Paula Price

Joshua was able to announce the miracle of the Jordan because it was told to him by God. God told Joshua he would do this to make the people believe that he was with Joshua as he had been with Moses. Joshua's faith and obedience to God is what makes him a great leader. There was no prediction of events to happen. It was the direct foretelling of what God was going to do, told to Joshua by God .

This is a lesson in how to approach God on a spiritual level. Everything that the Israelites are ask to do by God is a lesson on what is require of God in order to receive his blessings and his protection. In order to be in the presence of God we must be pure, clean , spiritual. The people are learning how to clean themselves, to be sanctified consecrated and holy before God. We can not be partakers of the inheritance if we are dirty, sinfully, unholy or unrighteousness... These are not the same generation that was delivered from bondage in Egypt, remember? They died in the wilderness... this generation has to be taught over on how to please God and what He expects, especially for the one who may not have been taught because the rituals were not passed down or keep, or they may have adopted other tradition from peoples they came in contact with. So God is preparing them and showing them what is required to be His chosen people, so they in turn can teach the world and others who they come in contact with. This whole book is a lesson in faith and obedience.

God is preparing the people to enter the land that is promised to them. They are ordered to leave by God to take possession of the promise land. They were only suppose to camp there until God gave the order for them to leave. Perhaps it is was a rest stop to help recovery from the long journey and to prepare themselves for what was to come. God had a plan and their obedience was vital to that plan. They were learning how to obey and trust in God for all things and learning to expect God to supply all there needs.

The fact that she was willing to hid the spies because of what she heard about their God and how He dried up the Red Sea and how He fought and destroyed their enemies and other kings. Rehab believes that Yahweh is the one true living God and is powerful beyond any god that she knows. Her faith and fear of Yahweh is greater than her fear of the king and the soldiers. A faith needs to be deep enough to produce a change in ones life. Rehab's belief was deep enough for her to change her way of life and repent and accept Yahweh as her God.

Why do we focus on a person's sin.? We have all sinned.... Jesus came to redeem us from sin. Every disciple Jesus chose was a sinner once. God looks beyond our faults and sees our needs. We have need to be saved from sin. One sin is just as bad as another whether it is prostitution, lying , murder,.... a sin is a sin... there are no degrees.....God hates sin. the act of sin, not the person who is sinning. Jesus came to deliver us from sin. We are all under grace. It is because of God's love for us that he gives us grace.... he does not want to see us lost...She is honored because of her faith and her belief in God and because she repented and accept God and turned from sin.... I am redeemed bought with a price, Jesus has changed my whole life. If anybody ask you just who I am tell them I am redeemed.... That is why Christ died on the cross..... to redeem us from sin and back to God.

I believe God honors Rehab for her faith in Him and in her confession in believing Him to be the real and living God. It is in this instance that she is forgiven of sin and is saved from being destroyed with the city. Our focus should be on the reason she is willing to hide the spies, because she believes in their living God and has fear of Him and that fear is deeper than any fear she has for her government and the soldiers. She fears Yahweh more than any punishment she would receive from hiding them from the king. She has stated this to the spies, that they had heard of how their God dried up the Red Sea for his people to escape and all the other miracles that were done. She and her people had great fear of their God and did not want to fight against Him!!!! She recognizes Yahweh and calls Him by His name as being the powerful and the only one true and living God. This is why God honors her and protects her.

The spies were sent to learn of the cities layout and of its defense and how to enter it for battle. I think they lodged in Rehabs house because the soldier's would not have thought to look for them there had someone not told them they were seen going there. They were known for their religious beliefs and association with sinners would not have been acceptable. I do believe that God sent them there for it was in his plan to laid the way for the birth of the Messiah. It is through the linage of Rehab that the promise would be fulfilled. God always has a plan and we are called according to his purpose.

God is promising that as long as we are under his protection, He will not allow anything to harm us. Of course we are required to trust and obey him at all times, which means we must pray and commune with him daily and constantly as he has required of us. It is through this communion, this daily walk, this constant prayer and talk with him that he makes his presence known to us and ministers to our daily needs. We are to continue in the faith in order to receive the promises of God for our lives.

We are barren without the love of God. When we walk in sin and do not obey God, He denies us and takes away his love and his protection. The sense that Jerusalem was barren means that they did not have the love, the joy , the peace of God. Jerusalem is the people of God who believe and walk in his word and do his will. Who trust and obey and live according to the purpose of God. Jerusalem was barren as long as they sinned, but when they turned from their wicked ways and ask God for forgiveness and once again walked in holiness and righteous, they were no longer barren. God made his promises of the covenant true just as he said he would. "your maker is your husband" means that God is our maker, for he made us in his own image, therefore we are his people. the church, which is made up of the saved, those whom God has added to His church, we are the bride and Christ is our husband. He will love, provide and protect us as long as we are obedient to Him. He will provide joy, peace, comfort, happiness, whatever we need, he has promised to provide.

"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you; Be strong and of good courage...for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand to the left, that you my have good success wherever you go. this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you SHALL have good success. Have I not COMMANDED you?? Be strong and of good courage, be not frightened, neither be dismayed. for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go..." these are Gods words to Joshua.....he is to lead the people and to instruct them also to do the same as God has instructed him.. it is a command.... to be strong and very courageous.... and to do all that the book of the law has instructed....( to walk in his word and do his will.) This is what is expected today as it was then... they were written for all who believe in God and seek him. God fights our battles... the battle is not ours to fight... we are to be strong and courageous and to do what he commands us to do..... our battle is to be obedient.. not to worry or fear.....but to trust and obey.....(Joshua 1:5-9)

In this scripture God is speaking to Joshua and giving him instructions on how to lead the people as he did with Moses.. I do not know why we seek to reason and ask questions of what is meant by God's word. he requires us all to meditate, which is to read his word daily, which will keep him and is word in us and with us constantly. Jesus communed with the Father every day to seek instructions from him on what His will was for him in the day. We have the word, the bible, that has been given, to know what God requires of us and how to obtain his will for us daily. We are to walk n this word and seek him and do what he is asking us to do, if we want eternal life with him. Just as God is instructing Joshua to lead the people and show them and tell them what He requires of them, they must as we must do everything according to his will and purpose. I don't know what Eastern meditation is, and I'm not concerned with it either, for that will distract me from doing God's will. When we accept Christ as our personal Savior we must read and meditate on His word to commune with the Father because it is through him that God works in our lives and in our hearts. God sees the heart of us. He knows our hearts and our minds.. There is nothing hidden from him. He sees, all and knows all. The book of Joshua is a continuation of instructions for God's chosen people on being obedient to God's will and what will happen when they are and what will happen when they aren't. The promises of God. Today, there is only one people of God. Salvation is promised to all who will believe and trust and obey in the word of God. There is no denominations. No Jew or Gentile. Just God's people, Christians, who are called by his name, according to His Purpose. He adds to this church, we can not join or no man can accept or add to it. Read Acts 2, during Pentecost... "and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved..."

The songwriter wrote " where he leads me I will follow". The old testament is the example of the faithfulness of God to a people who will trust in him and obey his command or his word. We get caught up in the physical and forget that God is spiritual. We are spiritual. The physical will pass away, but the spiritual is eternal. God has given Joshua a command and tells him exactly where to go and what to do. The "conditional promise" is, if you do what I tell you, and go where I send you, I will give you. That is the promise that God offers to all who trust and obey. I want to receive eternal life with Him. While I am here physically, I live to do His will, as I do His will, he provides my needs, whatever they are. That is his promise to his people who walk in his word and do his will. He tells us to not be concern about physical things but to live for the spiritual and when we do that he supplies whatever physical we may need when we ask in his name. God is concerned about the soul of man, the spiritual. Man is concerned about the physical because that is what we understand. We process the teachings of the Bible as worldly possessions because it deals in physical lands and worldly and earthly history. but it is only an example to live by, to show how to obtain that which is promised, which is spiritual, and that is salvation from sin and to live with God eternally. The land that was promised, is promised , the "Promised Land" is HEAVEN....." where God reigns". To live with Him in all His glory. The bible uses symbolism and metaphors to give man something which he understands to compare with. Plain and simple......let's hear the word of God, the whole 66 books of the bible...... Genesis 1... " IN THE BEGINNING GOD''......REVELATIONS..." I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END, SAYS THE LORD, WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME, THE ALMIGHTY". . . Those who hear the word, believe, confess, repent and walk according to His will and His word, who keep His commandments shall not perish but have everlasting life. Not physical but spiritual life. That is the promise of God to all who believe. The body is physical, it returns to dust... the soul is spiritual, eternal... we live to God.

this is symbolism for Salvation which is promised in Isaiah that it will come to pass for all men, that it will be offered to all men not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles as well. Isaiah is foretelling of the coming of the Messiah who will be given to all mankind as a gift of sacrifice from God to redeem man from sin. The old scriptures are a pattern to show the world what is expected from God to have eternal life with him. A people was chosen to show the way to salvation. But when they sinned and did not followed the commandments of God, there needed to be a way to be redeemed back to Him. The old testament foretold this prophecy of a Savior who would redeem man from sin which is fulfilled in the new testament. The chosen people who were the Jews were suppose to teach the world the ways of how to please God. God's plan was to include all man kind not just the Jews in this plan of Salvation so he sent his son to earth to be a light, to show a dying world that there is forgiveness of sin and a way to be made right in the eyes of God again. This is the feast of rich food, Jesus is the feast of the good food which is Salvation. We are saved from sin and redeemed in the eyes of God if we chose to believe and obey and walk in the word of God and do his will.

1 John 2 tells us that we are not to love the things of this world for they are sinful and anyone who loves sin, does not love God. the ways of the world are to please man and self. We were created in the image of God, to worship and do his will. We were created for his pleasure, not our own. We were created to do His will and not our own. Did man speak and create the universe? the earth is the Lord's and the fullness there of, the world and all that dwells there in. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every word into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evil. This is His promise....... Do you believe??? We are all held accountable for our own actions and when we die, that is our judgment day, to stand before God and be judged. It does not matter if we think now that that time will come in the future. When we die there is no more future. that future is when our spirit leaves our bodies at that time and it is up to how we lived that determines our future....did we live unto the Lord? did we keep his commandments??? While we live and have our being, while there is still breath and blood running through our veins. Let us walk holy and righteous before our God now, and then we need not be concern about where we will spend the future, for we have his promise of where that will be.

This is the warning that God has assigned to Isaiah to tell his people. The wages of sin is death. God has promised His protection to those who walk in his word and keep his commandments. The old testament is full of the stories of how God instructed his people to live according to His will and walk with him and keep his commandments and when they did not, they were destroyed, punished and separated from Him. Man can not serve two masters. We have to choose who we will serve.. God has always promised His favor on those who trust in him and obey his will and his word. he rewards those of us who do. And for all those who chooses to continue to walk in sin and not obey the will of God, death and destruction will be their master. All of these questions are asking the same thing and the answer is always the same no matter how it is worded. The old testament is full of stories of the faithful few who trusted in God and followed him and did what he told them to do. Even thought the promises would come to pass years and years and generations after, they trusted ad believed that God would deliver on his promises and stayed faithful to his word and doing his will. There were those who did not live to see the promise but never wavered in the faith that it would come to pass, because GOD PROMISED IT. Both scriptures, the old and the new, repeat the same promise. God is to be feared, obeyed, and worshipped. There is no other god who can promise eternal life. Those who believe and love and walk with him and keep his commandments are his children and will gain all the promises of the riches in glory with him. Those who continue to sin and will not obey will be destroyed. Let us not be so caught up in the world and what is going to happen to it, but focus on what we are expected to do to ensure eternal life with him. Let us continue to lift up the name of Jesus and let our light shine so that others will see our good works and glorify the Father. Let us continue to testify of his goodness and his faithfulness in our lives so that someone will say, "what must I do to be saved?"

The prophecy about the future Jerusalem is that all men will be able to have God's salvation, not just the Jews who were chosen to lead the world to Christ, but the Gentiles as well will be include. God has declared that he will be exalted and praised and worshipped whether man choose to believe or not. And those of us who do believe will receive joy and peace that surpasses anything we know here on earth. There is a lot of imagery and suggestive words but they all mean the same thing which is basic and simple, really. God is the ruler and King and He has prepared a place for his people in his kingdom where we shall reign with in in love peace and harmony. All that is required of us to go where he sends us, do his will, love and worship Him and one another, trust and obey Him. Honor Him as our Lord and Savoir, do his will, and not our own.

It is unreasonable to expect anything from God if were are not obeying his commandments. His promises are to those who accept him and love him and keep his commandments. To his people who serve him and do his will who love him and worship him, anything we ask of him he has promised to give. When we serve him he protects us and provides for us. That is his promise to us.

God says that Judah is confused of their identity because they sin and serve someone other than the God to whom they belong. All animals obey their masters and do the masters will except Judah. The things that Judah are doing is not of God. They are disobedient to the will of God who chose them to be his people and his followers. The consequences for Christians today are the same when they do not walk in the word of God. We are separated from Him and death is our punishment. God accuses them of vain worship, of praying and offering sacrifices and prayers to Him for an offering that they do not deserve, for they do not keep his commandments of loving and caring for one another. They pray and ask of God without obedience. They continue in their sin afterward. That is vain worship. God offers his mercy and grace of forgiveness if they would repent and turn back to him and serve him with obedience and do his will.

This prophecy tells us that the Jews will no longer be the chosen people, that all men will come to be the people of God so long as they are obedient to his word. The Jews at this time were chosen to show the way of what will be expected and to set an example for the world to follow. God taught his law to his people so that they could prepare the world to receive the one who will redeem all men back to him. All men, Jews and Gentiles will be able to receive the word of God and be forgiven of sin and have the gift of eternal life. The prophecy foretells of a time when there will be a hunger for the word of God and a peace will come so that their will be no more war and men will live together in peace and harmony.

Judah is confused about who is it's master, it's father, it's maker, it's God. It has become a sinful nation filled with iniquity and evildoers and they have forsaken the Lord their God. The wages of sin is death to all generations who do not obey the word of God and obey his commandments. God accuses them of not taking care of the fatherless and the innocent and the needs of his people as he has instructed them to do. it is unreasonable for Judah to expect anything from God when they have not kept his commandments and they are living in sin. As an alternative God offers to forgive their sins if they repent and pray for forgiveness and become obedient to his word again. He will then restore them and they can eat the good of the land.

Jesus showed us the pattern for communion with God the father. Each day before sunrise he would go to a solitude place to pray alone. That was his way of talking to his father and giving thanks and for receiving his instructions for the day. He would often tell his disciples that he does nothing on his own but he does only what his father does and say. Jesus came to do the will of God the father and his prayer time was his way of communing with God to receive his instructions on what was to be done for the day. The only power that we have comes from God the father. Jesus knew this and lived his live according to the will and the power of God the father. God's spirit lives in us to do his will, not our will. We were created in him for good works, to worship and to do his will. We are nothing except by his will and grace and mercy. He created us for his glory, all things come of thee o Lord and of Thine own have we given back to Thee. I find that my day goes better when I start with prayer praise and worship and it does not have to be long and drawn out just grateful and sincere. But I also just let the spirit led me when I listen and hear him speak. There are days when I spend all day in bible study and on piano singing and worshipping by myself. then there are days when I share devotion time with a prayer partner by phone and we can spend 2 or 3 hours just praying and praising and reading scripture and singing hymns and just lifting each other up in prayer. Communing with God each day is our way of receiving instructions just as Jesus did. For we are here to do the will of God and how do we know what that is unless we talk and commune with Him? Daily!!

I do not believe that there are Apostles today. I do believe that there are people the Holy Spirit chooses to possess some of the qualities of those Apostles. These chapters of the bible were written during the building of the church, the kingdom, after Jesus ascended back to heaven. He gave these gifts of the Spirit to his disciples so that they could continue in the work he started and the disciples were to pass these on to those who believed to help build up the church, the kingdom of God. Once the scriptures were written and each man could read them, faith took over and the need for miracles, signs and wonders were no longer needed because the promise had been fulfilled which was Jesus. Now the Holy Spirit lives in those of us who have accepted Christ as our personal savior and each one of us is given our own personal gift to edify each other and to do the will of God as is needed to accomplish His purpose which is to draw all men to salvation. As we live our lives in obedience to Him, when we pray for guidance and assistance as we go through difficulties and as satan is attacking us, we are giving gifts to overcome and the miracles, signs and wonders are performed in our everyday lives, not as they were when Jesus performed them, but spiritual none the less and unexplained, we can testify to the glory of God and all he has done for us. We are too caught up in trying to justify and explain these gifts. If we are living according to God's will, men will see our good works and glorify the Father. Why are we looking for them so hard?? If we are heirs, they are there and can be seen. If we believe in all the word of God tells us and if we are doing his will then our light is shining and the world is seeing and the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts are evident in our lives, in our walk and our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit chooses who gets what gift and instructs us how to use it. Each one who receives a gift will know and will not have to wonder whether we have it or not and what we are suppose to do with it. the Holy Spirit leads us and guides us in all things spiritual. Let us do what God has required of us, to be obedient to his word, to love one another, to worship and praise Him only, to show the fruits of the spirit everyday and let God do what he has promised to do when we trust and obey.

Ephesians 4: 12 Spiritual gifts were giving for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12: 7 spiritual gifts were given for the common good of the church body. Spiritual gifts are to be used to build up the kingdom of God. Only those who are doing the will of God are gifted with spiritual gifts. The body of Christ, the church, will recognize whether the gift is sincere, that is the reason we study to show ourselves approved. The kingdom will not grow and God's glory will not shine if gifts are not used for His purpose.

I feel that we are too caught up in trying to explain how to obtain spiritual gifts and the mind of Christ. Let us put our thoughts on living the life that Christ is requiring of us in order to obtain eternal life. If we live according to God's commandments, it will take the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ to do just that!!!! It is impossible for man to live a life free of sin as Jesus did , so the Holy Spirit is given to us to help us and lead and guide us, to strengthen us, to shield us from the evil one who is seeking to destroy us. If we live our lives according to the will of God, we will not have to wonder and ponder on spiritual gifts and how to obtain them for the Holy Spirit will direct us to them and in them. It is not our decision on which gifts we receive, but God's decision on how best to give them and who receives them and what to do with them. They are for his glory, used to draw men to salvation.." but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you". God is calling us to lead the world in righteousness and the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. All of these Jesus lived while here on earth in the mist of sin and death. He was tempted at every turn but never gave in. The Holy Spirit was upon him to help him in doing the will of the Father. When we are walking in the word and doing the will of God, he knows our hearts and will direct our path. To live our lives daily in these nine fruits of the spirit is as difficult for us as it was for Jesus but more so because we know sin. This is why we need the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, not to know the mystery of God and the things of God but to be able to withstand the evil one who comes to destroy us and keep us from all things spiritual and God. God gives those of us who are doing his will and walking in the word spiritual gifts to help us draw more souls to him. We won't have to worry about when we get them or who gets them and what to do with them IF we get them. That is God's decision and the Holy Spirit will aid us in their use to glorify HIM!!!! When we speak of having the mind of Christ, we are speaking of knowing how to please God as he did and how to live holy and righteous among sin as he did. It takes a strong faith and a strong mind to do this. The mind of Christ who was perfect!!!!!! The mind of Christ who always walked in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, righteousness, gentleness, self-control. I pray to live holy and righteous so that I may be used by God for his glory!

A person who has not accepted Christ as their personal Savior, who has not been born again, who has not been washed in the blood of the lamb. who have not confess and repented of their sins and who does not believe that God raised Jesus from the dead is not a Christian. We are Christians because we have done all of the above which are the requirements demanded by God. Once we have done these things then we are added to His church by Him and are no longer sinners, but Christians. We have decided to follow Jesus and walk in holiness and righteousness. We may not be perfect at all times, but when we repent we are forgiven and are still covered by grace and mercy. The Spirit of God can not live in a sinful body for God hates sin and can not dwell in a sinful soul. God knows the heart of man and as man walks with God it must be in the beauty of holiness. As Christians, we live our lives according to His purpose and His purpose is for us to do good works and glorify Him in all things righteous and holy. If we are not living as such than He is not in us. God and Christ live in the hearts of those who are obeying and walking in the word and the Holy Spirit also lives in those who are called according to His purposed. Every man has the choice to a be Christian but every man is not a Christian. They have not chosen to live a Christian life. It is not according to how we want to live it but how God has required us to live it. It is His will that matters, not ours.