I believe that God is all powerful and He is the epitome of love.  He wants us to get to know Him because He alone can turn our lives around and secure us a place in Heaven, if we realize that we desperately need to be forgiven for our innate selfishness.

If we don’t even believe that God exists why would we ask Him to help us. If we think that life is easy and fun why would we bother to find out who Jesus is? Certainly in Southern California where the sun shines constantly and the beach and the mountains provide beautiful places to escape to, many people may think that they are already in  Heaven..

Today’s San Diego Tribune online described how many people had drifted away from faith:

Loss of faith attributed to spiritual drift

Study explores reasons people change religion
By Jacqueline L. Salmon
“More Americans have given up their faith or changed religions because of a gradual spiritual drift than switched because of a disillusionment over their churches’ policies, according to a study released yesterday.”

My hope is that the swine flu may halt that spiritual drift.  Drifting into a lifestyle where Jesus does not feature may seem a good idea when life is easy. It may be fun to spend the day at the beach or watching sport, but neither will really help us if our loved ones become fatally ill. If this threat of swine flu wakes us up spiritually and encourages us to trust Jesus, that would not only help us cope with the possibility of swine flu,  it would give us a reason to feel confident about future crises and the ultimate challenge: death.

Please do not panic about the threat of swine flu. Instead, I would like to encourage you to put your life and the lives of your loved ones in Jesus’  hands. A verse in the Bible tells us who He is: “He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; He alone is God.” (1 Timothy: 1:17) Life has many challenges. Jesus is bigger than your problems. He rose from the dead and He is alive although we cannot see Him. I do hope that you will find out about Him in the Bible, find a good church or email me. Jesus is much bigger than swine flu.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Swine Flu: Should we Panic or Trust God?

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Recently in my blog “Joshua : a man of faith…” I challenged women to put aside fear and unbelief and to be strong and courageous like Joshua. I have often heard the comment that the safest place to be is at the center of God’s will, even if one’s life looks dangerous and out of control to outsiders. I do believe that God does protect us as we follow Him and, as our days are already numbered by Him, we do not need to be preoccupied by the fear of death.. We can do everything possible to keep safe: avoiding cars, planes and fatty food but we can still develop some terminal illness …. Faith should dictate our lives rather than fear.

Continuing my study of the book of Joshua, I became interested in Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute. She had every reason to be terrified when she encountered the Israelites, but instead she proved herself to be a woman of faith! Her faith kept her safe. Inaction would have resulted in her own death and that of her family too.

Joshua’s spies visit Rahab

Joshua sent two spies to check out the mood of the people in Jericho, the first Canaanite city that God had ordered them to attack. They arrived at Rahab’s house which was built into the city wall. The spies may have gone there as it was on the very edge of the city and escape would have been possible. It is likely that God led them there as He knew that Rahab would help them rather than betray them to her people. As a prostitute she would have been looked down on by many, and consequently her loyalties to her own people were more likely to be bitter sweet than the loyalties of most of the other residents.

I suggest that you read Joshua chapter 2 to read the whole episode and this link provides an interesting perspective:

Rahab’s profession of faith

In summary, the king of Jericho discovered the spies’ whereabouts. Rather than handing them over to the king she hid them and she explained that the men had left. Her explanation of her reasons for siding with the Israelites was not what might have been expected from a prostitute. She said to the spies,” I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.” She added that past victories and the dramatic way that God had dried up the Red Sea when the Israelites left Egypt were enough to make her conclude that “the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” This was a tremendous profession of faith.

Rahab was faithful and brave, trusting in the power of God

Rahab knew that when attacked, Jericho would be destroyed by the Israelites because she trusted in the power of God to ensure victory for His people. She made sure that the Israelites would remember her and her family when they defeated her city. It was agreed that Rahab would hang out a scarlet cord to indicate where her family was so they could be rescued.

Rahab was faithful and brave. She risked being killed by her own people to save Joshua’s spies. Although the king of Jericho knew that they had visited her house she remained calm and protected them from arrest. Rahab lowered them out of the window with a rope so that they could safely return to Joshua and the Israelites to encourage them with the good news that the people of Jericho were terrified and were expecting defeat. It is significant that God can make people either brave and courageous or extremely fearful. There are a number of incidents in the Bible when the enemy panics and God’s people do not have to fight. Conversely God rewards Rahab with faith and calm at a moment of great danger.

Humility and brokenness will more likely lead to faith

In Hebrews 11, the chapter about people who demonstrated faith in the Old Testament, Rahab is the only woman mentioned. This is a great tribute to her: “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” (Hebrews 11: 31)

God chose Rahab to contribute significantly in His mission to defeat Jericho. We might be tempted to shun her because she was a prostitute. It is often the weak, the rejected and the poor who are more inclined to believe in Jesus (see blog post). They are less likely to believe in their own power and ability. When I was in Chicago for the weekend recently I spoke to three people about Jesus at some length. The police officer on the plane was not ready to submit control to Jesus. The successful business man was not fully convinced of the nature of sin and his need for a Savior. In contrast, the homeless woman wept when I talked about her need for Jesus. She said that she needed a personal relationship with Him and she believed and trusted Jesus with her broken life. Are we humble enough to draw near to Jesus?

Jesus: a descendant of Rahab’s

Rahab tied the scarlet cord in the window so that she and her family could be saved. She had put her faith in God and His people. Elsewhere in the Old Testament the word for cord means “hope”. It is suggestive of the ultimate hope secured for us by Jesus when He shed His blood for us. It is just as well that Rahab’s hope was in God. Apart from Rahab and her family, the other inhabitants were destroyed: the rich and famous as well as the poor. Rahab’s future was an example of faithful action being rewarded. According to Matthew chapter 1, she married a Jewish man named Salmon. Boaz was their son , who married Ruth. A couple of generations later King David was added to Rahab’s family tree and in the future Jesus became her life changing descendant!

God can change anyone. Faith is a gift that we need to receive and it requires total loyalty to Jesus. If we are loyal to Jesus we do not need to fear. The reward will be significant. Holding onto temporary allegiances in preference to following God’s will is a dangerous alternative and will lead to death. Following Jesus leads to a changed life and Jesus offers His love and forgiveness to everyone, including prostitutes and the homeless.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Rahab: From Prostitute To Woman Of God

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Faith triumphed over fear and unbelief

Joshua and Caleb were the only ones whose faith triumphed over fear and unbelief. Do we believe that God must be trusted and obeyed or do we feel that obedience is an outdated word? Are we tempted to avoid moving forward in faith because we are overcome by fear? Does it feel that God’s expectations are so unrealistic that we could not possibly change our lives to fulfill them?

The Israelites had been trained to follow God obediently

At the beginning of the book of Joshua, Moses has just died and God has appointed Joshua to succeed him and to lead God’s people into the land that God had promised them. Moses had been an incredible leader and following such a man as the leader of the Israelite people must have been daunting. The years wandering in the desert must have taught the people that really the bottom line was to have faith and to follow God. For 40 years He showed them when to stop and when to move. God sent fire at night that either stayed still or moved. Clouds by day also directed them. Rebellion against God resulted in punishment, and they knew God’s law because God had presented it to them. Like us they were slow learners but they had been trained to follow God obediently.

Joshua must have been frightened

God knew that Joshua was somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibility of leading the Israelites into Canaan. God’s first instruction to him as the new leader was to lead them across the great, deep Jordan River. We are all intimidated by different things. I try to avoid driving on busy freeways but I enjoy public speaking. Other people are the opposite, but my guess is that we would all be rather concerned about leading thousands of people across a very substantial river. With God he had no reason to fear. Similarly as we follow God obediently and faithfully we should not be fearful as He will lead us.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you”

God reassures Joshua encouraging him that he would be given “every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” God also reminds Joshua of His constant presence: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” It is thanks to God’s constant presence and help that Joshua can obey the next exhortation: “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 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 the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” (Joshua 1: 5-7)

A successful godly leader must be submitted to God and to His word

Joshua was instructed to obey the law and not to depart from it. He could not expect God’s presence if he was not prepared to abide by His rules and to expect the Israelites to be obedient to God’s law too. God expected Joshua to be His servant. The law gave specific direction and Joshua had to follow this. A successful, godly leader must be submitted to God and to His word: to obey it rather than merely knowing it.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened

God’s final words to Joshua, before he gave the order to the officers, was a third instruction to be strong and courageous: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” The main threat to Joshua’s success as a leader was to pull back in fear. God’s words instilled in Joshua the faith and the courage that were essential. Crossing the river before defeating the people living in Canaan would have been impossible without God’s direction and help.

The miracle in Joshua chapter 3 proves that God was in control. The great river was parted by the one who created rivers: God, and Joshua led all the people into the promised land.

The Bible gives us hope

Today some might claim that this powerful example of God leading Joshua and his people was merely an ancient story. The same people are unlikely to have faith that God is their Savior and that He still leads His people. Romans 15:4 explains that “everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

I do hope that you have genuine hope in Jesus. As a child I had ill informed hope, assuming that I could waltz into heaven, because I assumed that that was where everyone deserved to go. God’s relationship with the people of Israel illustrates that their lack of faith restricted them from entering the promised land. God made them wander in the wilderness until the first generation of unbelieving moaners died. Only their children could enter, along with faithful Joshua and Caleb. Similarly, we have no right to hope unless we submit to Jesus in faith, but if our faith is genuine we have much to look forward to.

Walk as Jesus did

Faith must lead to obedience. Yesterday, I taught the kids in my Sunday school class from 1 John 2 verses 4-5. We were discussing receiving God’s love: “The man who says “I know Him” (Jesus) but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”

Joshua, was commanded by God to obey God’s law, to be encouraged by His presence, and to be strong and courageous as He followed God’s instructions. The same is true for us today. If we are prepared to faithfully read the Bible and follow Jesus, He will give us courage, and the Holy Spirit will empower us to do incredible acts as servants of Jesus. We can and must walk as Jesus did. If we avoid God’s truth in the Bible and have a half hearted faith and no action, we cannot claim to be God’s children.

Women of faith and courage

Let’s learn from Joshua and be women of faith and courage. God is always ready to forgive us and change us. We can be turned around if we are ready to move forward in faith, obeying the word of God and seeking His presence. Jesus wants to encourage us to be strong and courageous for when we move forward with Jesus He will be with us and He will never leave us.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Joshua: A Man Of Faith Encourages Us To Be Women Of Faith

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