Journal for week 14

- The book of Joshua is not about Joshua. In fact, it is about the same thing as everything else: God.

- I need to go where God tells me. I can’t just sit around waiting for God to do something, I need to get up and start walking. As the American Bible Society says, “I prayed for years but nothing happened until I started praying with my feet.” God calls me to be strong and courageous to do what He calls me to do, but this strength does not come from my ability. Rather it comes from Christ’s presence in me.

- I need to remember what God has done for me in my life. This way I will be reminded of God’s faithfulness and will be encouraged to continue to trust Him.

- God’s instructions to the Israelites for the ‘battle’ of Jericho may have seemed outrageous, but God was teaching them to wait for His instruction. In the same way, I need to be patient before the Lord and wait for His instruction. He has a plan for my life, and although I may not be able to see it, I need to be patient and wait for His instruction because His timing is best!

- God is passionate about holiness. I need to ask myself if my relationship with Him is as exclusive as that between a husband and a wife. In my life, there are still things that I place before God so I need to put God as my first priority and as my first love. Idolatry is like adultery to God and so I need to ask Him to show me any areas in my life that I am putting before Him. Only then, once I am truly passionate about God and His Word, can He really begin to show me wondrous things.

- Achan’s ‘little sin’ caused the death of not only his family and his livestock but also the lives of 36 soldiers. This put into perspective the stupidity of sin. Not only is it harmful to me, but it can have devastating effects on people around me. I need to ask God to reveal my hidden sins and to continue to change me. Whether it is by accident or on purpose, sin has consequences. It is only by running to Jesus and taking refuge in Him that I will be saved and it is only by His death and resurrection that I can have new life.

- Although God had already given the Israelites the land, it took five years of war before all the organized resistance was overcome. In the same way, my relationship with God will take time. I need to daily, constantly, devote time to Him and ask Him to teach me. It is only with time and commitment and faithfulness that I will begin to learn. Even though it may seem as though I am in an interminable battle, I can rest in the assurance that I don’t know the end of the story, but God does! There will always be small pockets of resistance in m life, but if I give the battle to God, He will fight and be victorious.

- When I come to the word of God, whether it is for my quiet time, during a sermon, or while listening to a podcast, I need to come with a sense of awe that the God of the universe is speaking to me (I need to ask God to create this sense of awe in me). I then need to ask God to show me wondrous things and to teach me. Every time I come to His word, He wants to reveal Himself to me, but I need to ask Him to make me open to His teaching. Then He will make His word come alive for me. But I need to be patient and keep asking as He teaches me to hear His voice and understand His teaching.