Cockiness

Bible Reading:  Joshua 8:10-29

Key Verse: Verse 14 - “And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers In ambush against him behind the city.”

Key Words:  the king of Ai...hasted and rose up early

It was pride and over-cockiness of Israel that led to their defeat against Ai.  Now the pride and arrogance of Ai will lead to their demise.  Remember, “Pride goeth before the fall.”  Past victories are no guarantee of future victories.

An overconfident girl may think she can handle the “petting” only to find out later the power of worldly lust.  An overconfident pastor may feel as though he can handle his desires and passions as well, only to find himself a shame to the cause of Christ, his family and himself.

The overconfidence of many teens and adults has destroyed them when they thought they could handle the drugs, sex, or liquor.  Watch out for cockiness and pride.

A man who had a high opinion of himself, stepped on a coin-operated scale that dispensed a card giving his weight and comments about his personality.  After reading the card, he handed it to his wife and said, “Here, look at this!”  She took it and read aloud, “You are dynamic, a born leader, handsome, and much admired by women for your personality.”  Giving a second look, she added, “Hmmm...I see it got your weight wrong, too.”

Beware of cockiness!

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Remember: Philippians 1:21: “For me to live is Christ” – not “for me to live is me.”

Fear Not

Bible Reading:  Joshua 8:1-9

Key Verse: Verse 1 – “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:”

Key Words:  Fear not

Israel’s failure at Ai had shaken them, so God gave His reassurance that He was still with them.  God knew that fear of the future and discouragement always accompanied failure.  Failure brings with it an “I can’t” attitude.  But in reality failure is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes which allows us to do a better job the next time.

Henry Ford defined failure as “an opportunity to begin again more intelligently, and organize a victory out of failure.”  Alexander Whyte said, “No matter what mistake we make, the worst mistake of all is to not try again.”  

Thomas Edison failed many times and yet made over 1,100 inventions.  When he worked on the idea of making artificial light, he couldn’t find a filament that would give good light when electricity flowed through it.  He spent two years experimenting with thousands of materials, including everything from blades of grass to wire made from platinum.  Finally he used carbonized thread, which is cotton sewing thread burned to ash.  On October 21, 1879, he succeeded.  

 Remember, it is not failing that is the problem; it is what one does after he fails.

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Remember, a winner never quits and a quitter never wins.

Attraction to Sin

Bible Reading: Joshua 7:10-26

Key Verse: Verse 21 – “When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.”

Key Words: When I saw 

The path of sin never changes.  Achan said, “I saw, I coveted, I took, I fell.”

Several years ago our family visited Niagara Falls.  It was spring, and ice was rushing down the river.  As I viewed the large blocks of ice flowing toward the falls, I could see that there were carcasses of dead fish embedded in the ice.  Gulls by the score were riding down the river feeding on the fish.  As they came to the brink of the falls, their wings would go out, and they would escape from the falls.

I watched one gull which seemed to delay and wondered when it would leave.  It was engrossed in the carcass of a fish, and when it finally came to the brink of the falls, out went its powerful wings.  The bird flapped and flapped and even lifted the ice out of the water, and I thought it would escape.  But it had delayed too long so that its claws had frozen into the ice.  The weight of the ice was too great, and the gull plunged into the abyss.

The material possessions of this world can entrap us if we become attached to them.  Like Achan we will fall and our fall not only affects us, but those around us as well.

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Remember, the first duty of every soul is not freedom, but to find its master.  If Jesus is your Master, He alone will attract you.

Defeat

Bible Reading: Joshua 7:1-9

Key Verse: Verse 1 - “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.”

Key Words: But the children of Israel committed a trespass

Joshua is still filled with joy over the victory of Jericho, but he is about to learn that yesterday’s victories do not immune us from tomorrow’s defeats.

The spies return from spying out Ai and basically say we can make quick work of this.  God’s people had become overconfident.  They had forgotten that it was God who brought victory, not Israel.  The spies in their overconfidence underestimate the strength of the enemy and overestimate their own ability.  Overconfidence not only can lead to struggle and defeat, it will lead us into the valley of despair.

Golf immortal Arnold Palmer recalls a lesson about overconfidence:

“It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying shot.  I felt I was in pretty good shape.  As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery.  He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, ‘Congratulations.’  I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus.

“On my next two shots, I hit the ball into the sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green.  I missed a putt and lost the Masters.  You don’t forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again.  I haven’t in the thirty years since.”

We would do well to learn from others the defeat of overconfidence.

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Remember, he who fails to learn from his failures is bound to repeat them.

Rahab

Bible Reading:  Joshua 6:12-25

Key Verse: Verse 17 – “And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.”

Key Words: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house

Rahab and her household were to be spared.  For six days Rahab watched the army walking around the city in silence.  Do you think it was tense in her home?  You better believe it was!  What would you be thinking?

When will they attack?

Will we get caught?

Will the soldiers keep their word and spare us?

What would you be checking or examining?  I imagine Rahab was checking that scarlet thread to make sure it was in the window.  Paul tells us, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.  Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”  (II Corinthians 13:5).

Rahab is a picture of a believer prepared for the return of the Lord and the judgment to come.  Rahab was removed from the calamity and judgment after the shout.  She was one on high looking down on the peril below.  She did not know when the judgment would begin, but she was ready and prepared.  Are you?  John Wesley was asked by a friend, “If you were to die at midnight tomorrow, how would you spend the rest of your life until then?”  Wesley replied, “I would spend my time exactly as I plan to spend it now.  I would preach tonight and travel to another town tomorrow to preach in the afternoon.  Then I would go to the Martin’s home in the evening where they are expecting me.  We would spend time fellowshipping together and praying.  I would go to bed, put myself in my Father’s care, go to sleep, and wake up in Heaven.”

Wesley was a man ready for Glory!!

The question is, are you?

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Live everyday as if it was your last on earth, and one day it will be.

Jerichos of Our Life

Bible Reading:  Joshua 6:1-11

Key Verse: Verse 2 – “And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.”

Key Words: And the LORD said

Jericho was locked up tight as a drum.  It was “straightly shut up.”  In the Hebrew this reads “was closed and closed.”  It was closed with iron gates reinforced with copper bolts.  Jericho thought it was secure, only to find out later that it was insecure.  Their fortress would soon become a flaming crematory and they would be the fuel for the fire.  They thought Israel would come through the gates, but God had different plans.  What was Jericho like?  Why are they attacking here?  Jericho was the fortress guarding the eastern entrance into Canaan land.  It was located seventeen miles northeast of Jerusalem.  It could be cold and wintry in the hills of Jerusalem, but a six-hour hike dropping 3000 feet through desert and rocky land would bring you to the warm and pleasant climate of Jericho which was 800 feet below sea level.  In the summer it was extremely hot in Jericho.  It was called the city of palm trees which were abundant in the city.  It was a beautiful place.  The area of the city was eight to nine acres.  It was surrounded by double walls 25 to 30 feet high with an outer wall six feet thick.  The inner wall was twelve feet thick with fifteen feet between each wall.  Jericho was a big obstacle for Israel.  Their faith was being put to the test.

Let me assure you that if you dedicate yourself to be what God wants you to be and to go where God wants you to go, you’ll face some Jerichos in your life as well.  You will face...

• The Jericho of materialism,
• The Jericho of popularity,
• The Jericho of persecution,
• The Jericho of rejection,
• The Jericho of discouragement.

But keep on marching and obeying God – victory will come.  Hold on, my child, joy comes in the morning.

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Look beyond your obstacles and see the possibilities if you keep on going.

Gilgal

Bible Reading:  Joshua 5

Key Verse: Verse 10 – “And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.”

Key Words: And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal

The name Gilgal means “roll.”  In verse 9 we see that Gilgal is where God rolled away the reproach of Egypt which was on Israel.  Now in verse 10 Gilgal becomes a place of refreshment and restoration.  Israel’s obedience had brought about fellowship and feasting by means of the Passover (verse 9) and a delicious meal (verse 10).

This would have been only the third time Israel would have observed the Passover.  The first time was in Egypt when the death angel visited the land; and the second time was at Mt. Sinai (Numbers 9:5).  During the wilderness wanderings the Passover was not observed because no uncircumcised person could partake in the feast (Exodus 12:48).

The nation of Israel had forfeited their right to the Passover by their disobedience and sin.  God will not give the enjoyment of His fellowship and blessings to a people who are content to live in disobedience.

Just as Israel had forfeited the right of God’s blessing and fellowship, today many believers as well are giving up the blessings of God for a life of carnality and sin.  If these believers living in sin do read their Bibles, they get nothing from it.  When they do go to church, they do not enjoy it.  If they fellowship with other believers, they find little in common because they are following the beat of a different drummer...a carnal one.  Sin and disobedience are robbing them of a great blessing.  What a shame!

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞Don’t let sin rob you of God’s blessings.