Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 11:1-12:24, Luke 17:11-37, Psalm 84:1-12, & Proverbs 13:5-6
Joshua 11:23
23 So Joshua took the entire land, just
as the Lord had directed Moses, and he
gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then
the land had rest from war.
Has there ever been a task so large that the Lord gave you
that it seemed like it would never be completed? Was there ever a time in your
life that so much needed to be done in order for you to experience what God was
promising you that it didn’t seem like it would ever occur? That was the case
for Joshua & the people of Israel.
They came to the Jordan River one day being told that they
would fill the land before them. It all sounded great. The only problem was
that there were already people living in that land that would not just give up
their home. Some of these people were known to be fierce & vicious people.
Others had great & powerful armies. Still others were protected by
fortified cities.
40 years prior to this date, as the land was spied out, the
heart of the people melted because they didn’t think they could complete the
task. They saw the huge task & the great hurdles before then & said it
was not possible. They lost all faith of seeing it ever happen. That bunch of
people all died in the wilderness NEVER receiving what God desired to give
them.
What a tragedy for that generation. Because they couldn’t
see it happening they never tried to do what God was asking them to do. They
paid no mind to the fact that God was going to enable them to do the
impossible. They disregarded the promise that He made when He said He would go
before them & make a way where there seemed to be no way.
When we read about the generation of Joshua, we don’t see a
more experienced people. They don’t appear to be a more battle skilled people.
They must have had less experience because they were all younger, but they all
had the thing that matters most to God—FAITH IN HIS PROMISE.
God doesn’t need super gifted people. God does not need
perfect people. God takes those who are humble enough to believe Him at His
Word & He makes them mighty. God takes the ordinary & makes them
extraordinary through His Spirit.
Many times in life, when we will look at the road before us,
it may seem impossible for things to be what we know God wants them to be. Take
for instance your marriage; right now things may be very rocky. There may be a
lot of hurt feeling & deep offenses. It may stretch beyond you & even
into relationship with your in-laws. It can look like there is no way that God
can heal all the hurts that have occurred. It may look like so many things have
to change that it is impossible.
That was the case for me.
When I got saved my marriage was falling apart. It went much deeper than
just my wife & I having issues. There was such relationship damage that
stretched throughout our families that it didn’t look like things could ever be
the way that they were meant to be. I looked at all that needed to change &
I simply didn’t know if it could ever change. It looked like it would take far
beyond a lifetime to fix what had been broken.
There were days when it seemed like the easiest thing to do
would be just walk away & quit. Something inside told me not to give up. I
have come to know that something as hope. I stood my ground in faith. I knew it
was impossible for me to fix but I had faith that God could do anything. I
surrendered to Him.
It didn’t all happen overnight, but things began to change.
It was just like in the book of Joshua. We found victory over one area then
moved on to the next. Before long, we had victory over many things that once
held us down. Over the course of time, we saw the Lord restore to us EVERYTHING
that He had promised to us. Praise & honor belong to Him forever more!
I wanted to share this with you because I know that there
are some things that you are faced with right now that you are wondering if
they can ever change. There are so many things that need to happen in order for
you to have what you believing for. My word to you is be patient & trust
God.
Don’t get overwhelmed by everything. God doesn’t expect you
to deal with it all right now. Just deal with what is in front of you. Fight
the fight that is before you & don’t worry about the things that are out at
a distance. God is with you & He will give you victory. Things will change.
It will not be that long before you look back & see that God has given you
everything that He promised. It comes one battle at a time; one day at a time.
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