March 15, 2016

"Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."… Joshua 24:14-15

Everyone serves someone. That's just the way it is.

That is a point Joshua makes in these verses.

Everyone chooses whom they serve, a point also made by Joshua.

By default or by design you will choose your master.

When the Hebrews were in Egypt they served the Pharaoh. Not because they wanted to but because they really had no choice. They were slaves.

The first chance they had to choose was when Moses announced the preparations for surviving the tenth plague, the Death Angel. They were instructed to fix a very simple yet significant meal that came to be known the Passover. Then after finishing that meal they were to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the door seals of their home. 

Those who chose to obey Moses were spared the loss of 

their firstborn son. Those who chose to obey were spared 

and those who chose not to lost their firstborn.

In the wilderness God's people were called to serve God by obeying Moses. Since God spoke through Moses choosing to obey Moses was a choice to honor God. But even though they were out of Egypt there was a lot of Egypt still in their mind so sometimes they thought like slaves of Pharaoh and other times they thought like sons of God!

The freedom to choose is a big responsibility and it takes wisdom and experience to make good choices. As they crossed the Jordan and began life in the Promised Land they had to learn to choose well.

You can't make Egypt choices in the Promised Land.

You don't want to make wilderness decisions if you want to enjoy Glory Days.

Where you live determines how you choose and who you serve.

How you choose and who you serve determines where you live.

Glory days depend on making proper choices about who to serve. 

Joshua was sure about who he would serve!  He was clear on his choice! He knew Who to serve and how to make Promised Land decisions.

Do you?

March 14, 2016

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24

Christian researcher George Barna concludes, "American Christianity has largely failed since the middle of the 20th century because modern-day followers do not act much like Jesus." Research conducted by sociologists and pollsters shows that "evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered and sexually as immoral as the world in general."

Could it be that in our attempts to relate to our culture we have ended up resembling it?

2,000 years ago, Jesus anticipated this likelihood. Of his 38 parables He told, 16 were concerned with how to handle  and possessions. As a matter of fact, Christ said more about money than any other subject. The Bible includes 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith but over 2,350 verses pertaining to money and possessions. The Lord said  a lot about it because He wants us to know how He views this important topic.

To measure how you compare with Jesus' perspective on materialism, ask yourself these questions:

* Do I see other people's stuff and become critical or bored with my own?

* Do I shop for recreation?

* Do I buy compulsively (because I feel like it) without first considering my budget or my need?

* Do I complain a lot about how much I make?

* Do I feel self-conscious when I am around rich people?

* Do I give less than 10% of my income to the ministry of my church?

* Do I get irritated when the preacher talks about money?

Jesus declared you can't serve God and materialism. Only one will be your god.

A serious, humble and honest evaluation of those probing questions will reveal the truth of whom you serve.

March 13, 2016

One of the great themes of the captivating Book of Joshua is "God fights for you"!

Since everything is essentially a spiritual battle God fights for you with spiritual weapons!

He fights with His spiritual weapons!

He fights with His presence.

He fights with His power.

Also, God fights with His promises!

GLORY DAYS 101 SAYS, “GOD IS FOR YOU!!!!”

Your exit from the wilderness and entrance into Canaan begins when your heart and your mind become convinced that God is for you!!!!

Are you a "you"?

If you are a "you" then God is for YOU!

THE BIG NEWS OF THE BIBLE IS NOT YOUR FIGHT FOR GOD. THE BIG NEWS OF THE BIBLE IS GOD FIGHTS FOR YOU!!!!

• Gethsemane proves it!
• The Cross proves it!
• Easter Sunday proves it!
• His Promises prove it! 
• His promises are the product of His presence and his power!

God fights for you and He fights in your and through you!

You fight with Heaven’s resources! 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:10-18

You are God’s child!

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12

You are His ambassador!

"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." II Corinthians 5:20

You are a member of God’s priesthood!

"you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."  I Peter 2:5

You have a seat with Christ in Heaven!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:4-6

GOD SAYS YOU ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip -  he who watches over you will not slumber;indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."    Psalm 121:2-8

Take time to quietly and prayerfully listen to this familiar song in a new way:

https://youtu.be/3WJ1cf3nrLE

YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN JESUS! GOD FIGHTS FOR YOU!

March 12, 2016

God fights for you!

He fights for you with His presence and He also fights for you with His power.

Granted it's hard to separate God's power from His presence so when I say He fights for you with His power it's like saying God fights for you squared!

As Joshua prepares to relinquish his leadership role he reminds them of how God used His power to fight for them.

"After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, summoned all Israel—their elders, leaders, judges and officials—and said to them: “I am very old. You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you."  “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised." Joshua 23:1-5; 9-10

The reason God's power is such an essential is because His people were powerless against Pharaoh in Egypt. And they were powerless to cross the Red Sea or the Jordan River or to march against Jericho.

But He brought them out and brought them through and brought them but His power!

Joshua 1:11 – “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”

Are you ready for God’s power in your life?

Joshua 3:5 – "Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

Are you consecrated to receive God’s power?

Joshua 4:23 – "For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over."

Joshua 6:6-7 – "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.”

Do you believe God has given you something better?

Joshua 23:9-10 - “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised."

Can you imagine yourself chasing a 1,000?

FOUR WORDS:

GOD - Your personal powerful Father

FIGHTS - Opposes, resists, defeats and destroys the enemy

FOR - In behalf of, because of

YOU - Are you a "you"?

God's power fights for you for the purpose of allowing you to enjoy His presence!

March 11, 2016

God fights for you!

He fights for you with His presence!

For over 40 years God's presence had been very real and visible to them following 400 long difficult years of doubting His presences.

Every day as God led His people away from Egypt and toward Canaan He appeared before them in a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire through the night. When the pillar moved they moved and when it stayed they stayed!

Finally, God was able to lead them back to the Jordan ready to lead then through the river and in to Canaan. As the prepared to enter over and possess the Land of Promise Joshua needed a fresh assurance of God's presence. God gave him that.

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them”  Joshua 1:5-6

My guess is that Joshua wasn't having as much of a problem trusting God's leadership as he was struggling to trust his own! He may have had thoughts like this and I can can imagine God's response to those honest doubts:

• I have never led before and there are 2,000,000 people – but I am with you!
• But there’s the Jordan River at flood stage – I know but I am with you!
• Those walls around Jericho are very thick – but I am with you!
• The Amorites are fierce and they have a home-field advantage – but you have me!
• All five nations have united against me – but you have me!

“But I’m not Joshua, you say” – But God is the same God! And God still is present to protect His people!

You have all the same promises Joshua had PLUS many more through Christ!

You are crossing the Jordan or conquering Jericho but:

• You’re stuck in a job that demands too much and pays too little – but you have Him!
• Your out-go exceeds your income and the pressure’s mounting – but you have Him!
• You’re trying to overcome that harmful habit and it feels like a boa constrictor crushing the life out of you – but God is with you to release you!
• You haven’t been the greatest marriage partner but you want to do better – God is with you!
• You’re haunted by your past even though you know you shouldn’t be – God is with you
• You know where you came from and it just doesn’t seem compatible with where God wants to take you – but God is with you!

David was just a shepherd stuck out in the lonely remote hillside when he wrote:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalm 23

I’m sure this is what the Apostle Paul meant when He wrote:

“Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?”  Hebrews 13:5-6

“help” = two Greek words – “He runs to you shouting”

NOT ONLY DOES GOD DESIRE YOU TO LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND BUT HE FIGHTS FOR YOU SO YOU CAN!

March 10, 2016

"You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you." Joshua 23:3

Joshua spent 40 years in Egypt and then 40 years in the wilderness and now he was nearing 90 years of age. Their Glory Days were ending and so was his leadership.

In his farewell speech he reminded them they could count on God to fight for them because God had always fought for them. All they needed to do was show up at the right address with the right attitude and God would do the rest.

God had fought for them when they were in Egypt by sending the supernatural plagues. The Hebrews walked out of Egypt with a lot of Egyptian riches without having to raise a hand against the Pharaoh.

God had fought for them at the Red Sea! He opened it wide for them and they walked through it without getting their feet wet! But when the army of the Pharaoh tried to cross behind them God closed it over them.

God fought for them at Jericho when the walls of that fortress collapsed like power at their shouts. And that was after He had stopped the Jordan at flood stage to allow 2,000,000 people and all their livestock to cross over into Canaan.

God fought for them with His presence. The Ark of the Covenant led them wherever they went. A cloud had led them by day and a pillar of fire by night. Never in 40 years had they been out of His presence!

God fought for them with His power. Pesky plagues, seas opening, rivers stopping,  water flowing from a rock, manna appearing from heaven each morning and impenetrable walls crumbling were undeniable demonstrations of His power.

God fought for His people then and He will fight for you, too!

If you will stop fighting Him and begin trusting Him at your point of trouble, weakness or need, you will experience His presence and power too!

I'm sure that's what Paul was thinking when he wrote to the Roman church, "If God is for us who can be against us?"

Ready to find out?

March 9, 2016

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

A little girl was with her father hiking in the mountains. It was a crystal clear sunny day with a bright blue sky. When they reached a clearing high on a ridge they stopped to take in the panoramic view. Both of them stood speechless for several minutes just overcome by the beauty surrounding them. The little girl broke the silence as she exclaimed, "Daddy! I can see farther than I can see!"

I am glad I can see beyond what my human eyes can behold.

When you think about it, everything that matters the most will never be seen by the human eye!

You will never lay eyes on your soul but your soul is the part of you which will last forever. What is more important than that?

You will never see God with your eyes. According to the Old Testament, if you did happen to gaze on with your human eyes you would die.

And, you will never see heaven with your human eyes. No one ever has and no one will.

Allow this thought to sink in for a little while. All of those "things" we work so hard to attain, those things we see and then we want them will some day belong to someone else and we will be somewhere else!

No wonder the Apostle Paul so passionately wrote, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal"  II Corinthians 4:18.

If you want to see further than you can see - and then eventually get there - fix your eyes on what is unseen!