PrayingMan

Q5. (Joshua 24:15-27) What was Joshua’s challenge to the Israelites? How does God seem to challenge you? What is He saying to you? What do you plan to do about it? Joshua challenged the people to choose whether or not they were going to serve the Lord or serve the gods of the Canaanites. God calls daily to take up our cross and follow Him. To do that, we must forsake all other gods and things that distract us from serving Him. He says, Follow Me, and I follow daily.

Q4. (Joshua 23:7) What was Jesus’ example of “associating” with sinners? Who were the “buddies” with whom he spent most of his time? How can we balance our lives so we can enjoy friendship with non-Christians while not becoming like them? What is the strategic effect of having no friendship with non-Christians? Christians are not some fortress island isolated from the heathen world. We live among non-Christians. Jesus said we are in the world, but we are not to be of the world. We are to be salt and light and not let the world to influence or compromise us. It is not wrong to hang out with sinners, but it is with intentionality to share Christ with them. Therefore, we should not associate with people who will lead us into temptation in weak areas of our lives. When we are friends with other non-believers, we can let them see Christ in us in how we live as well as how we share Christ.

Q3. (Joshua 24:23) Why did the Israelites have to throw out their foreign gods? What was the effect of keeping these images in their houses? What “foreign gods” contaminate our homes, our lives? What would be involved in “throwing them out”? God wants our whole-hearted love towards Him. Having the foreign gods was compromising their love and devotion. The idols become snares and traps to lead you astray. We might not have graven images, but we have other things we love or give our attention and devotion more than we give to God. It can be sports, money, success, career, family, even church. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Q2. (Joshua 23:11-13) How would you define “holiness”? What makes us holy? How should our holiness affect our lifestyles? Totally surrendered to God. Allowing the holiness of God to rub off on my attitude and behavior. He makes our heart pure, but He also renews our heart and transforms our mind to be more and more like Jesus. Refining us to get out the impurities so we can reflect Jesus clearly.

Q1. (Joshua 23-24) Why are we tempted to think that we have accomplished so much by our own strength? Why are we tempted to do nothing and expect God to do all the work? What is the balance? Which side of the balance have you been on personally? How about your church? We are tempted to think we do it all because we take the credit for that which God did. On the other hand, if we believe God is conquering the battle, we can sit back and do nothing, but God wants us to join Him in what He is doing so we can see the power of God at work in that which we are involved with doing. The balance is joining God in what He is doing, give our all, but trust God for all. I tend to overbalance in leaning more on my strength than God's. We continually seek to trust more in God.

Q4. (Joshua 15:17-19) What do we learn about Acsah’s character from this passage? Name some examples of strong women of faith in the Bible. Name some strong women of faith you have known personally. Her faith was learned and experienced through her father. It is important that we pass on our faith and trust in the Lord to others. I think of Mary, mother of Jesus who received the blessing, though one of hardship and trial, to become the mother of Jesus. Ruth stepped out of her own culture to trust in Naomi and Naomi's God. Naomi's faith must have been evident to draw Ruth to commit herself to Naomi. Priscilla in the book of Acts who served the Lord faithfully working with Paul in planting churches. Over the years I have seen the faith of many women in the churches I served, faithfully serving God and changing lives.

Q3. (Joshua 15:15-17; Judges 3:9-11) What can we deduce about Othniel’s character from Joshua 15:15-17? Why does Caleb offer his daughter in marriage? How does this narrow the selection of a son-in-law? What is the power behind Othniel’s judgeship according to Judges 3:10? Caleb led by example, but then leadership also delegates to others responsibilities the leader is trying to teach others. Caleb threw out the challenge to take Debir to see if any wold step our and trust the Lord for His provision and deliverance. He offered his daughter to any who would take the challenge possibly because such a man of faith would be a worthy husband for his daughter. Othniel took the challenge and won. Later the people recognized Othniel's leadership and trust in the Lord and chose him as a judge to lead Israel.

Q2. (Joshua 14:6-14) Why is Caleb boastful in verse 12? Is this a character flaw or a trait to be emulated? Why do you think he claimed the hill country of Hebron for his inheritance? How can a strong leader be truly humble? Why are strong leaders often tempted towards pride? Caleb is boasting in the Lord. He trusted in the Lord for deliverance and was willing to put "his money where his mouth was," so to speak. He was willing to settle in the Land of the giants because he trusted in the Lord to deliver him as he had stated 40 years earlier and again as then settled in the land. It is a character flaw when boasting is in ourselves and not giving glory to God. Caleb claimed the hill country because a good leader won't ask anyone to do something he is not willing to do himself. Caleb trusted in the Lord just as he was asking others to do the same. Strong leaders are tempted toward pride when they get their eyes of God's ability and mis-places the ability on ourselves. The problem with positive thinking teaching is that it often places the "I can do it!" on self rather than God. This leads to pride and pushing God out of the picture and the focus.

Q1. (Numbers 14:24; Joshua 14:8) What does it mean to follow the Lord “wholly” or “wholeheartedly”? How did Caleb and Joshua differ from the other spies? How does fear in leaders keep God’s people from doing his will? Why was God angry with Israel for their unwillingness to enter the Promised Land? I so appreciated this study on Caleb. We hear a lot about Joshua, who served the Lord whole-heartedly, but seldom hear about Caleb. Caleb served the Lord with all his heart and trusted the Lord, even in a land of the giants. Joshua and Caleb saw the opposition in the Promised Land, not as an impossible task, but as a task that God was more than sufficient. They believed God could bring them in and deliver them from any enemy. The other ten spies only saw through their weak, human eyes. They did not regard the power of the Lord. Fear keeps leaders from stepping out in faith and trust in the Lord when He leads. We fear rejection, failure, ridicule, or being inadequate for the task. Caleb knew he was inadequate, but God is more than adequate and God leading them, would lead them through to victory. God was angry with Israel because they failed the trust lesson time and time again. They refused to trust the Lord for provision and protection, now they wouldn't trust Him for fulfilling HIs promise to enter the Promised Land.

Q4. How does Bob Munger’s “My Heart, Christ’s Home” explain the process of surrender to Christ. When we surrender to Christ, what happens to the ugly things in our lives that displease God? What is the effect on us? Munger likens the Christian life to Jesus coming into our house. In the process of sanctification, we initially give him the master key, but then he begins to go room by room cleaning and pointing out things that we need to change. He seeks to transform our house by making it His home where he dwells within us as our Savior and our Lord. He rids us of the ugliness and transforms it into something pure, holy and glorious.

Q3. In what way does failing to drive out the Canaanites correspond to compromising with sin in our lives? What is the consequence of this compromise? What must we do to end the compromise? For the Israelites, when they compromised, the effect on them is compromise with sin and with their influence to sin. We see that negative influence in Judges. When we compromise with sin in our lives, it also has a negative and growing influence in our lives toward sin and further and further away from God. Jesus talked about gouging out your eye that causes you to sin or cutting off your hand. Though I don't believe he was being literal, the imagery is that of "nipping sin in the bud" immediately and completely so as not to "play with fire" when it comes to temptation and sin.

Q2. (Joshua 16-19) Why did God tell the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites completely? What was the short-term result of failing to do this? (Joshua 17:12-13). What was the long-term result? (Judges 2:1-3). The Israelites were to take, divide and possess the land of the Canaanites. God had determined that the Canaanites were under judgement and were not to continue in their sin. The Israelites were to take the land, as God gave them victory over the Canaanites. Then they were to divide the land among the tribes and each possess their allotment. When they did not complete destroy that which God said to destroy, the enemy continued to be a major problem for them. In the long run, the problem grew.

Q1. (Joshua 10:1-28) In the Battle of the Five Kings, what fighting did God do? What fighting did the Israelites do? How did God fulfill his promise to Joshua that “no one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life” (Joshua 1:5)? Does God expect us to be prepared to fight in the battle with our enemy the devil? How? Joshua went before the Lord and the Lord sent him against the Amorites and routed them. Then God sent a hailstorm and greatly diminished their army. Then God stopped the sun giving the Israelites victory over their enemies. The Israelites fought, but God gave them the advantage to victory. We have been given the armor of God to stand against the devil in the same way. We have to advance, but God empowers us to the victory

Q4. (Joshua 9:14; 7:1-5) How did Joshua’s failure to consult God before making decisions hurt Israel? How did Jesus model close communication with God before making major decisions? What does it take for us to hear God’s voice or to get confirmation from God for a course of action? He did not learn God's insight and wisdom. He prayed with the Father before making any major decisions. We ought to do the same. It is okay to answer, "I need to pray about it, first." Then we listen through the Spirit, God's Word and other godly and wise counsel. Using the example of Jesus to take all major decision to the Lord is not a bad example to follow.

Q3. (Joshua 9:16-27; Exodus 20:7; Matthew 5:34, 37; James 5:12) What does it mean to “take the Lord’s name in vain”? How are we tempted to do that? Why do we tend to take our promises so lightly? How does this reflect on God’s character? This includes swearing or cussing, swearing by His name and not honoring it, or flippantly using God's name in ways that are not specifically talking about God or to Him. We take God's name lightly and not realize how serious it is to use God's name. I have heard people say flippantly, in order to give credence to what they are saying, ""God told me that we are to do this. . ." The intention is to manipulate what the person wants more than what God really wants. Doing this can make God seem less than who He really is.

Q2. (Joshua 7:20-21; Malachi 3:8-9; Luke 12:15) How is it possible for both rich and poor to suffer from greed? How can our greed affect our giving to the church? To what degree do you believe Americans are captives of greed? How do we repent and free ourselves from greed? Rich and poor have a desire for more than what they have. Neither are content. A poor man without money can love money as much as a man with lots of money. Greed and the love of money can compromise their faith in God. You see this in how much time they spend on trying to get more of what they don't have. Greed makes us stingy. We withohold from God justifying that we need it more than God needs it. The justification is false as God does not need our money, but He does know we need to be generous, not stingy. Hold loosely to what we have because we are not the owners, God is. Americans are known to be generous, but it may appear to be more than it actually is. Though we give a lot to help others, the percentage of what we have and that which we keep for ourselves reveals how greedy we are. In the incident of the widow and her two mites, it was not how much she gave that measured her trust, but what she did not hold back. The rich gave more dollars, but held much more back for themselves. She gave all she had and trusted God for what she didn't have. We should learn that lesson of generosity and faithfulness.

Q1. (Joshua 7) How can the sin of one person affect a country? A congregation? How does your congregation deal with sin that affects the body? How can we take sin seriously without developing a judgmental, legalistic spirit in our churches? What is the importance of confessing sins on behalf a congregation, a denomination, or a nation? This question has always troubled me. I understand that a shot fired or a secret shared with an enemy affects the whole army, And I can see Achan's sin against God was serious, especially after God explicitly told them not to do what he did. I also understand the structure of authority in that Adam's sin affected all under his authority, including Eve and the creation. But Achan was not an authority and the army wasn't under his command. And I understand that a person is responsible for his own sin and not the sins of others. This is why Achan's sin affecting the whole nation when they were not knowledgeable of it not complicit in it. Our congregation is filled with people who fail weekly, Are individual sins enough to take God's protection and blessing from a whole congregation. Who could stand? I do think we need confession and if a sin affects the entire congregation, it needs to be dealt with with the entire congregation, such as a church split. Confession in behalf of a church, denomination or a nation (as did Nehemiah) is good for the individual, but the responsibility still lies on the guilty to also confess. This is an area I have more questions than answers.

Q4. (Joshua 6:27) The slaughter of all the people in Jericho is difficult for us to understand. Why do you think God ordered it? In what sense are you “devoted to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Metaphorically, how does this relate to Jesus’ teaching to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him, and Paul’s teaching on the crucified life? (Luke 9:23; Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20 wrath and judgement are always hard for us to understand when we exclusively emphasize God's love and grace, but not His justice and judgement. Jericho had seven days to repent. Thyey were "tightly closed up." People today who resist the gospel also stand in danger of judgement because the have rejected Jesus. The Israelites needed that which was devoted to sin, become devoted to the Lord, even as we need to do the same. This is the meaning of the mentioned passages and what we need to do ourselves.

Q3. (Joshua 6:1-23) What is the meaning of the seven days of marching with the ark? What does the ark represent? What mechanism do you think God used to make the walls fall seven is a number that means fullness of complete. God shows mercy to Jericho by giving them an opportunity to repent, as did Rahab. The ark going before them represented their king going into battle before them, being God Himself. I think it matters not what mechanism was used to bring the walls down. I believe it only matters that God brought the walls down. Focusing too much on mechanism only detracts from the power of God to do what He does.

Q2. (Joshua 5:14) What is the significance of the Commander of God’s Armies being with you? If he will fight your battles for you, what does your job consist of? Jesus will fight the battles for me, but it is up to me to proceed by faith that He is with me as I follow Him.

Q1. (Joshua 5:13-16) What is Joshua’s challenge question to the Unknown Warrior with drawn sword? Who is He? Whose side is He on? Whose side are you on? Why does an encounter with Him require us to humble ourselves? Why is it so hard to submit ourselves to God? whose side are you on? But as God appearing before Joshua, not merely a man or angel, the question is backwards. The real question is whether we are on God's side, no matter if our cause is just or not. It matters. To whose side God is on in my life, but if I am on God's side. Our focus needs to God-centered not me-centered.

Q5. (Joshua 5:12) Why did the manna cease at this time? In our lives, why does God let us experience times of manna? Why does he sometimes let the manna cease? In your own life, are you in a stage of receiving manna or planting seeds for a future crop? The manna came at a time when the Israelites needed to learn to trust in the Lord. When the time came for it to end, God's provision would come in different ways in that God would provide for a crop to feed the people. But God warned that they remember from which the produce came. The last question is a good question that I am not sure of the answer. In some ways He is providing manna and in other ways He is having me work the land and give Him the credit.

Q4. (Joshua 4) Why did Joshua have men from each tribe stack river boulders for a monument? What was the effect of this on future generations? What is the value of faith monuments in our day? What is the danger? Does your church building have more monuments to the past than indications of God’s present working? Why? The boulders were to be a memorial in order to tell other generations what God had done in that place. They would know that God did mighty works and the people could put their trust in Him. It reminds us of what happened there. Sometimes it is a sad thing, but the memorials we bring before the Lord are memorials to remember what God has done for us. One of those memorials is the Lord's Supper reminding us of what Jesus did for us. Memorials of the past are not so much a problem here. The church has done well not to make them icons.

Q3. (Joshua 3:13-17) How was Joshua able to announce the miracle of Jordan stopping its flow ahead of the event? What kind of faith did it require to do so? What did this do for his credibility as a leader? Joshua announced so they would know that the Lord was with them, choose 12 men to carry the ark and step into the Jordan River and God would provide a way across. It took great faith for Joshua told the men carrying the ark that the water wouldn't stop until they stepped foot into the water. The river was at flood stage. When the water stopped, the people would have been reminded how God was wth Moses when the Red Sea was parted. Now God was with Joshua as the water of the Jordan parted and the people walked through on dry ground.

Q2. (Joshua 3:5) Why did the Israelites need to consecrate themselves? What might this entail? In what ways do you personally need to reconsecrate yourself? What would this require of you? What would your congregation need to do to reconsecrate itself? My thought added to the description of what was said they did in Exodus was that they were getting ready for something special. Their encounter with God and what God wanted them to do required they treat this occasion like something special, as we would celebrate a wedding or a special service. It is a good reminder that when we are about to endeavor to join with God in doing something special, we ought to treat it that way, not like it was just an everyday occurrence. As a pastor, I know Sundays are special and I spend more time in prayer for the fact that God's people are coming together to meet with God and I am shepherding them. I give myself even more so in consecrating myself in preparation. More time in prayer and in God's Word and calling others to do the same is good preparation.