Joshua 15, Psalm 149, 2 Thessalonians 1

Joshua 15 details the borders, and cities within them, that outlined the land Judah would inherit. This was a huge area and included the city of Jerusalem. It was up to the people to take the land for themselves. Caleb's land lay in part of this area and he drove out three real giants. He put muscle where his mouth was. He acted on the faith he had already verbalized. Faith is only as good as the actions based on it. Faith is the glove on the hand.

Judah was not able to drive out the inhabitants of Jerusalem with the result that they had to share space. The Bible gives no reason for this failure, nor does it outline specific, serious consequences. The situation apparently was simply not as ideal as it could have been. The Judah-ites may never have known what could have been. When we fail to act in full faith, we miss opportunity and may never even realize it. But that doesn't excuse our failure or negate it. God knows.

Psalm 149 describes the pairing of faith with action a little bit differently. When the people are full of praise and worship, when their joy overflows, then they are prepared to go out with the sword. "This honor have all His saints." This verse (9) refers to us even now. Verse 3 describes being filled up completely with praise; our bodies overflow with it in dance and song. Only at this point do we have what we need to fight and win. I believe this describes the filling of the Holy Spirit and the power He provides.

Here is another example of faith and working power. The Thessalonian Christians suffered persecution, but Paul reminds them of the power of God  to overcome and destroy enemies. It is Jesus Christ who actually does it for us. We just have to engage.

Verse 11: " . . . That our God would . . . fulfill . . . the work of faith with power."

Joshua 14, Psalm 148, 1 Thessalonians 5

Joshua divided up the land among the tribes for their inheritance west of the Jordan before they had conquered it. What faith! Not only that, but Caleb, the other spy from forty years earlier, who along with Joshua believed and trusted the Lord, wanted to inherit (and thus fight to conquer) the part of the land famous for its giants. And he was 85 years old! These men are certainly "Heroes of the Faith" for me. When I face my "giants" I'll remember them.

How do stars and waters, sea creatures and cattle, hail, snow and wind praise the Lord? Through obedience. Doing what they were created to do. My ultimate praise to God is also obedience. Even if I'm afraid, I will follow the example of Caleb.

In case we wonder what obedience looks like, Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5. After assuring us of the ultimate triumph, he gives exhortations for right living. Living this way will bring praise to the Lord.

Joshua 13, Psalm 147, 1 Thessalonians 4

Joshua was old and had fought many battles for control of cities in the Promised Land. But God said, "There remains very much land yet to be conquered." I wonder how it felt to hear those words and know they were true. Yet I do hear them every day. "So much to do and so little time." The victories of my past are, indeed, past. I have to look forward. God also told Joshua to go ahead and divide the land among the tribes so they would know where their inheritance lay. Chapter 13 details what had already been conquered east of the Jordan.

Seeing at least part of the dream already come true and settled surely must have motivated the warriors to keep fighting for the rest. So take time to savor your victories thus far--but not too much. Remember them, then move on. Go take the rest of your inheritance.

"The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those whose hope is His mercy." (Psalm 147:11) This is the key to victory and ultimate peace. It is the Lord who does all the great things listed in this Psalm, not a man or woman. (See verse 10) We can trust Him to provide. And then we need to praise HIm for having done so.

If we want to know how to live in the "land" the Lord has given us, how to act as occupiers, 1 Thessalonians 4 tells us.

1. Remain sexually pure. In those days and in these, it is exceedingly difficult to stay pure. Not only does temptation abound, but so does social acceptance of any sort of deviant behavior. This point is crucial, however.
2. Lead a quiet life. Work to support yourself and love your fellow Christians. This means minding your own business! Paul did actually say those words.
3. Keep the end in mind. Peace comes from knowing how the story ends.

Joshua knew how it would end, David knew, and Paul knew. We do, too.

Joshua 12, Psalm 146, 1 Thessalonians 3

Pure victory. All-out, absolute, unequivocated, complete, total, without-a-doubt victory. That was the end result of the battles Moses and Joshua fought. If God is for us, indeed, who can be against us? Thirty-one kings and their armies were completely wiped out. The land belonged to the Israelites.

Who is the King of the land? The Lord is. "Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help." (verse 3) Don't put your trust in earthly princes because they'll let you down every time. The Lord is a wise, righteous, benevolent ruler.

Paul was on pins and needles of anxiety over the Thessalonians until he found out that they had remained faithful to the gospel. It seems in verses 1-4 that his physical afflictions had left him so scarred that he was afraid for the Thessalonians to see him. That maybe they would be disheartened by seeing him. But warriors do bear scars. Paul heard back from Timothy that they were still living proof of the victory of salvation.

Victory. It requires trusting the Lord as your general, and engaging in battle ourselves. It can also mean physical persecution and certainly does mean spiritual and emotional persecution by Satan. We will be wounded and we will have scars. But scars, while recalling the wounding experience, indicate healing. We can trust the Lord to bring us through to complete victory.

Joshua 11, Psalm 145, 1 Thessalonians 2

The last battle Joshua fought may have been the most intimidating to him as he faced it. The enemy army was "as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude . . ." (verse4). Why was Joshua anxious? One might think each victory would make the following battle easier for him. But when God begins to work, the enemy realizes things are serious and goes to work, too. Each battle thus becomes more intense than preceding ones. However, what Joshua and his army knew from experience was that God would win. He was their General. Only this certainty could have given them the courage they needed to fight.

We have the same certainty. And we also face escalating battles as God's victories become more numerous in our lives. But this chapter ends with the end of wars. Peace came when all the enemies were dead. We are headed toward an end of wars, too. Heaven is our reward for fighting until the last enemy is dead. But we have to remember Who our General is so we will ". . . not be afraid of them . . ." (verse 6).

Psalm 145 describes the peace after wars are over. God is the Victor and His kingdom is glorious. It is also the description of the warrior's heart. Calm can reign in the middle of chaos because of what the Lord has done. This is where our mental and spiritual focus needs to be.

Joshua and his army took the spoils of war for themselves--gold, silver, precious gems. Paul tells the Thessalonians that he has fought battles, a war even, to tell them the gospel and that they are the spoils of war for him, the great reward.

This is why we fight--to win souls who will be our joy, our "crown of rejoicing" when they are "in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming." (verse 19)

Joshua 10, Psalm 144, 1 Thessalonians 1

Fight and Win. The great victory of Joshua and the Israelites over the five kings and their cities of the South land illustrates the victory of a Christian in complete obedience to God. When the Lord said, "Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand . . ." Joshua took Him at His word and and marched all night to Gibeon to engage the enemy. His faith and trust were so strong that he told the sun and moon to hold still until the enemy was vanquished. God rewarded Joshua's trust by halting the sun and moon. Then He finished off the escapees with hailstones.

Remember Past Victory. David experienced the same kind of victory. He recognized that it was the Lord who did it. And he and his kingdom lived the reward of peace and prosperity.

Anticipate Future Victory. The Christians in the Thessalonian church received great power through the Spirit when they trusted Christ. And their changed lives were a testimony to all the neighboring regions.

Just as the victories of Joshua, David, and the Thessalonians became a testimony to the world, the victory of God in our lives shows to our circle of influence what a might God we serve. But victories don't happen without battles.

How to Win:
1. Put on your spiritual armor.
2. Engage the enemy in the name of the Lord.
3. Trust Him to fight for us and win for us.
4. Believe the victory from the beginning.

Then watch what God does and enjoy the peace He gives.

Joshua 9, Psalm 143, Colossians 4

Because God is in charge, He accomplishes His plans. The deceit of the Gibeonites didn't stop the Israelites from taking over their land and the gullibility of Joshua and his leaders didn't mean defeat. It meant making slaves of the Gibeonites instead of killing them. Joshua could have told the Gibeonites he wasn't bound to his promise because they deceived him. But he chose the "high road" and lived out the nature of God before them by keeping his word. One can only wonder how many of those slaves came to trust the Lord as their God because Joshua kept his word.

David asked the Lord for guidance in his struggle to stay one step ahead of his enemies. He approached his situation the right way, by asking advice from God. This stands in contrast to Joshua and his leaders because, as Joshua 9:14 says, " . . . but they did not ask counsel of the Lord." We can learn from this to always seek counsel from the Lord, both when we're facing trouble and when things seem peaceful, because we always need wisdom, even when life seems easy.

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside . . ." Colossians 4:5. Seeking God's counsel provides us wisdom in our dealings with people. By treating others as we ought, we never know when we might have an opportunity to "speak the mystery of Christ" to them. (verse 3)