I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Joshua 1:5.
Study carefully the experiences of Israel in their travels to Canaan…. We need to keep the heart and mind in training, by refreshing the memory with the lessons that the Lord taught His ancient people. Then to us, as He designed it should be to them, the teachings of His Word will ever be interesting and impressive.
When Joshua went forth in the morning before the taking of Jericho, there appeared before him a warrior fully equipped for battle. And Joshua asked, “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” and he answered, “As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.” If the eyes of Joshua had been opened as were the eyes of the servant of Elisha at Dothan, and he could have endured the sight, he would have seen the angels of the Lord encamped about the children of Israel; for the trained army of heaven had come to fight for the people of God, and the Captain of the Lord’s host was there to command. When Jericho fell, no human hand touched the walls of the city, for the angels of the Lord overthrew the fortifications, and entered the fortress of the enemy. It was not Israel, but the Captain of the Lord’s host that took Jericho. But Israel had their part to act to show their faith in the Captain of their salvation.
Battles are to be fought every day. A great warfare is going on over every soul, between the prince of darkness and the Prince of life…. As God’s agents you are to yield yourselves to Him, that He may plan and direct and fight the battle for you, with your cooperation. The Prince of life is at the head of His work. He is to be with you in your daily battle with self, that you may be true to principle; that passion, when warring for the mastery, may be subdued by the grace of Christ; that you come off more than conqueror through Him that hath loved us. Jesus has been over the ground. He knows the power of every temptation. He knows just how to meet every emergency, and how to guide you through every path of danger. Then why not trust Him?
Conflict and Courage p. 117
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Prayer Requests
—–Buddy has been admitted to ICU at _______ and has had to have 2 units of blood. They will be running test to see why his blood levels are dropping. Please keep him in your prayers.
Thanks, Donna
—–Need prayer warriors for Kristina. She has been in labor since Sunday night. Started out at the Birthing Center but last night after pushing for 3 hrs they moved her to University of _____. She agreed to Epidural and pushed for another hr. . . . They are talking c-section. Fran
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, I enjoyed watching my grandmother do the laundry. Washing clothes was quite a chore in those far-off days. She only washed once a week and would have to push her big wringer washer from the back room where it was normally kept into the kitchen. Then she would connect a hose to the kitchen faucet and fill it with hot water. She was afraid that I would get to close to the wringer and get my fingers, hair, or some part of my clothing caught, so if I wanted to watch her, I had to sit quietly on the kitchen stool which was like a tall, skinny, red, metal chair with two steps that could be pulled out so one could climb quite safely. My favorite part of the “proceedings” was when my grandmother would pour a little bottle of blue liquid into the water. This blue liquid had the power to change our white clothing from a dingy white to a bright white. That was such a wonder to me. It seemed to me that it should turn them blue, but it never did.
Just as that little bottle of bluing whitened our clothes, so our Dear Saviour has promised to take away all of our filthiness and make us white and clean, but He does not do it without our consent. He pleads, “Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, Learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isa 1:16-18
How much we need cleansing from sin! How much we need His heart-changing power! We are all spotted and stained with sin. “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 64:6, 1:5,6 We may attempt to cleanse ourselves but soon find that it is useless. Jeremiah asked, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jer 13:23 Job observed, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4 We are “art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Rev 3:18
Although we are as helpless to cleanse ourselves as were the garments that my grandmother had to wash, we can come to the Heavenly Washman and allow Him to take away our unrighteousness. Each of us may stand before our Great Re-Creator as did Joshua in Zechariah’s vision, “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan, even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” Zech 3:1-4
Let us allow our Dear Saviour to cleanse us from all of our iniquities and clothe us with His spotless robe of His righteousness. Let us “give diligence to make [our] calling and election sure,” that we may not be found wanting as were the foolish virgins, who failed to bring extra oil for their lamps. Let us pray as did David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit.” “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps 51:10-12, 139:23,24
Rose