What’s true? Remember Brother Joey’s sermon on Spiritual Disciplines. Before he preached that sermon, my personal devotions and QT with the Lord hasn’t been going well. I would say it was stagnant. It’s bad definitely and even as I was playing during the altar call, in my heart, a huge wave of guilt came upon me. I felt, I don’t deserved to be playing and so as much as I want to respond to the altar call, I quietly committed to the practicing Spiritual Disciplines.
Brother Joey made a promise, he said: “if you don’t believe me try it, and I PROMISE you, you will hear from God, see visions and you will be in the path of Jesus.”
Well, I did my first devotion today, since 2 weeks back. It really was a deliberate effort I must say. I didn’t know which book to start and so I started off with a prayer. A simple one, asking God reveal to me what he wants to say to me and also that the Holy Spirit will help me to understand it in context. The cheesy part is, I felt a prompting to read the book of Joshua today. So my devotions is on Joshua chapter 1.
True enough, God spoke to me through this chapter. Here, I shall post what I have learned and what the Lord has challenged me to do.
To start off the chapter, Joshua, son of Nun was chosen to lead the people, to take over Moses’s lead. Why of so many Israelites, Joshua?
This is the first time I learn about my name, and it terrifies me, I’m serious. The name Joshua consists of two parts. 1) it is the Hebrew form of ‘Jesus’, (yhwh). It scares me because, my name carries ‘Jesus’ in meaning and being a sinner, I feel I don’t deserve it. 2) the other part is that it also means ‘Salvation’. Hence putting the name together would mean: The Lord is Salvation/The Lord Saves. This made me realize the importance that I mean to God. Such a powerful name, if not for the name ‘Joshua’ none of us would have any hope. For once, I am truly Thankful for the existence of this name.
Carrying on, the movement onward into Canaan. From my understanding, it represents the crossover from death to life. In John 14:6 – ” I am the way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “ See this, after the ‘representative of ‘Jesus’, Joshua took over, The Israelites are able to cross over from Death to Life. Isn’t it Salvation? Whereby when we confess and accept the Lord, we cross over from Death, we no longer die to our original fate and instead live in hope of a new life! However, this is not the end. God still has a set of instructions.
In Joshua 1:3-5, God promised Joshua, success; expanding Israel’s land. However there is another ‘Success’ that God promised. I will tell you about this part later. So to gain this Promised Success, Joshua has to do 4 things and I believe this is what also wants to tell me as I embark on the Journey of Spiritual Disciplines.
1) Be Strong and Courageous. (Joshua 1:6)
- Do not fear. Instead have faith, be strong and courageous. What you have promised to God, like this week’s altar call, to practice Spiritual Disciplines, have Faith, be strong and Courageous, don’t think of how you will be in a year’s time, think instead of what will you gain from what you’ve read today! If you have worry even for tomorrow, how then will you live our the present?
2) Obey ALL the Law. (Joshua 1:7a)
- I’ve already highlighted the Keyword, ALL. Yes, Obeying is important but in this Context, I feel that ‘ALL’ has an even greater priority here. Many times, I will find myself obeying some Laws. SOME instructions. But that it not what God wants, what he really wants it TOTAL obedience to his Word and Instructions.
3) Make God’s Word your authoritative GUIDE. (Joshua 1:7b)
- Do not TURN from it to the right or to the left. that you may be Successful wherever you go. The ‘Guide’ determines that this is a Journey/Path that we have set foot on. This guide will be our lamp in the darkness and our direction in the light. NEVER turn from it to the Left or to the Right! This is the Path to Success, that God has promised, like what Brother Joey said in his sermon: “ there is sadly no SHORTCUT. “
4) Meditate on it DAY and NIGHT. (Joshua 1:8)
- Why so many times? Let me give you an analogy, when you travel to somewhere new, you will need a map to guide you. Do you look at the map only once and then throw it into the dustbin? Or will you hold on to it till you reach your Destination? I believe all of you will hold on to the map till you reach your goal. It is the same on the Path of Spiritual Disciplines, the Word of God is YOUR guide to the Final Destination of Holiness/Godliness and Christ-likeness.
My Devotions today, I feel God has spoken to me and is assuring me, hence the title of this post. To summarize these 4 points would simply be: As you embark on this journey, Be strong and courageous(v6) for I the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you(v5). I have also provided you with a guide(v7) and all you need to do is simply follow(Obey) ALL the instructions(v7). To do this, you WILL have to refer to it by Day and by Night(v8) so that you will not take the wrong step but instead reach the end of the path, to Success.
I guess by now the other Success that God promised is Holiness or Freedom like in Brother Joey’s sermon.
My takeaway from today’s devotions is in Joshua 1:16-18,
” Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous! “
This is the challenge God posted to me. Am I willing to do whatever God has commanded me to do and go wherever he has sent me to? It is really a big challenge but I am taking on this challenge to Obey God because it must be intentional; as you travel on the road of Spiritual Disciplines. God’s instructions and commands may not be easy to follow but to obey it, it must come with an intentional obedience to obey God.
Lastly, this chapter ends with a word of encouragement, ‘ Only be Strong and Courageous ‘ that is the attitude we have to take to stretch our faith and walk into the unknown trail of Spiritual Disciplines.
How will you act on the promise you have made to God at the altar? May my devotions encourage you as much as it has encouraged and affirmed me.:) God bless.
