Hello Sweet Sisters,
This week's reading has been a little tough. Most of our reading has consisted of long lists of towns and territories that Joshua and the Israelites conquered in order to take possession of the land God had promised them. I hope you stuck in there, and read through the lists dilligently. I know these types of things are easy to just skim through, but they are important! Every detail given in Scripture is for our benefit. There is nothing in the Bible that we don't need to know, so be brave and courageous, Ladies, we have a few more chapters like this to go! Even among these long lists of towns that we can't pronounce, there is much for us to learn! We began our week with a storm coming! Just like the kings of the south, the kings of the north heard how the Israelites were conquering the land. So they joined forces to fight Joshua and the Israelites. Take a look at the list of the Northern territories: Hazor Madon Shimron Acshaph Northern Hill Country Jordan Valleys of Galilee Galilean Foothills Naphoth-dor East & West of Canaan Amorites Hittites Perizzites The Hivites of Mount Hermon in Mizpah This wasn't just a group of a few hundred men, this was an enormous army! Scripture describes it this way: "All these kings came out to fight. their combined armies formed a vast horde. And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore." ~ Joshua 11:4 A vast horde! Can you imagine? This was most likely the largest army they had faced yet, and they were coming! Have you ever been in that position? Standing still, just watching the enemy close in on you. Not knowing what to do, but certain you have no way out. The circumstances continue to escalate. Things get more and more out of control, and suddenly you are faced with a "vast horde" of your own and you have no idea how you will be able to fight it! But God. "Then the Lord said to Joshua, ' Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel as dead men. Then you must cripple their horses and burn their chariots.'" ~Joshua 11:6 So many times throughout the book of Joshua, we see God reminding Joshua to not be afraid. When the army is vast in front of you, Friend, do not be afraid. You are not alone, and you will not fight the battle by yourself. God will give you the victory, just as He did the Israelites. Joshua led his men to fight and God did, indeed, give them the victory over their enemies. They left no survivors, but this was not a quick fix. It didn't happen over night. In fact, war raged for approximately 7 years with these territories, but victory did come. Sometimes, when war rages around us or even within us, we feel there is no end in sight. I encourage you to stay strong, cling to the Lord, be obedient to Him and trust Him to bring you victory. "As the Lord had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. And Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the Lord had given to Moses." ~ Joshua 11:15 Obedience. It's not always easy. As a Mama, I see first hand, every single day, what comes with obedience or the lack thereof. When my children are obedient I bless them, reward them. Their obedience brings peace, joy and contentment into our home. It allows are family to grow stronger, closer and brings joy in our everyday lives. Our obedience to the Lord and His Word brings the same: blessing, peace, joy and contentment. Joshua was obedient to the Lord. He left nothing undone. He carefully and completely obeyed the commands of the Lord, and the Lord blessed him and the Israelites for it. The last half of chapter 11 shows us the outcome of Joshua's obedience. Joshua conquered the whole region, he took control of the entire land just as God had instructed. God gave that land to Israel as their special possession and He blessed it with rest from war. Keep going strong, Sweet Sisters! Be obedient to the Lord and do not be afraid. Rest is coming! Joyfully His, Andrea
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For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
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