Podcasts about Amorites

 "And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not." Joshua 9: 1-26

'Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” 'Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 'But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”' (Numbers 13.26-31, NKJV) One thing had to happen before they could appropriate all the blessings of God, which had been so clearly promised and prophesied, this was their ‘Iron Curtain', the final barrier. One final step and all that they had longed and prayed for would be theirs. One step and the veil that covered their eyes would be lifted and they would see one of the most beautiful and dramatic things that man has ever seen (and few are allowed to actually see this), the REASON why God works great and powerful miracles! His purpose NOW revealed! After all Abraham only acted in faith, he never saw the fulfilment.  But this one final step was not taken! – It was to demand a faith beyond their ability! How often are believers today within sight of everything that they are desiring, often with earnest prayer and with the clear knowledge that God HAS promised... yet that final step is not taken, they don't go in and possess the land. It occurs in the realms of healing, finance, evangelism and missions, possibly even revival, certainly in most areas of our lives and especially our service for God.

We're so glad you are here! Thanks for checking out Sunday's message!-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 ESVHe has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. Colossians 1:13 ESVA decision to live in the Kingdom of God is a decision to reject the kingdom of this world. I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. John 17:15-18 CSBServe the LORD alone. But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:11-15 NLTThe only path to real freedom, promise and purpose is in choosing wholeheartedly the Kingdom of God!You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us” James 4:4-5 NLTYou used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved! Ephesians 2:2-5 NLTYou can't worship idols and Abba at the same time, and you can't choose to live in two opposing Kingdoms.Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESVJacob's ScreensDarkness isn't merely immoral behavior, It is living under the influence of the wrong culture and kingdom. Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. Matthews 6:22-24 NLTDon't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world, wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important, has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out, but whoever does what God says is set for eternity. 1 John 2:15-17 MSGThe worst darkness is the darkness we think is right, light! But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Matthew 6:33 CSBThose who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 CSB So Joshua addressed the people: “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen GOD for yourselves to worship him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” Joshua said, “Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes to GOD, the God of Israel.” Joshua 24:22-24 MSG-------------------------------------------------Download the 828 Church app!To view our latest e-newsletter, the Midweek Momentum, and subscribe to our weekly updates, go here! https://linktr.ee/828church

3.13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, ‘What is his name?' what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.'” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”' 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.' 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.DEU.1:9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:DEU.1:10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.DEU.1:11 (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)DEU.1:12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?DEU.1:13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.DEU.1:14 And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.DEU.1:15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.DEU.1:16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.DEU.1:17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.DEU.1:18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.DEU.1:19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.DEU.1:20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.DEU.1:21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.DEU.1:22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.DEU.1:23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:DEU.1:24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.DEU.1:25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.DEU.1:26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:DEU.1:27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.DEU.1:28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.DEU.1:29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.DEU.1:30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;DEU.1:31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.DEU.1:32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,DEU.1:33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.DEU.1:34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,DEU.1:35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.DEU.1:36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.DEU.1:37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.DEU.1:38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.DEU.1:39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.DEU.1:40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.DEU.1:41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.DEU.1:42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.DEU.1:43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.DEU.1:44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.DEU.1:45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.DEU.1:46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.Chapter 2DEU.2:1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.DEU.2:2 And the LORD spake unto me, saying,DEU.2:3 Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.DEU.2:4 And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:DEU.2:5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.DEU.2:6 Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.DEU.2:7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.Interdimensional Captain Recruitment BUY MY SUPERNATURAL NOVEL!https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Romance-Episode-1-ebook/dp/B07ZRJV6SHDOWNLOAD THE APP!fringeradionetwork.com DON BASHAM MINISTRIES 1,000,000,000 GIVE SEND GO:https://www.givesendgo.com/bashamPAYPAL:spiritforce01@gmail.comBITCOIN:3H4Z2X22DuVUjWPsXKPEsWZmT9c4hDmYvyVENMO:@faithbucksCASHAPP:$spiritforcebucksZelle:faithbucks@proton.mePATREON:Michael BashamHOME BASE SITE:faithbucks.com

Exodus 3:11-22But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, ‘What is his name?' what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.'” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”' And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.' But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel. So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LordGod of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." Joshua 7:1-21

2.23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.3.1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

If our faith is only shaped by our _____________ we stop reaching for the _____________________.[Psalm 13:1-2] O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? [2] How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?Over time our faith can shift from _____________________ to _____________________.[Joshua 9:14-15] So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD. [15] Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.Even if our faith starts _____________________, God is not _____________________.[Joshua 10:5] So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon.God can _____________________ even the parts of our story that started _____________________.[Joshua 10:12-14] On the day the LORD gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the LORD in front of all the people of Israel. He said, "Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon." [13] So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in [The Book of Jashar]? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. [14] There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the LORD answered such a prayer. Surely the LORD fought for Israel that day!The God who created _____________________ is not _____________________ by it.[Ephesians 3:20-21] Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. [21] Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.Unanswered prayers don't mean God is ________________.

Exodus 3:1-10Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

[Exodus 3:17] I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live."'Some people see __________________, while others see __________________.[Numbers 13:30-33] But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!" [31] But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. "We can't go up against them! They are stronger than we are!" [32] So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: "The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. [33] We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that's what they thought, too!"Faith doesn't deny obstacles it __________________ them through God.[Numbers 14:10] But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb.It takes endurance to stand in the face of __________________.[Numbers 14:24] But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.Waiting isn't __________________ as long as your faith stays __________________.[Joshua 14:10-12] "Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise--even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. [11] I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. [12] So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said."Mature faith doesn't ask for __________________ it asks for an __________________.[Judges 3:9-11] But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother, Kenaz. [10] The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel's judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the LORD gave Othniel victory over him. [11] So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.__________________ is formed through obedience.[James 1:3-4] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

This is a new sermon series titled “Strange Encounters of the Divine Kind” from Greenfield Presbyterian Church in Berkley, MI. The Scripture is Exodus 3:1-12 Moses at the burning bush 3 Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro, Midian's priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God's mountain called Horeb. 2 The Lord's messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn't burn up. 3 Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn't burning up. 4 When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” Moses said, “I'm here.” 5 Then the Lord said, “Don't come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” 6 He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham's God, Isaac's God, and Jacob's God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the Lord said, “I've clearly seen my people oppressed in Egypt. I've heard their cry of injustice because of their slave masters. I know about their pain. 8 I've come down to rescue them from the Egyptians in order to take them out of that land and bring them to a good and broad land, a land that's full of milk and honey, a place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites all live. 9 Now the Israelites' cries of injustice have reached me. I've seen just how much the Egyptians have oppressed them. 10 So get going. I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and to bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 God said, “I'll be with you. And this will show you that I'm the one who sent you. After you bring the people out of Egypt, you will come back here and worship God on this mountain.”

"And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.4 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:" Joshua 3-4:5

Pastor Ken Mellon was preacher for this service. Joshua 24:14-15: (Joshua said,) “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 189 - in House and Home Where Man and Wife: vv. 1, 2 - Joshua 24:14-15: (Joshua said,) “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Devotion - Prayer - Hymn 189 - in House and Home Where Man and Wife: vv. 3, 4 - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Pastor Ken Mellon (Preacher), Laura Matzke (Organist)

Praise Series #22 His Love Endures ForeverPsalm 136 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of gods.  His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.Who, by his understanding, made the heavens, his love endures forever.who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.  Who made the great lights—His love endures forever.  The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, His love endures forever.
and brought Israel out from among them. His love endures forever.with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder His love endures forever.
and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.To him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
and killed mighty kings—His love endures forever.
Sihon, king of the Amorites, His love endures forever.
and Og, king of Bashan—His love endures forever.
and gave their land as an inheritance. His love endures forever.
An inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.He remembered us in our low estate. His love endures forever.And freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.
He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.I know this verse is a lot longer than I usually do.  I usually pick a verse or two, and this is all 26 verses of this Psalm.  Psalm 136:6 “who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever” was the verse that led me to this Psalm in the first place.  I decided to read the whole Psalm as I felt perhaps this was a small part of something bigger.  When I read the whole thing, I instantly felt like I should share the whole thing.  Since the phrase “His love endures forever” is repeated throughout the whole Psalm, I thought I would just take that out to make it shorter and just repeat it after each section.  However, when I had that thought, I immediately got the sense God wanted me to leave it in there.  I felt He was saying to me that we need to have that reminder over and over again today.  This Psalm today has two purposes.  First and foremost, to remind you over and over again, so many times, that there is no way you can forget that God's love endures forever.  Forever is a very long time.  It means it never goes away.  God's love lasts forever; it doesn't say it lasts a lifetime, it says forever.  It doesn't say that His love lasts until you do something He doesn't like, it says forever.  It doesn't say that it endures until you get sick or are in a seemingly impossible situation, and then it goes away.  It says it endures forever.  It also doesn't say that His love endures forever as long as you don't walk away, as long as you do all the things you are supposed to do, or as long as you get it right all the time.  No, it says His love endures forever, and that's it.  There are no conditions placed on it; there is no requirement for you. God has loved you from the beginning of time, and He will continue to love you forever, regardless of circumstances.  That is pretty amazing when you really think about it.  Who else can you say that about?  Whose love will endure forever, regardless of your actions and regardless of time?  The second purpose of this psalm today is to remind us of some of the remarkable things God has done for us over the years.  The sense I am getting this morning is that some of you listening to this episode may be struggling with feeling God's Love right now. Maybe you are sick, and you feel as though He is not answering your prayers.  Maybe you are feeling stuck in a family situation that seems impossible and feel as though He is not hearing your prayers.  Maybe nothing in particular is wrong; you just don't really feel a sense that God is with you right now.  Whatever your particular circumstance is, God wants you to know that He is speaking directly to you today.  He hears you, He is answering your prayers, He loves you, and most importantly, He is right there with you through it all.  This Psalm is for you.  This is your heavenly Father letting you know that His love endures forever, and just as he did all these things for His people in the past, He will do just as much for you.  He is moving mountains in your life. He is preparing you for amazing things, you just can't see it yet.  Hang in there, your miracle is coming!!“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Give thanks to the God of gods.  Give thanks to the Lord of lords: to him who alone does great wonders, who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights— the sun to govern the day, the moon and stars to govern the night;”  Can you imagine how powerful God must be to create the whole universe.  He made the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars, just for us. Every time you look at the sun, the moon, or the stars, you can think of how much God loves you.  Hopefully, after hearing this verse, when you look at them, it will be a reminder to you that His love endures forever.  When you can't feel God's love or His Presence in your life, look to the sun, moon, or stars and remember His promise that His love endures forever.  “To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt and brought Israel out from among them with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; to him who divided the Red Sea asunder and brought Israel through the midst of it, but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; to him who led his people through the wilderness;”  Imagine if God can do all of this for His people, what He will do for you.  God did not just strike down the firstborn of Egypt; He gave the Pharaoh multiple chances to let the Lord's people go.  He also told His people what to do so that their firstborn children would not be lost.  He divided the Red Sea for His people.  They felt lost; they could not see a way out with the Red Sea on one side and an army closing in on the other.  I am sure many of them felt as if God had led them to their death.  Yet, God made a way where there wasn't one.  He did not just lead them to freedom; he also destroyed their enemies, the army that was pursuing them.  God will do the same for you!  He will make a way where you don't see one.  He will make a way back from this illness, out of the family situation, out of the work situation, and out of any other situation you find yourself in, no matter how impossible it seems.  He is the Waymaker. He always finds a way.  “To him who struck down great kings, and killed mighty kings—Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan—and gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his servant Israel.”  The Lord gave His people an inheritance.  The people entering these fights did not always think they would be victorious.  Sometimes, many times, over the years, God's people were outnumbered.  They would go into battle knowing that they were not only outnumbered, but also had fewer weapons, fewer resources, fewer everything.  They definitely wouldn't have been favored to win if people were betting based on appearances.  However, what they did have was the favor of God.  That is all they needed.  No matter how hopeless your situation seems, God has the power to fix it, to save you from it, and to bring you out of it.  We just have to keep relying on Him and waiting for His time, now our time.  He has struck down kings; he can surely take care of what is in your way.  God's got you!  He will save you.“He remembered us in our low estate and freed us from our enemies. He gives food to every creature. Give thanks to the God of heaven.”  God remembers you always, not just when everything is going great, and you are high on life.  He remembers you when you are at your lowest as well.  He has freed His people from so many enemies, and He will free you, too.  If there is one thing we have learned from reviewing all these things the Lord has done for us, it is that nothing is too great for Him. There is no enemy too powerful, no situation too complicated for the Lord our God.  The verse ends with “Give thanks to the God of heaven.”  I think you will be surprised by how far the smallest amount of gratitude will get you.  The Lord has done so many incredible things, and He really loves it when we acknowledge that.  Who doesn't like to be appreciated, right?  We owe everything to the Lord.  We have no idea how many things He has saved us from throughout each day, and then when you add in all the things He has done for us.  We could never repay Him, and He is not asking us to.  However, we can thank Him.  We can let Him know how grateful we are.  If you want to see God more at work in your lives, I challenge you to take 5 minutes or less out of your day and intentionally thank the Lord of all you have seen Him do in your life that day.  I bet, if you do this, you will begin to see more and more.  I am not sure if God is actually doing more and more when we intentionally thank Him, or if He is doing the same, but we are just noticing more.  Either way, you will see the Lord more at work in your life when you begin to be grateful for each thing you notice.  I want to leave you with the phrase we have heard most today, “His Love endures forever.”Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, you are amazing, and we are so grateful for all the things you have done for your people throughout the ages.  We are so grateful that you love us so much.  Lord, thank you for giving us a love that endures forever.  Thank you for taking care of our enemies and protecting us from all things.  Thank you for being more powerful than everything else.  Thank you for making a way when we can't see one.  We are so grateful that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts higher than our thoughts.  We would be lost without you, Lord.  Father, help us to be more grateful for all that you do.  Help us to take time out of our days to intentionally try to see you at work in our lives.  We love you so much, Lord, help us to feel your love.  You are truly awe-inspiring, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My words are the best seed. They do not return empty or barren.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Joshua 24:14-1814 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Joshua 24:1-8 English Standard Version The Covenant Renewal at Shechem 24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,[a] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River[b] and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out. 6 “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. Footnotes Joshua 24:2 Hebrew the River Joshua 24:3 That is, the Euphrates; also verses 14, 15   Joshua 24:13-15 13 I gave you a land on which you had not laboured and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.' Choose Whom You Will Serve 14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  

When Abram left Haran, it was with a multitude of people and many goods. These had increased greatly during his sojourn in Egypt. The same things were true for his nephew, Lot, and contributed to the problem told us in the end of chapter 13. Nonetheless Abram had learnt a great lesson in trust; and as an acknowledgment of that we are told in verse 4, "he made an altar and called on the name of Yahweh" (a name with which the faithful were familiar - see Genesis 4verses25-26). The location of this altar was between Bethel (the house of God) and Ai (ruin). His choices would determine whether his life would be ruined, or whether he would dwell with God - this is likewise true for each one of us. The troublesome Canaanites and Perizzites then dominated the land. The multitude of cattle made finding pasture difficult and the large number of people meant arguments were very common. A dispute caused Abram to suggest that they go their separate ways. Abram graciously allowed Lot the choice; and Lot chose the choicest pastures. Lot's choice was influenced by "the lust of his eyes". Abram was contented with trusting in the LORD to provide. The record uses the same words from God to Abram as is used of Lot's viewpoint. What God promised Abram was real estate - the earth (Romans 4verses13) - not a reward in heaven. Jesus taught the same in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as in heaven" Matthew 6verses10. And as proof of what God had promised Abram; Abram was asked to walk on what he was to receive (see also Genesis 15verses18-21). Genesis 14 is an account of Abraham's rescue of his nephew Lot, who was takencaptive when a northern confederacy headed by Chedorlaomer - whose name signifies "a bundle of sheaves" - (the famous historical Hammurabi). The account is a literal event, but also symbolic of the nearing conflict of Armageddon, WW 3. Abram was "in fellowship " - confederate with two Amorites. The victor, Abram was offered rich rewards, which he spurned. The chapter's close sees the King-Priest of Jerusalem Melchizedek offering fellowship through bread and wine with God Almighty (see Hebrews chapters 5, 6 and 7; where the extended parable about the Lord Jesus Christ is explained).In Psalm 17 David seeks vindication from his Omnipotent Creator in whom David has sought and found protection in distress and constant care. David calls on Yahweh to rise and judge his enemies. But the greatest message from the Psalm is found in David's heartfelt hope, "As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with Thy likeness" ESV. The resurrection will bring the realisation of this hope (Philippians 3verses20-21; Colossians 3verses1-5.1 John 3verses1- 3).

When Abram left Haran, it was with a multitude of people and many goods. These had increased greatly during his sojourn in Egypt. The same things were true for his nephew, Lot, and contributed to the problem told us in the end of chapter 13. Nonetheless Abram had learnt a great lesson in trust; and as an acknowledgment of that we are told in verse 4, "he made an altar and called on the name of Yahweh" (a name with which the faithful were familiar - see Genesis 4verses25-26). The location of this altar was between Bethel (the house of God) and Ai (ruin). His choices would determine whether his life would be ruined, or whether he would dwell with God - this is likewise true for each one of us. The troublesome Canaanites and Perizzites then dominated the land. The multitude of cattle made finding pasture difficult and the large number of people meant arguments were very common. A dispute caused Abram to suggest that they go their separate ways. Abram graciously allowed Lot the choice; and Lot chose the choicest pastures. Lot's choice was influenced by "the lust of his eyes". Abram was contented with trusting in the LORD to provide. The record uses the same words from God to Abram as is used of Lot's viewpoint. What God promised Abram was real estate - the earth (Romans 4verses13) - not a reward in heaven. Jesus taught the same in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as in heaven" Matthew 6verses10. And as proof of what God had promised Abram; Abram was asked to walk on what he was to receive (see also Genesis 15verses18-21). Genesis 14 is an account of Abraham's rescue of his nephew Lot, who was taken captive when a northern confederacy headed by Chedorlaomer - whose name signifies "a bundle of sheaves" - (the famous historical Hammurabi). The account is a literal event, but also symbolic of the nearing conflict of Armageddon, WW 3. Abram was "in fellowship " - confederate with two Amorites. The victor, Abram was offered rich rewards, which he spurned. The chapter's close sees the King-Priest of Jerusalem Melchizedek offering fellowship through bread and wine with God Almighty (see Hebrews chapters 5, 6 and 7; where the extended parable about the Lord Jesus Christ is explained). In Psalm 17 David seeks vindication from his Omnipotent Creator in whom David has sought and found protection in distress and constant care. David calls on Yahweh to rise and judge his enemies. But the greatest message from the Psalm is found in David's heartfelt hope, "As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with Thy likeness" ESV. The resurrection will bring the realisation of this hope (Philippians 3verses20-21; Colossians 3verses1-5. 1 John 3verses1- 3). The NT chapter commences with the miracle of the healing of a paralytic man and subsequent exposure of the evil thoughts of the enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ. The call of the tax collector Matthew, also known as Levi from his customs house beside the lake in Capernaum (meaning city of comfort, or consolation i.e. the centre of the proclaiming of the gospel in the Galilean region- called by the writer Jesus' own city) where he most likely collected the excise upon the fish undoubtedly earmarked for the Jerusalem market. It was here where a question about fasting arose and was answered. Here he cured the woman from the issue of blood she had suffered incurably for 12 years. Here he raised from the dead the daughter of Jairus the ruler of the synagogue. On leaving the city he is followed by two blind men who he heals and asks them a charge they fail to respect, to keep the miracle silent. Next, he cures a deaf mute, only to accused by his adversaries of doing this via demonic powers attributed to the lord of the dung heap. The chapter closes with an appeal for more to support the work of reaping a vastly growing harvest. The recurring lesson of this chapter is that healing and forgiveness were - and are - extended by the Lord according to the faith of the disciple. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow 

Have you ever made one too many mistakes? You know, you get to a point where you think, That's it! God must be done with me? Well, Abraham was a man of faith who made plenty of mistakes along the way. Yet God seemed to overlook, even o compensate for them. Why was that?   Life Changing Moments As we travel through life we all kind of experience these moments and often they are seemingly insignificant events that in fact, turn out to change the whole course of our lives. It's amazing when you think about it! We all have a plan for our lives but there are things just around the next corner or just over the next rise that can change everything – good things and bad things, happy things and sad things. Some people think, "Well, it's all a matter of chance." Well, I don't believe in chance. I remember a brochure that changed my life. I was attending a little church – I had not long become a Christian and it was a Sunday service like every other Sunday. At the end of the service I walked to the back of the little church and I saw a brochure for a particular Bible College, Tabor College in Sydney. It wasn't a particularly attractive brochure or a well designed brochure – I picked it up and that was a defining moment – I took it home, I read about this ministry degree, I prayed and I felt this incredibly strong tug in my heart. Now in my mind I am thinking, "There's no way. You know Berni, you have been a Christian for five minutes" but in my heart I knew. So I rang them, I applied, I went to see the Principal, I felt like such a fraud. "They are never going to accept me." They did! And there I learned so much but also, by chance again, I came into contact with my predecessor in this ministry; the former CEO of Christianityworks and one thing led to another. And today I'm doing what I am doing because I picked up that little brochure at the back of the church. Now I had no idea that morning that something would happen that would change the course of my life. This week we are starting a new series on Christianityworks, it's called "Defining Moments". It's really exciting! I want to look at this from a different perspective; from God's perspective. See when we look back on our lives most of us can pick three or four, maybe half a dozen defining moments – those little things that seemed to change the whole course of our lives. Now, sure we can see them from our natural human perspective – after all, we are people; we're human, but if we do that I think we miss the point. I want to look at some defining moments in the lives of four people in the Bible – Abraham, Joseph, David and Josiah over the next four weeks and we are starting today with Abraham. I want to see if we can discover how God reaches into our lives with miracles - great and small to define the very course of our lives because God does have a plan. Psalm 139, verse 16, says: Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me when none of them as yet existed. And when we at least expect it, and even despite what you and I do or fail to do, His plan is worked out through His grace for His glory. God brings those defining moments. Let's start with Abraham - the man with whom God's engagement of His chosen people began. He was living comfortably in a place called Ur, east of Israel – of course Israel didn't exist back then. Ur was the land of the Chaldeans, later it was called Babylon – it's just south of modern day Baghdad. And he travelled with his father up to Haran and then God called him to leave his comfort and follow this really crazy, absolutely incredulous promise. Let's pick it up – if you have got a Bible, grab it; open it up at Genesis chapter 12. We are going to look at the story of Abraham – it's too much to look at it all in one programme but we are going to have a look at part of his story. Genesis chapter 12, beginning at verse 1: Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram when as the Lord had told him and Lot when with him. Abram was seventy five years old when he departed form Haran." Seventy five years old! "He and Sarai his wife and they were childless." You see, you have to remember, in the Old Testament, blessing; God's blessing, you knew you had it when you had lots of land and lots of children. They had neither, so they didn't have God's blessing on their lives. Now the word "Abram" means "exalted father". So even his name was a joke, but still he went, off into the never never, based on what – some intangible, crazy call from God? Remember Abram had no Bible; he had no Scriptures to reveal who God was. He had no church tradition, or Jewish tradition – nothing like that. All the other nations had their gods; idols – they worshipped them, they believed all sorts of weird and wonderful things but Abram put his faith; he put his whole life and all his possessions in this God who came up with this incredulous promise. How did God say this to Abram - through an audible voice, a dream, a vision, a whisper of the Spirit in his heart? We don't know but he just heard the call and he trusted in the promises of God and off he went, into the blue yonder. Now God's plan A, remember, is to bless Abram with land and children – impossible of course! Oozes fantasy, not faith – could never happen. And then begins Abram's comedy of errors – pretty tragic actually. We don't have time to look at them all today but we are going to look at some of them. It's a journey where Abram and Sarai his wife, made plenty of mistakes along the way. Take Lot for instance, his nephew – if you look at Genesis chapter 12 again, did God tell Abram to take Lot with him? Not at all – it was Abram's idea. No doubt, this was plan B for Abram. "Well, if God doesn't come through on this promise of a son, at least I'll have a relative to be my heir" and Lot…..Lot causes him all sorts of grief. Let's have a look – Genesis chapter 13, verse 5: Now Lot who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents so that the land couldn't support both of them living together, for their possessions were so great that they could not live together. And there was strife between the herders of Abram's stock and the herders of Lot's stock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me – between your herders and my herders for we are kindred. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I'll go to the right; of you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." Lot looked about him and saw the plain of the Jordan that was well watered everywhere like this garden of the Lord; like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar - this was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan and Lot eastward thus he separated from Abram. Gee, plan B worked really well for Abram didn't it? Obviously God didn't know what He was promising Abram and needed a back up! And look how it turned out! Strife, separation and then Abram gave away the best half of the Promised Land. And if you read on in chapter 14, Abram risks his life and God's plan because he has to fight a battle to save Lot's life. Lot was not part of plan A and in chapter 19 of Genesis (we won't go there for now for time reasons) but he ends up sleeping with his own daughters and fathers the Moabites and the Ammonites; both nations that became enemies of Israel. Huh – well done Abram! God obviously needed your help!!   Who Can Blame Him? Well, who can blame Abram? He is in his late seventies now on a journey to nowhere and Sarai is no spring chicken either, I have to tell you. And God gives him this utterly incongruous, impossible promise and Abram is aching inside. "God, what are You doing?"  Can you relate to that? I can! Let's have a look at the defining moment in Abram's journey. It begins in Genesis chapter 15, verse 1: After these things the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram, I am your shield. Your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me for I continue childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer, son of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the Word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir. No one but a son coming from your very own body shall be your heir." God brought him outside and said, "Look toward the heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then the Lord said to him, "So shall your descendants be!" And Abram believed the Lord and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. I reckon this is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. Is Abram a man of faith? Absolutely! But he is struggling – he has tried everything he can do in his own strength and he can't make this promise from God happen and time is marching on. So through his doubt, he ends up with plan C or D or whatever he is up to. How does God respond – with rebuke, with punishment, with discipline? God brought him outside and said, "Look toward the heaven and count the start, if you are able to count them." Then God said "So will your descendants be! Isn't it beautiful? You know, the Milky Way when you get away from the smog and the lights of the city is just the most awesome thing – there are so many stars out there – it almost looks like clouds. Trillions of stars – this is the love of God! And he believed the Lord and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. Abram's faith meant that God's righteousness became part of who he was. It's a theme the Apostle Paul picks up in Romans chapter 4 and in Galatians chapter 3 in the New Testament, much later. See I struggle with the rose coloured glasses that Paul and others in the New Testament use to look back on Abraham. They paint him as this paragon of virtue; this great man of faith. Hebrews chapter 11, beginning at verse 8: By faith Abraham, when he was called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he didn't know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country, for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was enabled to become a father. That's great but what about all of Abraham blunders? What about his lack of faith? He goes to God and says to God, "What will You give me? What will You show me? I can't see it – I'm losing hope." See, Abraham was human – Abraham had human failures and he made mistakes just like you and me - but the answer is in what we just read in Genesis. How is it that despite all of Abraham's blunders and doubts, God's plan still came to fruition? Because Abraham: "believed the Lord and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness." Abraham believed – he didn't do it perfectly – but he believed and this was counted by God as righteousness. The righteousness of God when we believe, He forgives our sins – He forgets them. "As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us." You see, that's why in the New Testament it doesn't talk about Abraham's mistakes because God has forgiven them and they are not relevant. That's how God deals with Abraham's human failings. This is the defining moment in Abraham's journey: he believed the Lord and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. This night that was like any other; he was in his tent; he was struggling; he was praying; he was saying, 'God, what are you doing?' And God just touches him and brings him outside and says, "Look up at the stars; as many as are there so numerous will be your descendants." It's not about what Abraham did or didn't do. The defining moment is about God's grace! And come and look with me exactly how imperfectly Abraham believed. Come and see with me how human and frail his faith actually is. He is credited with righteousness – God speaks to him and right on the back of that, just two verses later, in Genesis chapter 15, verse 8, begins this: But he said "O Lord, God, how am I to know I shall possess it?" And God said to him, "Bring Me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle dove and a young pigeon." He brought God all those things and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abraham drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Know this for certain that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs and they shall be slaves there and they shall be oppressed there for four hundred years but I will bring judgement on the nation that they serve and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you yourself, you shall go with your ancestors in peace and you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." When the sun had gone down and it was dark, and a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day (listen to this) On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, "To your descendants I give this land – from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates and the land of the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Raphaim and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites." See, in the face of further doubt from Abraham, God gives him this vision and he makes an unbreakable promise; a covenant; a promise from God Himself to Abraham.   The Last Laugh Just as well, this covenant from God was an unbreakable promise because what happens next, after the stars thing and the vision and the promise, would have been the final straw for me if I had been God. Have a look at the next Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave girl whose name was Hagar and Sarai said to Abram, "You see the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go into my slave girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." Abram listened to the voice of his wife Sarai, so after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar the Egyptian; her slave girl and gave her to her husband Abraham as a wife. He went into Hagar and she conceived and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you. I gave my slave girl to you to embrace and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me." Ok, men had more than one wife in those days but people haven't changed that much. Wives, how happy would you be with this outcome? Your husband sleeping with a slave girl and then all of a sudden the slave girl is pregnant. Can you see how perverted this is? And the son that Hagar bore was Ishmail and he became the father of the Arab world! Gee, that worked out brilliantly, didn't it? And so Abram, left to his own devices would have lurched from one blunder to the next but now the bit that really gets me about this story, is the ending. Both Abram and Sarai get to the point – I mean this has been going on for years now; decades where they just end up laughing at God's promises. I mean they are so ridiculous; they are so impossible – have a look – Abram first in Genesis chapter 17, verse 15: God said to Abram, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai anymore but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her and she will give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah who is ninety years old bear a child?" And Abraham said to God, "O that Ishmail might live in Your sight." And God said, "No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him." And then Sarah's turn next! God appears to Abraham in the form of three men and those men said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent." Then one of them said, "I will surely return to you in due season and your wife Sarah shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance, behind them. Now Abraham and Sarah, they were old and advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, "After I have grown old and my husband is old, shall I have the pleasure?" See, can you blame Abraham and Sarah for laughing at God? I mean if you don't laugh you will cry. It has been twenty five years – they headed away on this fool's errand into the blue yonder. Abraham is over a hundred – Sarah is over ninety – come on God, what do You think You are doing? But let's see how it ends! Genesis chapter 21: The Lord dealt with Sarah just as He had said and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah had borne. Do you know what the word "Isaac" means? It means "he laughs" – you see God had the last laugh! They both laughed at God's promises and God gives them a son called Isaac and God has the last laugh! It's the laughter of God's grace. And when you look back on this journey, what was the defining moment? See, what you and I want to look at is say: "What do I have to do….what do I have to do? What do I have to do to get God's favour?" Isn't that what we are always thinking? And you look at all of Abraham's blunders and you see all the mistakes he made but in his heart he believed and it was reckoned unto him by God as righteousness. His faith trumped his failures! Let me say that again ... Abraham's faith trumped his failures! People came to Jesus years later and they said, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" And Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God: that you believe in the One whom He has sent." Do you get it? The defining moment for Abraham was God's gracious, loving, powerful, impossible, unbreakable, ridiculous, only God could ever do it, take it forever….promise. And in his heart Abraham believed. That's the bit that God saw and took and used and blessed Abraham through. That's why the New Testament writers can completely ignore the failures of Abraham because God….God had forgotten them a long time ago. God had decided to overlook them a long time ago. Abraham was not a perfect man – Abraham was human just like you and me. You make blunders in your life; I make blunders in my life. What does God look at? He looks at whether we put our trust in Him through Jesus Christ. God not only forgave Abraham and Sarah but He cleaned up their mess along the way so that His plan would be fulfilled and realised for His glory. Look again at the defining moment in Abraham's life…Genesis chapter 15, verses 5 and 6: God brought Abraham outside and said, "Look up toward the heaven. Count the stars if you are able to count them." Then God said to him, "So shall your descendants be. And Abraham believed the Lord and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. What do I have to do to do the works of God? To believe in the One whom He sent; His Son, Jesus Christ!

Wednesday, 24 December 2025   Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” Matthew 15:15   “And Peter, having answered, he said to Him, ‘You expound to us this parable'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus noted that if the blind-conductors are also blind, they will both fall into a pit. Having finished His words, Matthew notes, “And Peter, having answered, he said to Him.”   Peter heard something that needed clarification from Jesus' words. Therefore, he continues, “You expound to us this parable.”   Here is a new word, phrazó. It is found only here in the New Testament. It means to indicate by word or act. Thus, it is rightly defined as “expound,” which signifies to explain the meaning in a detailed manner. Peter goes back to Jesus' words of verse 15:11, not knowing the meaning of the parable –   “Not the ‘entering into the mouth' it profanes the man, but the ‘proceeding from the mouth,' this, it profanes the man.”   The problem with Peter's words is that Jesus wasn't speaking in a parable at that time. Hence, he misunderstood the intent of Jesus' words. For this, he will receive a rather stern rebuke, followed by a more detailed explanation of Jesus' intent.   Life application: It is not always easy to know when something in the Bible is being spoken literally, metaphorically, in parable, or in some other way. It is also difficult to determine if what is being spoken of is one thing rather than another.   A good example of this is found in Joshua –   Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.   Translations generally assume that Joshua's words indicate that the sun and moon literally stood still in the heavens. This is then bolstered by the words of verses 13 and 14. However, the words are poetic, having been included in the Book of Jasher. The way it properly reads and what is happening is as follows –   “Then, he will speak, Joshua to Yehovah, in day gave Yehovah the Amorite to faces sons Israel, and he said to eyes Israel:   ‘Sun, in Gibeon, you must be silent. And moon in depth Aijalon.' And is muted, the sun. And moon stood. Until he will avenge nation – his hatings.   Not it written upon scroll the Upright (One)? And it stood, the sun, in the half the heavens and not it hastened to go, according to day complete. And not it was according to day, the it, to its faces and after it, to hearken, Yehovah, in voice man, for Yehovah being fought to Israel.” (CG)   Notice the structure:   V.12 – [Then, he will speak, Joshua to Yehovah, in day gave Yehovah the Amorite to faces sons Israel, and he said to eyes Israel].   V.13 Until he will avenge nation [Israel] – his hatings.   V.15 - And not it was according to day, the it, to its faces and after it, [to hearken, Yehovah, in voice man, for Yehovah being fought to Israel].   The bracketing thoughts explain what the exceptional thing was. It wasn't that the sun and moon stood still in the skies. Rather, it was that the Lord listened to the voice of a man and fought for Israel.   As you read the Bible, understand that what you are reading has been translated by man. A translator comes to the text with biases and presuppositions. If he is only a translator, he is also trying to make sense out of very difficult language. Therefore, it is natural to make assumptions based on a lack of study.   Even scholars will start with presuppositions, reading a translation first and then working with that picture in their minds. Because of this, be careful to stop and contemplate what you are reading from other perspectives. You may find that what you thought was correct was not.   In the end, you will get out of the word as much as you put in.   O God, may we be willing to carefully consider all things Your word tells us. Help us not to get caught up in sensationalism or “going with the pack” mentality. May we first and foremost consider what You are telling us and why. Help us in this so that our time of study will be methodical and filled with proper insights concerning Your word. Amen.  

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to Scott Kacos and family. Thank you so much for partnering with us on Project23. We cannot do this without you. This is for you today. Our text today is Judges 18:7-10. Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, "What do you report?" They said, "Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land. As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth."— Judges 18:7-10 The Danite scouts find Laish—a city that looks perfect. Peaceful. Prosperous. Secure. Everything their own land was not. And they instantly assume, "God has given it into our hands." But notice—there's no record of prayer, no word from the Lord, and no evidence of obedience in the moments leading up to this. They mistake opportunity for confirmation. They see abundance and assume it's God's blessing. But it's fake faith—faith built on feelings, not on truth. This is how counterfeit obedience works. It looks spiritual, it sounds hopeful, but it's driven by convenience and comfort, not conviction. Remember, the Danites didn't want to fight the Amorites for the land God gave them in Joshua 19. They wanted the easy win, and this was it. Easy victories frequently lead to empty lives. We do the same when we chase the "Laish" in front of us: The job that pays more but pulls us from church. The relationship that feels good but bends God's truth.| The comfort that whispers, "This has to be right, it's working." But not everything that looks right is righteous. Sometimes what looks like God's favor is just avoidance in disguise. When our faith loses its fight, it starts settling for false flags. And the Danites here traded commands for the convenient conquest—and then called it compliance. Real faith does not do this. It never chases comfort; it counts on God even when the command is challenging. ASK THIS: Where have you confused convenience with God's calling? What's your "Laish"—the easy path that tempts you to compromise? Have you been mistaking peace for permission? How can you return to the ground God actually called you to claim? DO THIS: Identify one area where comfort has replaced conviction. Choose faithfulness over feelings this week—even if it costs you ease. PRAY THIS: Lord, forgive me for chasing comfort and calling it faith. Teach me to obey You when the way is hard and to trust You when the road isn't easy. Give me real faith—not imitation peace. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Trust In God."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is Judges 18:1. In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. — Judges 18:1 The story of the tribe of Dan is one of lost conviction. Dan had already been given land by God—its boundaries clearly marked in Joshua 19:40–48. But Judges 1:34–36 tells us why they never possessed it: they were driven back by the Amorites. Instead of standing firm in faith, they retreated to the hills. They settled for survival rather than fighting for obedience. Now, in Judges 18, decades later, they're still wandering—looking for "an inheritance" that was already theirs. It wasn't that God failed to provide. It was that they failed to believe, obey, and act with conviction. This is the ripple effect of cowardly leadership. When men and women stop living with conviction, they begin living by convenience. What should've been conquered through faith now becomes a lifetime of compromise. That's the Danite story—and sadly, it's ours too. We do the same when we abandon the ground God has already called us to stand on. We know what's right, but we don't want the conflict that comes with it. We back off, blend in, or look for easier paths. And every time we do, we lose spiritual territory that God already gave us to possess. The Danites didn't need new land—they needed renewed faith. They didn't need to search for an easier inheritance—they needed to fight for the one God already promised. This is what happens when conviction dies. Faith becomes flexible. Truth becomes negotiable. The mission becomes manageable. And before long, we're not following God anymore—we're following comfort. Sound familiar? We see it in families that won't confront sin, churches that bend to culture, and believers who settle for peace over purity. Every compromise we tolerate today becomes the conflict we inherit tomorrow. The Danites' failure to lead with conviction didn't just cost them land—it cost them legacy. When God gives a calling, the only right response is courageous obedience. Anything less invites compromise. ASK THIS: Where in your life have you chosen convenience over conviction? What "land" or area of obedience has God already called you to claim? How does fear of conflict keep you from living with conviction? What would courageous faith look like in that area today? DO THIS: Identify one area of your life where you've retreated instead of standing firm. Read Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Reclaim that ground in prayer and obedience today—don't keep wandering where God already gave you victory. Commit this week to act from conviction, not convenience. PRAY THIS: Lord, forgive me for backing away from battles You've already called me to win. Give me courage to stand, conviction to obey, and faith to take hold of the promises You've already given. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Battle Belongs."

Jesus our Deliverer (Matthew Chapter 1) - Sunday, 21st December 2025.Matthew 1:21-23 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.1. God delivered Israel from Pharaoh. Exodus 3:7-8  And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 2. God delivered Israel from their enemiesJudges 3:9  And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.Judges 3:15  But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left-handed: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.  3. In Isaiah, God is upset with Israel because they do not look to Him for deliverance.Isaiah 50:2  Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.4. In the New Testament, Jesus delivered from storms, death, demons, sickness blindness, deafness, bitterness and on and on!Matthew 8:26  And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.5.  How can I be delivered?Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Do You Live In The Land Of Self Or Spirit? You Have A Choice, What Stance Do You Take? Joshua 24:14-15 14“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

In football, the preseason comes before the regular season; to get ready for when the games count. In this episode of Bible Backdrop, we see Israel going through a similar experience. They go through a number of challenges and battles to get ready for their conquering of the Promised Land. There are, of course, a number of rebellious moments and fiery serpents, but they make it through and sit on the edge of the Jordan ready to move ahead. If you are enjoying Bible Backdrop, please leave a 5 star rating and review. You can also get in touch with the show at the e-mail address mentioned in the episode. You can find Bible Backdrop on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else you find podcasts.

Send us a textThis week we look at the war between Jacob and the Amorites and how it is a precursor to the Canaanite Conquest. 

P.O.G. Daily Pause2025-11-21 Friday - Joshua 24:14-1814 Joshua said, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, ….. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, ….. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

Send us a textIn this episode we take a look at what led up to the Canaanite wars with Jacob and the Amorites and the Scriptural basis for it. 

Theme: From Defeat to Victory — Obedience, Judgment, and God's Longsuffering Pastor Matthew continued his series on the book of Joshua, focusing on chapter 8, where Israel returned to face Ai—the place of their previous defeat. The sermon unfolded three key themes: restoration through obedience, understanding God's justice, and the call to overcome through repentance and faithfulness. Returning to the Place of Defeat After Israel's failure at Ai (caused by Achan's sin), God instructed Joshua to go back: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed. Take all the people of war with you… I have given into your hand the king of Ai.” (Joshua 8:1) Pastor explained that God often sends us back to the place of defeat — not to relive shame, but to redeem it through obedience. “When you go back in the power of Christ and the Word of the Lord, you can't lose.” God gave new instructions: this time, the spoils of Ai would belong to Israel. The principle: “The first fruits belong to God; the rest He blesses for you.” Lesson: God is fair and faithful — He doesn't take to deprive but to teach trust and honor. The Strategy of Obedience Joshua followed God's detailed battle plan: Set an ambush behind Ai while Joshua and the main army pretended to retreat. Once the enemy was drawn out, the ambush rose, took the city, and set it on fire. When the enemy looked back and saw the smoke, Israel turned and struck them down (v. 19–22). Pastor emphasized how God is a God of detail: “If we would listen long enough, God would tell us exactly what to do. But we've become a drive-thru culture—no patience, no waiting.” Application: Faith follows God's word precisely. Victory is not random — it comes through listening, waiting, and acting on divine instruction. Renewal of Covenant After Ai was destroyed, Joshua built an altar at Mount Ebal, offered burnt and peace offerings, and read all the words of the Law before the people (Joshua 8:30–35). This marked a spiritual renewal — a recommitment after failure. Pastor's takeaway: “They renewed their covenant because someone thought it was okay to steal from God. Never steal from God — He owns everything.” He reminded that God's ownership and our stewardship are central to understanding His commands. God's Justice and Longsuffering The message turned theological as Pastor explored why God ordered the destruction of Ai: God owns everything and has all knowledge. When judgment comes, it's because a people or person has exhausted God's grace. Using Genesis 15:16, he explained that the Amorites' “iniquity was not yet full” — God's patience always precedes judgment. He compared this to modern examples: “God knew when Saddam Hussein's time was up. When a man's cruelty or sin reaches its limit, God says, ‘That's enough.'” Scriptural anchors: 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Romans 1 – How rejecting truth and embracing sin leads to delusion and depravity. Revelation 2:18–29 – The church of Thyatira and “Jezebel,” who was given time to repent of immorality. Core Message: “When judgment comes, it's never sudden — it's the result of mercy refused.” Sexual Immorality and Idolatry — The Downfall of Nations Pastor linked Israel's ancient idolatry to modern culture: Sexual immorality causes more destruction than drugs and alcohol combined. Every society that normalizes it must invent idols to justify sin. The last straw before national judgment is not immorality itself but idolatry — worshiping false gods that excuse disobedience. “If I'm going to live against God's Word and refuse to repent, I'll find a god that makes me feel okay about it.” He warned that America faces similar danger: “The nations that forget God will be turned into hell.” Mercy, Repentance, and Overcoming Despite these warnings, Pastor underscored that God still offers mercy: Even Jezebel was given time to repent — showing the depth of God's compassion. “No one is as long-suffering as God. When judgment finally comes, it's because He's exhausted Himself trying to reach us.” Quoting 1 John 1:9, he assured: “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you.” He then linked this to Jesus' message to the seven churches in Revelation: “To him who overcomes…” (Greek: nikao / neo — to gain victory). The word is the root of “Nike,” meaning to prevail — symbolizing the believer's call to overcome through repentance and obedience. Application: Set yourself up to succeed spiritually — not to fail. “The strongest Christians aren't the ones who can endure anything; they're the ones who know their weaknesses and guard against them.” He gave practical examples: The man freed from alcoholism who changed his route to avoid temptation. The believer who moved his computer into the living room to avoid secret sin. “Don't set yourself up to fail — paristano means to ‘position yourself to succeed.'” Closing Prayer and Reflection Pastor closed by reminding: God's mercy is real, but so is judgment. We must renew covenant, walk in holiness, and guard our hearts. “Be kind to yourself, be honest before God, and stay the course.” He led the congregation in the Lord's Prayer, ending with worship and thanksgiving for God's mercy and truth. Core Message God is long-suffering but just. He gives space to repent, but not forever. Victory follows obedience, repentance, and humility. Set yourself up to succeed — abide in His Word and overcome.

Election Day is more than a civic duty—it’s an opportunity to honor God with the choices we make at the ballot box. Deuteronomy 30:19 reminds us to “choose life,” aligning our decisions with God’s ways so that blessings flow to us and our communities. Voting as a Christian is about more than candidates or parties; it’s about reflecting God’s principles and demonstrating the heart of faith in action. Highlights Christians are called to vote with discernment, seeking God’s guidance and aligning choices with His Word. Election Day historically has been viewed as a sacred responsibility to uphold godly principles in governance. Individual votes matter—John Wesley emphasized acting “as if the whole election depended on your single vote.” Abstaining from voting can have spiritual consequences (James 4:17). Voting reflects the values of our hearts and serves as a declaration of faith (Psalm 119:30, Joshua 24:15). Praying and humbling ourselves before God ensures our votes honor Him and contribute to healing the land (2 Chronicles 7:14). A biblically guided approach to elections helps Christians navigate political and moral complexities faithfully. Join the Conversation How do you ensure your vote reflects your faith? What steps can you take this Election Day to seek God’s guidance in your civic decisions? Share your thoughts with #VotingWithFaith #ChooseLife #ChristianVote.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today's shout-out goes to Terry Mishcler from Mechanicsburg, PA. Thank you for your partnership with us through Project23. Our text today is Judges 11:12–28. Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, "What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?" And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably." Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said to him, "Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let us pass through your land,' but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh. "Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, 'Please let us pass through your land to our country,' but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. And the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. So then the Lord, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon." But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him. — Judges 11:12–28 Instead of rushing to war, Jephthah raises his voice. His first move is diplomacy, which requires some courage and confidence. As he engages with the Ammonite king, he realizes that he is being sold "fake news." Because fake news is not a new phenomenon. And he is using fake news to rally his troops and justify his invasion, but Jephthah calls him out. He recounts the truth about Israel's pilgrimage, God's hand in their victories, and that Israel never stole and parcel of Ammonite land. Jephthah knew the history, even as an illegitimate son, so he didn't need to distort the truth or negotiate out of fear. He stood firm, trusted the facts, and left the outcome up to God: "The LORD, the Judge, decide this day." Godly leaders never rush into battles that they can settle with truth. We live in a time where everyone is quick to argue, fight, and cancel—but wise leaders know when to pause, speak truth clearly, and let God be their defender.. Sometimes we wrongly believe silence means weakness or that diplomacy means compromise. But truth is a weapon. When someone lies about you, when accusations come, when history gets twisted—don't panic. Stand on what God has done. Like Jephthah, rehearse God's past faithfulness, cling to His Word, and let God be the Judge. Maybe you're facing a relational conflict, workplace injustice, or someone twisting your story. Your instinct might be to lash out, prove your point, or fight fire with fire. But remember: truth is stronger than lies, and God is the ultimate Judge. When we stand on his justice, we fight from a place of confidence, not insecurity. ASK THIS: Do I rush to fight back, or do I stand on truth first? How often do I trust God to be the Judge instead of trying to play judge myself? Am I confident enough in God's past faithfulness to trust Him with present conflicts? DO THIS: Before you step into a fight this week—pause. Ask: Can this be handled by truth, not conflict? Then, speak truth with clarity and leave the verdict to God. PRAY THIS: Lord, help me to trust You as the Judge of every situation. Teach me to stand firm in truth, to speak with wisdom, and to fight only the battles You call me to. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Defender."

Psalm 98 WorksheetThis is the first Psalm since Psalm 92 with an ancient heading or inscription – before the Psalm begins it reads, “A Psalm.”Number of Ancient Headings in each Book of the Psalms:Book of the Psalms: Number of Headings:Book 1 (1-41) 37 (90%)Book 2 (42-72) 29 (94%Book 3 (73-89) 17 (100%)Book 4 (90-106) 7 (41%)Book 5 (107-150) 25 (57%)Psalm 98 is one of the ___________________________ Psalms in the Psalter. As I read Psalm 98, look for the multiple occurrences of the words “Sing,” “Shout,” and “Let.” Psalm 98 has several similarities to Psalm 96! The opening lines are identical. Verse 7 is close to 96:11, and verse 9 is like 96:13. The _______________________ of our God! V. 1-3Israel has and will see many great victories that God won them. Many times the Psalms point back to the huge early victory celebrated in the book of _______________________ when Israel came out of Egypt. Also: Exodus 17:8-16 Numbers 21:21-34; 32:33 (repeated in Deuteronomy)Now before they (Joshua's spies) lay down, she (Rahab) came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in Heaven above and on earth beneath. -Joshua 2:8-11 (see also Neh. 9:22; Ps. 135:11; 136:19As a matter of historical fact, Israel celebrated God's deliverance in song – but in the next 2 verses they are also celebrating that God's plan is to save anybody that turns to Him! Israel was blessed to be a blessing to the ______________________. The word for salvation is the Hebrew word Yeshua (H3444). It occurs 78 times in the Old Testament: 45 times in the Psalms, 19 times in Isaiah. This word for salvation occurs across the Psalms – 13 times in Book 1; 12 times in Book 2; 5 times in Book 3; 5 times in Book 4; 10 times in Book 5. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song: He also has become my salvation. -Isa. 12:2S________________________ and sing because of our glorious God! V. 4-6What is referred to more in the Psalms – singing, or shouting?Let the whole of creation join in praising our _______________________ Lord V. 7-9Seas and rivers and water bodies are often figuratively used to represent the nations. The nations are called to join Israel and creation in singing and shouting praises to Yah! Romans 8:18-25 Repent, therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom Heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things… -Acts 3:19-21aThe word for equity in verse 9 is the word Mesar (H4339), which occurs 19 times in the Old Testament. It can be translated evenness, level, rightness, uprightness, equity. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness (H4339). -Ps. 9:8All those who trust and worship the Lord will be with Him through God's righteousness attributed to them solely by ____________________ (Gen. 15:6); all those who reject Christ will remain in their sin, eternally judged (John 3:36). In the end there will only be 2 kinds of people – those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, “Okay, have it your way then.” -C.S. Lewis

Study Passage: Exodus 12:31-13:16Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” 33 The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. 37 And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. 40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. 43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”50 All the people of Israel did just as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. 1The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” 3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. 5 And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year. 11 “When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD's. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?' you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.' 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 10:10-14. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals." And the Lord said to the people of Israel, "Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress." — Judges 10:10-14 Israel finally cried out to God after years of misery. But this time God pushed back. He basically said, "I've rescued you before, and you ran right back to idols. Why should this time be any different?" That's the moment when regret had to become repentance. It wasn't enough to admit failure. Israel had to do more than cry out—they had to truly turn from idols. This is the difference between worldly regret and godly repentance. Regret says, "I don't like the consequences." Repentance says, "I hate the reason that got me here — my disobedience." We've all been there. We regret getting caught in a lie—but do we hate lying? We regret the hangover—but do we hate drunkenness? We regret the fallout of anger—but do we hate the pride that sparked it? God isn't after our half-hearted apologies. He wants surrendered hearts. He'll even let us sit in our misery until we get serious enough to put away our idols. Maybe you are caught in the spin cycle right now—sin, sorrow, repeat. Maybe you've even prayed prayers that felt empty. The way out is always the same: not just regret, but repentance. Not just "sorry," but surrender. That means getting brutally honest with God—not just naming what you did, but admitting why you wanted it. Then, ask him to change your desires, to help you hate the sin itself, and to love him more. That's where real freedom begins. ASK THIS: Do I confuse regret with repentance in my life? What idols have I said "sorry" for but never actually removed? How might God be using misery to push me toward surrender? Am I willing to put away the counterfeit gods and trust Him fully? DO THIS: Don't just confess—clean house. Remove one "idol" today that competes with God's place in your heart. Then get honest with God about why you chased it, and ask Him to reshape your desires. PRAY THIS: Lord, I don't just want to regret my sin—I want to repent of it. Expose the motives behind it, and give me a heart that hates sin and loves You more. Amen. PLAY THIS: "We Repent."

Lech Lecha: Does God's Knowledge of Future Change It | STUMP THE RABBI (248)https://youtu.be/KdcmlIFPyWkIn Parashat Lech Lecha HaShem tells Avraham that Am Yisrael will be slaves for 400 years and only after the Amorites sins fill their measure will they be gifted the land of Israel. This is a prime example of God's knowledge of the future. So the famous question is "if God knows the future, do we still have free choice?" This very deep and important question will be addressed, followed by questions and answers from the live audience. Enjoy, Learn, and Be Holy.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 10:7-9. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed. — Judges 10:7-9 Here we are again. Israel fell into the same old pattern—idols first, slavery next. What started as excitement ended as eighteen years of oppression. The nations whose gods they worshiped became the nations that crushed them. That's the lie of sin. It always starts with a sparkle, a promise, a rush. It whispers, "This will make you happy. This will satisfy. This time it will be different." And for a quick second, it delivers. But the high never lasts. We've all felt it. The buzz of that secret indulgence. The ego boost of praise or success. The thrill of crossing a boundary we swore we wouldn't. But then? The high fades. Guilt. Emptiness. Shame. Regret. Consequences. What was supposed to relieve us now rules us. What promised life delivers death. Israel spent eighteen years crushed because they kept chasing the rush of idols. And we, too, end up enslaved—not to Ammonites, but to habits, addictions, bitterness, anxiety, or broken relationships. Sin always takes us farther than we wanted to go and costs us more than we ever planned to pay. Sin shines like treasure, but it's just counterfeit change. What our souls really crave isn't a cheap thrill—it's the fulfillment of God. His presence satisfies. His call gives purpose. His Spirit provides freedom. Every other "high" is just a cheap knockoff that leaves us emptier than before. Don't fall for it. ASK THIS: Where am I chasing a thrill I know won't satisfy? How has sin overpromised and underdelivered in my past? What "idol" is currently leaving me emptier instead of fuller? What step do I need to take today to run back to God instead of another counterfeit? DO THIS: Name one area where sin feels thrilling but is leaving you empty. Bring it before God in confession today, and tell one trusted friend to help keep you accountable. PRAY THIS: Lord, open my eyes to see through sin's empty promises. Protect me from chasing counterfeits, and teach me to find my deepest joy and freedom in You alone. Amen. PLAY THIS: "No Longer Slaves."

“God's Promise & Protection”Exodus 23:20-3320 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”CONNECT WITH USIf you have any questions or would like to get to know us further, head over to https://www.triumphlbc.org/connect and fill out our online connection card.ABOUT TRIUMPHTriumph wants to see the life and message of Jesus transform your heart, home, and city. To learn more visit https://www.triumphlbc.org/

In the first message of the Anniversary meeting, Elder Neil Honea, pastor of 5 Mile PBC, presents a timely sermon for both young and old. As Jacob was dying, he recalled how he had to fight battles against the wicked culture around him, in addition to being a shepherd. It is important the younger generation …

Pastor John Ryan Cantu brings this week's message, “Egypt Spirit." Deuteronomy 7:1-7 ESV: ““When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,” Deuteronomy 6:12-13 ESV: “then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” Deuteronomy 7:17-19 ESV: ““If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?' you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.” If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and share it with your friends on social media. For more information about PNEUMA Church, visit our website at mypneumachurch.org. Connect with Us: Instagram: https://instagram.com/mypneumachurch YouTube: https://youtube.com/mypneumachurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/mypneumachurch If you'd like to Support the Need for our upgraded sound system, visit mypneumachurch.org/speakers Time Stamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:30 - Welcome 06:16 - Deuteronomy 7:1-7 ESV; Deuteronomy6:12-13ESV 08:38 - Egypt Spirit

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23. Our text today is Judges 6:7–10. When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.' But you have not obeyed my voice.” — Judges 6:7-10 Israel is desperate. Seven years of Midian's oppression has broken them, and they cry out to God for help. But instead of sending an army or a leader, God sends a prophet with a hard word. Before God deals with the enemy outside, he exposes the enemy within. He reminds them of his past faithfulness and their present disobedience. The message is raw, but it's true: because Israel's bigger problem isn't Midian — it's their unfaithfulness. No follower likes this part — the confrontation of God about who we are. We'd rather God just fix the crisis, remove the stress, and make life comfortable again. But God loves us too much to patch up the problems. Like Israel, our circumstances are often symptoms of the problem, not the real problem. The deeper problem is the drift of our hearts — the quiet compromises, misplaced loyalties, and neglected obedience that weaken us from within. And God knows that if he delivers us without dealing with those things, we'll just end up back in the same problematic pit. This is why he sometimes sends a word before providing a way out. It feels like a delay, but it's actually mercy. His goal isn't temporary relief — it's lasting change. That means the painful work of letting him search, confront, and reshape us is not punishment. It's preparation. And if we skip that work, we risk skipping the real victory he wants to give. So ask yourself the hard question: “What in me needs to change before my situation changes?” ASK THIS: Have you been asking God to fix your situation without letting Him change your heart? What hard truth might God be speaking to you right now? How could this season be preparation, not just punishment? Are you willing to let God do the deeper work before He brings the outward relief? DO THIS: Ask God in prayer: “What in me needs to change before my situation changes?” Write down whatever He brings to mind, and commit to addressing it today. PRAY THIS: Lord, don't just change what's around me — change what's in me. Even if it's painful, do the deep work that will make the victory last. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Give Us Clean Hands."

1 Chronicles 3 records the sons of David and their genealogy through Solomon to Zerubbabel the Governor under the returned exiles from Babylon around 537 BC. Jeconiah was a descendant of king Solomon David's son. But that man was disinherited by the LORD, who said of Jeconiah verses "write this man childless ... no son of his will prosper, nor sit on David's throne verses Jeremiah 22 verses 24-30. The two branches of David's family came together in Zerubbabel by way of a Levirate marriage. Matthew 1 records Jesus' legal right to the throne through Joseph (the guardian of our Lord) as recorded there. Whereas Luke 3 records Mary's genealogy and therefore that our Lord Jesus Christ's actual ancestral line through Nathan David's son. In Ezekiel 16 we have a description of Israel Yahweh's faithless wife. Her descent is said, spiritually, to be from Amorite stock - the earliest of the Canaanitish nations (meaning "great of mouth") and the Amorites were of giant stature as Deuteronomy tells us. Israel's father is said to be a Hittite from the powerful kingdom of the Hathi originally in Turkey and among the mightiest empires of that time - rivalling Egypt. Yahweh Israel's Sovereign Lord had pity on His people and took her unto Himself as His wife in love. How did Israel repay her God's loving kindness; only by scorning Him and prostituting herself without payment. God would judge her as the profligate covenant breaker that she was. But her younger sister, Judah, behaved no better. The Almighty describes them as being of the same sisterhood as Sodom, whose abominable lewdness was legendary. Nonetheless the time would come when the repentant daughters would again be covenanted by the everlasting kindness of Yahweh in the Kingdom of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 12 the Lord counsels regarding the destructive teachings of the Pharisees. Our Lord Jesus says to his followers to have no fear when they are tried and killed by the religious authorities. This is because our Father has power over everything - including life and death. When giving testimony before rulers believers would be aided in their witness. In the parable in this chapter of the rich fool (based on the life of Nabal in 1 Samuel 25) our Lord refuses to arbitrate in a property dispute between two brothers. Instead, Jesus turns the opportunity into a discussion about the dangers of covetousness and the need to be rich in loving service to God at all times. Christ urges the disciples to be free from anxiety. Look at nature and the Almighty's abundantly providing out of His richness. Disciples need, as wise and faithful servants, to be in a state of continual readiness for their Lord's coming. A constant challenge for disciples is that often times family opposition will be the result of a person's acceptance of Christ. As disciples we must be alert to the era in which we live. Our Master is standing at the doorpost of our hearts and knocking Revelation 3 verses 20-21. Finally, if believers find themselves in a dispute, they need to quickly reach agreement with their adversaries, or the results may be much worse. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

September 14th, 2025—Never short sell an immeasurably more God.Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation.Never dismiss the impact of obedience (disobedience).Never be afraid of the repercussions of telling the truth in love. One of those repercussions is freedom.When in the dark always ask for more of God. You need Him more than answers, advice or direction.When I am primarily after God to serve my interests, I have missed His greatest value – presence. God's love for us isn't best expressed in what He does for us. His love was best expressed by what He did for us. John 3:16,17 (NIV) “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 1:14 (AMP) 14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).Matthew 1:23 (NIV) “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 3 Aspects of God's presence vital to navigating dark and directionless seasons. Presence = Guidance & ProtectionPresence = Daily ProvisionPresence = Identity & Security1. God's Presence = Guidance & Protection Exodus 13:17-18, 20-22 (NIV) 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.Israel needed this type of unmistakable guidance because they had never gone this way before. They longed to be free without the slightest clue of what direction to walk in to be free. 2. God's Presence = Daily ProvisionIsrael couldn't connect the dots between a God powerful enough to deliver them, lead them and protect them to a God would could provide for them.Joshua 5:10-12 (NIV) 10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.God as our Provider has less to do with what He provides or how He provides, but who He is - He is Jehovah-Jireh. Acknowledging God as Provider is to never think what we have is solely due to who we are or what we can produce. 3. God's Presence = Identity & SecurityExodus 32:9-10 (NIV) 9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God… 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.Exodus 32:30-34 (NIV) 30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” 33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.Exodus 33:1-3 (NIV) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.' 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”Exodus 33:12-17 (NIV) 12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”Outcomes and destinations are empty without Identity. God's presence gives us our identity. If you are confident in an immeasurably more God and secure in who you are in Christ, where you are and what's in front of you become secondary to whose you are. Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NIV) 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”Psalm 34:4 (NIV) I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered my from all my fears.Psalm 18:6 (NIV) In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) So do not fear for I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.James 4:8 (NIV) “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways I will hear from heaven and heal their land.”Revelation 3:20 (NIV) “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him and he with me.”

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today's shout-out goes to Andrew Nippert from Woodbury, MN. Thank you for your partnership with us through Project23. Your commitment is helping deliver God's Word with clarity and conviction. This one's for you. Our text today is Judges 3:5–6. So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods. — Judges 3:5-6 What happens when God's people start blending in instead of standing out? Israel didn't fall overnight. They didn't storm the temples of Baal in one reckless decision. They simply “lived among” the nations. They intermarried. They shared meals. They shared gods. Compromise always starts small. Like a leak in a dam, it seems harmless—until the whole wall bursts. Israel traded holiness for comfort, obedience for acceptance. And soon, what was unthinkable became normal: bowing to idols. God had called them to be set apart. But instead, they got cozy with the very people who were meant to be driven out. Compromise is rarely loud. It's quiet. It's slow. It's choosing to laugh at the joke you shouldn't, to flirt with the temptation you know is dangerous, to keep silent when God calls you to speak. Don't be fooled: small compromises never stay small. They grow. They spread. They enslave. The world doesn't need more Christians who blend in. It needs men and women who stand out—even if it costs them something. ASK THIS: Where in your life are you “living among” compromise? What small choice today could grow into big trouble tomorrow? Have you justified something that God clearly calls sin? How can you take a bold step toward holiness this week? DO THIS: Choose one area of compromise in your life today and cut it off before it cuts you down. PRAY THIS: Lord, reveal where I've allowed compromise to creep in. Give me the courage to stand apart, even when it costs me comfort. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Build My Life."

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Waiting is not a waste.”~Mark Vroegop (author Dark Clouds, Deep Mercies, pastor, president of TGC)“In the waiting, in the searchingIn the healing, in the hurtingLike a blessing buried in the broken piecesEvery minute, every momentWhere I've been or where I'm goingEven when I didn't know itOr couldn't see itThere was Jesus.”~Zach Williams (Southern Rock artist), feat. Dolly Parton “Waters never part, until our feet get wet.”~Petra (Christian Rock group) “Life doesn't discriminateBetween the sinners and the saints.It takes and it takes and it takesAnd we keep living anyway.We rise and we fall and we break.And we make our mistakes.And if there's a reason I'm still aliveWhen so many have died,Then I'm willing toWait for it,Wait for it."~Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in Lin Manuel-Miranda's Hamilton “The waiting is the hardest part.”~Tom Petty (Rock artist, 1950-2017) SERMON PASSAGEJoshua 3:1-3, 3:9-4:3 (NIV)Joshua 3 1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it….” 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.Joshua 4 1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video over the next 23 years. Read more about it here: PROJECT23 Our text today is Judges 1:34-36: The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain. The Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor. And the border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward. — Judges 1:34-36 We've watched a slow unraveling through this chapter. One tribe compromises, then another, until Israel's momentum is gone—and by verse 34, the tide has turned. The Amorites are now pressing back. The people of Dan aren't advancing, they're retreating. They've been pushed into the hills, confined, controlled. The very enemies they were told to conquer are now conquering them. This is what happens when we stop obeying. We lose ground. Spiritually. Emotionally. Culturally. The authority we once carried gets handed over to the very things we were called to defeat. And while Joseph's house exerts some control—forcing the Amorites into labor—it's too little, too late. The enemy still has territory. The borders are redrawn. And God is silent. It's sobering. But it's not hopeless. God lets us feel the weight of disobedience. Not to punish us, but to draw us back. The pain of retreat is often the catalyst for repentance. Sometimes, God allows the enemy to press in and remind us what it feels like to live without him leading. He doesn't abandon us. He stops enabling our passivity. So, my friend, where have you given ground? Where have you stopped fighting, and the enemy's started pressing? It's not too late. But the time is now. Reclaim what you've surrendered. Step back into obedience. Let God lead again. ASK THIS: Where have I lost spiritual ground by compromising? What enemy have I allowed to reclaim territory in my life? How have I mistaken God's silence for absence? What step of obedience can help me reclaim that ground today? DO THIS: Name one area where you've let sin take the lead—and today, take one bold action to take it back. PRAY THIS: Father, I've given ground I was meant to guard. Give me the strength to stand again and reclaim what's Yours. Amen PLAY THIS: "The Stand."

Matthew 18:15 NIV “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. Matthew 18:19-20 NIV “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”POINT 1: VALUESJoshua 24:15 NIV But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”POINT 2: VOLUME Joshua 6:10 NIV But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”Galatians 5:22 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. POINT 3: VOW Joshua 1:3-7 NIV I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.Joshua 26:15 NIV But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Genesis 12:7-7 NIV Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring[a] I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 NIV When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Matthew 18:19-20 AMP “Again I say to you, that if two [a]believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”

“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NLT) Are you trying to live in two worlds? If so, then I know something about you. I know you’re not happy. Am I right? When you spend time around other Christians, you’re uncomfortable because of your sin. On the other hand, when you’re doing things you know you shouldn’t as a Christian, then you have the conviction of that sin. I have an idea: Stop doing that stuff. Make your choice. As Joshua said to the Israelites, “Choose today whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NLT). Every one of us must make that same decision. I can’t make it for you, and you can’t make it for me. Are you in a relationship that’s dragging you down? Think hard about the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6:14–15: “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?” (NLT). Are you doing things that are weakening your resolve? Think about the disadvantage you’re creating for yourself and the opening you’re giving your spiritual enemy. Trying to live in two worlds is like trying to pitch a tent in no man’s land during a battle. You’re setting yourself up for constant bombardment. You’ll face spiritual battle after spiritual battle, and your enemy will have the advantage in every one of them. I’m not saying it’s easy to turn your back on sin. We all get tempted. We all struggle with our old nature. And as Christians, we all have a God who will give us the strength to do what He has called us to do. It comes down to this: Do you want to change? If you do, then God will give you the resolve you need. In Exodus 3, the Lord spoke to Moses through a burning bush. He instructed Moses to return to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh release the people of Israel from slavery. Moses’ reply went something like this: “I can’t do this. I don’t know what to say. I stumble over my words.” Two chapters later, Moses faced off against Pharaoh, perhaps the most powerful man on earth at the time. The sudden change wasn’t due to Moses’ self-improvement regimen. God gave Moses the strength he needed to accomplish His will. In the same way, God will give you the strength to do what you need to do. Don’t live in two worlds. Make a complete commitment to Jesus. Reflection question: Why is it so tempting to try to live in two worlds? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.