Remember the Victories

'Cross over before the ark of the LORD Your God into the midst of the Jordan and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder according to the number of tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you.' " Joshua 4:5 - 6. NKJV

The crossing of the Jordan had taken place and the Israelites would be in the Promised Land. God told Joshua to build a Memorial both in the river, even though it would be covered with water very soon, and then on dry land where the priests had stood. These would represent the twelve tribes.

Memorials are witnesses and reminders of things we should remember, like heroic battles and heroic people. Here, people of the future would ask what are the stones there for and they would learn about the way, God performed mighty miracles, parting the Red Sea and then the flooded River Jordan. They would learn that, even though things may look impossible, we have a God who can make things happen in a most victorious way. (Nothing is too hard for Him - Jeremiah 32:17)

From thereon, whenever people saw these stones they would remember that, God is with them and that He is to be trusted to and He is a way though the dark and frightening path.
Just think for a moment, a raging, flooded river being piled up to allow the Israelites to pass through and that's not to mention the mighty Red Sea being parted. Amazing. That is Your God. God had promised them that they would enter the Promised Land and He kept that promise.

Many times when God is leading us to do a particular thing, we need encouragement. The information we want is:

*  We need to know God is in this. If He's in it, we'll win it!
*  Reassurance  -  If God can stop a flooded river, He can do things for us. We need to know this.

The Memorial stones would be a reminder to all who saw them and as we read the bible, to us too as we remember all He has done for us in the past and realise that He won't stop there. Things like this make us grateful to Him for being so faithful.

What are you facing? Read about all God has done for the people of the bible and for others around the world in this present age. He keeps His promises; He'll lead you to victory (although the road may be a tough one along the way). If you need healing, ask Him and wait patiently, thanking Him for His love and kindness. If you don't know Him, ask Him to introduce Himself to you. He will. Why? Because He is madly in love with you!

The Peter Principle

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant saying, 'Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all the people, to the land which I am giving to them - the children of Israel.'
                                                                                                       Joshua 1:1 - 2 NKJV

Things can be very busy for people who are second in charge. Imagine if you're an assistant manager in a company. You probably work very hard and carry a lot of responsibility. However, at the end of the day, the person over you - the manager - is the boss. That person is in charge and has the full responsibility. To a degree, that can be quite satisfying, although, you may have been doing most of the work.
Then the day comes when you are offered the job of manager - to be in charge of this company that you have served for some time. The buzz that comes can be amazing as you wallow in the success of it all. After all, you've earned it. However, can you do it? There is a great difference in being the assistant and the manager. Much stress and pressure, backbiting, stabbings in the back and endless meetings with bosses over you. One only has to look at the life of a football manager. When the club is winning, the manager is the 'bees knees'. When they have a losing spell with relegation, that manager is no more and someone replaces him.

The Peter principle, was a concept of Laurence J Peter in 1969. It observes that people in  hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence. In other words, an individual is promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level in which they re no longer competent in. In layman's terms, a person may be excellent at being an assistant but being a manager may be just that little too much for them and they struggle and are clearly out of their depth. They were in a safe place as assistant, but now things mat crash around them.

It all boils down to counting the cost, knowing yourself and what you are capable of. God knew that Joshua was the man to replace Moses, but did Joshua himself. How would he have felt about this sudden promotion - fearful, apprehensive, dismayed? It may have been a scary time for Joshua. Maybe, that is why God offered him words of encouragement -'As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage.' Joshua 1: 5-6.

God knew he could do it, and if He has an assignment for you, He knows you can do it too. A word of warning; don't be a copy of the person you're replacing, be yourself - your own person. God is choosing you, not someone else. If He had wanted them, they would still be there.

All kinds of voices may be ringing in your head; words of negativity, saying you can't do this. Ignore them. You can do it because God says you can. 'Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' Verse 9


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The Scarlet Cord

Read Joshua 2

Rahab lived in a house built into the wall at Jericho. She was a harlot and the house she lived in was more an Inn where men paid for a bed for the night and this included the favours of Rahab. However, her life was about to change.
Joshua, acting on direct orders from God, sent two men out to spy the land and gain the information they would need for taking the land. The men came to Rahab's house and booked a room overnight. However, this was not to receive her pleasures but for their rest. Rahab knew there was something different about them and because she lived in an Inn where gossip was freely spoken, she had an idea that these men were warriors and were here on military business.
The King of Jericho also heard the gossip and believed the men had come to spy out the land. He sent men to arrest them. However, Rahab acted earlier than this and hid the men on her roof, telling the king's men that they had already left. She sent them away on a wild goose chase. She told the two men to go to the mountains and stay there 3 days and then go on in another direction, it would be safe then.
Before she let them down the wall by a rope, she asked them to honour her and her family by sparing their lives when a battle came. They agreed to this and told her to hang a scarlet cord from her bedroom window so that the house would be recognised and the people inside spared.

The scarlet cord is a reminder of our salvation. For the Israelites, it would be rather like the blood of the Passover lamb and the blood on the doorposts for protection. It is also a reminder of the blood of Jesus on the cross in payment for our sins. Importantly here, it was a covenant between Rahab and Joshua. The men had agreed to tell him how she had saved them and as long as the scarlet cord was in place, her and her family would be spared. And this happened - see Joshua 6:25.

Joshua's men showed Rahab respect, possibly more than she had ever seen before. Instead of the abuse that she had suffered at the hands of other men, these two affected her; she was drawn to them. She knew they were different and I believe that she saw God in them. Impact evangelism is powerful. One doesn't need to say anything about God, people just see Him in you. This is what happened here.
Rahab, would never be the same again. Her life of prostitution would be over. She trusted these men and they didn't let her down. Impact evangelism is a reward of spending lots of time with Jesus- meditating on Him, listening to Him, submitting to Him and putting Him first place in your life. People can't fail to see that there is something about you that they like and want. A word does not need to be spoken.

In this account, we see the power of covenant - living by a person's word and offering the same back. We also see honour and trust and we see the beauty of a life changed. Changed by the power of God.

God may have changed your life or He may want to. He is the only one that we can fully trust; the only one who will never let us down; the only one who has provided a way into Heaven one day and the only one who loves you so much He can't get enough of you.

Rahab saw it for herself that day and she would never be the same again.

If this has spoken to you, please let me know  dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Live God's Word

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it."  Joshua 1 :8 NKJV

God wants us to meditate on His Word. This is actually thinking about what you've just read, repeating it, memorising it, letting it take root within you and owning it until it becomes a life force operating through you. This is similar to the Jewish people who visit The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. There they line up at the wall reciting texts, praying intense prayers getting lost in communion with God while they rock back and forth. This is called Davening.

To be able to do this, one must read the bible on a daily basis. You can't meditate on what is not placed in your mind. In Joshua 1:8, the scripture says that we should meditate in it day and night. Now this does not mean that we have to be reading our bibles 24/7. What it does mean is, what we read, we digest and think about it throughout the day until it is fully understood in our minds and sits well within us. God can speak to us this way and we also become equipped in the Word of God, so that we can hold off spiritual attacks from the devil. In Luke 4: 1 - 13, Jesus is tempted by satan in the desert. Jesus combats all the lies of the devil, by saying back to him, 'It is written." This is what we should be doing when the devil has a go at us. However, if we don't know the Word, we won't be able to quote it back to him.

You may say, 'I don't know how to meditate.' Of course you do. If you know how to worry, you certainly know how to meditate, and to be honest, you need to do this. Some people read a piece of scripture and then picture themselves in this as if they're part of the crowd. This can give a person a first hand view of what is happening. It takes practice but, it is well worth the effort, especially if you're actually witnessing Jesus walking around speaking to people and helping them. It's just living in the scripture.

Whatever you do, you need to have a daily dose of scripture, it is like medication. Proverbs 4:20 - 27 tells us 'My son, give attention to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart  from you eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart, for they are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh.'

Get your bible out, set a time when you are able to read it and spend some time with the greatest friend that you could ever meet - Jesus Christ.

Count the cost

"Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  Luke 9:57 NKJV. (Read Luke 9:57 - 62)

Whenever Jesus calls us to do something for Him, there's a cost to consider. Now, it may be to be an usher in church, making the tea and coffee, being a House Group leader or working on the Sunday school team. Then again, it may be something more in depth, such as pastoring a church, being an evangelist or going to Bible College.
Whatever it is, there's a cost to consider. At first it can seem amazing and quite a challenge. However, as we think more about it and the time draws near to put this into practice, it can be scary and we wrestle with our comfort zone. It's nice and comfortable in the comfort zone and we are not as exposed as we will be if we carry out the task.

Jesus addresses this as 3 men speak to Him. The first man says that he will follow Jesus wherever he goes. However, Jesus looks at him and gives him a reality check. 'Do you really know what you want to do?' (v58 paraphrase).The second man comes along and Jesus says, 'FollowMe'. The man replies, 'Lord, let me  first go and bury my father.' (v59).The man expressed that he was putting his dead father first. Jesus would have known that his father had not just that moment died and the burial was probably in hand, he was putting an excuse there before he'd even started.
The third man was similar. He told Jesus he would follow Him but wanted to go home to bid the family farewell.
Jesus was looking for people who would go forward with Him and not look back. Imagine if Jesus had looked back as He went to the cross. It would probably have been quite a different story. Jesus is after commitment!

Do you feel the call of God on your life? This may be to serve the tea and coffee or it may be to train as a pastor. They are both important tasks and Jesus does not measure the importance of either role. The are equal to Him. The thing is, He will not force you to do this. He wants you to be willing or it won't work. Whatever it is that you feel called to do, you need to count the cost. There's always a price to pay. Do you want to serve tea and coffee to people after church? Do you want to be involved in Sunday school, the worship band, preaching or training to be a pastor? There's price to pay. It takes commitment and it means coming out of your comfort zone to do this.

You need to ask yourself if the task is what you want to do. It's always scary. When I first preached, I had a fit of the stutters and nearly passed out on the spot. But you get used to it.

Is God asking you to do something for Him? It may be a huge task He's asking of you and the thought of it petrifies you. This is why counting the cost is wise. He won't ask you to do something that is impossible for you to do. He's very accurate in assessing a person's capabilities.
The choice though, is very much yours.

If this reading has spoken to you, please give me some feedback  dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

But...?

'I need God, but He's nowhere to be found'   Read Psalm 13

In this Psalm, David appears to be in despair and slipping into depression. Consider if you will, the situation for a moment. He had been anointed King of Israel by Samuel after King Saul had shown that he wasn't worthy to hold the title. However, up to now, he was still plain David and Saul was still on the throne. This hadn't worried David at all and he had set out to be a faithful servant of Saul and honour him whenever he could. However, Saul was jealous of David because of the attention he now received after slaying Goliath and he was trying to kill David. Therefore, David had fled for his life and even took up residence in caves to avoid Saul's army. And yet, he still was totally for Saul. This was a characteristic that God loved about him.

The problem is, after being treated badly and being hunted all over the place by the evil King Saul, David had understandably become quite low. If you'll read the 6 verses in this Psalm you will see this for yourself. Four times he asked God, 'How long:'

How long - will You forget me forever?  Reminding God that it had been some time since God had
                   answered him.
How long - will You hide Your face from me?  David felt abandoned.
How long - shall I take counsel in my soul?  Relying on your own thoughts in times such as these
                   can be rather risky, because of the depression.
How long - will my enemy be exalted over me?  There appeared to be no relief in sight for David.

Then at the end of the Psalm, David decides to praise God anyway. He says in verse 5:

'But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.'

This little word, 'But', is very powerful. It can be negative or positive. In a counselling setting, I have often heard the negative, ' Yes that sounds good, 'but', I could never do that.' 'Yes, 'but' it's too late for that.' etc.David however, used the positive version 'But' here, and decided that he would put his trust in God's mercy and not focus on the problems he had.

What about you? Do you think God is not around at the moment? How will you handle this? What will you choose to say? Will you use the negative 'But' or the positive one. The choice you make will determine the way you move forward or backwards. It really is a small word but has a very large meaning. Changing the way you use this word is changing the way you think - renewing your mind and will determine the outcome.
'But', that is up to you.


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Tread carefully

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil."
                                                                                                            Ephesians 4:26 - 27 NKJV

The NKJV uses the word, 'place' in this scripture. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to use the word, 'opportunity'. Many times we give the devil the opportunity to come into our lives, perhaps when we don't know we've invited him. When we're married, this can be caused, when following an argument between yourselves - and it does happen, Christian or not, one partner fails to speak to the other, possibly sulking with hurt feelings. They may go to bed and even though each partner is in it, they fail to speak, kiss goodnight or say they're sorry. We shouldn't let the sun go down on our anger. The devil loves this type of thing. If he can drive a wedge between a couple, then he can cause a great eruption if we allow him to.

As I've mentioned before, Kenneth Copeland says, 'If we let the devil into the back seat of our car, pretty soon he's going to want to drive.' And this is so true. As he roams around looking for who he can attack (1 Peter 5:8) at the first sign of a chink in our armour, he will come in and ransack our marriage by taking all of the peace out of the place. Don't let him.

Whether, you've been a Christian for years or have just started your journey, put your armour on. A word on this can be found in Ephesians 6: 14-18. If he can, the devil will try to take control of your life, your marriage, in fact, all you've got. Resist him ( James 4:7 ).

Jesus gives us life in abundance but the devil, who is a thief, will rob you of this if he can because all he wants to do is to steal, and to kill and to destroy. John 10:10.
The abundance that Jesus gives is excessive and overflowing, in fact it is more than enough to keep us going. It is beyond measure. Why? Because He loves us abundantly. He is the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. Therefore, he has a responsibility to take care of us. However, if we give the enemy the opportunity, he's going to try and steal everything from us.

So at the first sign of anger, take control, especially in relationships, whether you're married or not. Be in control. Recognise the moment for what it is and deal with it. Be careful of what is said, it's too late once we've said something nasty. The person who it's aimed at, may forgive us but it leaves a scar.

We will mess things up at times. After all, we're under construction. However, we need to learn by mistakes and ensure we try and avoid them in the future.

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