Joshua 2:1-7 – Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So, the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night. 2 But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 33 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.” 4 Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” 6 (Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.) 7 So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.”
As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was brought to a renewed awareness of transition and anointing. I was reminded of the dangers of following human reason and the power of following the anointing of God.
In Joshua 1, we are made aware of Israel’s plight. Moses, the man who had become larger than life, was gone. His assistant, Joshua, was now pressed into the role of leadership. Joshua was untested and unproven as a leader. Joshua and the people were in danger of becoming confused, filled with fear, and defeated.
God immediately acted. Joshua 2:1-7: God said, “Joshua, change has come, and you need to be fully aware: Moses is no longer your focus; I AM!” In verses 8-9, God gave a pattern and practice that would enable Joshua and Israel to succeed. “This Law (Torah) is to be meditated on day & night. You must carefully and diligently do everything in it. If you do, that knowledge will enable you to make your way prosperous and successful. But you can’t give in to fear. Trust Me!” That is easier said than done. Joshua had seen it but never done it. He had to move from theory to experience. So do we! Hearing about it must become doing it. God said, “Jump,” now JUMP!
In Joshua 3, we see the absolute necessity of following the Ark (the Holy Spirit). In Acts 4, the disciples were persecuted but chose to obey God. In their surrender, God refilled them with the Holy Spirit, which gave them a holy boldness.
The most important thing to them became GOD! In Acts 5:41-42, we see a group of people who were consumed with the purposes of God. It was not an occasional investment; it was daily, in the Temple and house to house, being consumed by God and His Word. They had a mission and a commission, and it was more important than life.
Joshua and the early church all followed the directive to make God their consuming passion and yield 100% of their lives to Him. They trusted Him! Trusted His love, grace, compassion, promise, protection, and power!
We pray for revival. God demands repentance. Repentance brings revival; revival brings renewal; renewal results in revision; revision produces reformation, which leads to restoration!
What we have is determined by our hunger and thirst. How desperate are we for God’s fullness? We will receive according to the level of our desperation!
Keep looking up; Redemption is at the Door!
