God's Will, Not Our Own, Joshua 11

Have you been directed by God to complete a task? How far did you go with that task? Did you stop when the Holy Spirit said enough? Or did you continue on you own strength? Or, were you afraid of the task that was at hand? Instead of completing it, you went the opposite direction?

All of these outcomes are very plausible, and very American. The reason for this is Americans work on their own strength--self-made people. Rather than relying on God, we think we can do it ourselves. We mask this by saying that "I'm OK, God has more important things to do."

Well, the Israelites found themselves with an awesome task, one that must have seemed overwhelming. Conqueror the people in the promised land to the point of death. Wipe out the entire population so that the Israelites can have the land in which God had already given them.

For the most part, the Israelites followed God's direction, relying on His strength alone. When they failed, they quickly learned that God's way was the best.

As we read chapter 11, we see the completion of the task. I wonder how many of the Israelites were saying--"Let's go on. We are the greatest people ever." Think about it, that is human nature. "God is on our side so let's take advantage of it!" These were probably the same people who were saying "This task is too great, let's go back to Egypt."

But instead, the Israelites "had rest from war." Wow, all that fighting and Joshua said enough, God has completed our task. What an amazing end to an amazing journey.

The question for you is this--are you willing to complete God's task on God's terms?

God Bless,

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