We’ve come across this before in our studying the bible together. This is a large list of names and places, how can that possibly affect the way we live our lives today? I have prayed and studied this verse but can not have wisdom for you today. So what we do when God appears silent? What do you do when you have a problem at college or school and you just don’t seem to hear from God? Firstly, we have to understand that we are not alone. David, Joshua, Job and many more heroes in the Bible, seem to struggle at times with not hearing from God. Then we need to ask ourselves is there anything we are doing that would prevent God talking to us. And we have to be prepared to understand that there may not be, we may be perfectly OK with God. Lastly we must listen to God. Yes I know that’s what we are having trouble with, but keeping on keeping on, is what we must do. Remember God hasn’t moved anywhere. So, since I have not heard from God on this passage, what about you ask him to talk to you about it.

11 The first lot turned up for the tribe of Benjamin with its clans. The border of the allotment went between the peoples of Judah and Joseph. 12-13 The northern border began at the Jordan, then went up to the ridge north of Jericho, ascending west into the hill country into the wilderness of Beth Aven. From there the border went around to Luz, to its southern ridge (that is, Bethel), and then down from Ataroth Addar to the mountain to the south of Lower Beth Horon. 14 There the border took a turn on the west side and swung south from the mountain to the south of Beth Horon and ended at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the west side. 15-19 The southern border began at the edge of Kiriath Jearim on the west, then ran west until it reached the spring, the Waters of Nephtoah. It then descended to the foot of the mountain opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom (which flanks the Valley of Rephaim to the north), descended to the Hinnom Valley, just south of the Jebusite ridge, and went on to En Rogel. From there it curved north to En Shemesh and Geliloth, opposite the Red Pass (Adummim), down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, continued toward the north flank of Beth Arabah, then plunged to the Arabah. It then followed the slope of Beth Hoglah north and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea—the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 The east border was formed by the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the people of Benjamin for their clans, marked by these borders on all sides. 21-28 The cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, were: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their villages. Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath Jearim— fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance for Benjamin, according to its clans.

We’ve come across this before in our studying the bible together. This is a large list of names and places, how can that possibly affect the way we live our lives today? I have prayed and studied this verse but can not have wisdom for you today. So what we do when God appears silent? What do you do when you have a problem at college or school and you just don’t seem to hear from God? Firstly, we have to understand that we are not alone. David, Joshua, Job and many more heroes in the Bible, seem to struggle at times with not hearing from God. Then we need to ask ourselves is there anything we are doing that would prevent God talking to us. And we have to be prepared to understand that there may not be, we may be perfectly OK with God. Lastly we must listen to God. Yes I know that’s what we are having trouble with, but keeping on keeping on, is what we must do. Remember God hasn’t moved anywhere. So, since I have not heard from God on this passage, what about you ask him to talk to you about it.

11 The first lot turned up for the tribe of Benjamin with its clans. The border of the allotment went between the peoples of Judah and Joseph. 12-13 The northern border began at the Jordan, then went up to the ridge north of Jericho, ascending west into the hill country into the wilderness of Beth Aven. From there the border went around to Luz, to its southern ridge (that is, Bethel), and then down from Ataroth Addar to the mountain to the south of Lower Beth Horon. 14 There the border took a turn on the west side and swung south from the mountain to the south of Beth Horon and ended at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the west side. 15-19 The southern border began at the edge of Kiriath Jearim on the west, then ran west until it reached the spring, the Waters of Nephtoah. It then descended to the foot of the mountain opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom (which flanks the Valley of Rephaim to the north), descended to the Hinnom Valley, just south of the Jebusite ridge, and went on to En Rogel. From there it curved north to En Shemesh and Geliloth, opposite the Red Pass (Adummim), down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, continued toward the north flank of Beth Arabah, then plunged to the Arabah. It then followed the slope of Beth Hoglah north and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea—the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 The east border was formed by the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the people of Benjamin for their clans, marked by these borders on all sides. 21-28 The cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, were: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their villages. Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath Jearim— fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance for Benjamin, according to its clans.

We talked about Gods will requiring action by us before, and here Joshua even shows us how we do it. “How long are you going to wait?” He says. “Take the first step, do a survey of the land.” Sure enough, once they start they find that things start moving. How often are we paralysed with fear, when it comes to taking the first step? Maybe, it is getting to know someone at school so that we can invite them on the youth weekend away. Maybe we are too afraid of what they might think or say, to take that step of asking them. Maybe we are afraid of asking that person at college, if we can pray for their troubles. Are we too afraid to take that step of offering Gods healing through prayer? I’m not beating up you guys; the oldest and wisest of adults also suffer from fear. But God would not have us be afraid; he wants us to have the heart of a lion. The book of Romans in the Bible tells us that we have not received the spirit of fear from God. A friend once told me that the letters in the word F.E.A.R stand for False Expectations Appearing Real. That’s because more often than not, the things we are afraid of do not actually happen when we do take the first step. More often than not, those guys at school won’t say anything for you to be afraid of, when you take that step of inviting them to a youth event. The person at college is likely to be thankful when you offer to pray for them. Taking the first step is maybe just what God wants you to do and he won’t leave you alone to do it. And when Gods with you, we can know that our fears are definitely false expectations appearing real.

We talked about Gods will requiring action by us before, and here Joshua even shows us how we do it. “How long are you going to wait?” He says. “Take the first step, do a survey of the land.” Sure enough, once they start they find that things start moving. How often are we paralysed with fear, when it comes to taking the first step? Maybe, it is getting to know someone at school so that we can invite them on the youth weekend away. Maybe we are too afraid of what they might think or say, to take that step of asking them. Maybe we are afraid of asking that person at college, if we can pray for their troubles. Are we too afraid to take that step of offering Gods healing through prayer? I’m not beating up you guys; the oldest and wisest of adults also suffer from fear. But God would not have us be afraid; he wants us to have the heart of a lion. The book of Romans in the Bible tells us that we have not received the spirit of fear from God. A friend once told me that the letters in the word F.E.A.R stand for False Expectations Appearing Real. That’s because more often than not, the things we are afraid of do not actually happen when we do take the first step. More often than not, those guys at school won’t say anything for you to be afraid of, when you take that step of inviting them to a youth event. The person at college is likely to be thankful when you offer to pray for them. Taking the first step is maybe just what God wants you to do and he won’t leave you alone to do it. And when Gods with you, we can know that our fears are definitely false expectations appearing real.

These people are a moany old bunch aren’t they? They get given a great opportunity to build a homeland and what’s their answer. “But it’s hard to cut down the trees and there are some mean people over there.” I’m glad Joshua told them to get on with it. God puts so many opportunities in front of us, but we do have to do something about them to reap the blessings that God wants us to have. If God just delivered the end result then we would be no more than his pets. Just like a dog waits for its owner to put down the food we would be waiting for our God to deliver our every need. Our God doesn’t deliver our every need but he does provide for our every need. He provides opportunities for us to use the talents that he us given us and then it is down to us. So maybe it’s time we just got on with it.

These people are a moany old bunch aren’t they? They get given a great opportunity to build a homeland and what’s their answer. “But it’s hard to cut down the trees and there are some mean people over there.” I’m glad Joshua told them to get on with it. God puts so many opportunities in front of us, but we do have to do something about them to reap the blessings that God wants us to have. If God just delivered the end result then we would be no more than his pets. Just like a dog waits for its owner to put down the food we would be waiting for our God to deliver our every need. Our God doesn’t deliver our every need but he does provide for our every need. He provides opportunities for us to use the talents that he us given us and then it is down to us. So maybe it’s time we just got on with it.

You can understand why some people claim the Bible is confusing and contradicts itself can’t you. How about this nice little throw away line at the end of this chapter. “They are made to do forced labour.” Hold a minute is that God saying that some people are worth less then others? Does that mean that slavery is OK? Well I am pretty sure when Jesus told us to love one another, that ruled out slavery. What we have to remember is, there were things that people did all those years ago that wound God up, just like there are today. There are great guys alive today, that live their lives on fire for God. But every now and then, they muck up. Not only that, there are something’s that they do every single day that are not part of Gods plan for them. Maybe things they know God doesn’t want them to do, or they maybe things they just find hard to avoid. It was no different back when the Bible was written either. Just because parts of the Bible record the daft things some of Gods people got up to, doesn’t mean that God wants us to do them now. Think of the Bible like an early version of YouTube. It records and puts on display all the good and bad things Gods people got up to. YouTube does the same today, there are videos of all the good and bad things that people get up to. Do you watch a video of someone doing something stupid on YouTube and then go and do it yourself? Of course you don’t, so why would you read about someone who mucked up in the Bible and think that God wants you to do it? You wouldn’t would you, you’re not that daft. We can tell the difference between God using examples of things he wants us to do and examples of things he doesn’t want us to do. How? Because we have his Holy Spirit to guide us, and because we are not stupid. Maybe the Bibles not confusing and doesn’t contradict itself after all.

You can understand why some people claim the Bible is confusing and contradicts itself can’t you. How about this nice little throw away line at the end of this chapter. “They are made to do forced labour.” Hold a minute is that God saying that some people are worth less then others? Does that mean that slavery is OK? Well I am pretty sure when Jesus told us to love one another, that ruled out slavery. What we have to remember is, there were things that people did all those years ago that wound God up, just like there are today. There are great guys alive today, that live their lives on fire for God. But every now and then, they muck up. Not only that, there are something’s that they do every single day that are not part of Gods plan for them. Maybe things they know God doesn’t want them to do, or they maybe things they just find hard to avoid. It was no different back when the Bible was written either. Just because parts of the Bible record the daft things some of Gods people got up to, doesn’t mean that God wants us to do them now. Think of the Bible like an early version of YouTube. It records and puts on display all the good and bad things Gods people got up to. YouTube does the same today, there are videos of all the good and bad things that people get up to. Do you watch a video of someone doing something stupid on YouTube and then go and do it yourself? Of course you don’t, so why would you read about someone who mucked up in the Bible and think that God wants you to do it? You wouldn’t would you, you’re not that daft. We can tell the difference between God using examples of things he wants us to do and examples of things he doesn’t want us to do. How? Because we have his Holy Spirit to guide us, and because we are not stupid. Maybe the Bibles not confusing and doesn’t contradict itself after all.

Wow what’s the point of that massive list of names? Here we just have a humongous list what could we possible learn from that? Well I think we can learn a fair bit from the final comment. “The people of Judah couldn’t get rid of the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites stayed put, living alongside the people of Judah. They are still living there in Jerusalem.” So they are saying there all these people who we are happy to live alongside, and then this one set of people who we don’t want, there is no room for them. It’s like saying there we lived with these guys from the USA, some from England, others from Spain and we had to put up with those from Turkey. That wouldn’t have been Gods plan when Jesus says that we to love our neighbour as ourselves. What’s it like at school or college? Are you happy to live alongside the skaters and the Goths but the geeks are just too much? Or maybe you feel like you are the outcast. Either way be assured that Gods original plan was that we would all live along side each other in peace and it’s is only mankind that have mucked it all up. Get used to it, living with everyone because whoever your are Skater, American, Black, Tall, Goth, English, White, Turkish, Chinese, Big, God will welcome you to Heaven.

Wow what’s the point of that massive list of names? Here we just have a humongous list what could we possible learn from that? Well I think we can learn a fair bit from the final comment. “The people of Judah couldn’t get rid of the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites stayed put, living alongside the people of Judah. They are still living there in Jerusalem.” So they are saying there all these people who we are happy to live alongside, and then this one set of people who we don’t want, there is no room for them. It’s like saying there we lived with these guys from the USA, some from England, others from Spain and we had to put up with those from Turkey. That wouldn’t have been Gods plan when Jesus says that we to love our neighbour as ourselves. What’s it like at school or college? Are you happy to live alongside the skaters and the Goths but the geeks are just too much? Or maybe you feel like you are the outcast. Either way be assured that Gods original plan was that we would all live along side each other in peace and it’s is only mankind that have mucked it all up. Get used to it, living with everyone because whoever your are Skater, American, Black, Tall, Goth, English, White, Turkish, Chinese, Big, God will welcome you to Heaven.

Caleb meets his wife and what is his first reaction. Is it “hey you are my reward for doing battle, so you will do my bidding”? Are his first thoughts about what he is due? No his very first words are “what would you like?” Now that’s an example for any marriage. Actually that’s an example for any relationship. When we meet our friends what are the thoughts in our mind? Do we think what can I do with this relationship, what can I get out of it, or do we ask the question, what can I do for you? There is a really old song which tells the story of a boy and his mother. The mother asks the boy if he would mind doing something and he says he will do it for some money. Anyway, the song then goes on to list all the things the mother does for the boy and the punch line is, no charge. That means the mother didn’t see the opportunity to serve the boy as a money making exercise, she did it because she loved him. Naturally the boy gets the message and does what his mother has asked without charge. This is obviously a key message that we must learn because Caleb isn’t the only example of this type of selfless love shown in the Bible. The Bible is littered with heroes who put other people’s needs before their own. And then of course we have the ultimate example of someone asking what can I do for these people rather then what can I get out of these people. Jesus on the cross was an expensive gift from God, but guess what, there is no charge.

Caleb meets his wife and what is his first reaction. Is it “hey you are my reward for doing battle, so you will do my bidding”? Are his first thoughts about what he is due? No his very first words are “what would you like?” Now that’s an example for any marriage. Actually that’s an example for any relationship. When we meet our friends what are the thoughts in our mind? Do we think what can I do with this relationship, what can I get out of it, or do we ask the question, what can I do for you? There is a really old song which tells the story of a boy and his mother. The mother asks the boy if he would mind doing something and he says he will do it for some money. Anyway, the song then goes on to list all the things the mother does for the boy and the punch line is, no charge. That means the mother didn’t see the opportunity to serve the boy as a money making exercise, she did it because she loved him. Naturally the boy gets the message and does what his mother has asked without charge. This is obviously a key message that we must learn because Caleb isn’t the only example of this type of selfless love shown in the Bible. The Bible is littered with heroes who put other people’s needs before their own. And then of course we have the ultimate example of someone asking what can I do for these people rather then what can I get out of these people. Jesus on the cross was an expensive gift from God, but guess what, there is no charge.

Caleb is eighty five years old. That’s even old in my book; it must seem ancient for you. Not only that, he has been doing battle for God for forty five years. That’s probably longer then you have been alive, by a lot. So you can forgive Caleb for being a little weary. I mean you know how it is after you have been doing something for a little while you do get a bit fed up of it. You lose your inspiration and drive. It’s not as exciting as it was last year; basically you just get bored of it. But Caleb is on fire. He is up there shouting I’m ready for more, how did he manage that. How did he manage to live over half his life on fire, doing what he did, day in day out? Pretty simple really, Caleb had discovered what God had wanted him to do. Caleb had taken God within him; no actually Caleb had allowed God to take Caleb with God. What is it that God has put a fire in your belly about? What is it that you think about constantly? Is that what God wants’ you to do? Go do and take God with you. Better still go do it and ask God to take you with him.

Caleb is eighty five years old. That’s even old in my book; it must seem ancient for you. Not only that, he has been doing battle for God for forty five years. That’s probably longer then you have been alive, by a lot. So you can forgive Caleb for being a little weary. I mean you know how it is after you have been doing something for a little while you do get a bit fed up of it. You lose your inspiration and drive. It’s not as exciting as it was last year; basically you just get bored of it. But Caleb is on fire. He is up there shouting I’m ready for more, how did he manage that. How did he manage to live over half his life on fire, doing what he did, day in day out? Pretty simple really, Caleb had discovered what God had wanted him to do. Caleb had taken God within him; no actually Caleb had allowed God to take Caleb with God. What is it that God has put a fire in your belly about? What is it that you think about constantly? Is that what God wants’ you to do? Go do and take God with you. Better still go do it and ask God to take you with him.

Big deal some centuries years old tribes of people get given some scraps of land half way across the world. How can that relate to us today in the twenty first century? How can what God did to these people centuries ago possibly relate to us at college. What difference does it make to you at school tomorrow? Isn’t this just why people say that the Bible isn’t relevant to today’s society? Well they would be right if it wasn’t for one small thing. The God that promised to look after those people centuries ago and then delivered on his promise. The God that did just as he told them, is the same God that we worship today. The God we worship today in our schools, in our colleges and in our home is the very same God. Not only that, but we are also told and we know that he is the same yesterday as he is today as he will be tomorrow. So now that we can know that he will delivery on his promises to us to. He will do, just as he tells us in the same way he did for those tribes all those years ago. And boy does he promise some good stuff for us and our future. As we continue to hear Gods promised together in future devs, let us remember that they are not hot air, and we can know that we know that we can trust our God.

Big deal some centuries years old tribes of people get given some scraps of land half way across the world. How can that relate to us today in the twenty first century? How can what God did to these people centuries ago possibly relate to us at college. What difference does it make to you at school tomorrow? Isn’t this just why people say that the Bible isn’t relevant to today’s society? Well they would be right if it wasn’t for one small thing. The God that promised to look after those people centuries ago and then delivered on his promise. The God that did just as he told them, is the same God that we worship today. The God we worship today in our schools, in our colleges and in our home is the very same God. Not only that, but we are also told and we know that he is the same yesterday as he is today as he will be tomorrow. So now that we can know that he will delivery on his promises to us to. He will do, just as he tells us in the same way he did for those tribes all those years ago. And boy does he promise some good stuff for us and our future. As we continue to hear Gods promised together in future devs, let us remember that they are not hot air, and we can know that we know that we can trust our God.

So as we return to the book of Joshua, we find an old Man, who probably thinks that his work is done. But what is God’s word to Joshua? “You’ve had a good, long life, but there is a lot of land still to be taken.” Yep Joshua you have been busy for me in your life, but there is more to be done. It seems that we will never be too old to do Gods work. Fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred, God seems to have no limits for those who are doing his work. There is no excuse for you either because God also used young people to do his work. God used a boy to save an army from the giant Goliath, and he wants to use you to. Thirty, twenty, eighteen, sixteen, fifteen, thirteen, ten, you are never too young for Gods work. So if we are not too old and not too young for Gods work, hadn’t we better get a move on with it?

So as we return to the book of Joshua, we find an old Man, who probably thinks that his work is done. But what is God’s word to Joshua? “You’ve had a good, long life, but there is a lot of land still to be taken.” Yep Joshua you have been busy for me in your life, but there is more to be done. It seems that we will never be too old to do Gods work. Fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred, God seems to have no limits for those who are doing his work. There is no excuse for you either because God also used young people to do his work. God used a boy to save an army from the giant Goliath, and he wants to use you to. Thirty, twenty, eighteen, sixteen, fifteen, thirteen, ten, you are never too young for Gods work. So if we are not too old and not too young for Gods work, hadn’t we better get a move on with it?

That’s a whole lot of names and a whole lot of history. So what the heck are we supposed to understand God is saying by listing all these names of kings that the people of Israel defeated? Seems to me that people of Israel experienced Gods promises being lived out in their lives. Time after time God said that he would not let them be defeated and that he would deliver them land. Writing these names down in their scriptures would serve as a reminder to them in the future. How do we remember the promises that God has delivered us? I know some people who write down their prayers in a journal so they can look back and see the answers that God has given them. That’s pretty similar to the Israelites writing their s answers to prayer down in scripture. Me, I find that I always forget to write them down, that’s one of the reasons I pray with close friends regularly. When I am down and complaining that Gods not answering my prayers, they are the ones who can remind me of all the prayers in my life God has answered.

That’s a whole lot of names and a whole lot of history. So what the heck are we supposed to understand God is saying by listing all these names of kings that the people of Israel defeated? Seems to me that people of Israel experienced Gods promises being lived out in their lives. Time after time God said that he would not let them be defeated and that he would deliver them land. Writing these names down in their scriptures would serve as a reminder to them in the future. How do we remember the promises that God has delivered us? I know some people who write down their prayers in a journal so they can look back and see the answers that God has given them. That’s pretty similar to the Israelites writing their s answers to prayer down in scripture. Me, I find that I always forget to write them down, that’s one of the reasons I pray with close friends regularly. When I am down and complaining that Gods not answering my prayers, they are the ones who can remind me of all the prayers in my life God has answered.

Doesn’t it sometimes seem that the world just is going mad. It’s a new year, you’re busy getting used to a new lesson or lecture plan. Then suddenly this project or that assignment crop up and need to be completed. Before you know where you are, the end of year exams are looming, and all that, before the guys at home pile on house chores. Sometimes you just want to shout stooooop. That must have been how Joshua felt. It seems like for years they have been at war, but did you notice that final line; “and Israel had rest from war.” So finally they have some rest. The problem is that when we do finally get that time to rest we are so used to charging around at school, college and work, that we have forgotten how to rest. Well, one of Gods original commandments included a day of rest. Is it possible, that the creator of our bodies, knew that we needed that regular rest? That day might be Saturday, that day might be Sunday, but whatever you do, there should be a day. A day where you can pause and take some time to be on your own, to be with your family, to chill with friends, to wait on your God. Make it habit now, and you will be ahead of most adults in this world.

Doesn’t it sometimes seem that the world just is going mad. It’s a new year, you’re busy getting used to a new lesson or lecture plan. Then suddenly this project or that assignment crop up and need to be completed. Before you know where you are, the end of year exams are looming, and all that, before the guys at home pile on house chores. Sometimes you just want to shout stooooop. That must have been how Joshua felt. It seems like for years they have been at war, but did you notice that final line; “and Israel had rest from war.” So finally they have some rest. The problem is that when we do finally get that time to rest we are so used to charging around at school, college and work, that we have forgotten how to rest. Well, one of Gods original commandments included a day of rest. Is it possible, that the creator of our bodies, knew that we needed that regular rest? That day might be Saturday, that day might be Sunday, but whatever you do, there should be a day. A day where you can pause and take some time to be on your own, to be with your family, to chill with friends, to wait on your God. Make it habit now, and you will be ahead of most adults in this world.

“Josh don’t worry about that lot. Hey there may be thousands of warriors ganging up against you, but don’t worry.” That’s what God told Joshua. Now my first thought would be, “are you nuts, let’s get out of here.” But that is not Joshua’s view. He calmly accepts what God has said to him and trusts his Lord. And surprise, surprise God comes through. Doesn’t it wind you up when someone has the faith that God asks them to have, and then God rewards them for it. It does me. Maybe you are having trouble at school, maybe home life is hard, maybe college is just too demanding for words. And you pray and ask God to help, but it seems to be taking forever. What do your leaders say? I know what they say, they say “trust God he will look after you.” What are your thoughts? If it’s anything like me, you are thinking, “Ahhhhh.… I know God will look after me, but at the moment it’s very, very scary.” That’s a real feeling, from a real Christian, and actually you can bet that’s how Joshua felt to. That’s how I feel right now as we go through our own hassles here at the aftershock team. So don’t be surprised if that’s how you feel and don’t feel guilty if that’s how you feel. What’s the answer? Well I hate to say this, but you, like us, will have to trust your God, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Find someone to pray through the situation with you, just like we are, and I am sure Joshua did to.

“Josh don’t worry about that lot. Hey there may be thousands of warriors ganging up against you, but don’t worry.” That’s what God told Joshua. Now my first thought would be, “are you nuts, let’s get out of here.” But that is not Joshua’s view. He calmly accepts what God has said to him and trusts his Lord. And surprise, surprise God comes through. Doesn’t it wind you up when someone has the faith that God asks them to have, and then God rewards them for it. It does me. Maybe you are having trouble at school, maybe home life is hard, maybe college is just too demanding for words. And you pray and ask God to help, but it seems to be taking forever. What do your leaders say? I know what they say, they say “trust God he will look after you.” What are your thoughts? If it’s anything like me, you are thinking, “Ahhhhh.… I know God will look after me, but at the moment it’s very, very scary.” That’s a real feeling, from a real Christian, and actually you can bet that’s how Joshua felt to. That’s how I feel right now as we go through our own hassles here at the aftershock team. So don’t be surprised if that’s how you feel and don’t feel guilty if that’s how you feel. What’s the answer? Well I hate to say this, but you, like us, will have to trust your God, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Find someone to pray through the situation with you, just like we are, and I am sure Joshua did to.

Joshua is on a run. There is no messing now that Joshua knows what God wants him to do. He doesn’t hang about he gets on with the job in hand. Admittedly a job that seems a little strange, but never the less he doesn’t hang around. He could easily sit there and say things like, “Ill wait until the weather is better”. Joshua could easily be forgiven for saying “well we have just put one bullying king to rights, we’ll rest before we do the next.” But that’s not what he does; God has given him a job and gets on with it. Puts me to shame really, I know that I can hang around until the time is right, only the time is never right is it? How about you? Has God told you to speak to someone at college or school? Maybe you have felt God say that you should do something, but you feel you are too young to be taken seriously. Well if we are to take a leaf out of Joshua’s book, then we should get on with the job in hand. So take a big breathe and then bish, bash, bosh, get on with it.

Joshua is on a run. There is no messing now that Joshua knows what God wants him to do. He doesn’t hang about he gets on with the job in hand. Admittedly a job that seems a little strange, but never the less he doesn’t hang around. He could easily sit there and say things like, “Ill wait until the weather is better”. Joshua could easily be forgiven for saying “well we have just put one bullying king to rights, we’ll rest before we do the next.” But that’s not what he does; God has given him a job and gets on with it. Puts me to shame really, I know that I can hang around until the time is right, only the time is never right is it? How about you? Has God told you to speak to someone at college or school? Maybe you have felt God say that you should do something, but you feel you are too young to be taken seriously. Well if we are to take a leaf out of Joshua’s book, then we should get on with the job in hand. So take a big breathe and then bish, bash, bosh, get on with it.

We have talked before about the fact that there are consequences to our actions. These five kings ganged up on a weaker neighbour and God was not happy about that. God used Joshua to carry out his judgment on these five kings. Lets be clear about one thing, this is not the norm. In other places, God reminds us that he is the one who will judge and that we should leave revenge to him. However what we can learn from Joshua’s actions is that we should help the weak and defenceless. It’s right to help those who can not defend themselves at school. It’s right to defend countries that can not defend themselves. But in both cases, we had better understand our motives. If we choose one side to help at school, because we dislike the other side, then we have missed the point. If we help one country because we have something to gain, whilst we ignore other countries, then once again we have missed the point. It’s tough to be consistent in our actions but that is what we must try to do, when we are defending the weak. We must also be clever about the way we defend them. We probably don’t need to charge in and start punching the bullies at school. In the same way, war must be our last choice, when defending other countries. Comparing war to bullies at school might seem a bit daft, but if you and I can work out how God would have us deal with bullies at school, then maybe as we grow we will also manage bullying countries better too.

We have talked before about the fact that there are consequences to our actions. These five kings ganged up on a weaker neighbour and God was not happy about that. God used Joshua to carry out his judgment on these five kings. Lets be clear about one thing, this is not the norm. In other places, God reminds us that he is the one who will judge and that we should leave revenge to him. However what we can learn from Joshua’s actions is that we should help the weak and defenceless. It’s right to help those who can not defend themselves at school. It’s right to defend countries that can not defend themselves. But in both cases, we had better understand our motives. If we choose one side to help at school, because we dislike the other side, then we have missed the point. If we help one country because we have something to gain, whilst we ignore other countries, then once again we have missed the point. It’s tough to be consistent in our actions but that is what we must try to do, when we are defending the weak. We must also be clever about the way we defend them. We probably don’t need to charge in and start punching the bullies at school. In the same way, war must be our last choice, when defending other countries. Comparing war to bullies at school might seem a bit daft, but if you and I can work out how God would have us deal with bullies at school, then maybe as we grow we will also manage bullying countries better too.

If you asked you mates at college what they thought about the Bible, what would their first response be? I would have a guess that the word boring would be among the top ten to describe what they thought about the Bible. Boring, are they having a laugh? There are many words that you can use to describe the Bible, but boring isn’t one that I would choose. If you were going to see a film, what type would you choose? A film where there was a war between two great nations, you might think that it would be an epic war movie. Maybe you would prefer a film where the World was threatened by great hailstones that killed people? Or even a block buster where the world stood still and the sun stopped moving? You might find it hard to choose what great film to see. How about all that happening in six verses of the Bible? Doesn’t sound like a boring book to me. Maybe just maybe we have let the World convince us that the Bible is boring. Or maybe we have let adults make the bible boring. What ever we have done, Gods Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth is most certainly not boring.

If you asked you mates at college what they thought about the Bible, what would their first response be? I would have a guess that the word boring would be among the top ten to describe what they thought about the Bible. Boring, are they having a laugh? There are many words that you can use to describe the Bible, but boring isn’t one that I would choose. If you were going to see a film, what type would you choose? A film where there was a war between two great nations, you might think that it would be an epic war movie. Maybe you would prefer a film where the World was threatened by great hailstones that killed people? Or even a block buster where the world stood still and the sun stopped moving? You might find it hard to choose what great film to see. How about all that happening in six verses of the Bible? Doesn’t sound like a boring book to me. Maybe just maybe we have let the World convince us that the Bible is boring. Or maybe we have let adults make the bible boring. What ever we have done, Gods Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth is most certainly not boring.

From what I can see Gods not a fan of people ganging up together to pick on a weaker person. He wasn’t a fan all those years ago, of countries ganging up against smaller countries and he’s not a fan today. It doesn’t have to be big countries either, Gods not a fan of a group of individuals bullying a single person or a weaker group either. I was bullied at school and I know the despair it can drive young people to. It can drive them to consider doing things that are not what God has planned for their live’s. It can make them start to believe lies, like they are not worth anything. These are not truths coming from God, but lies coming from the world. Just as God promised Joshua, he would help defend those who were outnumbered, God wants to protect those who are bullied. The truth is that God loves the bullied and that the bullied are worth a great deal. The bullied need to know that God does not want the them take it anymore, it’s time to find someone to help and make it stop. It’s time to seek out the Joshua in your life and find the answer that God has for you. But they are not alone, the bullies need to know that God does not want them to bully anymore. They are worth more to God than the identity they find in the bullying they do. It’s time to stop, it’s time to be the Joshua in other peoples lives. Bully or Bullied it’s time to be Joshua and make it stop.

From what I can see Gods not a fan of people ganging up together to pick on a weaker person. He wasn’t a fan all those years ago, of countries ganging up against smaller countries and he’s not a fan today. It doesn’t have to be big countries either, Gods not a fan of a group of individuals bullying a single person or a weaker group either. I was bullied at school and I know the despair it can drive young people to. It can drive them to consider doing things that are not what God has planned for their live’s. It can make them start to believe lies, like they are not worth anything. These are not truths coming from God, but lies coming from the world. Just as God promised Joshua, he would help defend those who were outnumbered, God wants to protect those who are bullied. The truth is that God loves the bullied and that the bullied are worth a great deal. The bullied need to know that God does not want the them take it anymore, it’s time to find someone to help and make it stop. It’s time to seek out the Joshua in your life and find the answer that God has for you. But they are not alone, the bullies need to know that God does not want them to bully anymore. They are worth more to God than the identity they find in the bullying they do. It’s time to stop, it’s time to be the Joshua in other peoples lives. Bully or Bullied it’s time to be Joshua and make it stop.

If I was Joshua I would have said deal, what deal? You lied to me. But it seems that is not the Joshua way. No he keeps his end of the bargain. Interestingly enough, the other leaders didn’t get away with lying. No they still had to deal with the consequences of their actions. Joshua may have kept the peace with them, but they had to cut wood and fetch water for Joshua’s people. How do you feel, when you get lied to? If someone tells you they are your mate, and then they go off and talk about you behind your back? What do you want to do, when you find out that someone has been lying to you? I know my first thought is to get my revenge. There are consequences to our actions and there should be consequences to them lying to me. Just like there were consequences for these guys in the passage. Not only that, I am the one who can deliver those consequences. The problem with that, is the fact that I’m not the right one to judge those guys who lie to me. No, all through our instruction book The Bible, we are told to leave the judgment up to God. There are consequences to our actions and we all must face them, but there are also consequences to judging people when we are not perfect ourselves.

If I was Joshua I would have said deal, what deal? You lied to me. But it seems that is not the Joshua way. No he keeps his end of the bargain. Interestingly enough, the other leaders didn’t get away with lying. No they still had to deal with the consequences of their actions. Joshua may have kept the peace with them, but they had to cut wood and fetch water for Joshua’s people. How do you feel, when you get lied to? If someone tells you they are your mate, and then they go off and talk about you behind your back? What do you want to do, when you find out that someone has been lying to you? I know my first thought is to get my revenge. There are consequences to our actions and there should be consequences to them lying to me. Just like there were consequences for these guys in the passage. Not only that, I am the one who can deliver those consequences. The problem with that, is the fact that I’m not the right one to judge those guys who lie to me. No, all through our instruction book The Bible, we are told to leave the judgment up to God. There are consequences to our actions and we all must face them, but there are also consequences to judging people when we are not perfect ourselves.

When I was a nipper I would always try my luck with my Dad first if I wanted to do something. I would go to Dad and ask him if I could come home late. If I got a no, I would trundle of to Mum and try my luck on her. More often then not I would get a yes. It was a risky gamble though. If my Dad found out, then I would be for the high jump when I got home. I acted all surprised, and felt hard done by, but the truth is I knew my agreement was based around my deceitfulness. That’s no different to these guys, who have made a deal with Joshua. Right now they think they are in the clear, but are they? Well we will find out more about that later, but the truth is, any relationship based upon lying and deceit, isn’t going to get very far. Jesus says that we are to let our yes be our yes and our no be our no. That’s Bible talk for tell the truth. No need to say to your college mates “I promise”. Your school mates shouldn’t need to hear you swear on someone’s life. No, Jesus says tell the truth all the times and they will know that what comes out of your mouth is worth listening to.

When I was a nipper I would always try my luck with my Dad first if I wanted to do something. I would go to Dad and ask him if I could come home late. If I got a no, I would trundle of to Mum and try my luck on her. More often then not I would get a yes. It was a risky gamble though. If my Dad found out, then I would be for the high jump when I got home. I acted all surprised, and felt hard done by, but the truth is I knew my agreement was based around my deceitfulness. That’s no different to these guys, who have made a deal with Joshua. Right now they think they are in the clear, but are they? Well we will find out more about that later, but the truth is, any relationship based upon lying and deceit, isn’t going to get very far. Jesus says that we are to let our yes be our yes and our no be our no. That’s Bible talk for tell the truth. No need to say to your college mates “I promise”. Your school mates shouldn’t need to hear you swear on someone’s life. No, Jesus says tell the truth all the times and they will know that what comes out of your mouth is worth listening to.

Joshua built an altar to God and then told God how cool he was by giving sacrifices. I think we should all build an altar to our incredible God. Now there is a small problem with my suggestion. I’m not sure how those guys around you will act, when you start building an altar out of bricks and stones that you find lying around the place. And I am pretty sure they will flip their lid, when they see you start a fire and sling a sheep onto the burning coals. Either they will think you have lost the plot or that you have a sudden craving for a BBQ. Thankfully the guys at college don’t have to see you as a nutter, with an unhealthy interest in outdoor cooking. When the Bible talks about Jesus being the Lamb of God, that’s what it is talking about. Jesus was the final sacrifice to God, he was the ultimate sacrifice to our awesome God. No, when we build an altar to show our God how incredible he is, our altar, is the way we live our lives. Your sacrifice to your God, is the way you treat the nerd at school. Your sacrifice to your God is the way you befriend the elderly neighbour who can’t get to the shops for themselves. Your sacrifice to your God is the way you live your life. That’s the altar to your God.

Joshua built an altar to God and then told God how cool he was by giving sacrifices. I think we should all build an altar to our incredible God. Now there is a small problem with my suggestion. I’m not sure how those guys around you will act, when you start building an altar out of bricks and stones that you find lying around the place. And I am pretty sure they will flip their lid, when they see you start a fire and sling a sheep onto the burning coals. Either they will think you have lost the plot or that you have a sudden craving for a BBQ. Thankfully the guys at college don’t have to see you as a nutter, with an unhealthy interest in outdoor cooking. When the Bible talks about Jesus being the Lamb of God, that’s what it is talking about. Jesus was the final sacrifice to God, he was the ultimate sacrifice to our awesome God. No, when we build an altar to show our God how incredible he is, our altar, is the way we live our lives. Your sacrifice to your God, is the way you treat the nerd at school. Your sacrifice to your God is the way you befriend the elderly neighbour who can’t get to the shops for themselves. Your sacrifice to your God is the way you live your life. That’s the altar to your God.

With God without God it’s your choice. Your God never made you a robot that has no choice. There is no little circuit board inside of you that makes you do what God wants. Can you image if the machines we use had the freedom to do what they wanted. You turn on the TV, and see as message that says. I’m too tired to show TV programs today. Maybe you go to college and the computers are complaining that they are too busy to deal with you today. Hey even the washing machine complains that it just finds doing your clothes boring. Actually that sounds just like the way I am with God sometimes. I’m too tired to ask God what I should do when I have to make a decision in my life. I’m so busy I couldn’t possibly read my Bible today. And really going to Church is just a bit boring sometimes. Now I know that you never think that way, but just suppose you did on the odd occasion, what’s wrong with doing things your way anyway? Well Joshua sure found out. Before this passage doing things the people’s way caused massive problems, but the minute he started listening to God, things turned around. The minute Joshua and his people chose to get God involved, things changed. So actually you are not a robot, and you don’t have to involve God in you day to day life. When you make you decisions on your own without God, the outcome is down to you. With God or without God, it’s your choice.

With God without God it’s your choice. Your God never made you a robot that has no choice. There is no little circuit board inside of you that makes you do what God wants. Can you image if the machines we use had the freedom to do what they wanted. You turn on the TV, and see as message that says. I’m too tired to show TV programs today. Maybe you go to college and the computers are complaining that they are too busy to deal with you today. Hey even the washing machine complains that it just finds doing your clothes boring. Actually that sounds just like the way I am with God sometimes. I’m too tired to ask God what I should do when I have to make a decision in my life. I’m so busy I couldn’t possibly read my Bible today. And really going to Church is just a bit boring sometimes. Now I know that you never think that way, but just suppose you did on the odd occasion, what’s wrong with doing things your way anyway? Well Joshua sure found out. Before this passage doing things the people’s way caused massive problems, but the minute he started listening to God, things turned around. The minute Joshua and his people chose to get God involved, things changed. So actually you are not a robot, and you don’t have to involve God in you day to day life. When you make you decisions on your own without God, the outcome is down to you. With God or without God, it’s your choice.

It’s an interesting tactic that Joshua used when attacking the city. Just take a few men up to the city and when the King thinks he can cope with it, run away and trick him into leaving the city unguarded. Sounds like a tactic that someone else would use. Temptation comes in many ways into our lives, but just like Joshua’s army, it doesn’t show up in full force straight away. If Joshua’s army had turned up to the city in full force, the King would have taken one look and would have held his ground, defending from a position of strength behind the city walls. Temptation does the same, you don’t get tempted with the crack cocaine straight away, no, the temptation comes with less men to start with. You might get tempted with a little marijuana at a party, to start with the harder drugs will catch you off guard later. Temptation uses the same techniques in less obvious extreme parts of our life as well. You don’t get tempted to dis all your mates’ behind their backs, every time they are not around to start with. No it’s starts with a little word here and a little word there. Temptation does not come from God, who only has good things for you, but watch out for it because it’s a slippery character.

It’s an interesting tactic that Joshua used when attacking the city. Just take a few men up to the city and when the King thinks he can cope with it, run away and trick him into leaving the city unguarded. Sounds like a tactic that someone else would use. Temptation comes in many ways into our lives, but just like Joshua’s army, it doesn’t show up in full force straight away. If Joshua’s army had turned up to the city in full force, the King would have taken one look and would have held his ground, defending from a position of strength behind the city walls. Temptation does the same, you don’t get tempted with the crack cocaine straight away, no, the temptation comes with less men to start with. You might get tempted with a little marijuana at a party, to start with the harder drugs will catch you off guard later. Temptation uses the same techniques in less obvious extreme parts of our life as well. You don’t get tempted to dis all your mates’ behind their backs, every time they are not around to start with. No it’s starts with a little word here and a little word there. Temptation does not come from God, who only has good things for you, but watch out for it because it’s a slippery character.

Have you ever had detention at school? Staying after school because you messed up. Come on be honest, did it happen more then once? Have you parents ever grounded you? Once, twice, three, or four times? Hold on a minute, they punished you for the first time wasn’t that enough? How come they punished you again the second, third and fourth times? They punished you because that’s what happens; we get punished for every time we do something wrong. The police officer doesn’t book an adult for speeding and then say OK from now on this one fine covers any time you speed in the future. Gods slightly different he knows we will stuff up again, and again, that’s why he sent Jesus to die for our mistakes. On the cross Jesus paid for our past mistakes and he will pay for our future mistakes. Our part in the deal? That’s simple don’t take this for granted, and try not to stuff up. And probably the most important part. When we do muck up we are to say sorry to God and ask for his forgiveness. Not just the first time, not just the second, third or forth time. But we are to say sorry every time we stuff up and Jesus pays the price.

Have you ever had detention at school? Staying after school because you messed up. Come on be honest, did it happen more then once? Have you parents ever grounded you? Once, twice, three, or four times? Hold on a minute, they punished you for the first time wasn’t that enough? How come they punished you again the second, third and fourth times? They punished you because that’s what happens; we get punished for every time we do something wrong. The police officer doesn’t book an adult for speeding and then say OK from now on this one fine covers any time you speed in the future. Gods slightly different he knows we will stuff up again, and again, that’s why he sent Jesus to die for our mistakes. On the cross Jesus paid for our past mistakes and he will pay for our future mistakes. Our part in the deal? That’s simple don’t take this for granted, and try not to stuff up. And probably the most important part. When we do muck up we are to say sorry to God and ask for his forgiveness. Not just the first time, not just the second, third or forth time. But we are to say sorry every time we stuff up and Jesus pays the price.

So you became a Christian, fantastic, brilliant, superb. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. The day you chose to follow Jesus, you can be sure that the angels were partying in Heaven. What’s happened since? How did becoming a Christian change the way you treat people at school? How did asking the creator of the universe alter the way you handle yourself at college? Seems to me that God is a God that longs to see us continually grow and improve. Be sure to understand that we won’t get into Heaven because we try and get better; no that work was done by Jesus on the cross. But if we look at this passage we can see that Gods not looking for a one off action from us He wants our lives to be dedicated to following Jesus. Joshua’s people had done well in the past, but they messed up. God was clear, get rid of the rubbish and return to him. What’s the rubbish in your life, what do you need to get rid of? Decide what the rubbish is and get rid of it now, because God wants to help you.

So you became a Christian, fantastic, brilliant, superb. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. The day you chose to follow Jesus, you can be sure that the angels were partying in Heaven. What’s happened since? How did becoming a Christian change the way you treat people at school? How did asking the creator of the universe alter the way you handle yourself at college? Seems to me that God is a God that longs to see us continually grow and improve. Be sure to understand that we won’t get into Heaven because we try and get better; no that work was done by Jesus on the cross. But if we look at this passage we can see that Gods not looking for a one off action from us He wants our lives to be dedicated to following Jesus. Joshua’s people had done well in the past, but they messed up. God was clear, get rid of the rubbish and return to him. What’s the rubbish in your life, what do you need to get rid of? Decide what the rubbish is and get rid of it now, because God wants to help you.

As we go back to Joshua we return straight to the heat of battle. Joshua’s men totally destroy Jericho. They didn’t just mess it up a bit, they killed everyone and then burnt the place to the ground. Why? Why would they do this? The answer is simply because God told them to. So I can imagine the scene now at the college or school canteen. You have spent all your time telling your mates that God is a God of love and that it is the best decision they could to follow him. Then they walk in and say “How about all those people God commanded others to kill?” So what’s the answer, why did God command people to kill people? Well the answer is simple. The answer is…. Well actually the answer isn’t simple and I don’t know the answer. There are so many things about God that I don’t know the answer to. I don’t know why God commanded people to kill other people. I don’t why God gave us free will. I don’t know why God sent his son to die for me. When it comes down to it there are a lot of questions that I want to ask God when I get to Heaven. Thankfully you and I will have plenty of time to ask them.

As we go back to Joshua we return straight to the heat of battle. Joshua’s men totally destroy Jericho. They didn’t just mess it up a bit, they killed everyone and then burnt the place to the ground. Why? Why would they do this? The answer is simply because God told them to. So I can imagine the scene now at the college or school canteen. You have spent all your time telling your mates that God is a God of love and that it is the best decision they could to follow him. Then they walk in and say “How about all those people God commanded others to kill?” So what’s the answer, why did God command people to kill people? Well the answer is simple. The answer is…. Well actually the answer isn’t simple and I don’t know the answer. There are so many things about God that I don’t know the answer to. I don’t know why God commanded people to kill other people. I don’t why God gave us free will. I don’t know why God sent his son to die for me. When it comes down to it there are a lot of questions that I want to ask God when I get to Heaven. Thankfully you and I will have plenty of time to ask them.

Do your mates trust you? Do they know that whatever you say you will do? If I walked into your college or school tomorrow and spoke to your mates, what would they say about you? In this passage, Joshua is making good on the promise his men made to Rahab. He says leave her alone. Joshua has done what Jesus would later tell us to do, he has let his yes be his yes. In other words, he has done what he said he would do. The way we are with other people is so important that Jesus said that there is no need to dress things up, just do what we say we will do. If we say we will pray for someone, then pray, better not to say we will do it at all if we are likely not to do it. If we say we will look out for a lonely person at school, then look out for them. If we say we will do something and we don’t, then what are we showing others about Christians? No need to swear on the Bible or say “I promise,” we just need to do it, or not bother saying it. We just need the words that come out of mouth be our bond. Being a Christian isn’t as easy as people make out, is it?

Do your mates trust you? Do they know that whatever you say you will do? If I walked into your college or school tomorrow and spoke to your mates, what would they say about you? In this passage, Joshua is making good on the promise his men made to Rahab. He says leave her alone. Joshua has done what Jesus would later tell us to do, he has let his yes be his yes. In other words, he has done what he said he would do. The way we are with other people is so important that Jesus said that there is no need to dress things up, just do what we say we will do. If we say we will pray for someone, then pray, better not to say we will do it at all if we are likely not to do it. If we say we will look out for a lonely person at school, then look out for them. If we say we will do something and we don’t, then what are we showing others about Christians? No need to swear on the Bible or say “I promise,” we just need to do it, or not bother saying it. We just need the words that come out of mouth be our bond. Being a Christian isn’t as easy as people make out, is it?

So you sit there just waiting on God and you feel the Holy Spirit start to speak to you. God says right, what I want you to do is this. When you go to school tomorrow I want you to grab a bunch of mates and go out to the sports field. Then I want you to march to one end of the football field and should glory to God. After that, I want you to march to the other end and shout Jesus is saviour. Do that seven times and I God will make every iPod and MP3 player blast out choruses of Hallelujah. Well I don’t know about you but my first though might be to lay off the cheese before I go to bed and to check that someone wasn’t slipping something dodgy into my coke. It seems to me that when ever God picks someone in the Bible to do something great, what they are asked to do sounds a bit loopy. Build an ark where there is no water. Dance naked down the street. Shout at the walls of a city. Worship a baby in a cow shed. Is it possible that God is looking for complete commitment? I mean after all, he could have us do something a little less loopy, but may he wants us to go the whole way. What loopy thing is God asking you to do, that you are just ignoring? Maybe it’s not so mad after all. Maybe checking in with a leader that you trust, might be worth doing, because maybe you are going to do something great for God.

So you sit there just waiting on God and you feel the Holy Spirit start to speak to you. God says right, what I want you to do is this. When you go to school tomorrow I want you to grab a bunch of mates and go out to the sports field. Then I want you to march to one end of the football field and should glory to God. After that, I want you to march to the other end and shout Jesus is saviour. Do that seven times and I God will make every iPod and MP3 player blast out choruses of Hallelujah. Well I don’t know about you but my first though might be to lay off the cheese before I go to bed and to check that someone wasn’t slipping something dodgy into my coke. It seems to me that when ever God picks someone in the Bible to do something great, what they are asked to do sounds a bit loopy. Build an ark where there is no water. Dance naked down the street. Shout at the walls of a city. Worship a baby in a cow shed. Is it possible that God is looking for complete commitment? I mean after all, he could have us do something a little less loopy, but may he wants us to go the whole way. What loopy thing is God asking you to do, that you are just ignoring? Maybe it’s not so mad after all. Maybe checking in with a leader that you trust, might be worth doing, because maybe you are going to do something great for God.

Back when my Dad was a nipper there was a show called The Lone Ranger. You may have heard about it. The show was about a cowboy who wore a mask and went around saving the day with his trusty sidekick Tonto the American native Indian. Anyway at the end of each show the person who had been saved looked into the distance at The Lone Ranger riding away and said Who Was That Masked Man? That’s how Joshua must have been here when he saw this lone stranger standing in front of him. Most people believe this to be Jesus, but what you have to remember is this is way before Jesus came to Earth to be born in a manger. Never the less Joshua fell to his feet and worshipped the man that claimed to be the leader of Gods army. This stranger said I am not on anyone’s side I am the leader of Gods army, and Joshua instinctively knew that he should worship Jesus. Do we do that, do we drop to our knees and worship Jesus, who rescued us from death? You might say, I haven’t physically seen Jesus. Bad news there I’m afraid. Because later in the Bible, Jesus says, whatever we do to other people, is as though we are doing it to him. When we are mean and harsh to those who need love, Jesus says we are mean and harsh to him. Equally when we are kind and loving to others, Jesus says we are kind and loving to him. So when we bump into people at school and college, lets treat them like we would treat Jesus. Then maybe, just maybe, they will look at us as we walk away and wonder to themselves; who was that person, they looked just like Jesus.

Back when my Dad was a nipper there was a show called The Lone Ranger. You may have heard about it. The show was about a cowboy who wore a mask and went around saving the day with his trusty sidekick Tonto the American native Indian. Anyway at the end of each show the person who had been saved looked into the distance at The Lone Ranger riding away and said Who Was That Masked Man? That’s how Joshua must have been here when he saw this lone stranger standing in front of him. Most people believe this to be Jesus, but what you have to remember is this is way before Jesus came to Earth to be born in a manger. Never the less Joshua fell to his feet and worshipped the man that claimed to be the leader of Gods army. This stranger said I am not on anyone’s side I am the leader of Gods army, and Joshua instinctively knew that he should worship Jesus. Do we do that, do we drop to our knees and worship Jesus, who rescued us from death? You might say, I haven’t physically seen Jesus. Bad news there I’m afraid. Because later in the Bible, Jesus says, whatever we do to other people, is as though we are doing it to him. When we are mean and harsh to those who need love, Jesus says we are mean and harsh to him. Equally when we are kind and loving to others, Jesus says we are kind and loving to him. So when we bump into people at school and college, lets treat them like we would treat Jesus. Then maybe, just maybe, they will look at us as we walk away and wonder to themselves; who was that person, they looked just like Jesus.

Sometimes I look at the passage and think what is God trying to say. Well he may be trying to say something different to me then he does to you. So today we are going to play the passage again. The is time for you to do it yourself and ask God what it means for you.
1 When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how God had stopped the Jordan River before the People of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts sank; the courage drained out of them just thinking about the People of Israel. 2-3 At that time God said to Joshua, “Make stone knives and circumcise the People of Israel a second time.” So Joshua made stone knives and circumcised the People of Israel at Foreskins Hill. 4-7 This is why Joshua conducted the circumcision. All the males who had left Egypt, the soldiers, had died in the wilderness on the journey out of Egypt. All the people who had come out of Egypt, of course, had been circumcised, but all those born in the wilderness along the way since leaving Egypt had not been. The fact is that the People of Israel had walked through that wilderness for forty years until the entire nation died out, all the men of military age who had come out of Egypt but had disobeyed the call of God. God vowed that these would never lay eyes on the land God had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. But their children had replaced them. These are the ones Joshua circumcised. They had never been circumcised; no one had circumcised them along the way. 8 When they had completed the circumcising of the whole nation, they stayed where they were in camp until they were healed. 9 God said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt.” That’s why the place is called The Gilgal. It’s still called that.

Sometimes I look at the passage and think what is God trying to say. Well he may be trying to say something different to me then he does to you. So today we are going to play the passage again. The is time for you to do it yourself and ask God what it means for you.
1 When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how God had stopped the Jordan River before the People of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts sank; the courage drained out of them just thinking about the People of Israel. 2-3 At that time God said to Joshua, “Make stone knives and circumcise the People of Israel a second time.” So Joshua made stone knives and circumcised the People of Israel at Foreskins Hill. 4-7 This is why Joshua conducted the circumcision. All the males who had left Egypt, the soldiers, had died in the wilderness on the journey out of Egypt. All the people who had come out of Egypt, of course, had been circumcised, but all those born in the wilderness along the way since leaving Egypt had not been. The fact is that the People of Israel had walked through that wilderness for forty years until the entire nation died out, all the men of military age who had come out of Egypt but had disobeyed the call of God. God vowed that these would never lay eyes on the land God had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. But their children had replaced them. These are the ones Joshua circumcised. They had never been circumcised; no one had circumcised them along the way. 8 When they had completed the circumcising of the whole nation, they stayed where they were in camp until they were healed. 9 God said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt.” That’s why the place is called The Gilgal. It’s still called that.

So GOD made Joshua great that day in the sight of all Israel. We have talked about this often in these devs and we have even talked about this recently from earlier passages in Joshua but sometimes I think we still miss the point. Joshua wasn’t special, God was. Joshua didn’t know how to lead people, God taught him as he went. Joshua didn’t look great in from of his mates, but God made Joshua look great that day. Let’s be honest most of the time we don’t feel special at school or college. Often we don’t feel that we look great in front of our mates and we spend most of time trying not to look like a dork. But it’s not all about us is it? It’s all about God and what God can do through us. It says elsewhere in the Bible that God will not let you through anything that he knows you are not capable of coping with. That means that God won’t give you a job to do that you can’t do. So if you feel God is telling you to do something but it scares you then God knows you can do it. You might have to persuade people that you think won’t listen to you, but God will make them listen. You might have to get people to do things who you think won’t follow you, but God will make you look like the leader they can follow. Remember God made the people look at Joshua as the leader and God wil make the pople you need to lead look at you as the leader too.

So GOD made Joshua great that day in the sight of all Israel. We have talked about this often in these devs and we have even talked about this recently from earlier passages in Joshua but sometimes I think we still miss the point. Joshua wasn’t special, God was. Joshua didn’t know how to lead people, God taught him as he went. Joshua didn’t look great in from of his mates, but God made Joshua look great that day. Let’s be honest most of the time we don’t feel special at school or college. Often we don’t feel that we look great in front of our mates and we spend most of time trying not to look like a dork. But it’s not all about us is it? It’s all about God and what God can do through us. It says elsewhere in the Bible that God will not let you through anything that he knows you are not capable of coping with. That means that God won’t give you a job to do that you can’t do. So if you feel God is telling you to do something but it scares you then God knows you can do it. You might have to persuade people that you think won’t listen to you, but God will make them listen. You might have to get people to do things who you think won’t follow you, but God will make you look like the leader they can follow. Remember God made the people look at Joshua as the leader and God wil make the pople you need to lead look at you as the leader too.

How many times do we see God ask people to believe in him and step out. Sometimes literally as in this time or even Moses and the Red Sea. But God also asks us to trust him and step out often in our daily lives as well. What do you mean he doesn’t ask you? How about times when you think it would be great to do something, but you justify to yourself that it is impossible? Maybe you think, that someone should do something about a problem in the world, but justify to yourself that the problem is too big for you to deal with. Maybe you think God needs to be involved at your school or college more, but only if you had another Christian to help. Well, lets look at who God chooses to do his work, when he has a really big problem. He seems to pick someone to stand up and change things for him who has to rely on Gods strength. He asked Moses a murderer, and a man with a stutter to lead his people out of Egypt. He asked a small boy call David to kill the Giant Goliath. He asked a non believer called Paul to spread the word about Jesus. He asked all these people and more to step out and believe that God could help them change the world. So what has God asked you to do, that you are going to have to trust him for? If God can dry up rivers and seas then he can remove any fears that you have. But he does need you to step forward and believe in Him.

How many times do we see God ask people to believe in him and step out. Sometimes literally as in this time or even Moses and the Red Sea. But God also asks us to trust him and step out often in our daily lives as well. What do you mean he doesn’t ask you? How about times when you think it would be great to do something, but you justify to yourself that it is impossible? Maybe you think, that someone should do something about a problem in the world, but justify to yourself that the problem is too big for you to deal with. Maybe you think God needs to be involved at your school or college more, but only if you had another Christian to help. Well, lets look at who God chooses to do his work, when he has a really big problem. He seems to pick someone to stand up and change things for him who has to rely on Gods strength. He asked Moses a murderer, and a man with a stutter to lead his people out of Egypt. He asked a small boy call David to kill the Giant Goliath. He asked a non believer called Paul to spread the word about Jesus. He asked all these people and more to step out and believe that God could help them change the world. So what has God asked you to do, that you are going to have to trust him for? If God can dry up rivers and seas then he can remove any fears that you have. But he does need you to step forward and believe in Him.

How many times do we see God ask people to believe in him and step out. Sometimes literally as in this time or even Moses and the Red Sea. But God also asks us to trust him and step out often in our daily lives as well. What do you mean he doesn’t ask you? How about times when you think it would be great to do something, but you justify to yourself that it is impossible? Maybe you think, that someone should do something about a problem in the world, but justify to yourself that the problem is too big for you to deal with. Maybe you think God needs to be involved at your school or college more, but only if you had another Christian to help. Well, lets look at who God chooses to do his work, when he has a really big problem. He seems to pick someone to stand up and change things for him who has to rely on Gods strength. He asked Moses a murderer, and a man with a stutter to lead his people out of Egypt. He asked a small boy call David to kill the Giant Goliath. He asked a non believer called Paul to spread the word about Jesus. He asked all these people and more to step out and believe that God could help them change the world. So what has God asked you to do, that you are going to have to trust him for? If God can dry up rivers and seas then he can remove any fears that you have. But he does need you to step forward and believe in Him.

How many times do we see God ask people to believe in him and step out. Sometimes literally as in this time or even Moses and the Red Sea. But God also asks us to trust him and step out often in our daily lives as well. What do you mean he doesn’t ask you? How about times when you think it would be great to do something, but you justify to yourself that it is impossible? Maybe you think, that someone should do something about a problem in the world, but justify to yourself that the problem is too big for you to deal with. Maybe you think God needs to be involved at your school or college more, but only if you had another Christian to help. Well, lets look at who God chooses to do his work, when he has a really big problem. He seems to pick someone to stand up and change things for him who has to rely on Gods strength. He asked Moses a murderer, and a man with a stutter to lead his people out of Egypt. He asked a small boy call David to kill the Giant Goliath. He asked a non believer called Paul to spread the word about Jesus. He asked all these people and more to step out and believe that God could help them change the world. So what has God asked you to do, that you are going to have to trust him for? If God can dry up rivers and seas then he can remove any fears that you have. But he does need you to step forward and believe in Him.

Joshua’s people knew that God was with them, his spirit was in the Covenant-Chest. Sometimes people call that the Ark, not Noah’s ark, not even Evan Almighty’s ark. Think of it like a massive Jewellry box that held the most precious possession on this earth. So much so that people were afraid to touch it. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that they knew God was with them in a very real sense. How do we know that God is with us at School? How can we be sure that he is even with us in the canteen at college? I mean we know Jesus said that he would send God the Holy Spirit to be with us, but how does that happen in every day life? It starts happening when YOU start talking to God. If you wait until your prayers at night, then don’t be surprised if you can’t recognise when God talks to you. If you wait until the pastor prays on Sunday then how would you recognise Gods voice? Starting speaking to God all day. As you enter your lessons ask him to help you. On the way to youth group ask him to give you wisdom. When you get up in the morning feeling grumpy, ask God to cheer you up and give you laughter. Hey, even the toilet could be a place to talk to God. The more you speak to God the more you will begin to recognise his voice as he speaks back.

Joshua’s people knew that God was with them, his spirit was in the Covenant-Chest. Sometimes people call that the Ark, not Noah’s ark, not even Evan Almighty’s ark. Think of it like a massive Jewellry box that held the most precious possession on this earth. So much so that people were afraid to touch it. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that they knew God was with them in a very real sense. How do we know that God is with us at School? How can we be sure that he is even with us in the canteen at college? I mean we know Jesus said that he would send God the Holy Spirit to be with us, but how does that happen in every day life? It starts happening when YOU start talking to God. If you wait until your prayers at night, then don’t be surprised if you can’t recognise when God talks to you. If you wait until the pastor prays on Sunday then how would you recognise Gods voice? Starting speaking to God all day. As you enter your lessons ask him to help you. On the way to youth group ask him to give you wisdom. When you get up in the morning feeling grumpy, ask God to cheer you up and give you laughter. Hey, even the toilet could be a place to talk to God. The more you speak to God the more you will begin to recognise his voice as he speaks back.

OK so we are probably agreed that being a Christian isn’t only about going to Church. If you have listened to Aftershock for any length of time then you have probably got the idea that we believe that following Jesus is about following Jesus all week. But that’s that isn’t it? Being a Christian is about being a Christian at school, college or work, but that’s just between you and God isn’t it? Well these guys dealing with Rahab didn’t seem to think that. They could have got Rahab to do what they wanted and then just not delivered on their end of the bargain, after all she didn’t follow God. But actually being a Christian isn’t just between us and God. If we don’t act towards others with respect and honesty, what difference are they going to see between us Christians and others? If we say one thing and do another, then we are no different to anyone else at school or college. However if we do what we know is right then we are leading others to Jesus. If you do what is right at school even when it seems that you would do better by doing something else, then they are going to start wondering why you act the way you do. And that chat in the canteen, when they say “why did you do that” is the time when you get to say “because that’s what Jesus would have wanted.”

OK so we are probably agreed that being a Christian isn’t only about going to Church. If you have listened to Aftershock for any length of time then you have probably got the idea that we believe that following Jesus is about following Jesus all week. But that’s that isn’t it? Being a Christian is about being a Christian at school, college or work, but that’s just between you and God isn’t it? Well these guys dealing with Rahab didn’t seem to think that. They could have got Rahab to do what they wanted and then just not delivered on their end of the bargain, after all she didn’t follow God. But actually being a Christian isn’t just between us and God. If we don’t act towards others with respect and honesty, what difference are they going to see between us Christians and others? If we say one thing and do another, then we are no different to anyone else at school or college. However if we do what we know is right then we are leading others to Jesus. If you do what is right at school even when it seems that you would do better by doing something else, then they are going to start wondering why you act the way you do. And that chat in the canteen, when they say “why did you do that” is the time when you get to say “because that’s what Jesus would have wanted.”

Have you heard the saying that the grass is always greener on the other side? It basically means that you think other people have a better deal than you. Your mates parents are nicer then yours, your mate has a better games station than you, and your mate doesn’t have to go to Church. All too often we look at others who don’t know Jesus and think they have it so easy. Your mates at college live life a certain way. They don’t have to think about their actions, they can go off and get drunk. You mates at school can swear and curse. They don’t have to honour their parents; they can call them names and shout at them. Sometimes others just seem to have it easier. But what we forget is it happens in reverse too. This woman Rahab, who many would have seen as some type of low life, could see that Joshua’s men knew God and had something that she didn’t. Her words seems to say, hey you have this God of yours who seems to look after you, why don’t I? Many of your mates are sitting in a different location to you. They may be getting drunk, they may be swearing and shouting, but many look at you and can see you have something they don’t. You see, we take for granted that we have a God that loves us. We take for granted that when times are tough at college, we can pray to our Lord. We take for granted that when we are worried and scared, Jesus is there to guide us. Sometimes the grass is actually greener exactly where you are.

Have you heard the saying that the grass is always greener on the other side? It basically means that you think other people have a better deal than you. Your mates parents are nicer then yours, your mate has a better games station than you, and your mate doesn’t have to go to Church. All too often we look at others who don’t know Jesus and think they have it so easy. Your mates at college live life a certain way. They don’t have to think about their actions, they can go off and get drunk. You mates at school can swear and curse. They don’t have to honour their parents; they can call them names and shout at them. Sometimes others just seem to have it easier. But what we forget is it happens in reverse too. This woman Rahab, who many would have seen as some type of low life, could see that Joshua’s men knew God and had something that she didn’t. Her words seems to say, hey you have this God of yours who seems to look after you, why don’t I? Many of your mates are sitting in a different location to you. They may be getting drunk, they may be swearing and shouting, but many look at you and can see you have something they don’t. You see, we take for granted that we have a God that loves us. We take for granted that when times are tough at college, we can pray to our Lord. We take for granted that when we are worried and scared, Jesus is there to guide us. Sometimes the grass is actually greener exactly where you are.

If you watch a football player on the pitch who is indecisive you will soon see them lose the ball. If they are stood there wondering whether to go left or right, it will be a matter of seconds before the opposing player has taken the ball away from them and moved on. The same happens when it comes to dancers on the stage if someone leaps into the air ready to be caught, you don’t want an indecisive catcher or they will soon end up on the deck. Well it’s no different when it comes to following Gods plans for our lives. If God has told you to set up a Christian group at school, don’t muck around get on with it. If you get on with it people will come. If you dilly dally and seem wimpy about it, people won’t catch your vision. If God has told you to put on a debate at college, do it the very best you can. May it big, make it exciting, because our God is big, our god is exciting. Joshua had listened to God, Joshua had spent time looking in his Bible. But once he knew what God wanted there was no messing around, he got on with it. And the peoples reaction? Well as soon as they realised that they had a leader who followed God, they were with him, they were ready to die for him. So whatever God has given you to do, do it to the very best of your ability and do it with the enthusiasm that our massive God deserves.

If you watch a football player on the pitch who is indecisive you will soon see them lose the ball. If they are stood there wondering whether to go left or right, it will be a matter of seconds before the opposing player has taken the ball away from them and moved on. The same happens when it comes to dancers on the stage if someone leaps into the air ready to be caught, you don’t want an indecisive catcher or they will soon end up on the deck. Well it’s no different when it comes to following Gods plans for our lives. If God has told you to set up a Christian group at school, don’t muck around get on with it. If you get on with it people will come. If you dilly dally and seem wimpy about it, people won’t catch your vision. If God has told you to put on a debate at college, do it the very best you can. May it big, make it exciting, because our God is big, our god is exciting. Joshua had listened to God, Joshua had spent time looking in his Bible. But once he knew what God wanted there was no messing around, he got on with it. And the peoples reaction? Well as soon as they realised that they had a leader who followed God, they were with him, they were ready to die for him. So whatever God has given you to do, do it to the very best of your ability and do it with the enthusiasm that our massive God deserves.

Well if Joshua was feeling a bit fed up after his leader Moses had died, then he soon got a quick wake up. No messing here, no lets give him time to grieve. No, God is straight in there. He’s reminding Joshua there is a plan and he had better get on with it. And why not after all, Joshua had all he needed and so do we. Because we must remember that God not only had a plan for Joshua but he has a plan for us. And not only does he have a plan for us but he has given us all we need to get on with it. And after all, if God is for us, who can be against us. We too can use the Three D Joshua plan, to achieve our God given goals in life. The first D is Distraction. Joshua is told by God concentrate don’t get distracted from the goal you have been given by God. The second D is Devotionals. Joshua is told to spend time reading the Bible. Spend time on your Devotionals, just like you are now. Finally the third D is Do It. Way before Nike told us to “Just Do It”, God told Joshua to just get on and do it. So Gods three D plan for Joshua and more importantly for you is don’t get DISTRACTED, spend time in the Bible with your DEVOTIONALS and just DO it. Because remember if God is for you who can be against you? You were born to succeed in what God has planned for you.

Well if Joshua was feeling a bit fed up after his leader Moses had died, then he soon got a quick wake up. No messing here, no lets give him time to grieve. No, God is straight in there. He’s reminding Joshua there is a plan and he had better get on with it. And why not after all, Joshua had all he needed and so do we. Because we must remember that God not only had a plan for Joshua but he has a plan for us. And not only does he have a plan for us but he has given us all we need to get on with it. And after all, if God is for us, who can be against us. We too can use the Three D Joshua plan, to achieve our God given goals in life. The first D is Distraction. Joshua is told by God concentrate don’t get distracted from the goal you have been given by God. The second D is Devotionals. Joshua is told to spend time reading the Bible. Spend time on your Devotionals, just like you are now. Finally the third D is Do It. Way before Nike told us to “Just Do It”, God told Joshua to just get on and do it. So Gods three D plan for Joshua and more importantly for you is don’t get DISTRACTED, spend time in the Bible with your DEVOTIONALS and just DO it. Because remember if God is for you who can be against you? You were born to succeed in what God has planned for you.