Joshua 3-Reflections

Crossing the River Jordan
The instructions to the Israelites were:
1. vs 3-  'When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.'

The Israelites knew the importance of allowing God's presence to lead. vs 4-Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. Because He is an Omnicient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent God, He knows what lies ahead.


2. vs 4- '.... keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.'
Maybe the distance will allow everyone to see the Ark of the Covenant, God's presence. Being ab;e to see it reassures them that they are going the right way!

Father, when our eyes are focussed on You, Your Presence,You ALWAYS lead us in triumphal procession. We will only watch and see the miracles You do along the way!

3. vs 5- 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.' Joshua knew that this was a spiritual battle so he wanted the people to separate themselves from the usual things and focus on the Lord. 

I am a visual learner which means I like to draw or sketch or have images to help understand ideas or concepts that I'm reading! The visual above captures my thoughts about this chapter!

Oh, the importance of hiding God's Words deep inside our hearts! It needs to be put into action! When we allow the presence of God to lead us, take over our situation or be in the middle of our impossibilities, He will MAKE A WAY!!

Joshua 2 - Reflections

 Rahab Encounter

In this chapter Rahab's story unfolds. I like how she helped out the men sent by Joshua. She knew deep in her heart that these men were different. She even acknowledged that their God is the God in heaven above and on earth below.

Rahab helped the Israelites to advance to the promised land.

I love the fact that this story shows that women can be used by God, no matter what position they have in life!

Joshua 1- Reflections

For the next few mornings I will be meditating on the book of Joshua, the lessons he and the children of Israel learnt and what I learn from their experiences.


vs 3: 'I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. '

vs 5: 'No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.'

Father, Joshua is about to embark on his journey of leading the Israelites to the promised land and I believe that you understand Joshua just like you understand each of us. Before we venture out into the new challenges or a new chapter, we have feelings of uncertainty because we do not know what lies ahead of us. To encourage and reassure him, I like the way you are reminding Joshua about the things you have done in the past, great and miraculous things. You encourage him to be strong and courageous! You still do that to us today! You remind us through your Words!

vs 9: 'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.'

You remind him about the importance of reading your Words, meditating on it and doing everything that is in it. Only when they do that, then they will be prosperous and successful.

vs 8: 'Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.'

 Why should they do this? because your Words have POWER!! 

How well do you know Him?

This morning I am reminded of the conversation that Moses had with God. Exodus 33:15 "Then he said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here." 

In chapter 32, God refused to accompany His disobedient people because they broke their covenant and built a golden calf. This resulted in 3000 of their sons and brothers being killed then in desperation Moses tried to make atonement for the nation’s idolatry.

In chapter 33, the people repented of their unbelief and Moses went on his face before the Lord to plead for forgiveness and prayed that the Lord would still accompany them and that His presence would continue with them.

I could imagine Moses thinking ‘no way am I going anywhere without my God. He has done so much for me and for us, how can I take a step without Him!’

Moses knew His God, he knew God’s power, His love, His faithfulness and His goodness that he couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from Him. In verse 15, he pleads with God, …..’if Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” Moses knew that he was nothing or they were nothing without God. His experiences and His knowledge of God led to his desperate plea.

There are so many lessons that can be learned here but my take away this morning is despite all that is happening around me, I need to dig deeper into His Word to know Him, to know His grace, His faithfulness and His goodness.

Lord Your presence is what I desire. May it go before me and with me everywhere I go.

Father's love

Isaiah 61:10

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels

The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, is a love story and it’s also about forgiveness, repentance, acceptance and second chances. Oh the significance of the gifts given by the father to his returning son!!

Robe -Represented the acceptance and the authority given by a higher authority.

Ring-Confirmed that authority. In most cultures of the world today a ring is a sign of a covenant or an engagement; it is a sign of love and acceptance.

Sandal-The giving or exchange of sandals represented ownership of the land.

Fattened cow- The father was ready for his son's return, and the servants did not need any explanation as to which calf they were to kill and prepare for the feast. They had been witnesses to the father's preparations, to his faith that his son would one day come home again

I imagine how our Heavenly Father awaits us on our return. Many of us take a while to find our way back to His loving arms but when we do return, He awaits us with His loving gifts!!!Why don't you return to Him today? It doesn't matter how far you gone or how dirty or bad you've become, His love for you has never ever changed. He will welcome you back with open arms!

Did Jesus Appear in the Old Testament?

WOW! This revelation has inspired me to dig deeper into the Word of God.

Rejoice

I'm gonna dance and praise Him
It doesn't matter what comes my way
The greater One lives inside of me
His name is Jesus
I'm born a winner
More than victorious
I'm a heir of the kingdom
Filled with the Holy Ghost

Seek the Lord, take up your position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord

2 Choronicles 20:1-22
I so love this story about Jehoshaphat and lessons within it. When Jehoshaphat heard that the
men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were coming against him, he proclaimed a fast for all Judah so they could seek help from the Lord. He didn't try to work things out on his own, he fully trusted in the Lord's ability to deliver and help him out. He turned to God in prayer and fully trusted His promise of deliverance. That was his first port of call! 

I could imagine the size of the army that was coming against him. In verse 12 it says
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” The thoughts that were probably running through Jehoshaphat's mind. He knew that they couldn't face this army alone but he knew that the great God that they served had the ability to turn impossible situations around. He admitted, Lord we have NO power to face this vast army. We do not know what to do but OUR EYES ARE FOCUSSED ON YOU! Despite what's happening around us Lord, our eyes are glued on You. All our trust and hope is directed towards You, fully trusting that You alone will deliver!

And I love the Lord's reply in verses 15-17, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’

I thought about how many times the Lord continuously reminds me that the battles I face in life are not mine but His. Often I try to fight with my own human knowledge, strength, finances etc. The
Jehoshaphat story reminds me to seek the Lord, take up my position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give me,

When  Jehoshaphat heard from the Lord, he bowed down with all his people to worship God. Some Levites praised the Lord with very loud voices! On the morning of the battle, Jehoshaphat encouraged his army by saying "Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 
 He then led his army out, praising God for what the Lord was about to do, At the end of the story,
"As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. ²³ The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another."

 What I love about this story is the fact that Jehoshaphat chose to fast and pray when he was overwhelmed with the news of the impending attack. He fully trusted His God to help him! He worshiped and praised Him! "Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his^[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

And his God delivered!  

Throne Room

Throne room by Kim Walker🎶🎶

I run to the Throne room
I run to the Throne room
And I fall on my face
With angels and saints
And all I can say is
Holy, holy, holy are You, God
My heart can't contain
The weight of Your name
And all I can say is
Holy, holy, holy are You

His timing is PERFECT

 The Shunammite’s Land Restored

 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” ² The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.

³ At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. ⁴ The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” ⁵ Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” ⁶ The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”

2 Kings 8:1-6 (NIV)

What a story! and talk about timing! In chapter 8 of second Kings, we read how the Shunammite woman came back after 7 years of being away and she wanted to appeal to the king for her house and land. When she returns to see the king, she walks in the very moment that Elisha's assistant Gehazi was telling the king how the woman's son was brought back to life. Was that a coincidence? She walks in just at that moment and that caused the king to give back to the woman her land.

To God there is no such thing as coincidence. He knows exactly what we want and when we need it. 

I'm sure that moments like this happens to everyone. I just smile because I know it has to be Him, His invisible hands orchestrating the divine appointment. His timing is so perfect. What an incredible God we serve!

 

The prophet Daniel

This morning I was reading through the book of Daniel, from chapters 1-5. Daniel was famous for interpreting dreams and visions. He was also known for his wisdom and intelligence. One thing I admire about Daniel is the fact that he was faithful to the God that he served. He didn't compromise his faith for anything else. 

He was courageous in his decision not to eat the food or drink the wine, which the king provided. He chose to honor God rather than bow to the demands of the king. 

In the Daniel story, King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to destroy all the wise men if no-one interpreted his dream, Daniel and his friends asked for time so they could beseech God in prayer to reveal this information (Daniel 2:18). 

Daniel knew that wisdom and power belong to God (v.20), and praised Him.

For me, it is important to learn how to pray, but also to give thanks to God for answering my prayers.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil 4:6
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Col 3:15

 Daniel's journey reminds me of Heb 11:6

PC: Google images

Journey through Daniel Fast

I am trying something new this year and that is starting 2018 with Daniel fast. It will be for 21 days. I've done the Daniel fast during the year before but haven't started the year with it. So far so good...today is my 9th day on this journey.

I'm enjoying the time of reading and reflecting on the Word of God. This morning I am reminded about the goodness of this great God that we serve. He is faithful, steadfast and so true to His Words. He is patient, loving, gracious and merciful.
 Nehemiah 9:5-6
Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶ You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.