October 21, 2017

"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.  Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.  March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in. So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 1But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there. Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city." Joshua 5:13-6:1-20

THAT’S A FASCINATING AND INSPIRING STORY, PB, I’M GLAD YOU REMINDED ME OF IT! BUT THAT WAS SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT FOR ME TODAY?

ACTUALLY, QUITE A BIT! I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!

YOU ARE A WALL-BUILDER BY NATURE. SO AM I!

WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US OR DISAPPOINTS US OR BETRAYS US OUR NATURE IS TO BUILD UP WALLS OF ISOLATION. WE BUILD WALLS OF BITTNERNESS AND WALLS OF MISTRUST AND WALLS OF APPREHENSION. WE CONSTRUCT WALLS TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM EVER BEING HURT AGAIN. WE KEEP EVERYONE AT A SAFE DISTANCE.

JESUS COMES TO THE OTHER SIDE OF EACH OF YOUR WALLS AND CALLS US TO INTIMACY WITH HIMSELF. WHEN THE WALL CRUSHER CONFRONTS A WALL BUILDER SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE!

THERE MAY BE SOME HERE THIS MORNING WHO SECRETLY AND DEEPLY LONG FOR INTIMACY WITH GOD BUT YOU AREN’T SURE HOW TO GET OVER OR AROUND THE WALLS YOU’VE BUILT.

THAT’S WHY GOD ALSO CALLS YOU TO VULNERABILITY. HE INVITES YOU CUT A WINDOW IN YOUR WALL AND CHANCE A LOOK AND A LISTEN AT HIM. DROP YOUR DEFENSES FOR A MOMENT AND INVITE HIM OVER TO YOUR SIDE OF YOUR WALL.

IF YOU ARE NOT READY FOR INTIMACY WITH GOD THEN TRY A LITTLE VULNERABILITY AND SEE HOW HE RESPONDS. TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD. TRUST HIS PROMISES. SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE HIM A CHANCE.

IN OUR 23 YEARS OF EXISTENCE, FREDWES HAS FACED NUMEROUS WALLS AND EACH TIME WE HAVE WATCHED THEM FALL! GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL TO REMOVE THE BARRIERS THAT STOOD BETWEEN WHERE WE WERE AND WHERE HE HAS PROMISED TO TAKE US. UP TO THIS DAY, EVERY WALL HAS FALLEN!

NOW WE ARE STARING AT ANOTHER WALL. A WALL OF RELOCATION. FOR NOW IT IS A TEMPORARY RELOCATION THAT WILL GET US TO OUR LONG-TERM LOCATION AT NEW POST. WE’RE GOING TO FCS FOR AWHILE WITH THE EXPECTATION OF IT MOVING CLOSER TO OUR EVENTUAL NEW POST LOCATION.

WHAT IF GOD PUTS THOSE WALLS IN FRONT OF US TO FORCE US TO DEAL WITH THE WALLS WITHIN US?

WHAT IF HE HAS PLACED THIS JERICHO IN FRONT OF US FOR THE PURPOSE OF CALLING US TO INTIMACY WITH HIM?

WHAT IF HE HAS PLACED THIS CHALLENGE BEFORE US TO CALL US TO GREATER VULNERABILITY WITH HIM? 

WHAT IF THIS WALL BEFORE US IS TO CALL US INTO A DEEPER AND MORE PROFOUND DEPENDENCY ON HIS POWER BECAUSE WE HAVE HIS PROMISE AND WE ARE TRYING TO LIVE OUT HIS PURPOSE?

WILL YOU DEVELOP A STRONGER INTIMACY WITH GOD? WILL YOU TEAR DOWN SOME OF THE WALLS THAT HAVE KEPT YOU FROM EXPERIENCING HIS PRESENCE?

ARE YOU WILLING TO BE MORE VULNERABLE BY TRUSTING HIM TO HELP YOU TEAR DOWN SOME OF YOUR INNER WALLS?

WILL YOU ASK HIM TO HELP YOU LEARN TO DEPEND ON HIM MORE AND ON YOURSELF MUCH, MUCH LESS?

Obligation And Promises

"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men." Joshua 5:13-6:2

Jericho with its massive walls formed an imposing and formidable obstacle between God's people and the land God promised to Abraham some 500 years ago.

If those walls could fall they could conquer Jericho and take possession of the long awaited Promised Land!

But how could that happen? 

No one had been able to stand against the fortress or breach its walls! There was an inner wall and there was an outer wall.

This portion of Scripture reveals the first clue to conquering Jericho. According to this messenger from God Joshua was to assess the walls of Jericho from the perspective of God's promises. Here is the promise, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men."

Joshua was assured of victory before he even aligned his army for battle. At this point he had no idea of how he would conquer Jericho he just knew that he would because God said so! He heard God's promise before he heard God's plan.

Isn't this the way God always works? He always offers His promise prior to revealing His plan.

Why do you suppose that is?

Because God wanted to test and stretch Joshua's faith. Would he believe God's promise BEFORE he received God's plan?

That has been my experience!

God is not obligated to give me a plan but I am obligated to believe His promise! He wants me to build my faith on the foundation of God's character not on the clarity of His plan.

Faith isn't as much about what God has done or will do. It is more about WHO HE IS! Joshua was confident in assessing the walls of Jericho in the light of God's promised victory!

The second reason God gives His promise prior to presenting His plan is because He knows (and you know it, too) if He outlined His plan first we would take the plan and attempt to implement it in our own strength and strategy. 

So confidence was beginning to grow within Joshua's heart once he heard the promise of God.

Do God's promises inspire faith within your heart and mind or do you have to have the details in order to believe?

You will be faced with foreboding walls throughout your life.

There will be inner walls to overcome and there will be outer walls to overtake.

Learn from Joshua when you are threatened and intimidated by your walls and assess these walls in light of God's promises. Trust in His character. Have faith the walls will fall!

Know that if God has given you a promise it is His guarantee of His plan! And once your faith rises to the level of His promise you can be sure His plan will soon be revealed!

October 20, 2017

"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men." Joshua 5:13-6:2

This interesting but almost incidental account of Joshua's encounter with this mysterious sword wielding man occupies just a few verse of this story but captured my curiosity.

It is natural to wonder who this fellow was. He could have been an angel. He could have been a theophony - a preincarnate appearance of Christ. 

No one knows. But whoever he was he had Joshua's full attention and respect because:

1) Joshua removed his sandals and bowed low before him.

2) Joshua received the message given him by this man as a word from God.

We can add this to the list of unanswered questions we can ask Jesus when we get to Heaven.

Rather than speculate on the unknown, I would like to takeaway a truth from the story that I believe will bless you. Here is that truth: You need someone like this in your life to help you knock down your walls.

Let's begin with what we know about this man. He had a sword in his hand. And He had a word from God on his lips.

What does the sword represent?

It is a symbol of battle. It shows a warrior ready to do battle in defense of his cause.

And the word he spoke represents the Word of God that gives guidance and direction.

So my takeaway from this encounter is this, in your life you need someone to protect you and someone to direct you. That could be one person or it could be two but if you need to bring down walls in your life, you will greatly benefit by having someone to protect you and someone to direct you.

I have benefited from having both in my life. God has helped me to bring down some walls over my years of knowing Him and serving Him. Most of those walls were inner walls of shame, insecurity, self-doubt, shyness, low expectations and lack of self-confidence.

At crucial periods in my life, just like Joshua, God was faithful to intersect my path with men who could protect me, and defend me not so much physically but emotionally and spiritually. In those times my walls could have been reinforced by bullies or negative and abusive voices in my ear.

I hope you have someone like that in your life, too. Someone to defend you and protect you and guard your heart and mind. While I know you can count on Jesus to do that, you need someone with "skin on".

I hope that you will find as Joshua did and as I have, that God knows just who you need and when you need them for the walls that He wants you to destroy. 

If you have no one like that I am willing to be that person for you.

Also, like Joshua, God has been faithful to bring people into my life to give me direction. I have had a few missteps along my journey but not many. That is a testimony to the goodness of God providing me with wise people to give me direction.

God will do that for you if you ask Him. He promises to direct your path through His Word but also through wise and godly people He will place strategically in your life.

There will be walls to be overcome in your life. Some will be inner walls while others will be outer walls. But I want to encourage your from Joshua's example and from my experience that God is faithful to place those you need to protect you and to direct you until those walls crumble in your path!

Your Walls Between You And The Promised Land

"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in." Joshua 5:13-6:1

Jericho was the last big barrier between God's people and the Land of Promise. And it was an imposing barrier to be sure!

You probably are familiar with the fact that Jericho was surrounded by thick and impenetrable walls. But maybe you didn't know that it had TWO layers of walls! Yes! There was an outer wall where Rahab the Harlot most likely lived and then there was a higher and taller inner wall that guarded the actual city.

There will always be walls between you and your promised land! It's just the way life is! Those walls will have to fall if you ever hope to get to your Promised Land.

There will be inner walls and there will be outer walls.

The inner walls are the ones no one else sees but they can entrap you and hold you hostage. You will have no shot at bringing down walls until these walls fall.

Inner walls can be constructed of shoddy materials such as guilt, shame, insecurity, feelings of inadequacy, self-doubts, addictions, unforgiveness, anger, vindictiveness, selfishness, fear, feelings of failure, negative parental messages or an attitude of arrogance.

Those are the walls to bring down first but they can be the hardest to fall. For many of these walls it will require extensive time in the Word and in prayer along with sound counselling from a trained godly counselor.

And then there are the outer walls that will have to fall. But until you tear down your inner walls you will have little success bringing down the outer walls.

Outer walls can be made of things like prejudice, intimidation, poverty, hatred and greed.

These walls are high, thick, strong and menacing. At times you wonder if they can really be brought down.

The truth is that the outer wall exists to force you to deal with your inner wall.

Some questions to consider when faced by your walls:

Has God promised to give me new territory?

Is He able to break down my walls?

Does His Word have promises that apply to my wall?

Will I believe His promises?

Will I pray and assault my wall with His promises?

October 17, 2017

"Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcisethe Israelites again.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan." Joshua 5:1-12

Commitments are tough to make and even tougher to keep. When you make a commitment you have no way of knowing what it will cost you to keep it.

For instance, when you speak your marriage vows, "for better , for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health" you specify a few conditions that could challenge your commitment and promise not to let them deter you from your commitment.

But saying so and doing so are not the same thing!

Wouldn't it be nice to know what your commitment will cost you before you make that commitment? 

Actually, God is good about letting His followers know what it will cost them to follow Him. Case in point, as the Israelites were preparing to go up against the formidable fortress of Jericho, He lets them know what He expects from them.

He expects a commitment to intimacy.

The last big barrier that stood between God's people and the Promised Land was the well fortified city of Jericho. But before they could go up against Jericho and into Canaan He required them to be circumcised.

Why!

The act of circumcision is powerful illustration of the intimacy God desires from His people. Joshua declared God's call for the young men to be circumcised because it is pleasing to God. Circumcision would allow them to enter God's presence and into His Promised Land. The call to circumcision was the call for them to offer their most private and personal part to Him and withhold nothing precious from Him.

He also expects a commitment to vulnerability.

When God called his young men to offer themselves to be circumcised they were situated between the Jordan and Jericho - aka - enemy territory. When you are in enemy territory you want to be at your strongest and most alert.

But with all the young men of fighting age healing from the pain of having their foreskins removed with a flint knife, they were in no condition to go to work. They were lucky to be able to walk.

No savvy military leader would place his army in such a vulnerable situation behind enemy lines. But Joshua did and He did it because God told them to do it.

Joshua found himself, his fighting men, their families, and all of God's in an extremely vulnerable place where if they were attacked by Canaanite armies they would not have had all of their fighting forces ready to fight. Their only option in their vulnerability was to trust truly and totally upon God's protection.

Finally, God expects a commitment to dependency.

This generation had never known anything except manna in the morning. It had been their breakfast, lunch and dinner all their lives. But that was about to change!

After their circumcision brought them into God's favor they celebrated the Passover, the vivid reminder of God's miraculous deliverance of His people from the Angel of Death. They remembered a night that they were totally dependent on God and the blood of a lamb to save their firstborn sons.

Following the Passover celebration it says that the manna stopped and they began to eat from the fruit of the land.

The big question now was, "Would they choose to continue trusting God when they didn't have to?"

What would it cost God's people to take this new territory known as Canaan a land "flowing with milk and honey".

It would cost a commitment to intimacy.

It would cost a commitment to vulnerability.

It would cost a commitment to dependency.

So, what?

These are the very same commitments God demands from you if you want to take new territory.

It will cost you a commitment to intimacy with God. He wants you to trust Him with the most personal and private issues of your life. Intimacy means nothing between you and God!

Is there anything that is keeping you from intimacy with God?

It will also cost you a commitment to vulnerability with God. Will you be completely honest before God? Nothing hidden? Nothing held back? Holding to Him in your weakness?

And it will cost you a commitment to dependency.

Will you trust God to care for you and provide for your and express gratitude when He does?