The Walls Came Tumbling Down

It always amazes me that I can hear a story dozens of times and still not really get it...

I grew up singing the “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho...” song. I knew the story. God’s people did what God said- and God brought victory.

I guess my seven-year-old self enjoyed the story or the song because I remembered it all these years, but I hadn’t yet learned.

Joshua was commanded by God to lead His people. The land of Jericho was to be their land. Unfortunately, the people of Jericho weren’t too thrilled about giving it away. They’d have to fight. To make the odds stack higher against Joshua, the city was surrounded by a huge wall.

Then, at the risk of being completely humiliated, Joshua (who had just spoken to a man of God) had to tell the people that they would gain victory by marching around the wall. Once a day, for six days. And seven times, on day seven.

I’m sure at least one person said, “Really Joshua?! I’ve got this great new sword that I really wanna use.. couldn’t we fight this battle with some weapons?”

I’m sure that more than one person agreed with him. Yet, they did exactly as God commanded them. They displayed crazy, victory-making-faith by simply doing what God said. Yes, they looked odd. Yes, they were laughed at. And Yes, God showed up.

In the radical and illogical situation, God made a way. Just as He did at the Red Sea, He worked and brought victory against all odds. And because of His past miracles, the people of Jericho feared the Israelites (Joshua 6:1). It’s funny how I never even knew that part.

So what have I learned/relearned from the story of the battle of Jericho?

Well, for some reason, I see so clearly that the battle of Jericho was a miracle. 

There is no way that marching around a wall should make it fall, but it did. 

There is no way that the Israelites should have won that battle, but they did. 

God calls us to have crazy-faith. He wants us to trust Him and His mighty power. He wants to give us a Promised Land, even if common sense says No way!

He wants to fight the battle and bring victory. If we could just obey Him..

Ah, obedience. There is the lesson learned. Obedience is the strongest weapon we have. It is stronger than the sword. It is stronger than your own plan. Why? Because obedience is self-sacrificial. It’s  Not-my-way-Lord in action.

When we deny ourselves and just obey God, we open the door for God to do whatever He chooses. When we rely on our own power, our own weapons, we fail miserably. You see, we need God. 

On my own, I am not strong/perfect/good enough to do anything worthwhile. But when I just obey, I allow God’s power to take control and go exceedingly above my own little expectations.

Obey God. And watch the walls fall down.

All God Wants is: "Yes"

I’ve said before how the promise-hunting began in Psalms for me. Well, I also found answers to questions that used to haunt me when I was younger. Looking back, I see how far I’ve come. No, not perfect- just progressing.

Reading the Word of God is what is really radically changing the way I think. I don’t want to think like everyone else. I want to be transformed by Christ and think completely different.

So I’ve also said before how I grew up in church. Something that used to be really hard for me was the hypocrisy. I saw many people come to church and get some of God, but then curse and gossip in the school bathroom. It was beyond hard for me not to judge them for being so fake. I hated seeing them do whatever they wanted and never getting caught. I knew I had to be careful so I didn’t become them, but also felt like I was being unfairly treated by God.

I guess you could say I was having a David moment. I was confused and wanted to know why people who do wrong succeed?!

So I sat down one day to look for some promises, and found Psalms 73. Verses 1-8, 13 are below: 

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
    I had nearly lost my foothold. 

For I envied the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore pride is their necklace;
    they clothe themselves with violence. 

From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
    their evil imaginations have no limits.

They scoff, and speak with malice;
    with arrogance they threaten oppression.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.

After reading that, it was like a flashback to those moments where I encountered fake “Christians”. Then I kept reading and discovered something else. Verses 16-17 are below:

When I tried to understand all this,
    it troubled me deeply

till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.

Ahh, so it’s okay if this troubles me sometimes. It’s okay if I don’t understand. But when that happens, I better enter the sanctuary of God! I better get to His house fast, so God can teach me. Sometimes we really just need to get into the presence of God.

There’s a song that I heard called “Yes” by Shekinah Glory Ministry. I heard it for the first time after a sermon in my youth group. It’s words are powerful and life-changing if they become your prayer. “My heart and soul says Yes.”

The words also brought a challenge and an explanation. This desire to know why people could do bad things and not get caught, but I couldn’t- was answered in that song. (Actually, it's from Luke 12:48!) But on that night of the sermon, with Shekinah Glory Ministry playing, I heard it clearly: “There is more that I require of thee.” Over and over that line is repeated- and it stuck with me. 

I can’t do whatever I want, because God requires more from me. 

I can’t listen to the trashy music, because God requires more from me. 

I can’t go to that party (that I wasn’t even invited to), because God requires more. 

I can’t lower myself to that standard, because God requires more from me. 

So much more.

And even though He requires more of me, still I’ll say Yes. 

I say Yes to His will, His plan, His purpose- because it’s perfect and the only place worth being.

Click the link below to listen to this amazing song. It's long, but completely worth it!

"Yes" by Shekinah Glory Ministry

P.S. I didn't tell anyone that this was my next topic to write about. And a few days ago, a friend came up to me and started talking about this song, how because I talked about it- they've started listening to it more. It was a confirmation to me. Then, as I'm typing this on the computer, my iPod (which was on shuffle) started playing this song. Double confirmation! Thank you God, that you speak Your Word into our lives in so many different ways. I'm beyond thankful.

We Always Leave Out the Good Part

Well, you know how I’m all about promises this year? 

(If you didn’t know that, you should go read my post about promises!) 

So I keep coming back to this one verse, a verse I’ve heard countless times. It’s a verse of promise. Only, for some reason, the promise part never gets preached. 

We always stop right before the good part. 

Yes, it’s all good- but we leave out the really good part. 

Maybe because it's also the hard part.

Wondering what the verse is? It’s Isaiah 54:17. 

“So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you. 

You will show that those who speak against you are wrong. 

These are the good things my servants receive. 

Their victory comes from me," says the Lord.

All of my life I’ve heard: No weapon formed against you will prosper. But what about the rest of the verse? These are the good things. THESE are the good things. 

God has promised good things to those who serve Him. If you do not serve God, then I hate to tell you this, but, this promise doesn’t apply to you. If God’s not on your side (in your heart), then expect to be defeated eventually. If, however, God is on your side, then this verse says to expect a victory from Him. He'll fight for You. 

See, some promises are unconditional. God loves us- ALWAYS. 

Jesus was sent for EVERYONE. These are promises that don’t come with any catch.

What I’m learning though, is that some promises do come with a catch. 

But it’s a good catch. An example is Psalm 91:9-10.

“If you make the Most High your dwelling- 

even the Lord, who is my refuge- 

then no harm will befall you, 

no disaster will come near your tent.”

There are two key words in these verses, and I put a big box around them in my Bible. 

IF and THEN. It’s a conditional promise. 

Do you want to be protected, with no harm near you or your house? 

Then make the Most High your dwelling, seek God above all else. 

If you want the blessing and the promise- then you have to give a little (or everything).

Just like the promise in Psalms is conditional, so is the promise in Isaiah. If you don’t want weapons to destroy you, then you must first be a servant of the Lord.

So where does this leave us? Well I’m here, praying that God would help me. 

Help me be His servant. Help me seek Him above everything. 

Help me to make Him my Dwelling Place. 

I want those benefits. I want the things You’ve promised me, God. 

And yes, I’m willing to do whatever it takes, whatever You call me to do.

Called To the Highest Standard

Feeling alone? Like everyone’s having fun doing the wrong thing and not getting caught? Sometimes I feel like that. But it’s then that I remember the quote, “If you want to lead the orchestra, you may have to turn your back on the crowd.” 

And it’s in those lonely, reflective moments that I thank God for the calling He has on my life-  a calling no one can destroy or dictate. It’s in the moments where my prayers are tears, that I am amazed that God would fit me into His amazing plan. 

It’s hard, but I must remember that God requires so much more from those who say Yes to Him. How can you live like a sinner and expect to receive the benefits of a saint? No, if you want the benefits you have to put in work. If you really want God to take control, you have to surrender. You have to stand up and say, "No I will not do that. I won't compromise. I won't settle." Don't look around at the people who act holy, but then do whatever they want. Look up, to God, and follow Jesus' life as an example.

If you have a high standard, don’t drop it for anybody. God is preparing something incredible for you, and for all those who refuse to settle for less than His best.

The answer's simple: Live right, speak the truth, despise exploitation, refuse bribes, reject violence, avoid evil amusements. This is how you raise your standard of living! 

A safe and stable way to live. A nourishing, satisfying way to live. 

~Isaiah 33:15-16