God does not force us to follow Him. We have a choice. But we cannot choose to go our own way then expect to reap His benefits. We live with the consequences of whichever choice we make. With Him comes many benefits, but if we don't choose to commit ourselves to Him, then we won't receive them. We can't just make Him our Savior. We must also make Him our Lord. Then we do this in front of witnesses so they can remind us of our commitment if we begin to go our own way. This is comparable to marriage. We commit ourselves to each other in front of witnesses so they can remind us of the promise that we made before God and man to stay together until death do we part. Then, we must be faithful to them if we want the benefits of that marriage. Otherwise, we can leave and see if that relationship is more fulfilling. But we can't have both a family and a relationship on the side. So, it is with the Lord. He says He's a jealous God, desiring our faithfulness and full commitment.

Be careful about making presumptions. How deep is your desire for God and His people? Are you willing to defend Him? When do we confront other people about their sin and when do we keep our mouths shut? Who do we confront and how do we do it in the right way?

The Israelites almost went to war with the eastern tribes because they thought they had done something against God. But after confronting them, they realized these tribes did what they did because they loved God and wanted to remain close to Him and HIs people. They were both zealous for their God and all that passion almost dissolved into a civil war. It is obviously good to passionate about our relationship with God and also be willing to defend Him. But we need to make sure we have all the facts first, and we need to do it in the right way, at the right time, with the right people.

Israel is the Promised Land on earth but Heaven is our eternal Promised Land. Place your faith in Him and you will inherit this land.

Are you willing to work for what you want or would you rather complain and make excuses? Life is not always fair. But complaining about it won't change anything.

God literally fights for the Israelites when He sends hailstones to kill their enemies. He also stops the sun at Joshua's request. God has power! But more subtly but no less miraculously, He gave the Israelites the stamina, endurance, and strength to travel 20 miles uphill overnight, then fight victoriously for a longer than ordinary day. God equips us for what He calls us to.

When we are faced with a decision, God should be the first One we go to. The Israelites got themselves in a bind because they relied on their own logic instead of asking God. Based on that, they made an oath in God's name and they couldn't break it.

We start this year with encouragement to put the past behind us and begin the year committed to following Jesus. Repenting of the past allows us to move forward confident and at peace. Then we talk about why God doesn't tell us everything we want to know and how we can trust and patiently obey anyway.

How can we find understanding and faith when we are confused and doubt? Is our sin of any value to us and how can we be truly set free from it? We can't bring destructive things into our lives and think they won't affect us. They will always bring us trouble in the end and they pull us away from God whether we realize it or not. Satan tempts each of us in our own ways, trying to convince us that our sin is okay. Then, if we give in to that temptation, he immediately reminds us of how wrong it was and further tempts us to hide it. But the only way to ever be truly free from our sin, is to bring it in to the light and destroy it. Confess it to God and repent of it and let Jesus cover it with His blood.

The city of Jericho was devoted to the Lord. Some of it was devoted for destruction and some of it for holiness, but it was all devoted to the Lord. Evil must be destroyed or it will harm what is good. Only Rahab was saved because she placed her faith in God above all else. We are all devoted to destruction unless we place our faith in God to save us from it and devote us to holiness instead.

Before their first battle, the Lord commanded the Israelites to renew their commitment to Him through circumcision. This was a sign of God's covenant to give them the Promised Land and make them into a great nation, yet their father's had broken this covenant and failed to circumcise them. So, now that they are in the land and God will soon fulfill His covenant with them, they must do their part in obedience, faith, and allegiance to God. It was an outward sign of their inward faith just as baptism is for us today. It is our public profession and a picture of our sins being buried with Him and washed away as we are raised with Him anew.