Joshua 3:1 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. 2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, 3 giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them. 4 Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about half a mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer.” 5 Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”
What happens after we experience the presence of God during a daily Bible study, a Spirit-led worship service, or a time when God shows up in a big way? Usually it takes a little while and we get over it and forget that we should have a response to what God has done. It seems sad to sing a song like Battle Belongs and then not fight or even move when the thought of God going before us becomes a reality.
Here are the lyrics: When all I see is the battle, You see my victory When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me There's nothing to fear now for I am safe with You So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees With my hands lifted high Oh God, the battle belongs to You And every fear I lay at Your feet I'll sing through the night Oh God, the battle belongs to You And if You are for me, who can be against me? Yeah For Jesus, there's nothing impossible for You When all I see are the ashes, You see the beauty Thank You God When all I see is a cross, God, You see the empty tomb So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees With my hands lifted high Oh God, the battle belongs to You And every fear I lay at Your feet I'll sing through the night Oh God, the battle belongs to You Almighty fortress, You go before us Nothing can stand against the power of our God You shine in the shadow, You win every battle Nothing can stand against the power of our God
If we just live what we sing we might see God do a great thing in our lives, in our church, and yes, even in our world. We are called to be armed with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel, the peace that comes from the good news, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God gives us weapons to fight this spiritual battle, but we must use those weapons and advance, just like the children of Israel did when they went into the promised land.
Joshua told them they were going to travel a way they were unfamiliar with and that God would be with them all along the way. He also told them to look for signs of when to move forward and how to proceed. I believe the signs are everywhere that we need to move and walk in the strength of our Lord. We can continue to meet in our huddled masses and feel good or we can live in the purity of God's grace and move forward in the miracle power of God. Joshua was very straightforward as a leader and he told them to choose who they would follow, not before he told them that he and his house would follow the Lord. What will you and your house do? Follow God and move because it is Time to Move!!
The battle does belong to the Lord, but it is hard to fight it from the sideline. Get on the field of play and God will go before you and with you all along the way.
Vesselogical Out,
David Warren
Comments