Joshua 23: 9 – 11
For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.
I didn’t include this passage in yesterday’s devotion because it was already getting lengthy, but I felt you needed to see this for yourself and us discuss it a bit further. Truly, though, the two go hand in hand.
The key to this passage is the partnership. It is loud and strong. The quick summary is, “The Lord fights for you. Therefore, you will put thousands to flight.” If ever there was an expression of synergy, this has to be it. One of us can put to flight a thousand enemies. That is what the passage says but to read that sentence without its partners is to misunderstand scripture and to misunderstand our God.
Likewise, were we to read this passage and only hear, “For the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you,” then we fail our faith and understanding of scripture again because it is not only that our God fights for us but that we stand in partnership with Him. Any other reading of this passage is a distortion. The loud message must be “Teamwork.” If you truly want to understand this passage, read the last sentence first. The key language is “Take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.” That is powerful, powerful stuff!
Do you see how this ties so strongly with yesterday’s devotion on praise, worship and offerings? It is in these expressions of love for our Father that real power resides, and that partnership is utilized. We are nothing, alone. Even Jesus said he could do nothing on his own, but in our Father, we can be very effective partners. He is our source, our strength and our wisdom. You don’t want me to rely on my wisdom for the Word of the Day, do you? Of course not! These devotionals only have meaning if our Father speaks. Further, I couldn’t do this without Him anyway. I would be powerless, empty.
The challenge is for each of us to partner with Him every day, in all we do. When I worship my Lord, when I praise Him, my heart opens to Him and I am able to connect with Him more strongly than ever. Giving a donation does that for my inner self too. God doesn’t need my money, but it is a way for me to connect with His ministry that subsequently empowers my heart.
It isn’t just the warrior who puts a thousand to flight. It isn’t only Father fighting our battles for us. The reality that we are learning is that victory is in our cooperation with the Spirit of God.
I hope this blessed your heart. Email your questions, comments and prayer requests to us at https://iveyministries.org/.