Too Large

"The inheritance of the sons of Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, for the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance." -Joshua 19.9

The rest of the Promised Land is being divided by lots. The remaining seven tribes are each receiving their inheritance from the unclaimed land. The tribe of Judah had a massive area in the south. It bordered the entire western shore of the Dead Sea, then went westward to the Mediterranean, and then down to the brook of Egypt on the Sinai peninsula. It's a large piece of land, and as it turns out it's too large. The lot that falls to Simeon is a portion taken from the middle of Judah's land.

This is an interesting scenario. Land that was given to Judah, that they had claimed as their inheritance, is now being taken and given to another tribe that dragged its feet in claiming the blessing of God. If I'm honest, my first reaction would be, "Heck no!" Why does part of what God has given me get to go to someone else who didn't claim what He gave them in the first place. I think most of us would have a response like that.

I don't know what the Judahites were thinking, and the Bible doesn't tell us, it does say that their land was too large for them, and so part of it was given to Simeon. There could have been a war between the tribes over this, but that doesn't happen. Instead the land passes from one tribe to another, and both receive an inheritance in the land.

Men, have you been blessed with more than you need? What are you doing with the surplus? Are you spending it on things no one will ever need? Are you putting it away for a rain day? There is nothing wrong with having nice things as long as you aren't consumed by the desire to have more and more. Having money put away for an emergency or retirement is responsible and wise. Are you putting what you have to work for the Kingdom? Are you investing what you have been given eternally? Are you taking the excess you have and helping those in need?

Let us take what we have, and invest it in others. Let us be men who don't hoard the excess that we have been blessed with. Let bless others.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Claim the Blessing

"There remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, 'How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?'" -Joshua 18.2-3

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh have taken possession of their inheritance, but seven tribes have not yet claimed theirs. They have been slaves in Egypt for over four hundred years. They wandered the wilderness for forty years. Now after seven years of fighting the land is finally theirs, and more than half of the tribes aren't doing a thing about it.

The question becomes why? Why after all this time of being a slave and wandering are you not taking possession of your own land? My wife and I recently bought a house. In our married life we lived in a church provided parsonage, my parent's basement, a room in my grandparent's house, and an apartment. None of those places were ours. We had no say in how they were run. Our life changed and we were finally in the position to be able to buy a house, and we jumped at it. We moved in and began to make it our own, and after a little over three years of living in someone else's home, it was a relief to finally have our own place.

This is what God has provided in the Promised Land. Israel has their own land to work, not someone elses. They have their own permanent homes now, not tents in the wilderness. And yet they aren't claiming the gift of God. It is something He has promised them, something that they have fought hard to obtain, and yet when they time comes to enjoy it, they drag their feet.

Men, when God gives you a blessing what do you do? Do you receive it with gratitude and humility, or do you sit by and do nothing? When God offers you something good do you take it, or put off doing anything about it until someone pushes you? It may require something of us, and that may be why we drag our feet, but refusing to claim the blessing only keeps us from experiencing the goodness of God.

Israel would now have their own land to work, but in that they would receive all of the blessings God had promised.

Let us be men who claim the blessings of God. Let us receive what He offers with gratitude and humility. Let us embrace what the blessings bring.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Refusal to Act

"But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. It came about when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely." -Joshua 17.12-13

Manasseh is given land in the Promised Land as well as on the east side of the Jordan. They are a large tribe, but verse 12 says that they could not take possession of their cities because of the Canaanites. At first they are unable to do anything about the problem, but that doesn't last forever. They become a strong people and they get to the point where they can take possession of the cities within their land. They do, but like Judah and Ephraim before them they don't drive out the Canaanites. Instead the make them their servants. They are able to act and do what God has commanded, but they don't.

How many times does this happen? God makes a promise, we get to the point where we are able to claim it, and yet we don't. How often are we able to do what God has commanded us, but we refuse?

Men, are you capable of doing what God has commanded? Are you doing it? If not, why? Israel was commanded to get the inhabitants out of their land, and yet this is the third time in the last three chapters that they allow them to stay as slaves. They are able to do what God has said, and yet they are refusing to act on what God has said.

As the pagan influence remains in the land, Israel will gradually be led astray by it. What could have been a complete blessing from God will end up being forfeited because Israel refused to act on God's command.

Let us always obey God exactly as He instructs us. May we never make exceptions. May we never refuse to act.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Exceptions

"Now as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah at Jerusalem until this day... But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers." -Joshua 15.63; 16.10

The land is being divided, and the tribes of Israel are each being given their share. Judah and Manasseh are the first tribes to be given land west of the Jordan, but the final verse of each chapter shows an exception. Judah could not drive the Jebusites from Jerusalem, and Manasseh did not drive the Canaanites from Gezer. Both of these groups remained alive within the borders of the land given to these tribes, and with them, the opportunity for them to influence Israel away from God.

It is said that Judah could not drive them out. Maybe they tried to do it alone and failed. Jerusalem is a very well placed city that is very difficult to attack. But for whatever reason the Jebusites remained there. It says that Manasseh did not drive them out. Instead the Canaanites became their servants. God commanded Israel to destroy the nations of the Promised Land, and for the third time now, some of them have been allowed to remain alive.

Men, do you make exceptions in your life? For one reason or another do you allow something to remain that God has instructed you to get rid of? It will only result in your destruction. One traitor within the walls is all that it takes to open the gate for the enemy army to enter in. One exception is all that it takes to compromise all of your integrity and resolve.

Let us be men who make no exceptions. Let us fully obey God and remove every aspect of sin from our lives.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Drive Out Giants

"Now he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah, according to the command of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron). Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak." -Joshua 15.13-14

Caleb is eighty-five, and not only is he still ready and willing to fight the giants, he drives them out and claims victory over them. Every man is a warrior until the day that he dies. But not all men fight battles until they die. Some men never fight battles, let alone take on giants.

Caleb had seen God work. He had witnessed the plagues in Egypt, he had walked through the Red Sea. He knew what God was capable of, and was willing to trust Him to take the land inspite of what the other spies said. He trusted God, and God allowed him to enter the land. God was with him as they took possession of the land, and he is given part of it as his own. He had trusted God all of his life and now, after eight and a half decades, he still has the faith to drive out giants.

Men, what does your faith look like? What battles are you engaged in? Are you willing to follow God and take on enemies that seem impossible? Are you willing to spend your life fighting against something big that matters? The battle doesn't have to end when you retire, you are a warrior made in the image of God, and until the day you die, you will be a warrior. Are you willing to fight? Are you willing to trust God and take on the giants?

Caleb was willing, and God was with him all of his life. At eighty-five Caleb is defeating giants. So can we.

Let us be men of faith. Let us be men who trust God and are willing to fight. Let us be men who drive out giants.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Still Ready

"Then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, 'You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. So Moses swore on that day, saying, "Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully." Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.'" -Joshua 14.6-12

The land is being divided and Caleb, the other faithful spy, comes to Joshua to make a request. He shares how God promised he would live to enter the land because he had fully trusted God, and he has. He was forty years old at that time, and now forty-five years later we see that he is still strong, still ready, and still able to fight. He asks Joshua for the hill country where the Anakim live in their fortified cities.

At eighty-five, if I'm still alive, I really don't think I'll be wanting to march up any hills to fight anyone, let alone a bunch of giants behind strong walls. But we see that Caleb asks for the challenge. He could have requested a nice little piece of the Jordan River Valley where no enemies were still living. He could have asked for a place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and spent the rest of his years fishing on the shore. But he doesn't, he asks for a challenge.

Lets scale back the age to fit our modern life span, and say at retirement age what is the ambition of most men? Move some place warm, and spend the rest of my time relaxing after thirty or forty years of working. Golf, fishing, a life of ease. That sound really boring, and I kind of doubt that's what a man really wants. We need a challenge, we need a battle to fight, always.

Men, what is your passion? Just because you get old doesn't mean you have to stop living passionately. Yes, there are things that age will eventually no longer allow us to do. I won't be able to carry a forty pound pack through the woods forever, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy nature forever. There will come a time when our influence shrinks, when we hand it over to a younger man, but that doesn't mean we no longer have any influence.

Caleb was still ready to go at age eighty-five. He was still willing to march into battle and do something. He wasn't content to spend the last years of his life wasting away and getting fat on the beach. He never stopped living passionately.

Let us be men who seek to live with passion always. Let us never be content to slip into obscurity. Let us always be ready.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Bigger than One Man

"Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the Lord said to him, 'You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed. This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites; from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorite; and the land of the Gebalite, and all of Lebanon, toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.'" -Joshua 13.1-5

Joshua has led Israel through a lot. He led them across the Jordan and for seven years he led them to victory against thirty-one kings as they began to take possession of the Promised Land. But for all that he has accomplished there is still much to be done. Israel is in the land, but they have not taken possession of all that God has promised to give them. Joshua is old, and his work is almost complete, but there is still much to do.

The work of God is bigger than one man. Each of us plays a role, and that role is vital, but the role we play is not all that there is to do. Kingdom work is bigger than any of us, but the role each of us is to play is essential. Joshua took possession of part of the land, he laid a solid foundation for those who would accomplish the next stage of the plan.

Men, do you see your part in the work of God's plan as vital? Do you see it as final? Let me tell you this, you do have a vital role to play, and if you don't the next set of leaders will be hindered because of work they have to complete that was not theirs to do. But know this, there will be others who come after you. Your work is not the last that will be done and your time will come to an end. And that is ok, because we are caught up in something bigger than any of us.

Joshua accomplished all that he could, and as we'll see, makes preparations for the work to continue after he is gone. He does not try to cling to power and go on forever, none of us can yet sadly many try. He laid a solid foundation and made plans for the walls.

Let us humbly realize our place in God's plan. Let us do our part to be best of our abilities, and let us make preparations for those who will take over from us. Let us be men who know that the work of God is bigger than any one of us.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Overcome

"Now these are the kings of the land whom the sons of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the valley of the Arnon as far as Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah to the east... in all, thirty-one kings." -Joshua 12.1, 24b

Reading Joshua 12 gives a list of the kings Israel defeated as they took possession of the Promised Land. It's a pretty incredible thing that a nation that spent forty years wandering in the wilderness moved in and took down thirty-one individual kings. It is because God was with them that they were able to overcome.

With God, thirty-one kings are nothing. With God, walled cities are nothing. With God, giants are nothing. With God, His people overcome.

Men, what are you facing? Issues at work? Issues at home? School stuff? Whatever it is, with God you can overcome it. There is nothing that can stand in your way if you are following God's plan and He is fighting for you. Are you willing to follow Him? Are you willing to endure and to overcome the adversaries that you face?

Let us be men who boldly follow God against any enemy. Let us stand firm during the hardships. Let us overcome.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Peace

"Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings. There was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon; they took them all in battle... So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war." -Joshua 11.18-19, 23

Joshua fought a long time with the kings that lived in the land God had promised Abraham's descendants. Only the Gibeonites made peace with Israel, through deception, but every other city was conquered in the long and hard fought campaign. Israel crossed the Jordan after forty years of wandering the wilderness, seven years and thirty-one kings later they finally have possession of the land, and the land had rest from war.

Battle was the only way to take the land. It was an exceedingly good place, but it was inhabited, and those who lived there were not willing to give it up. If Israel was going to take possession of it, they would have to fight for it. The few chapters where Joshua's victories are recorded make it seem like only a few weeks, months at most. But looking at time frames from Joshua 14 and Deuteronomy 2 show that this was a seven year endeavor. This was a long, hard fought, at times discouraging, conquest, but finally it came to an end. The battles will eventually end, and we will have peace and be able to enjoy what we have won.

I think of The Lord of the Rings. I don't have a lot of time to play video games, but one that I love is called Aragorn's Quest, it's a kids game, but it tells the story of The Lord of the Rings from the point of view of Samwise Gamgee reading the red book written by Frodo to his children. You play through the highlights of the story as Aragorn, but inbetween you are playing as Frodo Gamgee, Sam's son. You run through the Shire learning the skills required in the rest of the game. It shows a time of peace and celebration after a hard fought victory.

Wars don't last forever. In the midst of struggle it might seem eternal, but it isn't. God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous because he had a long and difficult task ahead of him, but it was a task that would one day be completed. War would end, and Israel would have rest from war and peace.

Men, if you are engaged in a battle, stand strong. Endure it knowing that it will not last forever. The war will end, and if we are faithful and obedient to God, we will stand victoriously at the end. There will come a time when the enemies are defeated, and we will know peace. War does not last forever, so be strong and courageous, fighting to the end, and you will have peace.

Let us be men who are resolved to stand firm to the end. Let us achieve victory and in that find rest from war and peace.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Giants

"Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained." -Joshua 11.21-22

I remember the first time I read Numbers 14 where it talks about the descendants of Anak. They are described as large and strong, and when I first thought of this my mind went to Goliath. I wondered if the giant David killed was related in some way. Here in Joshua 11 we find the answer. Joshua leads a campaign to take the hill country from the Anakim and he destroys them. The text says that there are none left in Israel, only in Gaza in Gath. Jump ahead to 1 Samuel 17.4 "Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span." Goliath was a descendant of the Anakim who would rise to torment Israel in the future.

The question then rises could Goliath have been prevented. What if Joshua had marched on Gaza, destroyed Gath, and wiped out the Anakim? Israel may have avoided Philistine oppression, but then there wouldn't have been a need for the champion David. Does God leave giants for others to fight, or does He raise up champions to fight those we leave alive? I think the answer is yes.

There are "Goliaths" that we are to take on, and some that we aren't. Our individual gifts, passions, and experiences, equip us to take on certain giants, but not others. There are giants we are never meant to take on, but God will raise up a champion to slay those giants. Joshua's giants lived in the hill country from Judah to Israel, and those giants he utterly destroyed. David's giant came from Gath, and he killed him with his own sword.

Men, what is your giant? What makes you righteously angry? What causes oppression that you must fight against? Are you fighting your giant or someone elses?

Let us be men who courageously fight and slay the giants.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Cover Your Back

"Then Joshua turned back at that time, and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms. They struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire." -Joshua 11.10-11

In the midst of a battle Israel is pursuing and destroying a defeated enemy. As they do they pass by Hazor, another city. Once they have finished the battle, Joshua turns back and takes Hazor. He cannot leave an enemy city within the land they have already taken, otherwise they are fighting enemies on two fronts. And if there is a traitor within they can be subtly destroyed. Joshua does not make that mistake, he finishes the current battle, and then turns around to cover his back.

Think what an enemy behind you can do. A few years ago there was a movie called The Eagle that told the story of a lost Roman legion and how the commanders son goes in search of their symbol of honor. On his journey he encounters one of his father's soldiers who is now living among the people of Britain. He tells them how the legion fell. They were marching through a forest and the enemy began to pick soldiers off from the back, one by one. They were looking for open ground to use their battle tactics, but after a while they stopped marching and turned to fight them. They stood back to back and engaged in battle.

Men, we must cover our backs. We cannot leave anything behind us that can rise up and attack us. We cannot leave an opportunity for an enemy to subtly strike. If we leave an enemy alive behind the lines, everything falls apart.

Let us be men who cover our backs. Let us deal with things as they come up, never pushing them to the side and forgetting about them in the desire to advance. Let us turn back when we must so that we are not taken out down the road.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Hard Won Victory

"Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel." -Joshua 10.42

God fulfills His promises. Joshua 10 talks about numerous victories that Joshua and Israel won, and the cities they captured in the process. They are victorious because God is with them, fighting for them. God has promised to bring Israel into the land and give them possession of it, and He is leading them in victory after victory to fulfill His promise.

It is important to note that God does not just hand Israel the land. Before they ever entered He told them that He would drive out the inhabitants gradually so that the wild animals did not become too numerous. But He also isn't doing all of the work. Israel is there, fighting the battles. They are engaged in the process, and the work, of taking possession of the land. Victory is assured because it is God's promise, but victory will be hard won.

Men, following God brings the ultimate victory, but that does not mean we can simply sit back and wait for it. We must be willing to take up our shields and draw our swords, marching in the front lines. God is fighting with us, on our behalf, but He is not doing everything. He wants us there with Him, by His side, fighting together. Victory will come, but it will be hard won.

With God victory is assured. Joshua took possession of all the lands we read about in chapter 10 because God was fighting with him. But Joshua was there, in the midst of battle, fighting alongside of God.

Let us never be content to sit back and let others fight our battles for us. Let us never sit back expecting God to simply hand us the victory. May we always be ready and willing to pay the price for victory.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Finish the Job

"Now these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. It was told Joshua, saying, 'The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.' Joshua said, 'Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them, but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand.' It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel." Joshua 10.16-21

The sun stood still to give Joshua more time to defeat his enemies. Five kings brought their armies out against Israel, and five armies fled from the field. Their leaders hid themselves in a cave, and while capturing the leaders would have brought victory, God had commanded Israel to completely destroy their enemies. Joshua doesn't settle for victory, he does what God says. He has the cave sealed and places a guard there while the rest of the army finishes the job.

Israel pursues their enemies and slaughters them, when they are done they return to camp in peace. But it is not until the battle is over that they return to camp. They don't give their enemy time to regroup, they finish the job and then return victoriously.

Over the years I'm sure there are many times I haven't finished things when I should have. Right now I'm pursuing two master's degrees, and while I've turned everything in on time, I have not gotten things in as early as I would have liked. It has caused unnecessary stress in my life, and has cost me freedom that I could have had later.

Men, do you finish what you start, or do you leave things incompleted? Has an unfinished job ever come back to bite you? Have you started resting and celebrating too soon?

Earlier this month I shared about a wrestling match I should have won but my focus wasn't where it needed to be. That story could also fit here. I had a job to do, victory was mine, but I started to celebrate the victory too soon, and as a result never got it.

Joshua did not make that mistake. It really isn't that hard to appoint a new king to lead the army. Had Joshua allowed the armies to escape, being satisfied with having captured the kings, a new leader could have risen and led a second wave of attacks while Israel celebrated. But that isn't what he does. He posts a guard preventing the kings from escaping, and then finishes destroying the armies.

Let us not be men who leave things uncompleted. Let us finish the job, and then celebrate the peace we have won.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Pray for the Impossible

"Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, 'O sun, stand still at Gibeon,and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." -Joshua 10.12-14

Word of Israel's victories is spreading through the land of Canaan, and the kings of the land are worried. Already two cities have been destroyed, and one of them was Jericho. Five kings form an alliance and move to attack Gibeon, the men who tricked Joshua into an alliance. God tells Joshua to go and fight, and that none of them will stand before him. The people march all night, and then the massacre begins.

They are winning. The enemy is fleeing and God is sending hailstones on them. But Joshua does not want to allow them to have time to regroup, call for more aid, and possibly turn the tide of battle. And so he prays to God, asking the sun to stand still so that Israel can have more time to defeat their enemies. God answers his prayer. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky.

Joshua asks for the impossible, and God answers. Joshua courageously, and confidently made a request to God, and God gave him what he asked for.

Men, do you pray for the impossible? Do you have the faith to ask God to do something crazy? When you do, is your request confident or timid? Just because we ask God for something does not mean He is going to give it, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't ask. Sometimes God says no, other times He says not yet, and sometimes He says yes. The question is do we have the courage to ask, and the faith to believe He will answer? Are we willing to risk Him saying no? Are we afraid that He might say yes?

Joshua's prayer was answered because it lined up with what God had commanded him to do. He prayed for more time to achieve a victory God had sent him to claim. It was a big request, and made publically before the people, but he had the faith in God to ask. He was not afraid of hearing no, something was needed and so he boldly asked God.

Let us have the courage to pray big. Let us have the faith to ask God help us accomplish the things that He has called us to do. Let us be men who boldly pray for the impossible.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Ask God

"So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land. Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim. The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, 'We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.' The leaders said to them, 'Let them live.' So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them." -Joshua 9.14-21

For the second time we see Joshua get in trouble because he does not first seek God. Each time he acts without seeking God Israel has to deal with hardship and defeat. The first time they lost a battle they should have won, and about three dozen warriors of Israel were killed. This time men come to him, saying they have traveled far to see the people God is working greatly through, but they are inhabitants of the land who have lied to save their skin. Joshua does not seek God, he takes their story and makes a covenant of peace with them.

God had commanded Israel to destroy all of the inhabitants of the land, and now they have made a covenant that allows a group to live. They are sentenced to serve Israel forever as wood cutters and water fetchers, but the pagan influence will remain among the people. It only takes one small crack to eventually shatter a window. Joshua has allowed that one small crack because he didn't seek God. He took the word of strangers and didn't seek God.

Men, do you ask God even when the situation seems clear? Do you take strangers at their word, simply believing them, or do you ask God for clarity before entering into an agreement? What kind of trouble could be avoided if you simply took a moment to ask God?

A pagan influence was allowed to remain in the land because Joshua did not seek God, and it led in part to Israel's downfall. Let us not make the same mistake.

Let us take the time and ask God, even when everything seems sure. Let us be men who turn to Him always for everything.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Be Ready

"So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose 30,000 men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night. He commanded them, saying, 'See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out to meet us as at the first, we will flee before them. They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, "They are fleeing before us as at the first." So we will flee before them. And you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.'" -Joshua 8.3-7

The sin of Achan has been dealt with, and now God instructs Joshua on how he is going to conquer Ai. After getting God's battle plan, Joshua prepares his warriors for battle. Some of them are going to prepare an ambush behind the city while the rest draw the men out of the city. Joshua's instruction is for the them to be ready and close to the city.

They are going into a fight, and they must be ready for the right moment to attack. They must be dressed for battle with their weapons in hand. God's plan calls for careful timing and swift execution. If Israel is going to be victorious the men doing the ambushing must be ready.

Men, are you ready for battle? Are you dressed for a fight? Are your weapons close sharp and in hand? Most likely it isn't a physical fight, but are you ready for the battle for your heart?

The life group I lead is currently divided by gender and I am leading the guys through Wild at Heart. This past week we were in chapter eight which focuses on the enemies we do battle with. As I was preparing for our discussion I read something I knew would be brought up. John Eldredge shares the story of a young man who was heavily involved in sexual sin. Countless woman offered themselves to him and he accepted what they gave. Each time he would try to resist, but each time he gave in he resolve was weakened. The point of conversation was when john says the turning point came when the young man began to see it not so much as sin but more as a battle for his strength.

To be clear, John is not saying that the fornication is not a sin, he is saying there is something bigger behind it. I've been thinking about it for the past few days and I've realized something, the devil's goal is to possess us and keep us from serving and obeying God. The source of a man's strength is his heart, and that is what Satan fights to control, and in turn, keep God from controlling. He will do whatever it takes, in the case of this young man it was sexual sin that caused him to compromise his strength. What is it for you?

Each day we face battles for our hearts, are we ready to attack the enemy when he comes after us?

Let us be ready for battle so that we can strike at the right moment. Let us be armed and close by. Let us be ready.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Sin Affects Others

"So Achan answered Joshua and said, 'Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.' So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was concealed in his tent with the silver underneath it. They took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and they poured them out before the Lord. Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. Joshua said, 'Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.' And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones." -Joshua 7.20-25

God has revealed Achan's sin as the cause of Israel's defeat, and no the nation must deal with it. God has laid out the punishment for him, and now the nation carries it out. Achan and all he own, as well as all of his household, are taken to the valley of Achor and stoned. After the stoning the remains are burned. Because of his decision to sin against God, knowingly doing what was wrong, his family died.

We are not the only ones that suffer for our choices. Sometimes the decisions we make affect those who come after us. My grandpa was the pastor of a church, and while there he had an affair. It led to divorce and so much hardship on his children. There has been repentance and reconciliation, but the effects of that sin can still be felt.

In the last church I pastored there was a lady who had seen that event unfold first hand. She recognized my last name and she had it out for me before I even started. She worked behind the scenes, and publicly after a while, to attack me because of something my grandpa had done nearly forty years ago. His sin affected my ability to minister to people. Now I will say, this lady had a choice in her actions, and my grandpa is not responsible for the grudge she has held for four decades, but had that event not happened my first senior pastorate would have had one less headache.

Men, do you realize that your choices, your sins, have an affect on others? Do you realize that they way you are living will impact the future of your children and grandchildren? What reputation does your family name carry? What effect are you having on the future?

Let us be men who strive to live holy lives. Just as sin affects others, so does holiness. Let us be men who refuse to compromise and give into sin. Let us leave a godly legacy for those who come after us.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Deal with Sin

"So the Lord said to Joshua, 'Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.'" -Joshua 7.10-12

Israel has been defeated by a small town that should have been an easy victory. Joshua tears his clothes and falls on his face before God after the defeat, and God tells him that there is sin in the camp. He tells Joshua to get up and deal with the sin, and until He does, God will not be with the people.

Sin has to be dealt with. It cannot be overlooked and allowed to remain among God's people. Sin is a cancer that spreads throughout and destroys the entire body. It must be completely removed, otherwise the body is at risk. God tells Joshua to get up and cut the cancer out of the camp.

Men, if we want God's presence and blessing, we must get rid of sin. If sin is present, God cannot be. If we choose sin, we are rejecting God. If we allow sin to go unchecked and unchallenged then we are not allowing God to be present in our lives.

There are times when God wants to act, when He wants to pour out blessings on your life, but He can't because there is sin. This is not to say that every time something does not work out for us it is because of sin in our lives. There are times God is saying no because it isn't the best thing for us. There are times He says not yet because the timing isn't right. Sometimes God's plan is just different than ours, and sin has nothing to do with it. But there are times when sin is the only thing keeping God from working in our lives, and in those moments we must deal with it.

Let us be men who are not hindered from God's blessing by sin. Let us be men who refuse to turn a blind eye to the issues and ignorantly ignore them. Let us be men who deal with sin.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Failure to Seek God

"Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, 'Go up and spy out the land.' So the men went up and spied out Ai. They returned to Joshua and said to him, 'Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few.' So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water. Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads." -Joshua 7.2-6

After the victory at Jericho the people are fired up and ready to go. They have tasted victory and are ready for more. The next stop is Ai, a small town west of Jericho, and like before Joshua sends some spies to scout it out and gather intel. They come back with a report that the town is small and that only a few thousand men should be needed to take it. There is no need for the entire nation to break camp and march, this should be an easy victory.

We know from reading that there are other factors at play here, but Joshua listens to his men, sends out three thousand troops, and then suffers a disappointing defeat. Ai fights back. Israel retreats. And nearly forty warriors are lost. The people are discouraged, Joshua tears his cloths and falls on his face before God. Notice that it isn't until after the battle that he turns to God.

Before he attacked Jericho, Joshua got instructions, most likely from Jesus, in a position of surrender. He was humble and sought God before moving forward. But now it seems that God has become an after thought. He listens to his men, and wastes about three dozen lives in an unnecessary defeat. What would have happened if he had fallen on his face before God prior to the battle? Could those lives have been saved?

Men, do you seek God before you move forward, or only after everything falls apart? Do you come to God first, waiting for His approval before marching to battle, or only as an after thought, trying to figure out what went wrong? How much time do we waste, how many unnecessary defeats to we suffer simply because we don't take the time and seek God first? How often do we look at the facts, and rationalize what to do rather than seeking God?

I have been on both sides of this. There have been times I've made a decision, either impulsively or rationally, without seeking God. I have made decisions without consulting Him and I have dealt with unnecessary loss and hardship because of it. This is not to say that seeking God means we never have to deal with defeat or suffering. It does not mean that He is unable to redeem those situations that we get ourselves into. It simply means that we have gotten into unnecessarily because we didn't seek Him first. At the same time that is not to say that when we seek God everything is going to be smooth sailing with no difficulties. It simply means that when we move we are going where and when God wants us to.

There have been times where I have sought God, and listened, to avoid situations that I was never meant to get in. It isn't always easy. I remember a time shortly after graduation when I was looking for a job. I was at a church, interviewing, and we were feeling each other out, and to be honest I pretty much had it in the bag, but as I sat in the service praying I felt God saying, "This is not the place." I didn't get it. I needed a job and this one, from my perspective, seemed to be a good situation, but I couldn't get a different answer from God. It was not a fun conversation I had with the pastor after the service as I told him I felt God saying no, but it was one I had to have, and I don't regret that decision.

Let us be men who seek God before we move forward. Let us turn to God first, not as an after thought trying to figure out what went wrong. Let us not fail to seek God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

God With You

"So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land." -Joshua 6.27

God is with Joshua in a mighty way and all the inhabitants of the land are hearing of him and the victory that God has given him. His life stands out because God is with Him, and all are taking notice of it.

When God is with you, others will notice it. Others have to notice because the presence of God in your life is what we were created to have, and as it is present it stands out.

My wife and I moved a couple months ago, hopefully the last time for a few years, and as we're settling in I found a file I haven't gone through in years. It was different things from college. Some birthday and graduation cards, lists of a couple workouts a friend and I had done, different things from internships, and various ministries I had been involved with. But one section of this file had notes from people telling me how they had seen God in my life.

Towards the end of college I became very humble and God dependant. I assumed a position of surrender and vulnerability. God was then able to speak to me and show me things about Himself. As a result I became very close to God, and others began to take notice. My life stood out because of a passion for God. This is how all of us are to live.

Men, does your life stand out? Is God with you in a way that causes others to take notice? Is word about your passion for God spreading?

Let us be men who live lives of passion for God. May His presence in our lives be apparent for all to see. May God be with us, and may others know.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

The Plan

\"Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.'" -Joshua 6.1-5

Joshua is flat on his face in the presence of God, and in this position of surrender God gives His battle plan for taking Jericho. Israel will not attack the walls with siege ramps or battering rams. Instead priests will carry ram's horn trumpets and the people will silently march around the city for a week. At the end of the seventh day's marching they will shout and the walls will collapse. They will take the city without firing an arrow or losing a man.

The plan is odd, maybe even a bit crazy, thus why Joshua needs to be in the position that he is. But this is how God works, and this is how God is going to show His people that He is with them. They will take the city by marching and shouting.

The rest of chapter 6 tells of the battle, and how all of the treasure of the city was to be given to God. Every living thing that survived the wall collapse was to be killed, only Rahab, and those with her in her house were to be spared.

Men, sometimes God's plan doesn't make a lot of sense. Sometimes it goes against everything we know and are convinced of. This is why we need be be in a position of surrender so that we are able to hear what God is saying to us.

How many men would Joshua have lost had he done it his way? How long would it have taken? What would it have done to the rest of the inhabitants in the land. By doing it God's way Joshua doesn't lose a warrior. It only takes a few hours a day for a week. The rest of the inhabitants hear the news and Joshua's fame spreads through the land. This is because they did it God's way.

Let us be men who follow God's plan, no matter how odd it may be. Let us trust Him and do things His way.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Position

"Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, 'Are you for us or for our adversaries?' He said, 'No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, 'What has my lord to say to his servant?' The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, 'Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.' And Joshua did so." -Joshua 5.13-15

The people have entered the land, and now the time has come to begin taking possession of it. The first obstacle is Jericho, a doubled walled city in the Jordan River Valley. As Joshua took in the city, possibly trying to strategize his attack plan, an armed man appears to him and a conversation begins. Joshua asks who he is and receives the answer that he is speaking to the captain of God's armies. At this Joshua falls on his face and submits to whatever he is about to be told.

Most likely, Joshua is speaking to Jesus here. The Hebrew words used to describe his act of bowing are words describing worship which no angel would accept or allow. This very well could be a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament, and Joshua is flat on his face in submission to whatever He is going to say.

As a warrior this is the last place Joshua wants to be. His face is down so he can't see to fight off an attack. His arms are in no position to do battle. The back of his neck, the most vulnerable part, is exposed for a kill strike. As a general this is the last place he wants to be because it is a position of surrender and submission. But as the leader of God's people, this is the exact position that he needs to be in. Surrendered, submitted, vulnerable, and willing.

Because of his position Joshua is invited to remove his sandals and feel the holy ground he is on. Only with Moses has this happened, remember God is with Joshua as He was with Moses. Joshua is being told that he is in the very presence of God, and his reaction is to assume a surrendered and open position.

Men, what is your position? Are you flat on your face submitted to God and allowing Him to speak and use you as He desires? Are you standing with your feet firmly planted, and your guard up, struggling with Him? Are you standing with your arms crossed, refusing to listen to Him? Is your back turned with your hands over your ears, refusing to even acknowledge Him? We all have battles before us. Each of us faces a personal Jericho every day. Before going into battle what position do you take?

Joshua was no rookie in terms of battle and warfare. He could have devised a strategy to capture the city, but how many men would he have lost? As soon as God shows up he doesn't plan, simply listens, and then marches forward under God's leadership.

Let us take a position of surrender and vulnerability to God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Sustained

"While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year." -Joshua 5.10-12

For forty years as the people wandered the wilderness God provided food for them. Each morning manna was sent for them to eat, and in the evening quail would come. God provided food for them because in the wilderness there was no food for them, at least not for that multitude of people. They needed food and God sustained them, but once they entered the land they no longer needed the food God had provided. He sustained them in the wilderness, but when they enjoy the blessings of the land they do not need the sustenance.

God will sustain His people until He pours out the blessings He has promised. There comes a time when we don't need God to merely sustain us, and when that day comes let us not forget to praise Him for what He has done.

Men, has God sustained you? Is He sustaining you now? Praise Him for it. He is taking care of you, helping you make it, maybe even testing you to see if you trust Him. Be grateful for His sustenance, and when the blessings come, don't forget to praise Him.

Let us be men who are sustained by God, and when we receive the blessing, let us praise Him for sustaining us to that point.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Altar

"Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, 'Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, "Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests" feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.' So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, 'Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, "What do these stones mean to you?" then you shall say to them, "Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off." So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.' Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the Lord spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day." -Joshua 4.1-9

Israel has entered the land under the leadership of Joshua, but it is only because God has brought them to this point. As a reminder of what God has done the people take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests stood on dry ground and when they camp at Gilgal that night, Joshua builds an altar with the stones. The altar is there in the Promised land to mark where the people crossed and to serve as a reminder that God fulfilled His promise.

This isn't the first time that an altar has been built to serve as a reminder of what God has done. Each altar marked a different event. I had a professor in college who built a stone altar in his yard, and every time God did something for his family he would add a stone to it. He has a permanent reminder of the blessings God has poured out on his family.

Men, what do you do to remember what God has done? Do you write it down? Do you tell stories? Do you have a physical symbol? The stories of God's faithfulness and provision must be shared and passed down. What is there for those who come after us to ask about? The stones were set up for all to see, and when new generations saw them they would ask, "What is this for?" Is there anything like this in your life?

Let us remember the things that God has done. Let us have things set up that become conversation starters to share the ways He has worked. Let us have altars that declare the praise of God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Time for Exaltation

"Now the Lord said to Joshua, 'This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.'" -Joshua 3.7

The time has come, Israel is crossing the Jordan, and God is going to exalt Joshua. He is going to show that He is with Joshua as He was with Moses, affirming that he is God's chosen leader. God is going to exalt him, all Joshua needs to do is trust Him, be strong and courageous, and move forward.

Too often leaders, even in the Church, try to advance themselves and make themselves stand out. I have seen so many people try to exalt themselves either with their resume, their ideas, or even their family history. They live to be exalted, and they will be whatever it takes to set themselves apart. And in their effort, they are causing God to humble them.

Have I personally fallen into this? Part of me would like to say no, but I know that isn't true. In my youth I was arrogant, maybe not outwardly but my heart definitely was. I thought I knew everything there was to know about ministry. I thought my life would be full of noteworthy ministry, and that people would seek my advice and counsel. It wasn't until God broke me of this that He began to change my heart, and in that, He began to prepare me for a time when He will exalt me.

Men, are you allowing God to exalt you, or are you trying to exalt yourself? Maybe you feel that right now God is humbling you, and that may be the case. I feel as though I am there right now. I feel that God is using this time to prepare me. He is seeing if I am willing to be strong and courageous. He is seeing if I will focus on what must be done. He is seeing if I will be an early riser who pursues the fulfillment of His promised blessings. The time for exaltation is coming, but we must remember that it is God's timing, and ultimately for God's glory.

God told Joshua that his exaltation was so that the people would know that He was with Joshua as He had been with Moses. Joshua's exaltation began with waters being miraculously parted. Just as the people escaped Pharaoh and Egypt by crossing through the Red Sea on dry ground, so now they enter the Promised Land by crossing the Jordan on dry ground. God performs a similar miracle so that the people know He has chosen Joshua to lead. And it is now the proper moment for the exaltation.

Let us be men who wait for God to exalt us. Let never try to force His hand, but humbly accept His training and wait on His timing. Let us be men who God exalts.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

The eastern shore of the Jordan River near Jericho. Today, due to dams, the Jordan is a babbling brook compared to what it was at the time Israel crossed it. But you can still get an idea what they had to pass through. It was January, and so the water levels were low, but you can see where the water was during the rainy season as the banks were overflowing as the text describes.

Early Riser

"Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed." -Joshua 3.1

The time to enter the land is drawing near. The people are heading to the Jordan and preparing for the crossing. Joshua doesn't drag his feet or procrastinate. He doesn't sleep in, needing to be roused from slumber at noon. He's up before the sun and ready to go. The fulfillment of God's promise is waiting and Joshua does not wait, or allow Israel, to wait a moment longer.

Men, do you rise early? When God has made a promise do you drag your feet, or pursue it with haste? If not, what are you waiting for? If God has made a promise to you, pursue it.

Right now I find myself in pursuit of a call to ministry and a passion to live it out. I have a job that in providing me with the ability financially to work on my Master's degree, and I believe that when I finish school, God will open the door for me to return to ministry full time. I'm holding on to a promise, and doing what I can to pursue it and be ready to seize it when the moment arrives. I'm marching towards the Jordan so that I am ready to cross it.

Let us be men who rise early and pursue the promises of God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Focus

"Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, 'Go, view the land, especially Jericho.' So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there." -Joshua 2.1

Joshua is preparing to move forward, but before he does he sends a team out for reconnaissance. He tells them to view the land. It's been forty years since he was there as a spy, and a lot can happen in four decades. He sends two men to gather some information, and their primary focus in Jericho. Joshua wants to know what lies ahead, and so he gathers information that he needs.

Look at his focus here. The people have heard about the goodness of the land for decades, possibly centuries as the story of promise was passed down. But certainly for the forty years of wandering they were reminded of the goodness of the land that Joshua and Caleb had brought back. I imagine they were anxious to move forward and finally see it with their own eyes. But Joshua is a soldier, and while I'm sure he was excited to return to the land, his focus is on taking possession of it, and that began at Jericho. Joshua tells the spies to focus their attention on this first city that they will encounter.

The focus of a man cannot overlook the battles that must be fought, it is a deadly mistake. When I was a sophomore in high school I was wrestling at the conference tournament. Tournaments are double elimination, you lose two matches and you're out. My bracket wasn't full and so because of my record I was automatically in the semi finals. The match was closer than it should have been and it came down to the final seconds, where I ended up losing by one point.

At that point you move into the losers bracket and go for third place. I had watched the match the guy I was wrestling had lost, and he was beaten pretty badly by a guy I had easily beaten earlier in the season. In my mind I would win this match, and then beat the next guy to win third place. It was in the bag and so I wasn't focused on the next match. Long story short, I didn't win and was the only guy on my team not to place.

That's what happens when you don't focus on the battle ahead. You aren't prepared, you can't perform, and you ended losing to someone you should have easily beaten. Fortunately Joshua didn't make that mistake.

Men, where is your focus? Are you overlooking the battle for the prize that goes to the victor? If we lose focus we lose the fight. If we focus on the prize we can't focus on the fight.

Let us focus on the battle, not on what happens afterward. May we not be men who lose fights we should have easily won because we're too concerned with enjoying the prize. Let us focus.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Remember Your Commitment

"To the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 'Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, "The Lord your God gives you rest and will give you this land." Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.' They answered Joshua, saying, 'All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses.'" -Joshua 1.12-17

The time has come, and Joshua is preparing the people to cross the Jordan. As he does he calls the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to remember the commitment they made to Moses. They have been given their share of the inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, under the condition that they not settle until they have helped the other tribes claim their inheritance.

Moses is gone, and the new leader is not who they made their commitment to. They could easily have decided to stay put on the east side and begin settling. But that isn't what we see. They tell Joshua that they will do what he commands and go wherever he sends them. They tell him that he will be obeyed just as Moses was, and ask that God will be with Joshua as He was with Moses.

When a leadership change happens it can be easy to go back on a commitment that has been made. The new leadership wasn't there when the commitment was made, but for the man of God, the commitment is not made to men. With these three tribes, God allowed them to settle east of the Jordan with the promise to help take the land. Their commitment was made to God, and that commitment must be kept.

Men, do you honor the commitments that you have made? When the time comes to honor your commitment what do you do? Are you a man of honor whose word is good? Or do you simply say what needs to be said in the moment to advance yourself?

Let us be men who not only remember our commitments, but follow through on them. Let our word be good and trustworthy. Let us be men who can be counted on.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

God's Command

"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1.6-9

Before Moses died he charged Joshua to be strong and courageous (Deuteronomy 31), and here God is speaking to Joshua giving him the same command. Joshua is about to lead the people into the land that was promised to Abraham, to do so he must be strong. He must be resolute and determined. This is no easy task that he is about to undertake. The road ahead is full of battle and peril. Joshua must be strong and persevere to the end. He must be courageous. He needs to be bold as he leads the fighting. The Promised Land is not going to be taken sitting down, it will only happen after battles have been won, so as the leader he needs to have extreme courage.

But there is more to leadership than simply heading up the charge. He must be committed to God, steadfast in his faith, refusing to waver for any reason. He is to constantly teach and proclaim the law, and meditate on it day and night. He is to deeply contemplate and reflect upon the words of God so that he can carefully observe them and model them for the people.

God's final command to Joshua here is again to be strong and courageous. There is no need for fear or discouragement because God is with him wherever he goes.

Men, do you meditate on the word of God, and proclaim it in word and action? Do you choose strength and courage? Remember fear is a choice, as is being discouraged. Let us focus on God, always knowing that He is with us, and the closer we get to Him the closer He will draw to us.

Let us be strong. Let us be resolute and determined to endure through the hardships we face on the road to claiming God's promise. Let us be courageous. Let us be bold, rejecting fear, and move forward to victory. God is with us wherever we go, let us live like that is true.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

God's Promise

"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." -Joshua 1.5

As Joshua prepares to lead the people he isn't doing it alone. God has called him into leadership, and God will be with him. No army will stand before him because God is leading them. And we see the promise that God will be with Joshua just as he was with Moses. He will not fail him or forsake him.

If you look back to Exodus 33 when Moses left the tent of meeting, Joshua would remain. He spent time with God before he was a leader, and so God was able to be with Him as a leader. God's promise of His presence and victory can be given to Joshua because Joshua has invested time in drawing close to God and learned to communicate with Him.

Men, is God promising His presence in your life? Are you seeking His face and learning to communicate with Him? God wants to be with you, and if He is, He will not fail you or forsake you. That is His promise.

Let us live a life that seeks His presence as Joshua did. Let us embrace the courage that God calls us to, and live in His presence and promise.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Taking the Lead

"Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 'Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.'" -Joshua 1.1-4

The time has come for Joshua to take on the leadership of Israel. Moses has fulfilled his role and God has taken him. Now God instructs Joshua to rise up and lead the people into their inheritance. What must have been going through his mind at this moment?

I remember when I took my first role as a lead pastor. I did not have the pressure of following in the footsteps of Moses, but at the time I was only 24, and stepping into a congregation that was made up mostly of people my grandparent's age. At first their was excitement about finally being able to do what I was called to do, and I thought it would be the first step in a bright future. Then there was the uncertainty. Having never done this before, not having a full grasp on everything that I would need to do, made me hesitant to even look for a position like this. And then there was my second Sunday on the job. I was called to the hospital to be with a family who didn't know if a husband, father, and grandfather was going to make it through the night. It was an overwhelming moment and I'll admit that I broke down and cried privately.

I was only responsible for a group of about forty, not over a million. I didn't have to follow the greatest leader Israel had ever known. But God had called me to lead, and to an extent I think I can relate to Joshua.

I'm sure there was some excitement, the time had come to enter the land, and he would get to lead the people forward. I'm sure he felt uncertain about leading such a multitude of people, following such a great leader. I'm sure the must have been a moment when he broke down in an overwhelming moment. But Joshua took the lead. He didn't rush forward in excitement, he waited for God. He didn't shrink back because of the unknown, or flee because of how big the job was. He listened to God, and moved forward.

Men, what happens when we are called to take the lead? Do we jump in with both feet out of sheer excitement, not pausing to consider the best course of action or even survey the situation? Do we look at the task at hand where we look at how inadequate we are either because of the job or the shoes we'll have to fill, and hide from the call? Do we look at the difficulty and simply run away, refusing to play the part God has called us to because it is too hard? Or do we wait for God to speak, trust Him, and move forward taking the lead by following Him?

God has created men to lead, and calls each of us to some form of leadership. Let us be men who patiently, and humbly take the lead. Let us not be too excited that we fail to count the cost. Let us not be afraid and refuse to act. Let us not be overwhelmed and run away. Let us trust God, depend on God, and take the lead.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor