TRUST AND OBEY OR THE NEED FOR SIGNS When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” —Judges 6:12 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?…  I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” —Judges 6:14-16 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord…

WITNESS TO THE NEXT GENERATION Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. —Psalm 71:18             Well Lord, if I am not old yet, I am getting there with the perceived age of 75 as being old today, generally speaking.  Either way, it is my desire that “when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”  Yes, this is my desire and may I honor You…

GENERATIONAL IMPACT The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.  Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.  After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. —Joshua 2:7-11             Disciple-making is teaching others to…

REJOICE IN HIS RELATIONSHIP! Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. —Joshua 23:14 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” —Joshua 23:15 Lord, the LORD Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me. —Psalm 69:6 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. —Psalm 69:28             All of us will “go the way of…

KEEP YOUR STRENGTH UP! And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. —Joshua 14:10-11 You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.  Praise be to God! —Psalm 68:35 The years of our life are seventy, or even by…

INQUIRE OF OUR LORD AND DON’T BE DECEIVED The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. —Joshua 9:14             Beware of looking at the outward appearance alone.  You could be deceived, especially if you do not inquire of our Lord and look at things from His perspective.  This is what happened when the Gibeonites came to them.  Even though they lived close by, “They put worn, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies, and their whole supply of bread was dry and moldy” (Joshua 9:4-5).  They made it look like and claimed that they came from a distant country.  The Israelites looked…

HIS AWESOME DEEDS! Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! —Psalm 66:5 Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. —Psalm 66:16             God has done wonderful things for mankind in general.  Sadly, most of mankind does not acknowledge this.  Not only has He done wonderful and awesome things for mankind, but He has done wonderful awesome things for me as and individual.  Those who “fear God,” that is, have a holy reverence for Him and acknowledge His awesomeness, it is those who will hear what God has done for mankind and for me.            …

NEVER ALONE, NEVER FORSAKEN! I will never leave you nor forsake you…  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. —Joshua 1:5, 9 “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?” —Hebrews 13:5-6             Fellow follower of Jesus, brothers and sisters in Jesus, He has promised never to leave us and never to forsake us.  In victory, He is there.  In failure, He is there. …

THE GREATNESS OF GOD I will proclaim the name of the Lord.  Oh, praise the greatness of our God!  He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. —Deuteronomy 32:3-4 See now that I myself am he!  There is no god besides me.  I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. —Deuteronomy 32:39             How are you proclaiming the name of the Lord?  How are you praising the greatness of our God?  Are you standing on…

PROCLAIM JESUS! Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.  See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I…