Joshua 17, Proverbs 1, 2 Thessalonians 3

I can just hear the whine in the voices of Manasseh's escendants as they complain to Joshua about the size of the land apportioned to them.
     "We're girls. We get some, too!"
     "We want more!"
     "We don't like that land, why can't we have something different?"
Joshua, like a patient, but firm, father, says, "Take it or leave it. But I believe you can do what it takes to make it yours."
But Machir wasn't whining with the others. And so, he was rewarded for being a man of war.

We are people of war. We must be willing to fight like Machir. Instead of physical enemies, we face intimidating spiritual enemies.

Wisdom comes from fear of the Lord. And a wise person, like the bird, sees the net cast to trap her. Recognizing and staying away from sin is part of the battle we fight. Reconnasance is essential in any war.

It takes discipline to be a good soldier. And wisdom. We need to recognize and stay away from sin not only in the world around us, but in the household of faith. This is where it gets difficult to see the net. We must have radar antennae like Martians. The only way we can sense danger is through prayer.