As Joshua is surveying the city of Jericho, pondering on the best course of action, he is suddenly confronted by a Man with a drawn sword. Joshua instinctively recognizes that this is his Lord, and he bows and worships in His holy presence. This Man was the Commander of the army of the Lord, and He had now come to fulfill His promise from Exodus 23 and go before His people in the conquest of the land of Canaan. Without Him, all the brilliant military strategies that the Israelites may have devised would have been worthless- --The battle plan that the Lord laid out before Joshua seemed ridiculous. But the people were going to be shown that their victory could only be obtained by trusting in the Lord. Every step they took as they silently marched around Jericho's walls was an act of obedient faith. And their confidence was placed in the Lord Himself, Whose presence -represented by the Ark of the Covenant- was in the very midst of the marching men. --Only Rahab's family was spared when Jericho was destroyed. It may seem cruel that all the others in the city were put to death, but we must remember that the Lord had patiently waited for the these people to repent and find mercy in Him for hundreds of years. And they stubbornly refused to do so. Sinners must flee from the wrath to come and turn to Jesus for their only hope and answer, contrary to what many teach us today.--Will we obediently follow the ways of the Lord, or will we turn aside to pursue the world's wisdom and pleasures- Jesus Christ, our Commander, has won the victory for us- and He still leads His people. Let's pray for grace to rejoice in His victory and follow Him faithfully-

God's Word for You

God Takes Jericho

Are you nuts?

Endure Persecution

Middle of Nowhere Convert

Charlatans And Parasites

Persecution & Joy

Take Stock of Your Life

Before the people of God could march in and conquer the land of Canaan, they had an issue that needed to be resolved. They had not observed the signs of the Lord's Covenant with them- circumcision and the Passover. --In spite of all the wonders that God had already done for the Israelites, the warlords of Canaan resolved to fight to the last, instead of bowing the knee before the Lord. And yet now He tells His people to incapacitate their entire army by doing something they had neglected and ignored for the last 40 years - circumcising all the Israelite men, thereby giving them the sign and the seal that they belonged to God. --People tend to not like a disciplining God, as He had showed Himself to be during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings. The good news of the Gospel is true, but we cannot live however we want and still be blessed by the Lord. But praise His name - there is hope for the next generation- --The people of Israel also celebrated the Passover - the remembrance of the Lord's redemption of their nation from slavery in Egypt. And the very next day, they enjoyed the produce of the land of Canaan and the fruit of the Lord's fulfilled promises- --Are we passing on our faith to the next generation of our children and grandchildren- They must be discipled and pointed to the Lord Jesus- When this is done, the Gospel will melt the hearts of whole families and begin to have an influence upon the culture in general.

The Covenant Renewed

Stoned

An Unstoppable Message

Obey God or Man?

Don't be a baby

A wedding ring is a sign and symbol of a promise that was made on a very special day in the lives of a husband and wife. We want to remember things that are important to us. In fact, one of the key words that is repeated over and over again in the Bible is -remember.- As God's people, that is what we are called to be - a remembering people. --Joshua had detailed 12 men to pick up 12 stones out of the Jordan River, which were to be set up as a monument when the Israelites reached Gilgal on the other side of the Jordan River. But it was not to be a memorial of when the people crossed the River- it was to be a memorial of the amazing power of the all-powerful God, Who miraculously caused the waters to part for His people. The 12 stones were to be a memorial that would help God's people remember His mighty works on their behalf - just like the Lord's Supper is a memorial to us of the work of redemption that Jesus carried out for us- --The Lord knew that when the children and the future generations would see the memorial at Gilgal, they would be curious and ask their parents what they meant. And the parents were to tell them that this was the place where God displayed His power and brought them into the land of Canaan. The good news of the Gospel is for us and our children. God wants us to remember and think of Him as strong and powerful and victorious over His enemies. --Remembering is hard- Too often, we forget God's mercy and kindness to us. Pray for grace to make a practical memorial for yourself, and to have purposeful conversations with your children and grandchildren about our God - Who always keeps His promises and is worth remembering-

Remember the Lord's Work!

The Discipline of Purity, part 1

The Discipline of Purity, part 2

God's Word for You is from Sharon RP Church. A congregation in south east Iowa who love God, his word, and his people.

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God's Word for You

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