Begin Again, Day 25 Still work to be done. Read Joshua chapter 13. A couple of days ago, we saw the verse that talked about how a long time had passed while they were taking over the promised land. Now we get a sense of just how long the time has been. This military campaign and takeover of the land has taken Joshua’s entire lifetime. The people have been working, moving, and being obedient and following through for the whole of Joshua’s life. Our obedience is to span our lifetime. It’s not to be something that’s just in the good moments or in the easy moments. It’s not something we’re…

Begin Again, Day 23 No shortcuts. Read Joshua chapter 11. Yesterday, we read about the people of Israel conquering the lands in the southern part of what is Israel. Today, we read about them going through and conquering the lands in the northern part of the country. The Bible explains how the people continued to do what God had told them to do so they would be successful and experience the victory that God desired to bring about in their lives. But, verse 18 gives us a hint to something even more important to remember. These victories, when we read about them, seem to happen quickly. Yet, verse 18 reminds…

Begin Again, Day 22 Pray, obey, repeat. Read Joshua chapter 10. The people of Israel are experiencing victory. They go in and attack the cities. They defeat them completely, following through on exactly what God had told him to do. Then they regroup, and then they repeat. Throughout this chapter, we see multiple battles. The people who fought were victorious through the Lord. God gave them victory. The people continued to obey and follow God, and God continued to supply the victory. Beginning again, it’s really about doing the little things consistently, repetitively, so that they are almost become boring because they are so routine. That is where the victory…

Begin Again, Day 20 We can’t know all the motives of others. Read Joshua chapter 9. We saw the deception that took place yesterday. We have to realize that when Gid is working and moving in our lives, not everyone is going to be happy and excited about that. In fact, that may be why we have people who try to deceive us. They see that God is working and moving in your life. They also see that God’s working in your life might not give them exactly what they want. As a result, they get upset and resort to deception. The people actually admit that to Joshua. They knew…

Begin Again, Day 19 Don’t get tricked. Read Joshua chapter 9 While all the nations around Israel were trembling in fear, one nation took action. They devised a plan to trick the Israelites into signing a peace treaty with them, so they would not be destroyed. It’s interesting to realize that the countries weren’t even thinking that they would win against Israel in a fight. They knew they would lose, and so they knew they were gonna have to resort to something out of the ordinary in order to be able to survive. They made plans to trick the Israelites, and they did. How were they able to trick them?…

Begin Again, Day 18 Victories mean worship. Read Joshua chapter 8. The people of Israel experienced incredible victory over AI. With this victory comes another opportunity to worship. Do we take the opportunity to worship the Lord after every victory in our lives? God works amazing victories in our lives every single day, and he deserves praise for the big victories and the small victories. What do we need to praise God for today? Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/otyrqR56pmw

Begin Again, Day 17 Begin Again… again. Read Joshua chapter 8. The people of Israel messed up, but they brought it before the Lord and they have dealt with their sin. Now it’s time to start over again. When we look to begin again, we often need to remember that he won’t do that just one time. We are still human and we will continue to mess up. We will continue to come back to God and beg his forgiveness and ask for his help. As a result, we will start over multiple times, just like the Israelites. We have to be willing to pick back up and keep moving…

Begin Again, Day 16 What is the value of your life? And what is the cost of disobedience? Read Joshua, chapter 7. Joshua follows the Lord’s direction and gets to the bottom of the disobedience in the camp. What he learns is that one man had seen a robe, some silver and some gold, wanted them and took them. Now, he was hiding them in his tent. That decision would end up costing him his life. We have to be very careful that the decisions we make aren’t us exchanging something small and temporary for the incredible eternal blessings that God has for us. When we disobey God, we are…