Archive for the ‘Joshua-BibleTrekToday’ Category
Scripture reading for March 6: Joshua 13-17
Some people are positive and exude strength and courage! God commanded Joshua and the nation of Israel to be strong and courageous! (Joshua 1:8) When we choose to believe God’s Word and act on it, our lives change from sight-driven to faith-driven. Caleb’s destiny changed from “dying in the desert” to “possessing the promised land”! In our reading today, we listen in on Caleb as he prepares to receive his portion of inheritance in the promised land.
Caleb and Joshua are the only two left out of 603,550 Israelite males that left Mt. Sinai for the promised land. (Numbers 1:46) They were two of the twelve spies and the only ones to bring back a good report! God rewarded them by sparing their lives and allowing them to have what they proclaimed in faith! (Numbers 14:24) Caleb’s inheritance included the fortress at Hebron where the Anakites lived. (Joshua 14:15) They were large people and renowned fighters. This made no difference to Caleb! He was still confident in God’s ability to give him the land! (Joshua 14:12) Joshua blessed Caleb and sent him off to his inheritance!
Caleb is one of my favorite people in the Bible. He exudes confidence! He maintains an attitude of faith and confidence even in his older years. At 85 we find him strong and vigorous and ready for battle! He isn’t in retirement or sitting out life in a rocking chair. He understands what belongs to him, and is ready to take it and possess it! He is praising God and making the good confession! That’s my kind of man!
What obstacle do you face today? What excuses have you been making for not attacking it? Learn from Caleb how to walk by faith and confess God’s ability to help you! “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, 85 years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day! You yourself heard that the Anakites were there and that their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said!” (Joshua 14:10-12)
Scripture reading for March 5th: Joshua 9-12
Sometimes the days aren’t long enough to get done everything that we would like to. Joshua had just such a day when he responded to the call to help the Gibeonites. Joshua prayed to the Lord and asked God to cause the sun to stand still while the nation of Israel attacked it’s enemies. God listened and a great miracle helped bring victory!
The Gibeonites had earlier deceived the Israelites in order to save their own lives. Joshua made a covenant with them and then found out that they had lied to him. (Joshua 9:22-23) As a result, this Canaanite tribe became servants to Joshua and Israel. A lack of prayer and discernment caused this problem. A short time later, five Amorite kings had formed an alliance and were attacking Gibeon. God spoke to Joshua and told him to go and attack and He would give him the victory. (Joshua 10:7-8) Joshua and his troops marched all night long and the fight was on. God helped the Israelites out with a heavy downpour of hailstones, killing more of the enemy than did the Israelites! The fight was going well, but daylight would soon be gone. Joshua prayed to the Lord. God listened to this man and the sun literally stood still in the sky for nearly a day! (Joshua 10:12-14)
This miracle is very interesting because of what must have happened to bring it about. For the sun to stand still in the sky, the earth had to quit rotating! This would be very difficult because the earth is rotating at 24,000 miles per hour! The moon would stand still too! It is orbiting the earth! Only God could make this happen! The hail storm that killed the enemy but did not affect the Israelites is also a miracle! (Joshua 10:11)
At the end of this story, Joshua brings the five kings out of the cave and has his men put their feet on the kings’ necks. (Joshua 10:24-25) He again instructs them to be strong and courageous! They get a visual picture of victory and what God wants us to do to our enemy Satan! (Romans 16:20) God alone gets the glory for these victories!
What do we learn from this ancient record of Joshua’s exploits? With God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37) If we ask Him in faith for what we need, He is able to deliver even the most difficult and impossible requests. Joshua was responding to God’s directions in his battle. He chose the all-night march as a surprise factor. The journey would have been over 20 miles at night with a 3000 foot gain in altitude! He felt he needed more time to subdue this enemy and simply asked! Do you have a request that sounds too difficult for the Lord today? Ask Him!
Scripture reading for March 4: Joshua 6-8
Have you ever faced an impossible situation? My life has been a series of various impossible situations that God has brought me through and as I look back, I am amazed! One such situation was a crisis of debt in my personal life. My wife and I had started a farm business from scratch with the help of my father. We had borrowed a lot of money and found ourselves nearly $600,000 in debt in 1981. The farm economy took a turn for the worse and we had purchased land in 1979 for $2000 per acre. By 1982 it was only bringing $600! The interest rate went from six percent to sixteen percent! We were hurting and in a mess! I saw many farmers lose farms because of this crisis. We turned to the Lord in repentance for our bad decisions and asked for help. In seven years of following instructions, we were debt-free! That made us shout!
In our reading today, Joshua faced a tough, walled stronghold just inside the “promised land”. As he contemplated what to do, he met up with an interesting person. He was not sure who this person was at first, and asked him who’s side he was on. The answer “neither” is interesting. God is for all men but is working out His purposes to save as many as will respond! Joshua removed his shoes as sign of holy respect when asked by the Lord and listened for instructions. The battle plan for this stronghold included all the Israelites. They must march around the city each day for six days. (Joshua 6:2 -5) The Ark of God was to lead the procession with seven priests carrying trumpets. On the seventh day, they were to march around seven times and the priests were to blow the trumpets. As they completed the journey, there was to be a loud trumpet blast and a great shout by the people. God promised that the walls would fall! What strange instructions!
When they obeyed, God gave them the victory! He promises us this very same thing today. It is important to seek the Lord when facing a stronghold. Ask for wisdom! (James 1:5-8) Listen closely! Be strong and full of courage and act on what He says. Let God lead the way. You follow Him closely. When the trumpet sounds, shout the victory! The walls will fall! Note that God saved Rahab, the prostitute because of her obedience in gathering her family into the room in the wall and tying the red cord to the window! God is in the saving business and loves to give victory! Face whatever stronghold is in your life today with courage and confidence! The Lord will bless you with a victory!
Scripture Reading for March3: Joshua 1-5
Walking with God is not for wimps! God leads His people in paths of righteousness and truth. He is a mighty warrior and a conqueror! His reputation for war is known far and wide! He never loses or backs down, but often employs some very unconventional battle strategy (Joshua 6:2-5) and uses only those willing to follow His leadership. Today we begin our walk through the book of Joshua. God’s people finally get to go in and possess the land promised to them for so many years. We listen in as God finishes his preparation of Joshua, their new leader.
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9
Possessing your inheritance requires strength and courage, especially if you are in leadership! It requires strength because there is walking involved and the ground you cover includes mountains and valleys. There are obstacles and tough climbs. You must have strength of mind to keep your thoughts focused on God’s promises. You must possess strength of character and soul to keep from falling for the temptations of the enemy and the flesh that would trip you up. God will lead you and go with you, (Matthew 28:20) but you must have the strength of body, mind, and soul to keep up the pace and walk with Him.
Courage is another attribute of a leader blessed by God. Courage is the ability to face tough situations with confidence. Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to face fear with truth and keep moving toward the goal. The confidence is not to be in your own strength, mind or ability, but comes from a relationship with God. When we know God, we come to trust and rely on His leadership and strength to get us through each obstacle. Joshua was told not to let God’s Law and Word depart from his mouth or mind. He was guaranteed prosperity and success as he meditated on the Word and was careful to obey. Faith is produced by this process and it pleases God! (Romans 10:17) (Hebrews 11:6)
Today, receive this reading from Joshua as a personal call from the Lord to walk in renewed strength and courage. Jesus Christ is our “Joshua” and has blazed a trail of perfect obedience to God’s Word. His leadership in our lives today will give us both the strength and courage to face the obstacles in our path! “Be strong and very courageous!”