Welcome!
Passage: Joshua 5 (NIV)
”On whose side are you, Lord?”
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?” 15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
(Joshua 5, NIV) -emphasis added
Israelites had traveled a long way and came to the end of their journey; they can now see their promise (land). But then God asked Joshua to have all the males circumcised, before they could enter the new land. They had to be consecrated, before they could conquer!
When everyone was thrilled about the promise land, such a news was not very inviting. It was very painful and takes time to heal; but God required it.
No pain, no gain! Before the great victory, they had to go through the pain; blood was shed
Many a time, we don’t receive from God because we can’t make a sacrifice. We need to get rid of certain habits, attitudes and talks, before God can bless us
We can do a lot of sin with our tongue and loose a ton of blessings! When Joshua obeyed God, God came down to visit them
With the angel of God standing in front of him, Joshua asked a very sensitive question: “Are you for us or for the enemies?”
Whenever there is a conflict between individuals or groups of believers, both claim that God is on their side. But amazingly, God does not take sides. He is a little different from who we think He is!
God has His own “stand” and He knows who He is and what He is doing
Joshua was for the right cause, for the cause God had called him. But God says, I am not on anybody’s side. How would we respond in such a situation?
I will tell you how I would respond: “God, what are you saying? Aren’t you on my side? Isn’t the other group totally wrong? Don’t you know? Come on God! Be real!”
But Joshua was way different from me. When the angel of God told him that he was not on either side, he did not ask any question. Instead, he fell face down and worshiped! What a difference!
Haven’t we thought God was always on our side, especially when there was a conflict? After all, our struggle/fight is not with any flesh/person, but with satan
So, we should not do/speak what satan enjoys. Do what God wants us to do; consecrate!. We need God’s work in our lives. We don’t want to lose God’s blessings
Have a wonderful day!
BG
Prayer: Father God, thank you for speaking to me. I have thought many times that you take sides but now I know you don’t. Help me to do the right thing and speak the right thing and just obey you, consecrating myself. In Jesus’ name; Amen
It is better to take God’s side than trying to get God on our side