Victory’s Battle Cry—A Study in Joshua Part 8— It’s Not About Me

Joshua 5: (NIV)^”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.

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“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.”

So who was this man standing there with his sword in hand?

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Victory’s Battle Cry—A Study in Joshua Part 7—A Matter of the Heart

So, the children of Israel had crossed over Jordan and were going to take possession of the land that God had promised to Abraham so many years before. Imagine their excitement and the eagerness they must have been feeling to move on further; yet, they waited calmly at their first destination. There was no mention of grumbling, impatience or fear among these who had been chosen. In fact, you may find it strange that there they stopped and Joshua circumcised the people before they moved any further. They then tarried there until all were healed. This was an act of surrendering faith born from hearts that loved, feared, and awed at who God had proven Himself to be. They knew that the armies of the land which had caused their parents to tremble and doubt, could easily come and attack while they were all weakened from the surgery; yet, there was no doubt here. Everyone surrendered to the knife cutting away their flesh. The circumcision was not what would save them any more than the law had been able to cause them to be victorious. It was merely symbolic of the circumcision that had already occurred in their heart. They were willing to sit and wait for God to say “Go”.

art is courtesy of istockphoto.com

They had glimpsed at God’s Glory and they desired to be a people who worshipped God. They had been captivated by His Glory, His Beauty, His Honesty, His Power, and His Abiding Love. Their hearts had been transformed into hearts that sought after God and that loved God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their strength.

They had learned that the letter of the law could not save them; but, it would have

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Victory’s Battle Cry- A Study in Joshua Part 6—

Once more, God demonstrates to His people the majesty of His power and His Glory. He halts the raging river while all the people cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. The priests were in the midst of the River with the Ark of the Covenant—a symbol of God’s presence and strength.

photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

Once everyone had safely crossed over, God tells Joshua to have one man from each tribe to go back, pick up a stone from where the priests are standing and bring it to the place they will camp that night to build a memorial shrine as a reminder of what God did for them and a reminder as of the perfect sovereignty, righteousness, justice, Mercy and grace that is God.

God had remained faithful to redeem Himself a people in spite of all their failures in the past and He is about to prove to the entire world that He is the Victory in every trial or battle of life.

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Some of you may have remembered this poem, since I did write it a while back. Yet, I felt it fitting to bring it out as a reminder of the lesson we just learned about trusting God and waiting on Him to work things out.  He has been steadily working out my dilemmas one at a time. He is so graciously willing to take care of even the tiniest details.  For a while I have been wondering about changing my hair; but, either the timing didn’t work or I wasn’t certain where to go.  Well, today things seemed to fall into place and I headed out to go to a salon I found on line that took walk ins.  I went to the bank to withdraw some money for the Farmer’s Market and to have a tip.  As I pulled through the bank, I saw the name of a salon and felt drawn to it instead.  So, I whispered a prayer and called the place I had intended to go only to have them say they couldn’t take me today.  I turned around and went back to the one I felt drawn to and this very happy, cheerful lady said, “If you can come back at 4, I can”.  What a blessing she proved to be as we talked about God.  Her faith shone from her eyes and I had to smile; even when it comes to a hairstylist, God has a gift of joy when He asks us to wait.  So, I pulled up this poem and made some minor changes from the original; maybe, you can tell me which was better—as it is now or how it was when I posted it in January as He Asked Me to Wait.

GOD ASKED ME TO WAIT

BY Effie Darlene Barba

God asked me to wait and I wanted to try

Yet, trembling within I then asked Him “Why?”

Have you not seen the pain  I am in

I need an answer and  I need to know when

 

Calmly, He sat and silence ensued

While anxiously I, my own will pursued

So many thoughts encircling my head

Unable to sleep, no rest in my bed

 

I know Your desires for me are the best

Yet, how do I get my mind now to rest

I don’t know the answer nor understand why

“Where have you gone?” I asked with a sigh

 

A soft, gentle voice whispered my name

Trust me, dear Child, for I am the same

The one who has loved you before time was born

I AM still here, don’t look so forlorn

 

I need you to see that I am your true joy

Not money, not things, nor a fancy new toy

I love you too much to let you run wild

Your safety, your hope is in me, my dear Child.

 

I want for you more than your eyes can see

Wait, I will show you my victory

Trust in my love and I’ll give you rest

Then you will see, my plan is the best

 

Oh Lord, forgive me; I must have forgot

Twas you, who died; my salvation was bought

At such a high price, to prove me your love

How could I e’er doubt your plan from above

 

Let me now wait, until Lord You Speak

Patiently, calmly, humble and meek

Cradled within yours arms held so tight

Resting in you until darkness is light.

© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Victory’s Battle Cry-A Study in Joshua—Part 5; Wait upon the Lord

Isaiah 40: ^“31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

 

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Waiting, patience sound so simple; yet, the performance is so much harder. How often have I heard God’s promises or heard Him command me to obey with the promise that He has everything worked? Then, I obey and things appear to get worse for a while. What do I do then? Do I keep on believing or do I throw in the towel because of my inability to wait and stand firm on God’s plan? True faith is demonstrated best when I am willing to wait, standing firm upon the truth of who God is and not waiver because of the way things look at this moment. It is also important to learn how to patiently, calmly wait for God to clear the path ahead before running ahead. I have often taken off running when I heard God say go only to fall deep in the river in front of me because I did not wait for

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