Joshua 5:13-15 (NKJV)
And it came to pass,
when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and
behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And
Joshua went to Him and said to Him,
“Are You for us or for our adversaries?” 14 So
He said, “No, but as Commander of the
army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and
worshiped, and said to
Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”15 Then the Commander
of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the
place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
As I stand at the beginning of this new year, considering
it, wondering how it is going to be –
God, by His Holy Spirit, is standing already READY! His sword is drawn
ready for action! He has come to do His own work, His own way and using
whosoever He wills.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to be conscious of Your presence this year.
Help me to behold You and see You in all Your readiness to act.
Joshua 5:13b “…Are you for
us or for our adversaries?” Joshua being a seasoned warrior first
mistook the Lord for someone who has come to help in the battle to take
Jericho. He saw him only in the capacity of an ordinary soldier/warrior. In
fact, Joshua being the commander of Israel’s army did not even see need to
reverence this Man.
Prayer:
Lord, help me this year not to take Your presence for
granted. Do not let me look narrowly on Your Holy Spirit.
Lord, please do not allow me to reduce Your Holy Spirit’s
presence to something familiar or ordinary. Let me see and behold You for who
You are.
Joshua 5:14 “No. As the Commander of the army of the LORD I have
come.” The Holy Spirit has come! Amen. The Holy Spirit has come to
accomplish God’s purposes on earth in 2017. He has not come to be on my side.
He has not come to fight my battles. He has not come to command the army of men
– He is here to command the LORD’s army! The question for me is – am I in
His army?
Prayer:
Lord, help me to abandon ‘my own side’, my own army’,
whatever that may be. Help me to dismantle quickly any personal ideas, things
that I call ‘my own’ that I’m planning to ‘use’ You to accomplish.
Lord, help me to understand why the Holy Spirit has come in
this season so that I can align myself with Him and not misuse His presence.
Joshua 5:14b “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth
and worshipped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
Prayer:
Lord, I worship You. I stand in awe of YOU. I bow down in
YOUR Holy presence in awe-filled worship. Lord, keep me in a position of
awe-filled worship as I behold You this year. Let Your Word, Your promise and
Your presence prompt a continual posture of reverent worship.
Lord, let me be ready to deliberately and consciously seek
Your instructions for everything this year. Don’t let me become so confident
that I do anything without seeking Your instructions for life and labour.
Joshua 5:15 “…Take
your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua
did so.” The Lord was setting the tone for things to come in the battles
that Joshua would fight. The first thing this year will not be to receive
strategy but to be in submission to the Lord. Also, I must be ready to obey
quickly and promptly whatever He commands me to do.
Prayer:
Lord, bring me to a posture of total submission to Your
Holy Spirit in the coming days.
Ps 147:10 – Lord, I lay down every experience, every
knowledge, every effort and ability. I depend on Your mercy and Your Holy
Spirit completely.
Lord, give me the grace to walk in total obedience to ALL
of Your instructions.
Isaiah 60:22 (KJV)
A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a
strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.
Zechariah 4:6 (KJV)
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the
word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my
spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Holy are You, Lord,
All creation calls You God,
Worthy is Your Name,
I worship Your Majesty,
Awesome God! How great Thou Art!
You are God, mighty are Your miracles,
I stand in awe of Your Holy Name,
Lord, I bow and worship You.
