DON'T REBUILD YOUR JERICHO

Joshua 6:26 “At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho.”

The scene of the text was one of destruction, fire, ruin. But, for the children of Israel, it was a scene full of victory. God had done a mighty work that he promised he would do on behalf of his people. He said Israel would possess Canaan and would destroy all those who oppose his plan. So after they had crossed the Jordan River, the first thing they laid eyes on was the mighty city of Jericho.

For this new generation of Israelites, the site of Jericho’s great size, not to mention its huge walls, was very disheartening. Even though God had told them the land was theirs, it was hard to fathom while starring at walls 50 feet high/50 feet thick. But, once again, God would honor his word with faithfulness to move on their behalf. And before you know it, these great falls had fallen straight down, the people slaughtered, and the city burned with fire, as God destroyed this mighty city.

As they sat outside the ruin, Joshua stopped to make a powerful statement, “cursed be the man that rises up and builds this city Jericho…”. He was so sincere about it, that he made them make an oath that they would not do so. God would have it to remain in its ruins a standing monument of his wrath against the Canaanites, and of his mercy to his people when the time had come for their settlement in Canaan. Joshua said if you do it, you will be under a great curse.

For one to understand the sincerity of this verse, you must realize some thing. God destroyed that city. Man didn’t do it, God did. And God said if you go against something I did, I will cause you to live under a curse. God intended for it to stay that way, or else he never would have destroyed it. It is a dangerous thing to attempt building up that which God has torn down.

What did God do for us? He has given us the strength to tear down strongholds, to crush the things that have separated us from him. And he intends for it to stay that way. Yet for some reason, before you know it God finds us with picks, shovels, hammers, and nails. What are we doing? We are rebuilding our Jericho. The place God destroyed, we are trying to put them back together. Why is it so dangerous to reconstruct those things that God has torn down? If you do, it will be a constant reminder of your past life. And not only will it remind you of the past, but as long as it is there, you will always have the temptation to go to that place again. But, if it is destroyed, you can’t go live there anymore.

As long as the city remained in ruins, it would be a constant reminder that God is who he says he is. But, if the city is rebuilt, then people can easily look and say, I thought your God was really something, but I guess not… But, if we don’t rebuild the Jerichos of our life, we will be living testimonies that God truly is all powerful, all knowing, all glorious, all favorable, all honored, and all truth.

Let the things that you have overcome remain defeated. Don’t resurrect past hurts, trials, and temptations. Live free and don’t look back.

FRUSTRATION OR FULFILLMENT

Ecclesiastes 2:11 “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind.”

How much do you value your work? Are you bored by what you do? Do you believe that God cares about your work? According to God’s Word, your work does matter to God.

Why do you work?

• To find self-fulfillment?
• To meet goals you have set in life?
• To become successful?

What is success?

Is success working hard and getting the right breaks to achieve financial success? Success to most means the accumulation of lots of money and materials things. The popular view is that success in your work has nothing to do with success in your personal life.

A man may be a closet alcoholic, have his second or third wife just walk out on him, his kids may be rebellious, his employees can’t stand him, yet because he has lots of money and a thriving business and people may pay big bucks for his endorsement – so in the business world he is successful. The “so called” successful man may not be happy but he can buy all the pleasure he wants. That’s success. For the Christian, success is, knowing the will of God and doing it.

God in his mercy is constantly giving people opportunity to enter into his Kingdom and participate in Kingdom work. As Christians, our goal is to be involved in Kingdom of God work.

Work brings frustration when it is done as an end in itself. When Solomon looked at the work he had done in his own strength and to his own honor and glory he found all he had done to be meaningless. Ecclesiastes 2:18, “I hated all the work I had done.” When work is done as an end in itself it has no meaning or purpose. Work brings frustration when it has no dynamic purpose.

Two men were working in the country to install telephone lines. One said, “I’m putting up poles and lines to get paid.” The other man said, “I’m helping to connect the world with a communication system.” The second man saw a vital purpose to his work.

Two carpenters are working side by side. One says, “I’m pounding nails into boards to earn my pay check.” The other man says, “I’m doing my part to build a great Cathedral.” The second man believed he was part of a project that had a great purpose and would help many people.

Work brings frustration when work is divided into two categories, secular and sacred. The Biblical view of work is that all work – all work that is good for the community and helps people and makes the world a better place to live – is blessed of God.

It is God’s will for everyone to find fulfillment in their work. All legitimate work is an extension of God’s work. Your worth is based on who you are and not what you do. So when your alarm clock goes off tomorrow and you are awakened with the realization that another work day lay ahead – be thankful. Work as if you are working for God – because you are. God has given you the opportunity and ability to work. Find fulfillment in his ways and you will look at work in a whole new way.

FRESH START

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing.”

Have you ever experienced a setback in your Christian walk? Have you ever just wanted a fresh start? Our imperfection dictates that we have made mistakes in our lives as Christians. We have experienced many setbacks and failures throughout our lives. Sometimes we allow these mistakes, these setbacks and failures to enslave us to the point that we never enjoy the full Christian life that God has given us to enjoy.

The good news is, God says, “I want you to have a fresh start in life, I want you to have a new beginning, and I want to do something new in your life.” From time to time, the thing we need is a fresh start, a new beginning with God. Perhaps you have said in the past, “I am going to grow in my relationship with God. I am going to pray more, read my bible more and get more involved in my church. I’m going to spend more quality time with my family. ” The list could go on. If you have encountered a stumbling block that has prevented you from accomplishing those things, don’t quit trying.

Look at what God is saying in our scripture. Forget about what’s happened before. He says don’t think about the past. It’s over. The book’s closed on it. We need to understand that God is far more interested in our future than he is in our past. Some people think that God is stuck on their past. That all he wants to do is remind them of the things that they have done wrong. God is more interested in your future than he is with your past. That’s where you’re going to spend the rest of your life. He says, “Forget about your past. Forget about the former things. Don’t think about it. Look at the new thing I’m going to do.”

If we are to have the fresh start that God desires for us, we must make a conscious decision to move in the right direction. We must stop making excuses for past shortcomings. If we want a fresh start in life, we have to stop making excuses for our failures. We’ve got to stop blaming other people. We’ve got to stop seeing ourselves as the victim of our circumstances. We must take an inventory of our life. That means we need to evaluate life’s experiences. We need to look at what we have left after the failure. We need to learn from life.

We must act in faith. What are you expecting in life? Are things going to be better or worse? Are they going to be the same? If you act in faith then you will do something positive to move towards your dreams. We need to refocus our thoughts if we want to change our life. If we want to get going again, if we want a fresh start, we need to rethink the way that we think. Proverbs 4:23 says "Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts."

The way we think, determines the way we feel. And the way we feel determines the way we act. If you want to change your actions, just change the way you think and it will inevitably change the way you act. If you are depressed, discouraged and distressed it may be because you’re thinking depressed, discouraged and distressing thoughts. That’s your choice. You don’t have to think those thoughts. If you’re acting in fearful, worried ways it’s because you’re thinking fearful, worried thoughts. Finally, we must trust God for a fresh start. Depend on him. We don’t need to depend on ourselves. We’ve already proven that we can’t do it on our own. That’s why we’ve failed. It is him alone that brings a new beginning.

If you been hoping for a turnaround in life. If you have been waiting for a second chance. Look to God today and follow his leading. Then, you’ll have a fresh start.

LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS

James 3:9 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.”

During WWI, enemy spies used to hang around the British pubs to hear loose talk about ship movements. Sailors would talk about their next assignments, where they were going, when they were leaving—vital information for the German submarines. Just a few careless words would tip the enemy off and thousands of lives would be lost. A slogan was raised to remind people of the terrible devastation that could result from words ill spoken, “Loose lips, sink ships”. The problem of careless talk was so great that the government began to put up posters with the slogan displayed.

All through his epistle James talks about the discipline of our tongues. In James 1:26 he writes, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” Isn’t that an amazing statement? We can attend church; we can preach, and we can pray. We can give our tithe. But if our tongue is out of control--if we’re speaking evil of other people--our religion is worthless.

I heard a story about a little boy that was selling a push mower. A Baptist preacher came along and wanted to buy it and asked did it run. "Yes sir", said the boy. The preacher pulled and pulled on the rope and said, "Son, this thing won’t start." The boy said, "That’s ‘cause you ‘gotta’ cuss it." The preacher said, "Son, I’m a Baptist preacher, and I haven’t cussed in 18 years." The boy replied, "Keep pulling; it’ll come back to you."

The problem is that some times old habits "come back to you". It takes self control to keep it from coming back. Anyone who can master the use of his tongue, who doesn’t fall into sin through the use of words, misrepresentation or falsehood, shows himself to be mature in spirit. The tongue is usually the hardest member of the body to control. The ability to control it shows incredible spiritual maturity and follows Christ’s example.

The tongue has great potential for good or evil. Those who love to use it a lot must be prepared to take the consequences. When used properly the tongue can mend fences, heal broken hearts and encourage those who are in need of encouragement.

General Robert E. Lee was once asked what he thought of a fellow officer in the Confederate Army -- an officer who had made some mean-spirited remarks about him. Lee thought for a moment, and then rated him as being very satisfactory. The person who asked the question seemed troubled. "But general, I guess you don’t know what he’s been saying about you." "Oh yes," answered Lee. "I know. But I was asked my opinion of him, not his opinion of me."

James tells us that the tongue is a flaming fire. The damage it can do could, if not cooled, last a lifetime. Satan will, at every opportunity, use the tongue to divide us and take our eyes off the prize, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord. When our speech is motivated by Satan it is full of, jealousy, selfishness, desires, disorder, and evil. When our speech is motivated by God and his wisdom it is full of, mercy, love, peace, courtesy, sincerity, gentleness, and goodness.

Let us be challenged today to take stock of our words. Do they build up or do they tear down? Make a conscious choice to be a builder, not a destroyer. Speak great things over yourself and others. God will enrich your life.

WHO DO YOU TRUST?

John 14:1 “"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

Martin Luther once said, “Faith is a living well-founded confidence in the grace of God, so perfectly certain that it would die a thousand times rather than surrender its conviction. Such confidence and personal knowledge of divine grace makes its possessor joyful, bold, and full of warm affection toward God and all created things -- all of which the Holy Spirit works in faith. Hence, such a man becomes without constraint willing and eager to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer all manner of ills, in order to please and glorify God, who has shown toward him such grace.”

We have trusted many people and many things. We often trust our families and we have trusted our friends. We have trusted our financial institutions. We trusted our national security services. We trusted our military services. What do all of these things have in common? Sometimes they fail our trust.

God wants us to trust him. Moses trusted God to deliver the Israelites at the Red Sea. Joseph trusted God while he languished in the Pharaoh’s prison. David trusted God for a victory when he was facing down Goliath. Jonah trusted God to answer his prayer in the belly of the whale. Peter and John trusted God as they stood before the Sanhedrin and gave their defense of the Christian faith.

Trust is defined as “basic dependence on someone or something; belief that something will happen or someone will act is a prescribed way.” Godly trust is found in our unwavering belief that the God of Heaven will indeed work on our behalf to bring his perfect will for our lives into being.

Sometimes, it seems that God is asking me the question , “Do you trust me?” Far too often in life we become completely focused on the trials and difficulties and we lose our focus on Christ. When Peter walked on the water with Jesus he was doing well until he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves. The same is true of us today. God can get us through the most impossible situations but we must keep our focus and trust on him. How can we ever expect to find help and healing when we are still focused on our difficulties and not our deliverance?

In our scripture, Jesus was calling the disciples to trust God through any and every circumstance of life. He was about to be crucified and they would be scattered. Jesus was telling them to trust even when they did not understand because God was still at work

If you were asked, most of you would very quickly say that you trust God but there are times when trust is not so simple. Trusting God means we believe in that which we cannot see and sometimes may not understand. Trusting God is literally against our human nature. Trusting God means that we have to admit that we are not in control of our lives.

We need to place our trust in something or someone and we do it every day. We trust our cars to get us to our destination. We trust our employers to deliver paychecks. We trust our doctors to heal our illnesses. How much more should we trust God?

Disasters strike and tragedies happen in our lives. Life can indeed be hard. Life can be uncertain. Life is beyond our control. In times like this, we are left with raw emotions and tough questions. Answers are beyond us as we grapple with the question of why.

Nothing that we go through in life is beyond God. The truth is that we can and must rely on God in every situation in life. In times that just don’t make any sense in human terms, we need to trust in God. The more senseless life becomes, the greater our need to trust in God. God wants you to trust even when you don’t understand. When life just doesn’t make sense. God wants us to follow him when the future seems uncertain. It is only when we completely trust God that he will give us the power of his direction and the power of his presence. When we feel weak, God is our strength. When we are pressured by life, God is our relief. When we need security, God is our refuge. The full resources of God are at our disposal when we place our trust in Him.

DRY SPELLS

I Kings 17: 2-4 “Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."

If you’ve ever experienced lasting defeat; If you’ve ever had all that you’ve come to depend on taken away for a season; If you’ve ever had to endure a seemingly endless famine in your life—God has hope for you. If you are going through a significant period of drought in your spiritual life, when the Lord seems far from you, and his presence seems to be strangely absent. You’ve worshipped on the mountaintop before, but now you’ve been in the desert for weeks or months. If it’s easier to squeeze water out of a rock, than to find the words to pray—God has a refreshing coming your way.

Spiritual deserts are absolutely the most mysterious and difficult times of the Christian life, but they are essential for growth in the faith. In 1 Kings 17, all of Israel is in a spiritual drought. There has been 19 evil Kings reigning over God’s people in a row. And now the worst of them all, King Ahab has taken a strangle hold on God’s people. They had become an idol-serving and pagan worshipping disgrace. Even the priests have become corrupt—or they have flat out ran for their lives. And so to counteract the spiritual drought, God’s prophet Elijah calls for a physical drought. And even the famed prophet himself will have to be subject to it. Not even dew formed in the morning.

Droughts and famines happen in every area of life. In baseball, it’s called a “slump.” And even the hall-of-famers have them. One time Mickey Mantle the all-time great went through a terrible slump that just seemed to drag on for game after game. One particular evening in the 1950’s he struck out in all three at bats. Disgraced, he sat down in the dugout, tossed his helmet to the dirt and put his head in his hands. Finally a young boy walked over to him. It was Tommy Bera, the son of the great manager Yogi Bera. Tommy tapped him on the knee, looked tenderly into his eyes and said—“You stink!”

Droughts happen in every area of life, but the spiritual droughts are the worst. When the brook runs dry in your soul, the easiest thing to do is to wrap yourself in the cocoon of despair and quit. But despairing and quitting are not godly options. There are keys to survival, when your life source has seemingly evaporated.

So the prophet Elijah was in the middle of this drought and things were tough. God instructed Elijah to go by the “wadi” at Cherith. A “wadi” is a small body of water that does not appear, except during the rainy season. You know what that means? It means that God sustained Elijah by a brook of water that should never have existed at all. Could it be that the dry spell that you are in right now has a solution that you didn’t even know was possible? You say you haven’t “felt” God’s presence much lately: Maybe God is even now giving you strength through a deep-running spring that you didn’t even know existed. The drought wasn’t Elijah’s fault. But Elijah is called to be obedient in the midst of it. You too may be called to obey during a drought that you have absolutely no power to control. But I want you to understand this: God never calls us to endure a situation that he himself is not prepared to sustain us through.

Have faith in the dry times of life. God will be sure to refresh us by his supernatural supply at the right moment. We must be sure to continually look to him when we can’t see him, worship him when we can’t feel him, and listen for him when we can’t hear him. He is there in the drought. And a rain is coming.

DON'T JUST STAND THERE

Luke 10:36-37 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise”

At approximately 3:20 on the morning of March 13, 1964, twenty-eight-year-old Kitty Genovese was returning to her home in a nice middle-class area of Queens, NY. She parked her car in a nearby parking lot, turned-off the lights and started the walk to her second floor apartment some 35 yards away. She got as far as a streetlight when a man grabbed her. She screamed. Lights went on in the 10-floor apartment building nearby. She yelled, "Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me!" Windows opened in the apartment building and a man’s voice shouted, "Let that girl alone." The attacker looked up, shrugged and walked-off down the street. Ms Genovese struggled to get to her feet. Lights went back off in the apartments. The attacker came back and stabbed her again. She again cried out, "I’m dying! I’m dying!" And again the lights came on and windows opened in many of the nearby apartments. The assailant again left and got into his car and drove away. Ms Genovese staggered to her feet as a city bus drove by. It was now 3:35 a.m. The attacker returned once again. He found her in a doorway at the foot of the stairs and he stabbed her a third time -- this time with a fatal consequence. It was 3:50 when the police received the first call. They responded quickly and within two minutes were at the scene. Ms Genovese was already dead.

Kitty Genovese was a name that would become symbolic in the public mind for a dark side of the national character. It would stand for Americans who were too indifferent or too frightened or too alienated or too self-absorbed to “get involved’’ in helping a fellow human being in dire trouble. Detectives investigating the murder discovered that no fewer than 38 of her neighbors had witnessed at least one of her killer’s three attacks but had neither come to her aid nor called the police. The one call made to the police came after Genovese was already dead. That incident may be the defining moment of urban apathy in the latter half of the twentieth century. When it happened, many thought the incident shocking, bizarre – but not typical of the way people respond. The question was asked, “What was wrong with those people, anyway?”

The question asked of Jesus by this lawyer in Luke chapter ten is: “What do I have to do to have eternal life?” Basically, he is asking, “What must I do to be saved?” When he asked Jesus the question about eternal life, he was asking what Jesus saw as the essential requirements of the Law. Much like the rich young ruler of Matthew he seems to be saying, “What good thing must I do in order to have eternal life?” I can just see Jesus smiling as he throws the question back in the lawyer’s lap. He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" Jesus restraints from giving the man an answer and rather says to him, “You know the law, what does it say?” "… You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and "your neighbor as yourself."’ And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." Jesus asks the question; the man gives the answer and then Jesus responds by saying, “Good answer, now do it.”

The story of the Good Samaritan is an account of unbiased and Christ-like love that generates compassion that, in turn, generates action. How do we fulfill this requirement to love our neighbor? We don’t just stand there when they have a need. We allow that love to rise up within us. We allow it to move us to act on their behalf, not based upon their worth or even their relationship to us, but simply because we have the love of God within us.

As believers we ought to remember that compassion feels. When that Samaritan looked at that suffering man lying half-dead by the side of the road, something happened in his gut; something that made it impossible for him to walk away. He didn’t decide to help this guy on the basis of how worthy he was. He helped him because of how needy he was.

We must also know that compassion acts. The Samaritan man doesn’t pass by on the other side. He moved toward the injured man. You must move toward people to express compassion, in order to build relationships. It is not something that just mystically happens, it takes concentrated effort. It often is not convenient. But I don’t want you to forget that the Samaritan is moving toward someone who if he was conscious would despise him; someone who no doubt would not do the same for him if the situations were reversed.

Be challenged today to go the extra mile for someone in need. Let the love of God stir your heart and press you into action. It is the call of God to each one of us. He will surely honor our faithfulness in love. He has already loved us.