June 2012 -Believe that the Lord Will Provide

...you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. (Joshua 8:2)

Having set aside the devoted things, the Lord then allowed Israel to gather things they would need in the Promised Land. It is a matter of obedience: leaving what the Lord says to leave and taking what He says to take. Now that they had given to the Lord what He commanded, the Lord was ready to provide for their needs in the Promised Land.

In the second battle of Ai, the Lord not only provided victory, He provided necessities for living. In the course of our walk with the Lord, we need to trust that He will provide as He did for Israel. In our worldly thinking we get things reversed. We give God the leftovers. What happens when there are no leftovers? The principle is to give to the Lord off of the top, the first fruits.
We need to believe that the Lord will provide: Jehovah Jireh.

A man gave his sister money to get her through a tight situation. Several years later the man had unexpected car repairs and had to dip into his vacation funds to cover the expense. His sister called to say that she was reimbursing him the funds he had sent her. The amount covered the cost of the repairs and replenished the vacation account.

A man directing hurricane relief work needed several steel doors of a specific dimension. There were no funds with which to buy them and the work needed to proceed. He went to his knees laying the need before the Lord. An hour later a truck pulled up. The driver stated that he was on his way to the dump to dispose of some doors and thought maybe the relief team could use them. The doors met the need exactly.

The Lord is the Lord of "just-in-time."

Looking In: What kind of adjustments do you make when you think that what you have is not sufficient? Are you tempted to dip into what the Lord expects you to return to Him? "Well, it's just a loan. I'll pay it back." Really? Are you that disciplined? More importantly, do you really trust that the Lord will provide?

Looking Out: Are you encouraging the men around you to trust the Lord to provide victory and the necessities for life? Is faith a matter of discussion? Do your men share testimonies about the Lord's provision.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

A disciple trusts the Lord to meet his needs.

May 2012 - Fear Not

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city." (Joshua 8:1-2)

Defeat brings discouragement. The Lord wants us to get back in the mix. He wants us to go at it again. Achan's sin caused a breakdown in communication with the Lord. Once Israel dealt with that sin, they were again on speaking terms with the Lord. He was again giving instructions. More importantly, He told them they would be victorious. It was not a promise; rather, it was a statement of fact. This time the Lord would be in the battle and they would win.

When we have an open channel of communication with the Lord, He will give encouragement, strength, and a strategy. When the Lord calls us to ministry, He is committed to victory. We need to be in tune with Him, with His plan, His timing, and operate under His power.

Looking In: How well connected are you with the Lord? What is in your life that is a barrier to that connection? After failure, are you ready to move forward again? Are you afraid to advance or have you put fear behind you?

Looking Out: When a man slips and falls are you quick to come alongside him and encourage him to get back in stride? Are you there to bring him back on the team? Are you prepared to take him through the steps of restoration and renewal?

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13).

A disciple seeks restoration and renewal and rejoins the battle without fear.

April 2012 - Establish Markers to Past Sin

Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since. (Joshua 7:26)

The Joshua narrative reports that Israel built a pile of rocks over the remains of Achan and his family and possessions. The Lord wanted people to remember Achan's disobedience. The rocks were more than a grave marker. They were a monument to God's judgment and Israel's failure.

God wanted this monument be a warning to those who followed. There is a great potential for the people to fall away from the Lord and to "do what is right in their own eyes." It starts with one person. Achan sinned, but the Lord held that sin against the entire nation.

Sin enters in insidious ways. It comes when our guard is down. It comes when we are tired or stressed out. It comes when our resistance is down. It comes when we are with the wrong crowd.

While salvation is an event, sanctification is a journey. We will sin. Once we are forgiven and repent, we need to set markers to our disobedience. We need to place warning signs.

Looking In: Do you post warning signs so that you avoid making the same mistakes again? Do you avoid situations that compromise your values? Do you post spiritual guard over relationships with female co-workers or friends? Have you devoted all of your life to the Lord? Or are there compartments that you keep hidden?

Looking Out: Are you helping the men around you to set markers in their lives as posts that warn of dangerous places along their spiritual journey? Are you encouraging your men to identify compartments of their lives that have not been devoted to the Lord?

These are all warning markers - DANGER - in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel - they at the beginning, we at the end - and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence. (1 Corinthians 10:11-12, The Message)

A disciple posts warning signs in order to avoid repeating past mistakes.

March 2012 - Understand the Effects of Leaven

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. (Joshua 7:22-25)

Achan brought trouble to Israel. He also brought trouble to his family. The Lord made a strong statement about Achan's disobedience. He and everything he possessed as well as the booty was destroyed and his family along with it.

The Lord held Achan's sin against the entire nation. Because Achan's sin was like leaven in the camp, it had to be eliminated. Leaven can express the effect the Gospel has in working out from the heart into one's entire life and eventually the world (Matthew 13:33). However, the metaphor usually refers to negative influences in a person's life and the community.

Looking In: When you do what is right in your own eyes, do you stop to consider the effect your disobedience has on your families and on those around you?

Looking Out: Do you share with your men the damage that can result from "doing what is right in their own eyes?"

"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (Matthew 16:6)

A disciple understands that a little evil goes long way.

February 2012 - Be Gentle in Confrontation and Accountability

Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." (Joshua 7:19-21)

Joshua focused on the Lord. The people had been consecrated (prepared) and the Lord had narrowed the search to one man. Joshua's greeting is in the name of the Lord. Joshua approached Achan with a fatherly attitude.

The Lord identified Achan as guilty. Clearly Achan's heart was softened. There was no need for Joshua to accuse Achan. Was it the consecration? Was it Joshua's greeting? Joshua was seeking a confession. When attempting to identify sin, let the Lord do the accusing. At times a person's guilt is obvious. We need to gently encourage confession.

Looking In: When you need to confront sin, do you undergo spiritual preparation (consecration)? Do you depend on the Lord to lead you in that process?

Looking Out: When confronting sin, do you approach a brother from within a relationship? Do you draw out a response (build a bridge) or do you make it an accusation (build a barrier)?

When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don't welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day they'll be mighty sorry but it's no concern of yours now.(Matthew 7:12-15, The Message)

A disciple is gentle in confronting sin.

January 2012 - Pull the Thread

Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. (Joshua 7:16-18)

Joshua, under the Lord's direction, took a very deliberate approach to find the sin that caused the problem. We need to work through our feelings, the behavior that led to those feelings, the desires that led to the behavior, and the life focus that led to the desires.  Sin results from ungodly thoughts at the center of our lives. Sin occurs when the Lord is displaced from the core of our being.  When Christ is not central, the distractions of the world, the ungodly desires of the flesh and the temptations of the devil move in to fill the vacuum.

Looking In: Are you in the habit of asking what (who) is at the center of your life in a situation? Is anything crowding out Christ? What is at the center of your thinking? What changes do you need to make to give Christ complete control of your life? What voice are you hearing? To whom are you listening?

Looking Out: Are you encouraging your men to take spiritual inventory? Can they, without hesitation, testify that Christ is at the center of their lives? Are the men in your fellowship moving together to listen only to the Lord?

You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough. (Galatians 3:1, The Message)

A disciple keeps Christ at the center of his life.

December 2011 - Make things Right

The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it." (Joshua 7:10-13)

When Joshua finally went to the Lord, the Lord responded. He said: "I am not the problem. You are. Now get busy and sort it out!" The Lord gave very clear instructions on the finer things of Jericho. Israel (Achan) had disobeyed. Achan's sin impacted Israel and The Lord's reputation.

The Lord is the one who reveals sin in our lives (in the camp). Before that can happen, we need to prepare to meet Him. That means a conscious effort to set aside anything that will distract us from hearing God. That means carving out a "consecrated" time, a time in which we focus on listening to the Lord. We need to allow the Lord to take inventory of the compartments of our lives. We need to let Him identify the things that interfere with our effectiveness in ministry and in our relationships; even our hidden faults (Psalm 19:12).
When our actions are inappropriate, affect others, and undermine our testimony and God's reputation. We must set things right by asking God and those we have hurt to forgive us.

Looking In: When your plans do not work, do you stop and ask the Lord: "Is there sin in the camp?" Have I taken for myself, things that should be dedicated to the Lord? The Lord has a plan and a purpose for you. Do you take on God's responsibility? Do you set side (consecrate) a regular time to allow the Lord to shine His light into the dark corners of your life? Do you make such time a matter of routine?

Looking Out: As you lead men to the throne of grace, are you helping your men identify and address the sin in their camp? As you lead men into the Promised Land, are they focusing on making things right? Have you established a bond of trust that enables you to encourage action? Is there accountability?

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-even Jesus. (Acts 3:19-20)

A disciple moves quickly to set things right.

November 2011 - Ask the Right Question

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?" The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?" (Joshua 7:6-10)

Joshua thought that the Lord had abandoned Israel at Ai and that the Canaanites would recognize the Israelites' vulnerability. Isn't Joshua saying: "Lord, you have dishonored your name?" Think about it. In spite of the miracle of the Jordan crossing and the great victory at Jericho, Joshua is saying that it would have been better to have stayed east of the Jordan. "If you are not there for us, who will give testimony to your greatness, Lord?" You have abandoned us." The Lord's reaction to Joshua's prayer indicates that he is again asking the wrong question.

Why do we frequently ask the wrong question? Recall that Joshua asked the Commander of the Lord's Army the wrong question (Joshua 5:13). Joshua's mind was focused on the battle ahead. So the question was: "Whose side are you on?" This time the army was defeated and the question was: "Why did you do this to yourself, Lord?" Joshua's question was asked out of anguish and stress. God speaks through adversity. Do we seek to understand what He is saying?

Several men were praying together. One of the men asked for prayer for pain in his back. As a teen the man had been in an auto accident and broke his leg. The leg was reset but was shorter than the other leg. Even with a lift in his shoe the short leg put stress on his back. One of the men said he would not pray for healing the back but instead prayed for the leg. The Lord restored the man's leg! Ask the right question.

Looking In: What is the first question that pops into your mind when you face adversity? Is your response a self-centered, "Why me?" Or, are you asking the Lord what He is saying through the adversity?

Looking Out: Are the men in your fellowship asking the right question? Are they listening? What is the Lord saying?

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. (Colossians 1:9, The Message)

A disciple asks the right questions.

October 2011 - Be Aware of the Broader Consequences of Disobedience

But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel. ... So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. (Joshua 7:1, 4-5)

Because of Achan's sin, the army was defeated and 36 men died. One man's sin infected the entire operation. We need to be careful who we bring into ministry. Talent and gifts do not overcome disobedience. The Lord wants to advance His Kingdom. He seeks a testimony of victory in His church. Sin is a testimony of defeat.

We saw the power of the Lord when Israel crossed of the Jordan and again when He destroyed Jericho. The Lord directed the action and He overcame obstacles. When Joshua and the people were obedient the Lord showed His power.

Achan was disobedient and God did not show up at the first battle of Ai. As a result there was failure and defeat.

Looking In: Are there things in your life that are blunting the effectiveness of your ministry? Is the Lord revealing sin that needs to be dealt with? Are you looking for sin and disobedience in your life?

Looking Out: Is there sin and disobedience among your leadership? Is there an accountability relationship with your leaders? Do you hold each other accountable? Is there sin and disobedience in your fellowship? Are you building relationships such that there is trust and respect? Can you gently raise issues of sin and disobedience?

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 5:6)

A disciple becomes more aware of his sin the closer he is to Christ.

September 2011 - Establish a Godly Routine

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai. When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there." So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. (Joshua 7:2-5)

There is a pattern here: spying out the land. Moses did it at Kadesh barnea. Joshua did it at Jericho. He did it again at Ai.

While the spies brought back a very positive report, there is no indication that there was any communication between Joshua and the Lord. This was a pattern in the Joshua narrative (Joshua 1:1; 5:13-15; and 6:2ff). There was no indication that Joshua consulted the Lord nor that the Lord had given Ai into their hands. Nor did God give them instructions on how to take Ai. Was Joshua over confident?
A disciplined Christian life includes a routine of seeking the Lord. It involves knowing God better and gaining insight into His directions.

A man learned to set spiritual goals for his quiet time. He moved from a spontaneous to an intentional and focused quiet time.

Another man changed his morning routine. Instead of having his quiet time after breakfast (and the newspaper), he put it first - even before his first cup of coffee. He reported that he has noticed a marked improvement in his joy and productivity during the day.

Looking In: When you approach obstacles in our life, do you have a godly pattern for tackling them? Do you survey the situation? Do you ask the Lord for guidance and instruction - even though the solution appears easy? Do you make sure that there is nothing in your life that will impede your progress? Do you solidly place each spiritual battle in the hands of the Lord?

Looking Out: Are you encouraging the men around you to establish and keep a godly pattern in their lives? Is there evidence that they are following that pattern? Are there testimonies of regular communication and instructions from the Lord?

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

A disciple keeps a holy pattern.

August 2011 - Do Not Enter into Presumptive Sin

All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury. ... But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel. (Joshua 6:19; 7:1)

The Lord was very clear: "All the gold, silver, bronze and iron belongs to me. All the fine things of Jericho shall go into the treasury of the Lord." Achan, however, could not resist the temptation to keep some of the finer things for himself.

Willful disobedience is the sin of presumption. It is the belief that God will forgive the transgression. It is knowingly going against God's commands. It is placing faith in God's promises and not the promise giver, God Himself.

Willful disobedience is a major misstep. We see it all around us, even in the church. It is the belief that God wants me to be happy. It is adultery and divorce. It is drug and alcohol abuse. It is self-centeredness. It is destructive, not only to the sinner, but to those around him.

Looking In: Are you in willful disobedience? Are you rationalizing a sin in your life? Are you willing to admit it, confess it, and repent? Are you banking on God's promises and not God Himself? Are you aware of the consequences of willful disobedience?

Looking Out: Is there a man in your sphere of influence who is being willfully disobedient? Do you have an accountability relationship? Are you gently encouraging him to address the issue? Are you leading him along the path to restoration? Is he aware of the potential consequences of his actions?

And again in this passage he said, "They shall not enter my rest." Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, Today, saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." (Hebrews 4:5-6)

A Disciple is alert to willful disobedience.