Category Archives: Joshua

Posted on

Act As If

Reflect:
Joshua 1:9

“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.”

As you read Joshua 1:1-9—the setting for this verse—you can’t help but notice the repetition of the phrase, “Be bold and courageous.” My guess is that Joshua has a bit of a fear problem going on as a result of the overwhelming leadership challenge that had been thrust upon him. That’s why four times God reminded him to just “act as if God were with him”—which he was, of course.

Isn’t that really what being bold and courageous is? To just “act as if” God is in charge.

Like Joshua, you may have a pretty big task in front of you, and what typically happens in those cases is that you begin to doubt. You begin to question: “Is it really God’s will that I do this? Will he be with me? What if I fail?” Doubt sets in. And when doubt sets in, fear is not far behind. And when doubt and fear team up, you’ve got a recipe for spiritual paralysis.

That’s like the Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown was standing there waiting to catch a baseball, and he says, “A pop fly! I’ve got it! It’s all mine.” Then he says, “If I catch this ball, we’ll win our first game of the season.” Then he starts praying, “Please! Please let me catch it. Please let me be the hero. Please let me catch it. Please!”

In the next frame, Charlie says, “On the other hand, do I think I deserve to be the hero? The kid who hit it doesn’t want to be the goat. Is baseball, a game, really that important? Lots of kids all over the world have never even heard of baseball. Lots of kids don’t even get a place to play at all or have a place to sleep or…”

And just about that time the ball drops right in front of him—bonk! Linus comes out and says, “Charlie Brown! How could you miss such an easy pop fly?”

Charlie says, “I prayed myself out of it.”

We do that sometimes, too. We start doubting the opportunities that God places before us, and pretty soon we talk—or pray—ourselves out of them. But like Joshua, God says to us, “Have confidence in the fact that I want to bless your life and give you success.”

A. B. Simpson once said, “Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is in us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying are too small; our expectations too limited.” Four times God said to Joshua, “Don’t you get it? You can do it! Go for it! I’ve got you covered.” In other words, “Be determined and confident. Act as if I will be with you and help you out—because I will!”

God said that to Joshua, and made sure that it was included in his Holy Book, because he foresaw that today, fear, not problems, will keep you in the wilderness of spiritual paralysis and out of the promised land of victory!

So don’t let that happen. Act as if God is with you—because he is. He promises!

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflect & Apply: What is the task that is before you today? Take a moment to envision tackling it as if God were right in front of you. Then, act as if!

Posted on

The Seduction of Celebrity

Reflect:
Joshua 5:13-15, 6:1-27

“So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.” ~Joshua 6:27

With the advent of television—and all the media technologies that followed—came the rise of the celebrity preacher. Never in the history of Christianity have we had so many famous pastors—and those wanting to become famous—as we do now. If you’re a spiritual leader and you aren’t hawking several books you’ve authored, beaming your mug to adoring congregants in a multi-site campus, tweeting to your six-figure Twitter followers and getting quoted by the media on the issue du jour, you ain’t all that much.

Of course, media technologies now allow us to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world in unprecedented ways—and that’s a great thing. But inherent in this ability to communicate to the masses is the danger of showcasing ourselves. The god of fame is lurking; the seduction of celebrity has never being stronger in the Christian world than it is right now—and that’s not a great thing!

First and foremost, the real job of the spiritual leader is to make Jesus famous! And if Jesus wants to make the leader famous, well, that’s Jesus’ business. Joshua was a leader that God decided to make famous.

“The Lord told Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.’” (Joshua 3:7, The Message)

“God made Joshua great that day in the sight of all Israel. They were in awe of him just as they had been in awe of Moses all his life.” (Joshua 4:14, The Message)

“God was with Joshua. He became famous all over the land.” (Joshua 6:27, The Message)

What makes a leader great and opens the door to his or her fame? Some would say charisma is the key. Others might say it’s a combination of skill, intellect and the ability to inspire others to accomplish a compelling mission. Then there are those who would argue that not only are charisma and persuasion necessary, but it’s also a matter of being the right person in the right place at the right time.

I wouldn’t argue with any of those ideas. But above all else I would argue that what makes a leader a great and fame-worthy leader is simply God’s touch upon his or her life. Where God makes a man or woman great in the eyes of the people, there you have the makings of a leader who is one for the ages. Joshua was just such a leader.

In Joshua, you find true success! Not that he leveraged his considerable talents, sharp intellect, political capital and magnanimous personality to lead the people to victory, but that God made him great in the eyes of the people. Never did Joshua take any credit for himself in the victories and miracles that God performed. As Moses had been a humble leader, so too was Joshua. Like his predecessor, he was a true servant of God and of the Israelites. He served at God’s pleasure and recognized that his success came only by God’s power and grace. And it was God who made Joshua great before all Israel.

That’s the kind of leader I want to be. I want to be a great leader because of the touch of God on my life; because of the work that he does in, for and through me. If there is anything that makes me worth following, may it be because of what God has done. What I do through my own gifts, personality and personal determination will, at best, quickly fade. But what God does through me will last for all eternity, and best of all, bring all the glory to the God who has equipped me to lead.

What about you? Do you desire to be a leader—a person of influence in your home, school, business or some other arena? You might feel unqualified and unworthy. Part of you may want to let someone else lead; someone more qualified, smarter, holier, better than you. But it could be that God has placed in you the kinds of gifts, talents, brainpower and favor that he wants to use in leading people to extend his Kingdom in this world.

If God is calling you to leadership, submit your life to him. Then, if he chooses, let God make you great in the eyes of those you would lead.

“Worldly fame is but a breath of wind that blows now this way, and now that, and changes name as it changes direction.” ~Dante Alighieri

Reflect and Apply: When you think of the advancement of God’s kingdom over the millennia, it is amazing how many times this saying has been true of its leaders: “God didn’t call the qualified; He qualified the called.” Maybe he is wanting to qualify you to spread his fame!

 

 

Posted on

Steps Of Faith

Reflect:
Joshua 3:1-4:24

“Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ … And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” ~Joshua 3:9,13

In matters great and small, God always calls his people to steps of faith.  It is simply the law of the Kingdom. Expressing faith in the spiritual realm is akin to inhaling oxygen in the physical realm. That is just the way God operates. In fact, so fundamental to our relationship with God is faith that the writer of Hebrews explains,

“No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 TEV)

In this case, the Israelites needed to cross the Jordan River to take passion of the land that God had promised to give them. Furthermore, the river was at flood stage. Interestingly, Promised Lands never mean lack of problems, challenges, obstacles and otherwise “impossible” situations.

Now God had helped the Israelites all along the way through their forty years in the wilderness, so he would have a plan for them this time, too. So what was the Divine plan? Have the priest carry the ark of the covenant and step out into the river—remember, it’s a swirling, raging torrent—and as soon as they do, God will dam the flooding Jordan upriver and two million Israelites will walk across on dry land.  Right!

Of course, they obeyed, God did what he said he would do, and the Israelites crossed on dry ground.  We get to read ahead in the story, so no big deal, right!  But think of it from their perspective—especially the priests. This was a seriously risky step God was asking them to take.

Now since without faith it is impossible to please God, he will make sure we, too, have plenty of opportunities to express it—and on some occasions, that will mean stepping into our own Jordan at flood stage.  And like the Israelites, we will have to take that step without the perspective of already knowing the end of the story?  So what can we learn from them about those steps of faith? Two things to keep in mind:

First, God already knows the end of the story, even though we don’t. We only see the next step—which often looks scary and impossible. God sees the rest of the road ahead, and he will never ask of us a step that will harm us, but only that which will strengthen our confidence in his care and competence.  Furthermore, while it seems we are taking a step into thin air, God’s track record of faithfulness is to build the highway of faith under our feet, albeit one step at a time.

So go ahead—take the step!

Second, God’s purpose in our steps of faith is always to bring greater glory to himself—through us.  Notice what Joshua said to the Israelites at the end of the story in Joshua 4:20-24—after they had, indeed, walked across the raging Jordan during flood stage on dry ground,

“And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, ‘In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, “What do these stones mean?” tell them, “Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.” For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.’”

Steps of faith from our perspective are never easy, but you can trust God. His best work comes as we take those steps.  And not only does he do the impossible, not only does he bring great glory to himself, he provides you with an enduring testimony. But best of all, the very stuff that is necessary to pleasing God—faith—is dramatically increased in your life.

So go ahead—take that step!

“Faith makes things possible, not easy!”

Reflect and Apply: Are you being called to take a step of faith?  Remember, God is already waiting where that step will take you.

Posted on

Let Go of Your Past

Reflect:
Joshua 1:1-18

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.’” ~Joshua 1:1-2

Just like Joshua and the Israelites, God has placed a vision of a personal Promised Land in your heart. But the first step along the path to pursuing God’s vision requires something critical to the rest of your journey: You’ve got to let go of the past. Possessing your Promised Land means you’ve got to make a healthy break with whatever you are clinging to—for sure, the bad, and sometimes even the good!

You will notice the very first thing God said to Joshua (Joshua 1:2) was, “Moses is dead!”  Don’t you think Joshua already knew that? Of course he did! So there is more to this verse than meets the eye. God is telling Joshua that he’s going to do a new work in a new way, so Joshua can no longer rely on Moses—as wonderful as Moses was. No, Joshua will have to rely completely on God. God will give Joshua a breakthrough to a new and prosperous future that will require a break with the old dependencies of the past!

For you, that means moving forward into new blessings will require you to jettisoning two things:

One, you have to jettison your love affair with past successes. And two, you have to say goodbye to past failures. You can’t stay stuck in the past—either good or bad if you want to move forward! The Apostle Paul said it this way in Philippians 3:7 & 13-14,

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ… Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul had learned from the past, both mistakes and successes, but his total focus was on the future.  That’s what you’ve got to do, too! Faith always focuses on the future.  So how do you let go of the past? Hebrews 12:1 provides the answer,

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.” 

The writer is referring to a race, where excess weight is not good. And to run effectively, the verse says you’ve got to let go of a couple things: First, you’ve got to let go of the unnecessary and second, you’ve got to let go of the ungodly.

What is the unnecessary? It is “the weight that slows us down.” Weight is not necessarily sin—although sin is always a weight. A weight is anything that keeps you from offering your best to God, or receiving God’s best for you.  In fact, a weight might even be something that’s good—that’s why it’s so hard to let go of. If there are some good things in your life keeping you from God’s best things, then identify them and strip them off.

What is the ungodly? It is “the sin that so easily hinders us.” The writer isn’t talking about sin in general—although that is certainly appropriate to let go of—he is speaking of specific sin into which we habitually fall. That is what we might call “familiar sin”. What sin do you keep falling into? What’s your area of moral compromise? Whatever your besetting sin, you’ve got to let it go!

To run your race effectively, to possess your promise of blessing, you have to identify the weight you’re carrying around—successes and sins—and declare over them:  Moses is dead!  Let go of the past—and get moving into the fantastic future God envisions for you!

“You cannot set sail for new faith-horizons while still tethered to the dock of yesterday.”

Reflect and Apply: Take some time to identify those “weights” that are slowing you down and the “sins” that are tripping you up. Then declare over them, “Moses is dead!”  Most of all, begin to move forward into the future God has set before you.

Posted on

A Promise Made Is A Promise Kept

Joshua 21:1-24:33

A Promise Made Is A Promise Kept

Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel
was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
Joshua 21:45

Go Deep: A certain Bible scholar has pointed out that God has made over 6,000 promises to us in the Bible.  Some of those promises are universal in nature—all believers anytime and anywhere who are walking in obedience to his commands can claim them.  Other promises are quite specific to certain people at certain times, and the Holy Spirit reveals them to us through prayer and the study of God’s Word in response to situations that arise in our lives.

Whether God’s promises are universal or personal, what we are taught over and over again in the Bible, including this verse in Joshua, is that God is a promise maker, and more importantly, God is a promise keeper.  The fact is, God has never broken a promise—not even one!  I can’t say that about me, and you probably can’t say that about you, but we can say that with complete certainty about God.  With him, a promise made is a promise kept.

When I was a little kid in Sunday School, we would often sing a song about God’s promises that went something like this:

Every promise in the Book is mine
Every chapter, every verse, every line.
I am standing on his Word Divine,
Every promise in the Book is mine!

Over 6,000 promises—and he will bring every single one of them to pass.  A few of those promises are for you.  Which one are you “standing” on, as the little song goes?

That he will forgive all your sins? (Psalm 103:3)

That he will supply all of your needs? (Philippians 4:19)

That he will never leave you or forsake you? (Hebrews 13:5)

That he will give you Divine wisdom for your lack of human understanding? (James 1:5)

That he will turn all of your circumstances to your good and for his glory? (Romans 8:28)

What is your area of concern?  There is a promise that covers it, so look it up in God’s Word.  Fulfill your end of the promise—that’s the big caveat here—and then rest in God’s proven character.  With him a promise made is a promise kept, so you can expect that “God will perfect everything that concerns you.” (Psalm 138:8, NKJV)

Just Saying… Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who was martyred by the Nazis toward the end of World War II, said, “God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises…leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.”

Posted on

The Tragedy of Having Sight But No Vision

Joshua 16:1-20:9

The Tragedy of Having Sight But No Vision

The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the
Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots…”
Joshua 17:15-16

Go Deep: “Mom, I’m starving, and we have nothing to eat!” If I said that once, I said it a hundred times as a kid—all the while staring into our fully stocked refrigerator.  Of course, I wasn’t the first little brat to utter that complaint—it’s a universal whine that’s been heard early and often in one form or another since the beginning of time.

Obviously, when kids make that complaint, what they’re saying is that they don’t like the choices sitting right in front of them, or they don’t want to do the hard work of actually taking those ingredients and making them into a tasty meal.  What they really want is mom to come to the rescue and make life easy for them—usually by cooking up something that tastes really yummy but is not so nutritious.

That’s kind of what the tribes of Joseph were doing here. They had been given land, but they weren’t so excited about the hard work that would be required to drive out the godless enemies who were squatting there.  Rather than measuring their divine inheritance by the potential of the land to be possessed, they looked only at existing cities and already cleared territory.

They suffered from a problem common to humans: They had sight but no vision.  Helen Keller, the first person to overcome both deafness and blindness to earn a Bachelor degree, went on to become a prolific author and has endured as one of the world’s most inspiring figures. Understanding more than others this sad human tendency, Helen wrote, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”

The tribes of Joseph had sight but no vision.  That’s why their leader, Joshua, gave them a figurative kick in the butt and pointed them to the yet-to-be cleared hill country.  He said, “look, you are a large and strong tribe, so open your eyes and see all the land that’s yet to be conquered.  Sure, there are enemies there, but so what, God has already given it to you.  So get on with it already—you can do it!” (Joshua 17:15,17-18, my translation)

I have a feeling that this story was recorded not just to fill out the white space in Joshua’s book, but to serve as a reminder to us that it would be a shame for us to settle for less than God’s best in our lives.  It’s true that possessing God’s promises will take some work on our part, but he has guaranteed our success. So use this little reminder today as a proverbial kick in the rear to quit surrendering to limitations and start envisioning your potential.

And then, get on with it already! You can do it.

Just Saying… James Russell Lowell, the 19th century American poet wrote, “Not failure, but low aim, is crime.” I hope you don’t commit that crime today!

Posted on

Failure To Drive

Joshua 11:1-15:63

Failure To Drive

But the Israelites failed to drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah,
so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.
Joshua 13:13

Go Deep: What is it for you—your “Geshur”?  What are the “Maacahs” still squatting in your Promised Land—sinful influences that are keeping you from living in the security and satisfaction of God’s fullness?

Perhaps there is a chronic temptation putting distance between you and God’s best—an ungodly friend with whom you always seem to descend into inappropriate language and course joking; an irresistible form of entertainment that leaves unwholesome images in your mind; a closet full of needless stuff because you just can’t say “no” to anything with the letters S-A-L-E on it; activities which seduce you to slide into behaviors you would never do if Jesus were with you.

The book of Joshua reminds us that God has a Promised Land of success and happiness for every believer, but that place of promise has to be procured through diligent faith and obedient effort. Just like the Israelites of old, there are enemies standing in your way, and they have to be evicted from your land.  For sure, God will help—wants to help.  He wants you in the Promised Land so much that he has actually promised to go before you and secure the way. (Joshua 1:3)  But the fulfillment of the God’s promise requires your partnership.

Unfortunately for the Israelites, they didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.  In too many instances, they failed to drive out the ungodly nations from the land (Joshua 13:13,15:63,16:10, 17:12), thus settling for a peaceful coexistence with these Canaanite peace-robbers. The result of this détente was that for generations to follow, these nations continued to distract Israel from their holy call. As long as they were there, the distance between Israel and their place of promise was never fully closed.

The lesson for us from Joshua is clear: The only thing that can keep us from the release of God’s favor are these foreign enemies of the Christian life.  God wants to grant you success, achievement, satisfaction and peace, and the only thing standing in the way are the things that will create distance between you and the God who loves you.  Maybe there was a time you had overcome them, but they’ve returned.  Perhaps you’ve never really gained victory over them, and there have been recurring spiritual irritations to you over the years.  It might be that you’ve even grown accustomed to having them as your neighbors

They are not good neighbors; they are enemies of promise! Today is a great day to re-declare war on those enemies!  Serve notice on them. Go after them ruthlessly and relentlessly until they’ve been driven from your life.  Enlist the help of some fellow strugglers if you need to, and for sure, ask God for his help.

I have a feeling—no, I’m certain actually—that God himself will fight for you if you will step up to the plate and take another swing at the things that are keeping you from his best.

Just Saying… On January 1, 1780, the American Methodist circuit rider (and later bishop) Francis Asbury wrote this prayerful entry in his journal: “My God, keep me through the water and fire, and let me rather die than live to sin against thee!”  What would happen if you adopted that mindset toward your familiar sin? Simply this: Sin wouldn’t stand a chance!