PRAYER: 1. Father, please dry up anything like the
river Jordan in my life.
2. Father, please enable me to trust you alone for all my needs.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please over come every sin in
my life.
2. Father, please enable me to live all of my life for you alone.
While camping at Gilgal in the plains of Jericho,
the Israelites eat some of the produce of Canaan (Jos.510-12). The
manna stopped as they
started eating the produce of Canaan (Jos. 5:12). By eating of the
produce of Canaan, God’s promise came to pass in their lives
(Gen.12:6-7; Gen.22:15-18; Deut.1:6-8; Lev.25:38). What was a promise,
became fulfilled.
The Israelites ate the produce of the land of Canaan, the land which
God promised them (Gen.12:6-7; Deut.1:6-8). God was faithful to His
promise. The promise took time, but it surely came to pass. As He
did for the
Israelites, He will also bring us to His destiny for each one of
us and enable us to bask in it. All His promises to us are yes in
Christ
(2
Cor.1:19-20). And His gifts are irrevocable (Rom.11:29). His promises
never fail (Jos. 23:14). They may appear to us to be delayed, but
they will surely come to pass, as was the case for the Israelites.
In the
meantime, we must not despair, but continue to put our trust in Him
(Rom.10:11).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to trust you alone
to fulfill all your promises in my life.
2. Father, please take away whatever hinders me from trusting you
for all
things.
22 March
Joshua 5:13 – 15
God deploys the commander of His army
As Joshua was approaching Jericho to fight against
it, he was made to meet the commander of God’s own army (Josh. 5:13-15). He did not know that the commander
of the Lord’s army was there, until he was privileged to see him (Josh.
5:13-15). Unknown to Joshua and the Israelites, the Lord had deployed the
commander of His own army for the war with Jericho (Josh. 5:13-15). By doing
so, God
fulfilled one of His covenant promises to them (see Exod. 23:27-28; Deut.
7:17-24; Deut.
28:7). This is also what He did for Elisha the prophet (2 Kgs. 6:15-17).
This is what He has promised to do for all His children (Ps. 34:7; Ps. 121:1-8).
It is indeed the case that the angels of the Lord keep watch over His children
(Ps.
34:7; Ps. 121:1-8). His army surpasses all human and demonic armies put together
(see 2 Kgs. 6:15-17; Ps. 68:17). His own protection cannot fail (Ps. 121:1-8;
Ps. 127:1). Therefore, we need not fear but put our trust in Him (Rom. 10:11).
With the Lord watching over us, and His angels encamped around us, our fears
of our enemies have no justification whatever (Ps. 34:7; Ps. 121:1-8)
PRAYER: 1. Father, please deploy your armies
to keep watch over me.
2. Father, please enable me to trust you alone for my protection.
23 March
Matthew 1:24
Joseph’s obedience
According to this passage, Joseph obeyed what the
angel had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife (Matt. 1:24;
cf. Matt. 1:18-21).
To obey God
is
to take action to do His will or word. Whoever claims to obey God but is
not doing
His will or word is a liar (cf. Jn. 14:24). Obedience is the mark of true
believers (see Jn. 14:15, 23; 1 Jn. 5:3). God prefers our obedience to our
offerings
(1 Sam. 15:22). Disobedience is equivalent to idolatry and unbelief (1 Sam.
15:23;
cf. Jn. 14:24). As Joseph’s obedience cleared the way for God to act in
salvation through him, our own obedience will also clear the way for God to bless
us. Obedience is the condition for God’s blessings (Deut. 28:1-2). Disobedience
is the condition for forfeiting God’s blessings (Deut. 28:15).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to obey you
fully always.
2. Father, please destroy whatever prevents me to obey you fully
always.
24 March
Joshua 6:1-5
The walls of Jericho fall
God promised to deliver the city of Jericho to the
Israelites (Josh. 6:2). For this to take place, He commanded them
to march round
the city for seven
days,
and seven times on the seventh day, and give a loud shout at the end
of the march (Josh. 6:3-5). The Israelites obeyed, doing as God
commanded
them,
and the walls
of the city fell, and they took it (Josh. 6:6-21). The wall of the
city fell, by the people marching round it and giving a loud shout
at the end of the
march (Josh. 6:3-5, 20-21). They did not need to besiege the city or
fire any shot
at it for its walls to fall (Josh. 6:3-5, 20-21). God can deliver without
the use of human means (see 1 Sam. 17:45-50; Ps. 44:4-7; Deut. 20:2-4).
In fact
human weapons are immaterial and worthless before Him (Ps. 33:16-17;
Ps. 60:11). He
alone can give the victory (Ps. 60:11-12). As He did for the Israelites
in respect of Jericho, He is able to give us victory over all
our enemies without
our efforts
(1 Sam. 17:45-50; Ps. 33:16-17; Ps. 44:4-7; Ps. 60:11-12). As the Israelites
did, we must obey all His commands (Josh. 6:6-21; Deut. 28:1-2,7).
Then
we can entrust all our battles to Him, and He will surely give
us the victory
as He
gave the Israelites over Jericho (Deut. 20:2-4; Ps. 60:12).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please fight all the battles
that are waged against me by all my enemies.
2. Father, please grant that whatever are like the walls of Jericho
in my life will all fall.
25 March
2 Thess. 1:4
Faith in suffering
One other attribute exhibited by the Thessalonian
believers under suffering of which Paul boasted is faith (2 Thess.
1:4). They held
on to their
faith in spite
of all the persecutions and trials they passed through (2 Thess.
1:4). They did not renounce their faith in Christ, in spite of
their suffering
(2 Thess.
1:4).
This is what Jesus expects or requires of everyone who believes
in Him (see Rev. 2:13). Anyone who keeps his faith in Christ
in spite
of the
suffering he may
encounter keeps not only his sonship (Jn. 1:12-13), but also
his right to
His kingdom (Matt. 10:22; Matt. 24:12-13). On the contrary, anyone
who renounces his faith in Christ on account of suffering not
only forfeits
his sonship
in
Christ (cf. Jn. 1:12-13), but also his place in His kingdom (cf.
Matt. 10:22; Matt. 24:12-13). For believers, what really counts
and is most
needed when
encountering suffering is faith, not unbelief (see 1 Thess. 3:2-8).
Only faith, not unbelief,
suffices for believers who may undergo suffering (cf. Rev. 2:13).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please increase my faith even
in suffering.
2. Father, please enable me to stand firm and persevere in suffering.
