aliya721

God doesn't honor her for lying to the king's men. He honors her for assisting the spies in doing His work. Each action was on the side of the coin. She simply decided she would do what was right in the Lord's eyes, despite what it looked like to us.

I agree with this 100%. Rahab was redeemed and this was orchestrated by God because He knew that she believed in spite of who the world knew her as! He takes the lowest of the low and makes them His own. We are all sinners and have fallen short. God in His infinite mercy is calling us all to redemption.

Rahab was willing to risk it all. She had heard and she believed in Yahweh. She knew that He was with those men and she made them promise to deliver her and her household. She didn't care if she defied the king. She was going with the spies.

I think the spies were sent there to learn how things operate in the land so that they could easily take it. I think it is interesting that they sought refuge in the likely candidate's house. This tells me that this was definitely orchestrated by God. She would be the one to house men yet she was also the one who had a fear and reverence for God that ended up saving her family. In our eyes, the unlikely candidates are actually the ones God is pursuing.

When I meditate on the Word of God, I am actively choosing to fill my mind with the Word and think on it, apply it, and reflect on it. It is unlike Eastern meditation which has you focus on you and clearing your mind. I want to be in tune with God so that He is who I see and who my eyes are on. When we spend time reading and meditating on the Word, it will renew us as He will speak through His word revealing matters to us.

Amen! I chose this Bible study but I actually think it chose me. I have been going through cluster headaches for the past 23 years. My life verse is Joshua 1:9 and I have that posted right in front of me where I can see it. What kinds of things might Joshua be tempted to fear if he were to allow himself to dwell on his anxieties? I feared the headaches coming at night, waking me out of bed, making me vomit, and there not being any recourse or way to escape. I also discovered I actually have an entire list of fears and anxieties and the devil uses each of them against me in many ways. Joshua could have been fearful of his age, the fact that he was now responsible for a nation. Or the fact that he didn't want to screw up. What does it mean to "be strong and very courageous"? Be strong in the power of God. If we had to be strong in our own might, we would fail each time. It is his strength that we need. Being very courageous is important. It means trusting Him wherever he tells He will lead us and to do it believing in faith that He is right there guiding us. The image I had in my mind the entire time I was pacing the floor with my headaches this morning was of Jesus in the boat telling Peter to come. And He told me to come, hurting, crying, suffering, He told me to come, and then He walked with me through my pain, empathizing with me all the way. What is the distinction between weakness and strength in Joshua's situation? What is the relationship between fear and faith? Fear is the opposite of faith. Can you be courageous and still be fearful?

It's important to Joshua because it is a guiding light, a beacon, a firm understanding that the Maker will never leave him. What reassurance when you are tasked with such a responsibility! This is so for me, especially now. Joshua 1:9 is my life verse and hangs over my desk but this is basically the start. I am suffering with cluster headaches and the pain is unbearable. To know that the God of heaven sees me, walks with me and will never leave me is encouraging and something I can rely on. I trust Him. Everyone will fail but God will not. Even knowing this, I know that I can do nothing without Him. I need His strength. I am so weak and I am just me. He is God, all knowing, all everything and I must stand firm on this.

This is a conditional promise as it takes action from you. You actually have to take a step of faith and move. You cannot be passive to claim God's blessings. In the same breath, what He has for you is for you, but don't think that God is serving us by waiting to give these things to us when we are not showing faith to go get it. In my life personally, God has positioned me to be able to step into a role where I can impact many schools in the way that I have asked. However, I cannot be passive. I must trust Him to lead me there and guide me in the way I should go so that He can be glorified.

Each one is beneficial and meaningful to me. The suffering that Peter talks about may not be in terms of health, but specifically today, I am going through one of my cluster headache spells. This is 23 years of having this, 23 years of not getting closer to understanding what they are or how to stop them, but as I opened the Word, the 2 verses stuck out for me. "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." (5:10-11) I believe that I will be healed and that this suffering is for a short time. My trust and faith is in Him alone.

Peter tells us to be self controlled-something I am working on. I am not disciplined in many ways although I appear to be. I am not horrible but I am a work in progress. I basically need to set my mind and keep it set. alert-know the tactics of the devil. Know the Word because he uses this very cunningly to manipulate things. resistant-we must be consistent with our resistance. It is hard but God is with us so be determined to resist firm and endure suffering- we need to stand strong knowing that when we suffer we suffer for the right reasons, our faith In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul talks about putting on the full armor of God so that we can stand completely against the devil's schemes. It is similar to Peter is saying. When we stand firm, we are standing with the belt of truth and the other "armor" representing our faith, salvation, and God's Word.

We need to stay alert because he can steal our present right from under us. He can fill us worry, doubt, fears that we need not have. We have to be completely aware of his tactics and how clever he is. He knows the word inside out and will use this very deliberately to get us to fall. If we don't stay alert, we will succumb.

We should give them to God and not dwell on them, not ruminate over it. Trust that the Lord will do what is necessary. Pray and propel! We should do this knowing that He cares for us in all things just like He cares for the flowers and the animals ensuring that their needs are met.

True servant leadership is something that will be visible in a leader's walk before given this authority and afterwards. It will be genuine and very obvious. When we fail to do this, we can hurt the body and miss a huge opportunity to minister to others.

Great points. Yes, the pastor first needs to lead like Jesus. There must be a servant heart that is apparent to all. It is not the pastor's church. The congregation is the church, not the walls. Without checks and balances as far as what is necessary and anything specific to church governance, everyone fails and God is not glorified.

The person may not wish to serve for the right reasons. The wrong reasons would be for perks, status, or privileges and this dilutes the church's power. Service should be natural. If you aren't interested in doing it, you should pray for God to give you that servant heart.