All the days of Joshua‘s leadership was consumed with warfare. From the time he assumed the mantle of Moses, battle ensued. There are a couple of lessons I learned from Joshua’s book: First, the Lord was with them. Every battle (except the first battle with Ai) the Lord gave them victory. Secondly, when the fighting was over, they retired to cities they did not build and fields they did not plant. The reward was worth the struggle. To apply this to our lives, we can do a couple of things. 1) Pray for our leadership. We may fight battles every day, but we have no idea of what struggles and decisions our leadership is making behind-the-scenes to launch us toward victory. 2) Never give up. At times it may seem too hard. We want to throw in the towel, but no matter what, keep fighting! The Lord will be with us, and in the end you will be rewarded for your faithfulness. The Bible is true, its promises are sure, and you can trust what it says!
”Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.“ Judges 2:3 Israel 🇮🇱 is still dealing with adversity, thousands of years later! When we do not fully drive out worldliness, sin, distractions, bitterness, jealousy, spiritual contentment, tolerance of evil, etc. it will become ”as thorns in your sides” and “a snare unto you.“ Be encouraged and do not feel overwhelmed, you are equipped to drive out the enemy! I believe in you and we all need you!
What a powerful passage today from John 8. The entire time Jesus is teaching, he is trying to convince them to step away from their traditions. Abraham’s seed has found solitude in ceremony and comfort in entitlement. Jesus not only tried His best to show them the error of their way, but he also revealed to them one of the greatest mysteries of all time. He told them before Abraham was I AM. I AM, the phrase given to Moses to ensure the people of Israel knew that God existed. When Jesus declared before Abraham was, “I existed” gives insight to who Jesus really was. Before the virgin birth, before the begotten son, Jesus said, “I existed.” Whatever situation you find yourself in today know that Jesus existed long before your problem and he has made a way of escape! Trust him on this Tuesday and encourage someone that may be going through a tough time.
I was blind, now I see. Naomi experienced tragedy in her life and could not see the big picture. The blind man could not see from birth, the darkness was all that he knew. Both of these people were healed and had an identity changing moment, when they met the Kinsman Redeemer. God has great things in store for you! We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow!
Abraham was chosen, Lot was a follower. Lot followed into some bad situations. Lot’s wife got salty and his descendants became adversaries. Naomi was chosen, Ruth was a follower. Ruth followed Naomi back to her inheritance. This Moabitess was grafted back into promise and saw her descendants sit on the throne. Who & where you are following will make a big difference in your life. You may feel the situation is too big or you have gone too far, but the compassion of Jesus waits for you! You will go from gleaning in the field to owning the field! You have a future and a hope! I believe in you!
“..there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” 1 Samuel 14:6 Often times, we place limitations on God. When the enemy called Jonathan to “come up and see a thing,” it was a call to a new level of faith and a witness to the boundless capabilities of our Lord! “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.” Psalm 66:16-20
“Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” 1 Samuel 22:23 Another great example of why we need to stick together! The enemy of our souls is relentless and vengeful and full of hate toward us, but within the safeguard of the body of Christ, we the have the power, the authority, and the victory of Jesus! Together we are stronger! We desire the best outcome for each of you! There is no better place to be! (See Ephesians 2:19-22)
“Only by pride cometh contention: But with the well advised is wisdom.” Proverbs 13:10 “he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.” Proverbs 13:18b “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: But much increase is by the strength of the ox.” Proverbs 14:4 If you want to see a harvest, personally or spiritually, sometimes you have to deal with the consequential byproducts of working toward a goal…and sometimes it gets deep! You are well equipped and more than able to overcome all obstacles. Choose to look on the bright side today!
“As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.” John 21:9-10 Jesus asked if they had any meat and had them catch a net-full of fish, but when they got to the shore, Jesus had dinner ready. Perhaps the fish they caught represented our role in laboring for the Kingdom and bringing in a harvest and a feast prepared for us when we reach our destination. I have read several accounts of the following concerning the exact number of fish they caught, “The Hebrews used their alphabet as a numbering system. The numbers attached to the letters in a Hebrew word could be added together to give a numerical total. The number 153 is the numerical total for the Hebrew words “Ani Elohim” translated, I AM GOD. When Jesus caused the disciples to catch exactly 153 fish, He was declaring to them that He was God Himself.” I love John 21! I also note the “feed my sheep” verses, and there is an entire message in the “what is that to thee?” scriptures!
David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but he was not allowed. David could’ve let this upset him, but when he was told that his son would build the house, David got busy preparing necessary materials for that moment in time. You may not have children right now, but I promise most parents want their children to succeed. Succeed beyond the success that they have achieved in their lives. David began the process, drew up the plans, defeated the enemies, and acquire the materials. I thank God for our elders and our parents that established in us the necessary things that would make us successful spiritually. Along those same lines, there are young ones and kids in kid’s church and Sunday school that are looking up to you right now! You are doing a wonderful job showing them how to worship and live for Christ! Keep up the good work! They are watching, they are imitating, and one day they are going to pass along the raw materials to the next generation. Thank you for what you do for the Kingdom and I look forward to watching, assisting, and encouraging your ministry!
“but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” Acts 5:39 Gamaliel was on the right track, but would not commit to this new movement. Some folk are content with just not fighting against God. What sort of impact could we have if we would make up our minds to fully commit ourselves to Jesus? Let’s start today, we can do it together!!
“These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.” 2 Samuel 21:22 Long before this verse, David had killed a giant, but Goliath wasn’t the only “giant” he would face. We read in 2 Samuel 21 that David had some help. Do not ever be so proud or ashamed to ask for help. We wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephes. 6:12), prayer and encouragement bring victory when we stick together! “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15
“This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.” Acts 10:16 Throughout Peter’s story, we see him receiving instruction/awareness three times. In today’s reading, when the rooster crowed, when Jesus asked him if he loved Him. Perhaps this is due to the “shoot first, ask questions later” personality that lopped off an ear during the garden betrayal. Perhaps this is the way Peter recognized the voice was from God, even Pastor preached, “wait 3 days.” However, when Peter tarried in prayer for the Holy Ghost with the church of 120, there was no doubt in his mind when he delivered the Acts 2 message! You may recognize the voice of God in a certain way, but you can be assured that you have heard from God when you tarry in prayer, stay in the church, and allow the Holy Ghost to lead you! I am grateful that salvation has been made available to all nations!!
Proverbs 15 is a spiritual health check. When attitudes and thoughts creep in that seem less than righteous, and we slip into a place that despises correction and authority, it is a warning to navigate toward the Biblical model. When we search ourselves with the Word of God, the path of righteousness is revealed!!
Today we read how generations of kings Israel walked in the sins of Jeroboam. Looking back to when God divided the kingdom, Jeroboam was given 10 tribes and Rehoboam was given two tribes to rule over in Judah. Judah’s capital was Jerusalem where the House of God had been built. Jeroboam could have made the trip to Jerusalem to worship. He could have asked his brother for passage and access to the House of God, but now being another kingdom, he decided to build gold statues to worship. In the name of pride and inconvenience, Jeroboam abstained from the House of God. He didn’t want to make the journey, he didn’t want to do what was required. In past readings, we see how Israel and Judah warred together, showing us how easy it is to fight amongst our brethren. We speak of oneness, but do not practice unity. As a result, we see the sins of Jeroboam passed down from generation to generation all the way to Ahab, who was worst of all. I am thankful in such a desolate time, God sent Elijah, he sent a preacher to show the way. If you did not get anything significant from the messages from this past Sunday, I encourage you to go back into the archived services and take notes.
Observe a NT shadow within the story of Naaman. Diseased, he sought out a healing. Resistant at first, he was encouraged into obedience to the spoken word. Dipping in the water, his flesh was reborn as that of a little child. It is not too far of a stretch to see repentance, baptism, and Holy Spirit regeneration in this account. The complete Bible is relevant and it is amazing to see how these pages work together for the glory of God…if we are paying attention!
“And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God..they built..high places..they set..images and groves..they burnt incense..they served idols..they would not hear, but hardened their necks..they rejected his statues.. covenant..and his testimonies..they followed vanity..and went after the heathen..whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.” 2 Kings 17:9-12, 14-15 The cycle of Israel (Psalm 81 repeats it again). The anger of the Lord would bring fear and repentance. We fall to cycles as well. Our enemy knows exactly where, when, and how to attack us. Thankfully, through the goodness of God, we willingly repent (Romans 2:4) and turn once again to righteousness. Stop appealing to the things of this world when Jesus is trying to set you free! (Acts 26:32) You are stronger than you think and God has a plan for you that lies just beyond your next breakthrough!
“And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:” Romans 4:11 A common misconception is the faith without works theory. Abraham had faith without any outward sign, but his faith was acted upon in the direction that God showed him. Is faith untested truly faith at all? “..shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:17 Faith requires action, or it is simply not profitable. Let’s step out in faith today and watch what the Lord will do!!