Joshua 21-24 [The Message]

Joshua showed us all what being a REAL MAN is. He said, “As for me an my house, we WILL SERVE THE LORD.”

The measure of a man is what he worships. He makes time in his life for what he worships. He makes life decisions based upon what he worships. He spends his money based upon what he worships. He plans his future upon what he worships.

The Bible gives us great examples of Godly men. Noah, Abraham, Moses and Joshua and Caleb, Nehemiah, Job, David, and the prophets. Christ Jesus is the ultimate example of a man.

Women and children will naturally follow a man who puts God in His rightful place.

Joshua 20, 21 [The Message]

At the conclusion of the distribution of territories and cities in the new land, Joshua declared that God had been faithful to keep His promises … all the enemies were subdued and all the tribes of Israel had their own turf to live in. Yes, there was a process of conquest, but in the end, God’s Word and promises proved true.

Regardless of the struggles you may currently be experiencing, hold fast to God’s promises to you. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” [Is. 54:17] It may take time, but His promises have no expiration date. In fact, in the waiting, He is teaching you and building you up. “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD.” [Ps. 27:14]

Joshua 15-19 [The Message]

Care was taken to give every tribe an inheritance with land and cities accrding to the boundaries Joshua and the elders specified. Interestingly, the casting of lots was an integral part of the process.Nevertheless, each tribe received an area to inhabit and prosper in.

BOUNDARIES – Christians are advised to live within the parameters identified in God’s Word ie. abiding with your lawful mate, keeping your hands and eyes off another’s possessions, and being content with what God has given you. It’s also pointless to envy or covet the ministry God gives to someone else. Abide in YOUR calling.

INHERITANCE – God had a provision for each tribe. None were left out. It’s as if their destiny was there for the taking but had already been designated ahead of time. Personal note: I can see how my earthly father, David Demos, lived with his distribution foremost in his mind in his latter years. I remember saying, “Dad, go ahead and get that … you have the money.” He would say, “it’s YOUR money.” Parents generally “live to give.”

P.S. Patty and I were invited to attend a full weekend wedding celebration for a Trinity grad. We were at a beautiful lodge on the top of a mountain near Helen, Ga., and I couldn’t log in to my blog. Sorry I missed a couple of days.

Joshua 11-14 [The Message]

31 kings and their kingdoms were eliminated from the Promised Land when Joshua and the Hebrews marched into the Land. The conquest was TOTAL … there were no survivors left. Cities were burned and the plunder taken. It was a gruesome scene, confusing to many contemporary critics of the Bible and Christianity.

Consider this: it was conquer or be conquered. The Christian must realize that God does not want to share us with the gods of this world. This is why we must agree to fight the good fight of faith which is to eliminate all doubt and unbelief. God wants ALL of us. We can’t let sin and disobedience get a foothold in our lives.

The blessing of a life of conquest leads to the deliverance of others. Our families can enter a life of rightstanding with God because of our conquests.

Joshua 10 [The Message]

As Christians, we are engaged in a struggle for the health of our soul. Our enemy, the devil and our own flesh, are determined to prevent us from experiencing God’s best for our lives. In the way Joshua and the Hebrew army annihilated their foes in Canaan, we are likewise to aim to completely destroy the enemies of our spiritual well-being. We are not to tolerate sin in the least. Kill it. Mortify it.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: [Col. 3:5]

Joshua 9 [The Message]

The Gibeonites heard about Israel’s conquests and were terrified that they too would be destroyed at the hand of God’s people. So, they devised a ruse to strike a deal with Israel that would insure their safety. They lied to Joshua and the leaders about who they were and where they were from. Failing to consult God about this, Israel’s leaders agreed to preserve them, only to find out that they were deceived by the Gibeonites. They honored their agreement, but lived to regret it.

Life’s options are not always as they appear to be. The enemy of our soul can paint a tempting picture to make sin attractive to us. It’s always built upon a LIE. “Eat this and it won’t hurt you!” “Do this and you will be better for it.” “You don’t really need to do that to please God.” And on and on … the devil can paint an attractive picture of a life of disobedience.

We must measure every temptation by God’s Word. How does it stack up to scripture. The Holy Spirit is very helpful in this debate. He will bring to your mind the verses that you need to pay heed to. Then, God’s grace is available to you to give you the strength to make the right decision and to stick to it.

RESIST THE DEVIL and he will flee from you. [James 4:7]

Joshua 7, 8 [The Message]

Israel suffered a confounding defeat at AI all because of one man’s sin. Achan stole some plunder from the city when God had said, “No plunder.” His disobedience was the single reason Israel was defeated.

God explained to Joshua what the infraction was and how to remedy it. Achan and his family were stoned to death for his disobedience. As soon as the restitution was made, God re-instructed Joshua and the army to return to the place of their defeat and DO IT RIGHT THIS TIME. A great victory ensued and the wrong had been made right.

Prayerfully consider the defeats you’ve experienced. Allow the Lord to reveal your missteps. Confess all sin to Him and be forgiven. Your slate has been made clean. Seek Him for a fresh action strategy. Proceed in confidence that He is with you and you shall obtain the victory through your faith.

Joshua 4-6 [The Message]

After the Hebrews had crossed the Jordan and witnessed a mighty miracle, they were obedient and submitted to circumcision. Painful though it was, at the conclusion, God came to Joshua as the Commander of the Lord’s Armies. Joshua knelt before the Lord upon the holy ground.

Although God is always watching and keeping us, He responds affirmatively to our obedience. We need His presence as we take steps in the direction of our next conquest.

Your obedience may take the form of a period of fasting, or the forsaking of a particular sin.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [Heb. 12:1]

Joshua 2, 3 [The Message]

God performed a mighty miracle for the Hebrews as they stood on the eastern side of the Jordan River en route to Jericho. He stopped the flow of the river so that they could walk across on dry ground. This miracle was very similar to the crossing of the Red Sea. It’s as if God was saying, “I performed a great miracle for your parents. Now, here’s your own miracle.

God’s miracle power HAS NOT DIMINISHED! He can and will do for you what He’s done for those who have gone before you. Is there an uncross able river of resistance in front of you, preventing you from entering His Promises? Bring His Spirit to bear by calling upon the Name of Jesus and take that first step into the water. Then, stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord.

Joshua 1 [The Message]

God told Joshua to take up the mantle of leadership from Moses and move forward into the Promised Land. Then God spoke these critical words to Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” [Joshua 1:9]

We go forward NOT because we’re merely ambitious or aggressive. We don’t act on our self-confidence. We are not motivated by fear. We move forward because the Lord is WITH US. We live by the faith and grace He gives.

It makes sense to seek FIRST the Lord and His presence before we even think about taking another step. Then, we proceed. If God be for us, who can be against us?