In recent months, the Lord has been speaking to me through the book of Joshua. While it has always been one of my favorite go-to spots because of Joshua’s faith, strength, and courage to possess the land that God promised Israel, I’m seeing some things in a brand-new way in light of the times we live in. Not only is God loving, merciful, and faithful, He is also AWESOME! He has the ability to drop the hammer when it needs to be dropped, and He has the ability to push you through certain situations that you wouldn’t be able to get through otherwise. Our God is way too much for the devil and his crowd to handle! It’s time to rise up with bold faith in God, knowing how great and awesome He is! Let’s look at a few Scriptures in Joshua…

Joshua 1:2, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

First of all, recognize the way that God words this. He said, “the land that I do give.” In other words, the land that He gave them is a done deal. The battle has already been won, and the victory belongs to Israel.

Joshua 1:3, Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

Again, it’s as good as done. God is speaking here in past tense, and He does the same thing throughout His Word in order that we will be in faith for the present tense.

Joshua 1:8, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

In this verse God is saying, “Stay full of the Word. Think My thoughts, and here’s the way you do it. Keep My covenant and My Word in your mouth. Talk about the Word; don’t talk about the weather and things that don’t matter. Don’t talk about the enemies. Talk about what I said in my Word.” If you will do this, you will be mindful of it, and you will be a whole lot more likely to act on it.

Today, as I see things evolving in the world, this is exactly what God is saying to me, “Stay full and don’t get in My way!” He is not telling me to do anything hard…just stay full and don’t get in my way. So, when the time comes to do something, I’ll know exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. When we talk about what God says, courage and faith rise, but when we talk about what the enemy is doing, courage leaves and suddenly weakness seems dominant.

In Joshua 2, Rahab was introduced. Some translations have tried to “lighten” Rahab’s occupation, that of being a harlot. However, the Greek and Hebrew both translate this word into exactly what we know it as today; she was in fact a prostitute. Yet, despite this, she was a woman of faith. When the two spies came in, she had the courage to do the right thing and hide the spies. Then she managed to make a deal with the spies. As long as she kept her mouth shut regarding the battle plan and she kept the scarlet cord in the window, everyone in her house would be saved.

In Joshua 2:15, we find the most astounding part of this entire situation with Rahab, revealing the awesomeness of God.

Joshua 2:15, Then she let

them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

First, the town wall was large enough for houses to be built on. This is not just a fence; it’s a huge wall like a city street, and when Jericho went down, it was the wall that went down. Have you ever considered the two following questions?

• What was the most dangerous place to be in Jericho when God pulled the trigger? The wall!
• What was the safest place to be in Jericho when God pulled the trigger? Rahab’s house on the wall!

Wow! God’s covenant protected every single person that was in Rahab’s house when he pulled the trigger on the rest of Jericho. Can you imagine this? There was only one house standing, and it belonged to the person who decided to side with God and stand for Him. The rest of the city was destroyed. We serve an AWESOME GOD! If God can do that, what kind of protection can we expect when the blood has been applied, and we are new creatures in Christ?

This is a pattern that we find multiple times throughout the Word of God. Before judgement comes, God always evacuates the righteous. Just like He evacuated Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or when He evacuated Jesus from the kill command that Herod sent, God will follow this same pattern with His church. Before it all unwinds, the church will be evacuated out of here.

Lastly, notice that not only did Rahab make the “Hall of Faith” list in Hebrews 11, but she also was highlighted with Abraham as poster children for faith and corresponding action in James.

James 2:24-25, You see then how that by corresponding actions a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by corresponding actions when she had received the messengers…

Friend, today is the day get filled, stay filled, and don’t get in God’s way! He is an AWESOME God, and His covenant is sure! Rahab quickly learned the value of working with God, and the same thing is true for you. He will never let you down!

This past Sunday we had a wonderful service at our home church, Word of Life. Although I have been preaching on restoration for several years, the Lord directed me to preach a “refresher” message. I encourage you to listen to it and receive the Word on “restoration” for you!