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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Focus 40 - Day 18


The Captain of the Lord of Host
Joshua 5:14
So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” 

Victories for God’s people come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it even seems that God sets up the certain situations to show His sovereignty. Before we begin today, I would like to say that God’s ultimate view of victory is summed up in a person; the Lord Jesus Christ.

In our text this morning we are looking at God’s servant, Joshua. The setting for his encounter with the Lord is; the children of Israel have just crossed over into Jericho and Joshua is scoping out the land devising a battle plan. It is here where Joshua comes into the presence of God (Joshua 5:13-15). It is during this encounter that the Lord reveals Himself as Commander of the army of the Lord. In chapter six of Joshua the Lord gives a list of steps for the children of Israel in order to win the battle. Joshua’s response to this visit from the Lord requires us to look a little deeper. “Are you for us or for our enemies”? You would think His response would be “I’m on your side, here’s how I see things”. But His response is “neither”  Christ has gotten involved in this conflict because He wants to work the will of the Father. “I’m here to do the desire of my Father”. Joshua, I’m sure, could have put up a very good fight, but God didn’t want a plan put into play designed by man and his limited abilities. He had a purpose.

The victory the Lord wants to give us requires us to be both committed and submitted to His plan and purpose. We could tell God how to do things, try to persuade Him with our opinions. When the Lord appeared to Joshua I’m sure he had devised a plan, in his mind’s eye he could see how it would unfold, but God had another idea. The battle for victory may bring you through a valley of sorrow or suffering. But the unshakeable hope is that in the beginning of the battle the Commander of the Army is there; during the battle the Commander of the Army is there. He’s been there before and knows just what to do.

Here are some practical lessons learned from Joshua as he encountered Christ at the battle of Jericho.
            First: never enter a battle without consulting the Captain. The victory that God wants us to experience today in Jesus’ name requires us to receive our Captain’s strategy for battle.
            Second: worship the Lord in reverence and humility before seeking His guidance! Joshua fell on his face humbly before God as an act of worship and reverence before he asked “What message does my Lord have for His servant” (Joshua 5:14).
            Third: pursue patterns of personal purity as the result of encountering Christ. If we listen carefully during our times of quiet intimacy with the Lord, we’ll surely hear Him say as He did to Joshua “take off your sandals for the place you are standing is holy” (Joshua 5:15).
            Fourth: only those who listen and obey will experience the totality of Christ’s promised victory! Joshua not only listened to what his Captain said, he obeyed Him in every detail. Obedience is the key to victory.

Let’s go forth today courageously, ready to conquer in Jesus’ name. Nothing we could need- strength, growth, joy, provision, purpose, peace- escapes the power of Christ.

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