Category Archives: Joshua

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God’s Unseen But Unstoppable Work On Our Behalf

There's More Going On That What You See

SYNOPSIS: You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, and he is working out the details of your life for your own good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise, because he has promised to perfect everything that concerns you. And even though God’s enemies may be fighting mad—and taking it out on you—never forget, behind the scenes, he is repurposing even the most unlikely sources as instruments to accomplish his good, pleasing and perfect will for you.

The Journey// Focus: Joshua 2:7-11

So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut. Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

God is always at work, even when we cannot see it. God is always fulfilling his glorious purposes, which includes perfecting everything that concerns you and me.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. (Psalm 138:8)

At times, God is working in visible, dramatic, undeniable ways. We will see an example of that very thing a few chapters later when the walls of the city of Jericho miraculously fall. Those kinds of stories are strategically placed throughout scripture to build our confidence in God. But between those faith stories, which are long stretches of time—weeks, months, even years—God’s work is not so visible. He is not inactive, mind you; his work is just invisible. You see, most of the time God is behind the scenes, working in unseen ways, as is the case here in Joshua 2. The Israelite spies that Joshua sent out to size up Jericho have made their way into the city, but word has gotten out and now the authorities are looking for them. Their lives are at risk. They don’t see that God is at work—yet. For all they know, they’re toast!

Then Rahab rescues the day. Yes, Rahab—an idol worshipping, street walking, “lady of the night.” At great risk to her own life, and that of her family, she hides the spies and tricks the authorities, making it possible for the two deep cover Israelites to make it out alive. What the two spies didn’t know at the time was that God was working on their behalf by working on a prostitute, whom he would use in such a significant act of faith that her bravery would land her in God’s Great Hall of Faith. (Hebrews 11:30-31)

As she spoke with the spies, this lady of questionable character was laying down some unquestionable theology: the work of God on Israel’s behalf was striking fear in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. The mighty acts of deliverance forty years prior in Egypt and over the decades of Israel’s wandering out in the desert had been sending shock waves into the unseen realm, and the principalities and powers that opposed God, and everything of God, were quaking in their boots. God had been at work all along on Israel’s behalf, and they didn’t even know it.

What is interesting here is how the different actors respond. The enemies of God are fighting mad. The men of God are fleeing in fear. The woman of the night is responding in faith. And over it all, God is at work, fulfilling his purposes and perfecting everything that concerns his people—redeeming a prostitute, rescuing the spies, and redirecting the bounty hunters.

That is true for you too. You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, and he is working out the details of your life for your good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise. You may be tempted to flee in fear and God’s enemies may be fighting mad—at you. But at the same time, God will be repurposing even the most unlikely sources, the Rahabs in your world, as instruments of faith.

What you see isn’t all that is going on. Never forget that. And learn to trust God’s unseen but unstoppable work on your behalf.

Going Deeper: You may be facing forces today that are out to cause you harm. Take courage: God is also aligning a Rahab or two to work on your behalf. Take a moment to thank God for the good he is bringing about, even if you don’t see it yet.

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Let Go of the Past

Shed the Old - Whatever ‘Old’ Means to You

We ought to learn from the past, both our mistakes and successes, but our focus needs to be on the future. As Christ followers, we are always standing at the edge of new opportunities that God has set before us, and the thing that will keep us from possessing our Promised Land is not menaces in front of us but memories of what is behind us, both good and bad. We’ve got to let go of the past and grab hold the future!

The Journey // Focus: Joshua 1:1-2

After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.

Sarah Ban Breathnach offers sage advice for living in victory each and every day of our lives: “You’ve got to make a conscious choice every day to shed the old—whatever ‘the old’ means for you.”

Think for a minute about the very first thing God said to Joshua after the death of Moses: “Moses is dead!” Obviously! Do you think Joshua didn’t know that? Joshua knew pretty much everything about Moses; he had been Moses’ right hand man for most of the forty years the Israelites had wandered through the desert. In passing the leadership baton, Moses had just laid hands on Joshua and commissioned him to lead the people into the Promised Land in Moses’ place. Joshua was well aware that God had just taken Moses up the mountain to take his breath away for the final time. Obviously Joshua knew Moses was dead.

So there is something more going on here than meets the eye. God isn’t revealing new information to Joshua. Rather, what he is telling him is that he is going to do a new work in a new way with a new person. In other words, Joshua needs to bury the past and get on with the future—starting now. In other words, “shed the old.” As someone has wisely pointed out, you cannot set sail for new horizons in your life if you are still tethered to the shore. You’ve got to let go of the past!

That means a couple of things: one, don’t lean on past successes, and two, don’t limit yourself by past failures. Don’t get stuck in the past—either good or bad! Moses represented both: unequaled successes in bringing Israel out of Egypt and unmitigated failure to get Israel into the Promised Land. I suspect that Joshua could have thought, “If Moses, the great leader of all time, couldn’t get the job done, what makes anyone think I can be successful?” So God says, “Hey Joshua, Moses is dead. Let it go. Don’t get caught up in the past; catch a new vision for what is ahead—I’m going to do a new thing in a new way through you.”

The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4: “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.” (4:7,13-14) Shed the past; let it go. Catch a vision for the future and move resolutely toward it.

That is a good word for you and me. We ought to learn from the past, both mistakes and successes, but our focus needs to be on the future. We are standing at the edge of new opportunities that God has set before us, our Promised Land, and the thing that will keep us from attaining them are not menaces in front of us but our memories of the past, both good and bad.

What is it from your past that you need to let go of? Perhaps you are resting on your laurels from some past accomplishment, and you are thinking, “that’s good enough for today!” Maybe you are relying on a spiritual experience from years ago, but honestly, you have never moved on from it into a deeper dimension with God. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a good start ensures finishing well. On the other hand, maybe you are entangled from the guilt, fear and condemnation of sin. Maybe a failure last year, a mistake that you made years ago, keeps you in bondage emotionally, relationally, or spiritually.

Hebrews 12 talks about the weights and sins that so easily beset us in our life’s race. So identify whatever it is that is holding you back from running a great race, good or bad, and declare it over, Moses is dead! In Joshua 1:11, Joshua says these words to the Israelites that I would encourage you to personalize, and say to over your past before you take another step: “I will cross my Jordan right here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord my God is giving me for my own.”

Let go of your past. Remember, you cannot set sail for new horizons if you are still tethered to the shore of yesterday. Today, God is going to do a new thing in a new way with a new person—you. So be strong and courageous, for your God will be with you each step of the way. (Joshua 1:9)

Going Deeper: Make a list of the mistakes and victories in your life from this past year. Then put an “X” through them and write over them, “Moses is dead!” Carry that list with you and look at it through the day today.

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A Promise Made Is A Promise Kept

God’s Got All Your Concerns Covered

What’s got you concerned today? Whatever it is, there’s a promise in the Bible that covers it: “God will perfect everything that concerns you.” (Psalm 138:8) Now as you fulfill your end of the promise—pray and obey—then you can stand on the promises of God with confidence, because with him, a promise made is a promise kept.

Enduring Truth // Focus: Joshua 21:45

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.

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 heal all of your diseases? (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 forgive all your sins? (1 John 1:9)
  • 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. What is your end? Pray and obey. Do that, and you can stand on the promises, because with him, a promise made is a promise kept.

Yes, you can expect that “God will perfect everything that concerns you.” (Psalm 138:8)

Thrive: Are you “standing” on a specific promise? Are you praying, asking God to fulfill it? Are you offering him a life of obedience in your attitude and actions? If not, why not? Don’t leave any of those 6,000 promises on the table. Your Father wants to fulfill them in your life.

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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!

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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!

 

 

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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.

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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.