Day 74: Josh 15:1 - 17:18

This group of Scripture is somewhat of a difficult one to read because it's mostly names and places that are very difficult to pronounce. The one thing that God has shown me about this passage is this: 5 years prior to this point, the Israelites owned nothing but their own little tents that they had to move and all that was inside their tents, but now each and every tribe has miles and miles of wide open country that God has blessed them with. I don't know about you, but I've gone through times when it felt like all I owned was the clothes on my back and a few meaningless trinkets, but God wants to bless us to the point where it'll take years and years to fully utilize the blessings that He's given us. I can only imagine how the tribes of Israel felt when they first walked onto the land that now belonged to them. They owned land as far as the eye could see, not because of their own works, but because of the blessing of God.

- Father, thank You for being willing and able to expand my boundaries and give me so much more room than I presently have. I will stand firm and follow You till the end because I know that if I will remain faithful to You, You will remain faithful to me. -

Day 73: Josh 11:23 - 14:15

The best part of these verses has to be the very end where Caleb talks about his own plans. Caleb was 40 years old when he and the other 11 spies went into the Promised land, and he was one of only 2 who brought back a good report. Caleb was one of only 2 Israelites living in the Promised Land who had ever seen it before and God gave him the incredible blessing of not only staying alive, but staying fit and strong so he could move into the land God had given him and drive out the inhabitants. This passage is such a great reminder that even if our integrity isn't rewarded at the moment it's shown, if we will continue in that integrity and not waiver, God will honor that and bless it and in the end, we'll see bigger and stronger blessings than we could've ever imagined. Almost all of the men Caleb's age were already dead, but God blessed Caleb with supernatural youth so he could go and do all that God had called him to.

- Lord, help me to live my life with integrity and not sway to the right or to the left. I know that even if my integrity isn't rewarded right now by carnal means, if I will stay the course, I will see the reward of my integrity and will go places none of my peers could ever dream of! -

Day 72: Josh 9:1 - 11:22

I love these verses because they simply show what can happen when you follow God and rely on Him to push you forward. It's so awesome to think that God helped the Children of Israel in so many ways because He made them a promise and they acted on it. Not only did He give them an incredible plan to surround their enemies and ambush them from behind, but He was also willing to do exactly what Joshua asked and make the sun and the moon stand still long enough for the Children of Israel to win a total victory over their enemies. These victories were of a scale that the Israelites just dreamt about only months before and now God was making it all a reality because they were confident in what God promised them and confident in the anointed leader that God provided them with.

Lord, I want to see this sort of victories in my life just as the Children of Israel did. I haven't exactly been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, but I've definitely seen a little bit of the desert and I'm ready to march into the land of milk and honey that You've promised me. Help me to keep my confidence in You and to stand firm behind the leaders that You've put in my life so I can march into the Promised Land and take it all! - 

Day 71: Josh 6:1 - 8:35

In this passage, we see the importance of listening to God rather than just going after things for ourselves. It's fascinating to see how there were some cities that God commanded the Children of Israel to to completely destroy everything and not leave a single person or animal alive and then there are other cities where God allowed them to plunder the cities and take their livestock. The fact is, if the Israelites had checked with God first before they attacked Ai the first time, they would've learned that Achan had stolen goods from Jericho and they could've taken care of everything before they sent those men off to be killed. I', sure God had different rules for different cities for many reasons, but I can't help but think that one of the reasons the rules were different was so that the Children of Israel would learn to listen to God rather than their own plans or agendas.

- Father, help me to always follow Your Word and not just what I think would be a good idea. Alot of times, it's easy to know what You want us to do, but not take the time to find out how You want us to do it. Help me to remember that if You've called me to do something, it's definitely worth doing it right the first time. - 

Day 70: Josh 2:1 - 5:15

I'm not exactly sure what the Ark of the Covenant is a picture of, but I think it's mostly a picture of the presence of God and it reminds us of the importance of having God in the middle of all that we do. The Levites taking the Ark of the covenant right up to the banks of the Jordan River and walking right through is such a great picture of how our lives should be. It's interesting to note that when the Israelites were standing at the banks of the Red Sea, everyone was in a state of panic and they weren't sure how they would ever get across, but at the banks of the Jordan, God told them what to do and they simply obeyed Him. It's a very important reminder to us that if we will just let God's presence go before us and lead the way, we can have confidence that He'll take care of the obstacles and give us the perfect opportunity to allow God to work.

- Lord, help me to keep my trust in You and to always put You first in all that I do. I know that if I step out into the river alone, I'll be swept away, but if I will put my faith in You and let You go before me, You'll stop the river and allow me to walk through to my destiny on dry land! - 

Day 69: Deut 32:30 - Josh 1:18

Wow, it seems like the last 69 days have, in some way, lead up to this pivotal moment in the Bible. The Israelite people have existed for over 500 years at this point and they've never seen a land that they can call their own. Their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were nomads, and after Joseph died, the entire nation was subject to being slaves and servants to the Egyptians for 400 years! This is such an exciting point in the Bible because I know we've all been at this point whether on a huge scale or perhaps maybe something personal. I believe what God is saying is that we are about to enter into the land that He has given us and we won't have to wait anymore. Soon, we'll be able to look back and see all that we went through to get where we are now and we'll be so thankful for each and every step we took. Whether it's a huge turning point in your life or a small personal battle that is about to end, know that God is right there with you and if you'll let Him, He'll take you all the way to victory!

- Father, thank you for taking me as far as You have. Give me the strength and resolve necessary to finish the job You've put ahead of me so I can go forward and take the land that is rightfully mine. Thank You for being my provision and my portion and thank You in advance for the victory that I am about to experience! -

Day 68: Deut 29:29 - 32:2

Although most of this passage is more warning of how things will be if the Children of Israel turn from God, the first part of it is a wonderful picture of that recurring theme in the Bible - redemption. Although there were some pretty bad curses to come upon the people if they turned from God, He made sure to let them know that if they would repent and turn from their man-made gods and follow the True God, He would forgive them and turn everything around for them. I know I personally have a tendency to assume that if it's in the Old Testament, it's all going to involve God being mean and strict and not forgiving or redeeming them from their sins, but we have to remember that God is the same yesterday today and forever. He offered redemption in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and He still offers is today to those who will take it.

- Lord, thank you for the mercy that You offer to those who have turned away from You. It's easy to think and to preach about Your wrath for those who disobey and Your blessings for those who are obedient, but just as important in the mercy and forgiveness that You offer those willing to accept it. Help me to know the words to say and the actions to do to help spread Your Word to a generation who needs forgiveness more than anything else. -