Joshua 7:10 -12  - The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?  Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

The people had been warned to follow God’s instructions carefully. Achan’s act of disobedience put around 3000 men in a direct path for death.  God could not go before them because of Achan’s sin.  So all of them died…losing their second battle meant to take more of the land God had promised them.

Joshua did the only thing he knew to do. He fell before the ark ...tore his clothes in humility ..and cried out to God.  He was confused…discouraged…letting his mind wonder why God had even brought them there.  God told him to stand up…then told Joshua about the great sin that had made him leave their side for this battle.

Each tribe was escorted in front of Joshua…clan by clan...and asked what sin they had committed…till the tribe of Judah…and the clan of Achan stood before him. Achan admitted his sin quickly...and God’s instructions to purge all sin from within the people were carried out swiftly.  All that he had… family and livestock… were stoned to death. 

What a stark reminder of what sin can do to our lives if left unchecked.  We may not have to worry about being stoned…but sin will eventually destroy our whole family if left unrepented and purged from our lives. All sin will be judged by God someday…and cost us something in the end.

I may have purged intentional sins like Achan’s from my life…but I will always need a reminder to keep my heart ever tuned to God to identify unintentional sins.  Those are the sins that creep slowly into our lives because we have let the world influence us more than God’s word.  If God brings one to my heart…I had better fall on my knees like Joshua and ask God to help me remove it before it affects my relationship with God.

Thank you Lord for the reminder that sin separates my heart from the one source that can keep me living a fulfilling life in you.  Forgive me for the times I have taken advantage of my salvation in you and let any sin stay too long in my life.  Help me to daily identify even the smallest of sins in my heart and repent…so you can help me wash it completely out of my life.  Then help me fill the space it took in my heart with something that you can use to make me a better servant for you.  Amen.

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.