Devotional-An Unusual military instruction-Glory & Grace

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Jos. 1:9 )

This scripture above gives us the words that the LORD spoke to Joshua just after he took over from Moses. He was a military general, and about lead the Israelites to the conquest of the promised land. However, when God was instructing him about the secrets of his success, He never once mentioned the size of Isreal’s army, neither the quality of their training. You can see this from the 5th verse of this chapter( Jos 1:5-9). In fact, against all human expectations, the first thing the LORD told him was the assurance of His presence. The second secret was even more unexpected. God told Joshua to meditate on His word day and night( Verse 8) and be careful to do what He says.

The reason for this usual military instruction to an army general is that his success was dependent on God, and not on himself or his army. The same is true for us today. If you think your success in life is dependent on your connections with people or how hard you work, then you will spend all of your time trying to please people or work endlessly. The race is not for the swift, neither bread for the strong, the LORD has told us. Promotion does not come from the south, west or east, but from the LORD. Our focus should be on the LORD, and we will excel in every aspect of life. Do not neglect your relationship with God in the pursuit of what you think is important to your success in life. The blessing of the LORD will not only shower our lives with what others are dying to get, but it will keep sorrow from meddling with our joy.

The unusual instruction above was to Joshua, who is no longer here. What is the unusual instruction the LORD has given you? You have it in His Word. Get a hold of it, because though it may not make sense to your mind, it will put you above in life.

MEDITATE

The Word in your mind and mouth (1 Tim 4:15; Josh 1: 8)

Take a moment and declare those words in the scripture above in Jos 1:9 to yourself again and again. This is one of those unusual instructions from the LORD, to mutter His Word continuously. It may naturally appear odd until it starts producing results in your life!

PRAY

Water the Seed (word) to grow. Invite the Spirit’s strength! (Isa 32:15; Zach 4:6)

Ask the LORD for the grace to take hold of His unusual instructions in the Word for you. Most importantly, pray that your eyes will be opened to see the things that matter most in your life, so you do not put your best in the wrong place.