ANY FIRE LEFT?
We can sing about it and talk about it all day long, but are there any Joshua’s or David’s left in this world?
What happened in Afghanistan reminds me of Joshua’s battle at Ai in Joshua chapter 7. Check it out for yourself.
“When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.” So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.” Joshua 7:3-5 NLT
Whether it was arrogance or ignorance, one thing I have learned over the years as a coach is that you never underestimate an enemy. That is the recipe for disaster. The strategic plan of how the US withdrew from Afghanistan will go down as one of, if not the worst, military plan in US history.
Why have we come to this sad state of emergency in our country? Is it the sin among us just as in Joshua’s defeat? Joshua was one of the mightiest generals to ever walk the earth and yet because of sin among God’s people they suffered a humiliating defeat that nearly took their courage.
“Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side! Lord, what can I say now that Israel has fled from its enemies? For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?” But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction. “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.”
Joshua 7:7-13 NLT
When our leadership attempts to remove “In God We Trust”, Prayer in schools, and the Ten Commandments from our midst, then what do you expect, as we continue to let it happen? As the body of Christ, we either remove the sin, repent, and obey our Commander in Chief God or we lose all that has been achieved by our founding fathers and those who have died protecting our country. I know the battle is not flesh and blood and that we are under a new covenant, but we also have the power of the Holy Spirit, which the generals of the old testament did not have available to them all the time.
I am reminded of when David heard Goliath curse God for the very first time. That is all it took. One time and David rose up and ended it. Just yesterday I was watching a movie. Up until then, there had been no bad language or scenes that would cause me to turn it off, but at that moment for no good reason, Samuel L Jackson drops a GD. Why? I don’t know, but as bad as it bothered me, I let it go. When it happened again a few minutes later, The Holy Spirit in me nearly threw the remote at the TV. Why did it take twice for me to move?
If my favorite disciple, Peter, allowed himself to deny Jesus three times, but was forgiven and redeemed by Jesus later, then I still have hope for myself and America. Even though Peter had seen Jesus face to face and His miracles, Peter had an excuse. He had not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit. That all changed after Pentecost. Once filled, Peter walked into the Sanhedrin, healed a cripple, and because of the power of the Holy Spirit in him, even his shadow healed people. He went from coward to as bold as a Lion and winning thousands of souls. He stood strong to the point of finally being crucified upside down at his own wish, because he said that he was not worthy to die like his Lord and Savior Jesus died.
Are we as the Body of Christ, who have the Holy Spirit available to us right now, going to stop the cursing of our God and rise up in His power to overcome the attack of the enemy? Are we willing to lay it all on the line, even to the point of imprisonment or death for our King? The enemy doesn’t think so. You don’t have to listen closely anymore to hear him cursing our God, he is boldly screaming curses for all to hear. How long are we going to ignore the curses?
For forty days, twice a day, eighty times, so-called warriors fighting under the name of God’s chosen army ignored those taunts and curses by Goliath directed at their God. Our God. Are we any better than them, unless we take stand united for our Lord and ask for Him to fill us with His Fire, The Holy Spirit, and guide us to overcoming this attack of the enemy?
Please don’t say, “Come on coach, it is just GD, a couple words from a fool. Well I can handle an f-bomb or some filth at times because I fall short to sin at times as well, but don’t drop a GD around me. That just won’t fly past the Fire of the Spirit in me. I think it is time we ask for God to forgive us for not rising up like Joshua and David, and we allow the Peter “The Rock” to take over our lives instead of the Simon “Listen”. We are listening and doing very little it seems.
There was a time that SOL stood for the Statue of Liberty. If we wait much longer to stand, then it will only stand for Sadly Outta Luck.
Photo by Mateus Maia on Unsplash