Month: June 2019

Listen for the Lord Speaks

The period of the judges is nearly
at an end. One last judge remains:
Samuel, a man of godly character
and integrity who will guide the
nation from judgeship to kinship.
Samuel is the offspring of barren
woman and the answer to fervent
prayer. And he is consecrated
to the Lord’s service from birth.

Lord, we listen for You Speak:
Then Eli realised it was the Lord
who was calling the boy. So he said
to Samuel: Go and lie down again
and if someone calls again, say:
Yes Lord, Your servant is listening.
So Samuel went back to bed.
And the Lord came and called
as before: Samuel! Samuel!
And Samuel replied: Yes, Your
servant is listening (1Sam 3:8-10).

Lord, You are the God who knows
and loves me. I acknowledge that
often I don’t seek to hear Your
voice or understand Your leading.
Sometimes I do know what You
want but I want something else.
So I ignore Yr leading. Sometimes
I do not know what to ask, so I do
need You to reveal me how to pray.
Today I quiet my heart to hear
what You might want to say to me.
Teach me to hear Yr counsel. Amen

Lord, quiet my heart so that I can
hear You. Remove any distractions
that would keep me from being
open and attentive to what Your
Spirit might be impressing on
my heart and mind. Please make
me humble and receptive and
willing to answer obediently when
You call on me; for Your servant
is listening. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, I don’t just listen to You
in order to consider my options.
I am not just paying attention
out of curiosity. I really need
Your direction; for it is life to me.
I have decided that I am going
to do whatever You say, no matter
whether it defiles my expectation.
Your will is my food and Your wish
my command. I have purpose to
make that commitment. So speak
Lord, Yr servant is listening. Amen.

The Lord With You to Save You!

Gideon, Israel’s 5th judge, receives
God’s call while hiding in a wine-
press secretly threshing wheat.
Midian’s oppression is severe, and
Gideon is God’s man to lead the
people in throwing off that yoke of
bondage – an assignment Gideon
is not anxious to accept! But once
convinced of his calling through
two miraculous signs, Gideon
leads a humble army of 300 men,
equipped only with pitchers,
torches & trumpets, in a stunning
victory against the mighty Midianite
forces. Israel’s unusual weapons
and battle plan leave no room for
doubt: The victory is the Lord’s!

Lord, we Claim Your Presence:
When the angel of the LORD
appeared to Gideon, he said: The
LORD Is With you, mighty warrior.
But sir, Gideon replied, if the LORD
is with us,why has all this happened
to us? Where are all his wonders
that our fathers told us?… But now
the LORD has abandoned us and
put us into the hands of Midian.
The LORD turned to him and said:
Go in the Strength you Have and
Save Israel out of Midian’s hand.
Am I not sending you?… I Will Be
With you, and you will strike down
all the Midianites (Jdgs 6:12-16).

Lord, really? Please give me clear
confirmation that I hear correctly.
I find Your words about me to be
far more lofty than I deserve or
expect. Help me grow into the
vision that You have for me.
I am everything You say I am,
simply because You say so.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, our perceptions tend not
to judge You well as it should.
Like Gideon, we tend to focus
on what God hadn’t done; that
He hadn’t delivered His people yet.
We note Your reply to Gideon:
to go with the strength he has.
Lord, thank You for all that You
have done; and help me now
focus only on what You have
said You will do. Amen and amen.

Lord, Gideon was well aware of
his own inadequacy. But when he
told the Lord that he wasn’t up
to the job, the angel didn’t try to
assure Gideon he was adequate.
Instead of pumping up Gideon’s
self confidence, he infused Gideon
with the confidence from God.
Lord, we agree that You are with
us and that victory does not lie in
our own adequacy or abilities, but
in Your presence & power. Amen.

Be Strong and Courageous !!

Moses has died and Joshua is
appointed by God to take the reins
of leadership. The people are
poised within view of the land
promised to their ancestors and
denied their unbelieving parents.
The time has come to cross over,
conquer and possess the land.
But will they succeed where their
fathers failed? The task seems
impossible: a swollen, turbulent
River and mighty walled cities.
So God begins to prepare His
people for the days of warfare
ahead. He reminds Joshua that
careful attention to His Word
brings blessing and success!!

Lord, we will Be Courageous:
Be Strong and Courageous,
because You will lead these people
to Inherit the land I Swore to
their forefathers to give to them.
Be Strong and Very Courageous.
Be Careful To Obey all the law
my servant Moses gave you;
do not turn to the right or to the
left, that you may be successful…
Have I not commanded you?
Be Strong and Courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God
Will Be With You wherever you go.
(Joshua 1:6-9). Amen and amen.

Father God, I will be strong and
courageous, I shall not be afraid
for the LORD my God is the one
who goes with me. And You will
not fail me or forsake me. In fact
You has promised an inheritance.
And since U promised that It is the
Lord who goes before me. You will
be with me and will not leave me.
Therefore, I will not fear. Amen.

Lord, I pray that every time I read
Your Word, You will teach me
all I need to know. Help me to
understand Your truth & speak to
me specifically how each passage
relates to my life & lives of others.
Help me to meditate on Your Word,
Help me to be very courageous
and take steps of obedience so
that I can live in Your perfect will
and prosper as You promise. Amen

Lord, When I am afraid, I will put
my trust in You. And when I seek
you LORD, You will answer me,
and deliver me from all my fears.
Lord U have not given me a spirit
of fear, but of power. So I shall say:
The Lord is my helper; I’ll not fear.
And now may the Lord of peace
Himself continually grant me
peace in every circumstance.
The Lord be with me. Amen.

Victory through Obedience

Joshua employs textbook strategy
for military victory: Divide and
conquer! He attacks the middle
of the country first, dividing the
enemy forces in half, before
mopping Up resistance among
the isolated troops in the south
and north. His stunning victory
shows the importance of following
God’s direction down to the
smallest detail, no matter how
trivial they may seem. The lesson
is painfully reinforced at Ai, where
disobedience leads to defeat
and death. But after disciplining
His overconfident people, God
patiently encourages them
and leads them to victory again.

Lord, we learn from the accounts
of the conquests of the promised
land the importance of following
Your direction. And just as Israel
cleansed the land of idol worship,
we should also be relentless
in dealing with sin in our lives.
Lord, help us to Live Victoriously.
Help us to Trust and Obey You.
Help us to Repent & Turn to You.
Help us to Enquire of You. Amen.

Lord, we will Trust and Obey You:
Now Jericho was securely shutup
because of the children of Israel;
And the Lord said to Joshua:
See I have given Jericho into your
hand. You shall march around the
city for six days, once a day. But
the seventh day you shall match
around the city seven times & the
priests shall blow the trumpets;
all the people shall shout with
a great shout , then the wall of
the city will fall down flat (J6:1-5).
Lord, sometimes You require your
people to simply Trust & Obey U.
We depend on You to overcome
the obstacles in our life. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Repent & Turn to You:
Sanctify yourselves thus says
the Lord: There is an accused
thing in your midst, O Israel;
you cannot stand before your
enemies until you take away
the accused thing (Jos 7:13).
And Achan said: Indeed have
sinned against the Lord (v20).
The Lord said to Joshua: Do not
fear and do not be dismayed…
I have given into your hand the
king of Ai and his land (Jos 8:1).
Lord, reveal to me any sin I am
harbouring, and I will confess it.
I don’t want to give place to
any hindrances to my prayers,
or put up a roadblock to all
You want to do in my life. Amen.

Lord, we will Enquire of You:
When the people of Gibeon heard
what Joshua had done to Jericho
& Ai, they resorted to deception.
Joshua asked: Where do u come
from? They said a very far country.
Then the men of Israel took some
of their provisions; but did not
ask counsel of the Lord. Joshua
made a peace treaty with them.
3 days later they learn these pple
actually lived nearby (J9:3-16).
Lord, help me to not run off on
my own, trying to do what I think
is right instead of inquiring of You.
Help me not forget to consult You
about everything, even the things
I think I can handle on my own.
In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Entering the Promised Land

The people are poised within
view of the land promised to
their ancestors and denied their
unbelieving parents. The task
seems impossible: a swollen
turbulent river and mighty walled
cities to conquer. So God begins
to prepare His people for the days
of warfare ahead. He reminds
Joshua that careful attention to
His Word brings blessing & success
Spies are sent to survey Jericho,
the first obstacle in the land.
The priests bearing the ark
of covenant, lead the people
across the rampaging Jordan.
The stage is set for conquest.

Joshua demonstrated his faith in
God as he took up the challenge
to lead the nation. The Israelites
reaffirmed commitment to God
by obediently setting out across
the Jordan to possess the land.
As we live the Christian life,
we need to cross over from the
old life to the new, put off our
selfish desires and press on to
possess all God has planned for us.
Like Joshua and Israel, we need
courageous faith to live the new life
Lord, Help us Meditate on Yr Word;
Help us Remember Your Deeds &
Help us Be Open to Your Will. Amen

Lord, we’ll Meditate on Your Word:
Do not let this Book of the Law
depart from your mouth; meditate
on it day and night, so that you
may be careful to do everything
in it. Then you will be prosperous
and successful (Joshua 1:8).
Lord, I pray that every time I read
Your Word, You will teach me
all I need to know. Help me to
understand Your truth & speak to
me specifically how each passage
relates to my life & lives of others.
Help me to meditate on Your Word
and take steps of obedience so
that I can live in Your perfect will
and prosper as You promise. Amen

Lord, we’ll Be Open to Do Your Will:
Joshua secretly sent out two spies..
He instructed them: Scout out
the land on the other side of the
Jordan River esp around Jericho.
So the 2 men set out & came to the
house of a prostitute named Rahab.
(And) Rahab went to the roof to
talk with them: I know the Lord
had given you this land… We heard
how the Lord dried up the Red Sea
and what you did to the two kings
of the Amorites (Joshua 2:1-10).
Lord, You directed the spies to
Rahab’s house because You knew
her heart was open to You and
that she would be instrumental in
the Israelite victory over Jericho.
You God often uses people with
simple faith to accomplish Your
great purposes no matter what
kind of past they have or how
insignificant they seem to be.
Help us be Open to Your Will. Amen

Lord, we’ll Remember Your Deeds:
Joshua said to the Israelites: In
future your children will ask, What
do these stones mean? Then you
can tell them: the Lord your God
dried up the river right before your
eyes and He kept it dry until you
were all across, just as he did at
the Red Sea… He did this so all the
nations of the earth might know
that the Lord’s hand is powerful
and so you might fear the Lord
your God forever (Josh 4:21-24)
Lord, U are calling us to remember
because looking at what You had
done in the past builds our faith
for the present and the future.
You are promising that the same
power You had demonstrated in
the past is available in the present.
So, we will remember Your deeds
of grace and lovingkindness. Amen

Preview on Joshua (June 8)

Whilst the Bible is arranged by
types of writings, we meditate it
chronologically to get better flow.
We start with Genesis on God’s
Plan for creation, then meditated
Job on the Sovereignty of God;
Exodus on Deliverance from Egypt;
Leviticus on the way of Holy Living;
Numbers on training in Obedience;
and Deut on Holiness & Obedience.
And for the last 3 weekends, we
meditated on Mark gospel where
we see Jesus as Perfect Servant
who came to seek and serve and
gave his life as a ransom for many.

Continuing on the first book of OT
history, Joshua succeeds Moses
as Commander-in-chief of Israel
and leads the people across the
Jordan into the Promised Land.
This is a book of war and peace,
detailing Israel’s conquering of
Canaan & marking their beginning
as a settled nation. The first half
of the book recounts three military
campaigns spanning seven years
in which Joshua meets & defeats
more than 30 enemy armies.
The second half relates to the
settlement of Canaan,the fulfillment
of God’s promise to Abraham.

The theme of Joshua is Israel’s
possession of the Promised Land
and enjoyment of God’s blessing
thro obedient faith in His Promises.
We’ll cover the book of Joshua over
2 weekends in following 4 divisions:
J1-5: Entering the Promised Land
J6-12: Conquering Promised Land
J13-21: Dividing the Promised Land
J22-24: Joshua’s Final Challenge
Let’s meditate thro Joshua and
be encouraged to be Obedient &
be strengthened in Faith. Amen.

The Call for Commitment to God

Moses has come to a solemn and
climatic moment in his 3rd & final
address to the nation – the time for
a recommitment to the covenant.
He reminds the new wilderness
generation that the potential for
God’s richest blessing awaits them
in the land, as well as the potential
for his severest judgment. It all
depends on their submissive
response to the demands of the
covenant. Dramatically, Moses
delivers the challenge: I have set
before you life & death…choose life.

Lord, we will Return and Obey:
If you listen to these commands
of the Lord your God and carefully
obey them, the Lord will make you
the head and not the tail (D28:13)
Return to the Lord… and the Lord
your God will circumcise your heart
to love the Lord your God with all
your heart… I have set before you
life and death, blessings & cursing;
(so) choose life that you…may live;
that u may love the Lord your God,
that you may obey His voice and
that you may cling to Him, for
He is your life (Deut 30:2-6, 19-20)

God, I know You have a good plan
and forged a path for me to follow.
But there’s an enemy who desires
I lose my way and seeks to destroy
the destiny U have planned for me.
Today, I purpose to love & obey you
and look forward to Your blessings.
And Thank You for the promise to
make me the head & not the tail.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God, U challenged Israel to show
their love for Him by choosing
to obey Him & thereby continue
to experience His blessings.
Lord, you promise to change
our heart when we return to You.
Transform us into people who obey
You out of gratitude rather than
imposed demand. And help us to
choose to obey You in each life
situation again and again. Amen.

Dear Lord, we realise knowing Your
Word is Not Enough for we need
to make Commitment to Obey You.
Help us to keep covenant with you
by obeying Yr Word for we love U.
Help us to Commit to Obey to
Avoid Curses but Gain Blessings.
Help us Return to U when we fail
so that we can be transformed.
Grant us the grace as we express
our love by obeying You. Amen.

Be Reminded of God’s Word

Moses’ second sermon opens with
a Repetition of Ten Commandments
(hence the name Deuteronomy
– second law). It exhorts the
people to obey the Lord from
a heart of love, to teach their
children obedience and to be
careful Not to Forget the Lord in
times of prosperity. Victory over
the pagan occupants of Canaan
is assured as long as the people
faithfully obey God’s commands.

Lord, we’ll Follow Your Instructions:
You must be careful to obey all
the commands of the Lord your
God, following His instructions
in every detail… that it may be               well with you (Deut 5:32-33).
You must love the Lord your God
with all your heart, all your soul
and all your strength. And you must
commit yourselves Wholeheartedly
to these commands that I am giving
you today. Repeat them Again and
Again to your children (Deut 6:5-7).

Lord, forgive me for treating Your
words casually for they’re absolute
truth, and our anchor in this world.
Help me follow You from my heart.
And I resolve to persevere and
not lose heart, no matter what
obstacles stand in the way or
what fears to hold me back. And
please reward me clearly enough
and often enough to keep me
coming to Your throne boldly. Amen

Lord, help me to love You with
all my heart, soul and strength. For
I have not yet been wholeheartedly
committed to Your commands or
made them a consistent part of
my life. Lord, loosen my tongue
to speak about my need for      Your grace and the confidence   that You’ll supply both to me.               In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, I want to love You with
my whole heart; for this is Your
greatest desire for me and that
it’s the reason I was made. But
You know how easily I can be
distracted by lesser things, how
forgetful I can be and how weak
my love can be. Remind me of
Your great love; and help my
heart respond to You and love
You more passionately. Amen.

Accepting & Trusting God’s Voice

God has led his people out of
Egypt and across the great desert.
Now they stand ready to enter
the promised land. But before the
Israelites go into the land, Moses
has impt advice to them which he
delivers in 3 parts. In the 1st part,
Moses reviews the history of
Israel with the crucial lesson: that
obedience brings blessing while
disobedience results in judgment.

Lord, we’ll Pray to Draw Close to U:
Observe the laws carefully, for this
will show yr wisdom to the nations,
who will say: “Surely this great
nation is a wise and understanding
people.” What other nation is so
great as to have their god near
them the way the Lord is Near us
whenever we Pray to Him (D4:6-7)
The Lord Spoke to you from the
heart of the fire. You Heard the
sound of his words but Didn’t See
his form; there was Only A Voice.
So He declared to you His covenant
which He commanded u to perform
the Ten Commandments (v12-13).

Lord, we thank You for being Close
to us when we pray. Thank You
that You hear and will answer us.
Thank You that in Your presence
there is transformation for my soul
and my life. I Draw Close to U and
ask for an increasing sense of Your
presence. I ask that You will help
me to pray more and more every
day; and give me increasing faith
to believe for the answers. Amen.

Lord, I realise in our relationship
with You, there will be a constant
interplay between the hidden and
the revealed. You don’t compel
our faith; and we always have to
choose to see what U are revealing.
So Lord, even as I hear Your voice
but don’t see Your form, please
enable me to accept as much as
I can of what You reveal. Help me
accept Your revelation & Trust what
-ever I don’t see beyond it. Amen.

Dear Lord, You want Your people
to place holiness as a way of life &
be obedient to You in every action.
Help us always Hallow Your laws
& help us Pray Draw Close to You.
Help us to purpose in our heart
Not be Afraid but Trust You God
by remembering Your mighty acts.
Help us Accept Your revelation
and Trust what see don’t see yet.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Choosing Faith In God, Not Doubt

Following the Lord’s instructions,
Moses selects one rep from each
of the 12 tribes to form a scouting
party. Their assignment: to spy out
the defenses of the land and bring
back a sample of the produce.
The 12 return with a divided report!
Ten see only the obstacles while
two see opportunities. The nation
disheartened & faithless, threatens
to stone Moses and return to Egypt
rather than face what lies ahead.
As a result, God condemns that
unbelieving generation to forty
years wandering the wilderness.
Lord,help us see thro Eyes of Faith.
Help us not treat U with Contempt.
Help us Not to Doubt You. Amen.

Lord,we’ll Choose Faith Not Doubt:
Two of men who had explored the
land, Joshua and Caleb, said to
the community of Israel: The land
we explored is a wonderful land!
And if the Lord is pleased with us,
He will bring us safely into that land
and give it to us… Do not rebel
against the Lord and don’t be
afraid of the people of the land…
The Lord is with us (Num 14:6-9).
The Lord said to Moses: How long
will these people treat me with
contempt? Will they never believe
Me, even after all the miraculous
signs I’ve done among them (v11).
I have forgiven them as you asked.
Because these men who have seen
My glory and the signs I did in
Egypt and in the wilderness and
have put Me to the test 10 times
and have not heeded My voice,
they shall not see the land which
I swore to their fathers (N14:19-23)

Lord, open my spiritual eyes to
see those exceedingly good things
in my path. Forgive me for focusing
on the problems around me.
As I keep my eyes on You and
the purpose You’ve put before me,
may I go forth in faith, not in fear,
so that I don’t miss the beauty
and blessings each day. Amen.

Lord, it is so easy to let our
hearts be affected by negativity.
And I confess that I tend to live
by sight and not by faith. Please
help me reverse that tendency.
I purpose to hang on to Your truth,
even when it may contradict
the visible world and circumstance.
For I want to be a believer in
every way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, just as U delivered Your pple
out of Egypt, and You forgave them
and provided what they needed
every step of the way, I turn to You
for deliverance & forgiveness & ask
that You will provide for my needs.
Help me to never doubt that
You will always give me the
light I need for each step I take.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.