When The Door Slams
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 his 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 NIV
I looked at how the unconfessed sin of one man stopped the army of Israel in its tracks and how our own unconfessed sin might do the same in our lives. Yet God's words today show us how God stands eager for us to get past our sin. God's plan for Joshua was to move forward not stand still. Rather than hinder the plan, God wanted to see the sin removed so that He could continue His work in the lives of the people of Israel. His promises were not taken back because of Israel's sin.
How true this is in our own lives! God has a uncompromising and positive action toward us. He is for us to move forward in His power; we are encouraged and emboldened by the Holy Spirit He has given to those who believe in Him.
Sin is a desperately disastrous reality in our lives, to be sure; however, God desires that we confess that sin and move on in His power and in His strength, for "if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NIV). How will this faithful promise encourage you today?
Think about this: If you want to trust God's plan for your life, then you must learn to trust His timetable. You will be extremely tempted, however, to do otherwise. Because you are a fallible human being, you are impatient for things to happen. But God knows best.
God has created a world that unfolds according to His own timetable, not ours . . . thank goodness! We mortals will make a terrible mess of everything. God does not. God's plan does not always happen in the way that we would like or at the time of our own choosing.
Our task-as believing Christians who trust in a benevolent, all-knowing Father-is to wait patiently for God to reveal Himself. And reveal Himself He will. Always. But until God's perfect plan is made known, we must walk in faith and never lose hope. And we must repent in all our short coming, and continue to trust God. Always. We must learn to move forward according to the timetable of the Timeless One, and to be at peace with each other.
Thanksgiving: Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in One He love (Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV).
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. Never Rest Ministries
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