Joshua comes across an armed man and asks him "Are you for us or against us?" He is then told by the man, "No. I am the commander of the Lord's Army and I have come." He is then told to take off his sandals because he is on Holy Ground.
I find this to be a very interesting interaction because Joshua expected a certain answer. Either, "I am for you" or "I am against you." It was not a yes/no question. The answer, "No."
The issue that Joshua dealt with that day is one we must deal with every day if we are going to live victorious in life as followers of Jesus Christ. It is the issue of having the right question for wrong person. It is not yours to ask God, "Are you for me or against me?" It is God's to ask you, "Are you for me or against me?"
I know Scripture teaches us "If God is for us then who can be against us." The problem is that we assume that if in every decision we make. Is God for your decision to sin against him? No. He is not in your divorce decision because your spouse is a difficult person. He is not for that because he told you He is not for that in His Word. No he is not for your plan to get rich by tithing to the church that says you will get rich by tithing to that church. "The Son of Man had no place to lay his head." He said come follow him.
Winners quit expecting exact blessings and accept the ones extended to them.
Joshua did not get the blessing he wanted. Yes, I am here for you. He got the blessing of, "I am here."
(I failed to blog on the previous week's message about the crossing of Jordan River, but the priests had to step into the flooding waters before God did anything.) The truth is that God is often telling us, "No, this is not all going away. But neither am I." Yet, we want a different blessing. An exact one. A life of our choosing...not His. Yet we still confess him Lord, while all the while lording over his lordship.
Winners quit seeking the victory and seek the Victor.
Jesus won. Walk with him and win.
My thoughts on life as a Christ follower.
