Greg's Notes for the Week of 24 February 2014 - Greg's Notes from "A New Beginning"

Greg's Notes for the Week of 24 February 2014 - Greg's Notes from "A New Beginning"
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
The Greatest Stories Ever Told
"It's All How You Look at Things"
IT’S ALL HOW YOU LOOK AT THINGS Numbers 13:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men, that 
they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children
of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man,
every one a prince among them.” 3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the 
commandment of Yahweh. All them were men who were heads of the 
children of Israel. 4 These were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. 9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 11 Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the 
son of Susi. 12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the 
land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17 Moses sent 
them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this
way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18 See the 
land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 and what the
land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what 
cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in 
strongholds; 20 and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring 
some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes. 21 So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of
Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. 22 They went up by the 
South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the 
children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years 
before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they
bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the 
pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the valley of 
Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut 
down from there. 25 They returned from spying out the land at the
end of forty days. 26 They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the 
wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and
to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent 
us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 
28 However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the 
cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the 
children of Anak there. 29 Amalek dwells in the land of the 
South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the 
hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side
of the Jordan.” 30 Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up
at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!” 31 But the men who went up with him said, “We aren’t able to go 
up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” 32 They 
brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to
the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and \all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 
There we saw the Nephilim,[a] the sons of Anak, who come from the
Nephilim.[b] We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Footnotes: a. Numbers 13:33 or, giants b. Numbers 13:33 or, giants What is your view of God? The way you view God will determine how
you view life and the choices you make. This is especially true 
when we are facing trials or crises in our lives. If you have a 
big view of God, then your problems will seems small in 
comparison. If you have a small view of God, then your problems 
will be large in comparison. As Israel approached the Promised Land, they sent spies to scout the land. Ten of the 12 returned with reports of obstacles and troubles ahead, but two saw past the potential problems and saw God-given opportunities. It was all in how they looked at things. PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES 1. They focused on the obstacles instead of the objective 
(Numbers 13:28-29). The other spies focused on the imposing 
people in Canaan and their fortified cities. When you take your 
eyes off the goal, you will inevitably fixate on the problems and
let them overwhelm you. On the other hand, when you look at the 
obstacles in the light of God, you begin to see them as they 
really are—insignificant compared to Him. 2. Everything is affected when you allow fear to grip you 
(Numbers 14:2, 4). Faith cannot coexist with fear. When fear 
enters in, faith goes. For the Israelites, their fear convinced 
them that they were better off as oppressed slaves in Egypt. Fear
makes you lose your bearings, forgetting what God has done in 
your life. The Christian life is a battlefield, not a cakewalk. 
Don’t let obstacles make you forget God’s promises. 3. God does not want you to run from our giants, but to attack 
them (Numbers 14:9). Joshua and Caleb’s response to the imposing Canaanites was simple: “The Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” 
Rather than shrink in fear or look for a way around, they wanted to attack head-on. That should be our mindset as Christians. Be 
like David and run toward the enemy, ready to take it on in the 
strength of the Lord. RELEVANT REMINDERS In 1 Corinthians 10, the apostle Paul draws a parallel between 
Christians today and the Israelites of Moses’ day. Moses 
delivered them from the bondage of slavery. Jesus Christ 
delivered us from the bondage of sin. They were given a Promised Land; we have been promised heaven. Like the Israelites, we have a choice to make. We can follow Christ as Lord, taking on the 
difficulties and the blessings, or we can live in a self-imposed wilderness of struggle and half-hearted living.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS Are you following God with all of your heart, ready to take on 
life’s challenges? Or are you living in a self-imposed wilderness
of struggle and compromise? You can live the Christian life as it
was meant to be lived. Come out of the wilderness and into the 
light.
MONDAY, 24 February 2014
It's All How You Look at Things — II
Numbers 13:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”
3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Yahweh. All them were men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 These were their names:
Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
11 Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
16 These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18 See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20 and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.
21 So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. 22 They went up by the South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there. 25 They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. 26 They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. 29 Amalek dwells in the land of the South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side of the Jordan.”
30 Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!”
31 But the men who went up with him said, “We aren’t able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” 32 They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the Nephilim,[a] the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim.[b] We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
Footnotes:
a. Numbers 13:33 or, giants
b. Numbers 13:33 or, giants
What's holding you back from stepping forward and doing something bold for the Lord? Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see how great kingdom opportunities are awaiting us . . . but they won't wait forever. It's a lesson on letting God work in us and through us.
TUESDAY, 25 February 2014
It's All How You Look at Things — III
Numbers 13:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”
3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Yahweh. All them were men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 These were their names:
Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
11 Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
16 These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18 See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20 and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.
21 So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. 22 They went up by the South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there. 25 They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. 26 They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. 29 Amalek dwells in the land of the South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side of the Jordan.”
30 Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!”
31 But the men who went up with him said, “We aren’t able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” 32 They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the Nephilim,[a] the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim.[b] We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
Footnotes:
a. Numbers 13:33 or, giants
b. Numbers 13:33 or, giants
Most of us have problems. In fact, many of us have BIG problems. Pastor Greg Laurie says God is bigger than our problems. He'll show us how to view our challenges in light of God's abundant grace and provision.
The Greatest Stories Ever Told
"Overcoming or Overcome?"
OVERCOMING OR OVERCOME? Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the 
children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 Yahweh
said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, 
with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3 All of your men of 
war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets
of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall 
march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the
trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the
ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the 
people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall the city 
shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man 
straight in front of him.” 6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, 
“Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear 
seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.” 7 They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and 
let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven
priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh 
advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of Yahweh’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew 
the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded 
as they went. 10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor
let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of 
your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall 
shout.” 11 So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, going
about it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the 
camp. 12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took 
up Yahweh’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went.
14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned
into the camp. They did this six days. 15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day,
and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the 
seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city! 17 The 
city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with 
her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18
But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to 
destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the 
devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed, and
trouble it. 19 But all the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and
iron, are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s 
treasury.” 20 So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted 
with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the 
people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him,
and they took the city. 21 They utterly destroyed all that was in
the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 Joshua said to the two
men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you 
swore to her.” 23 The young men who were spies went in, and 
brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and
they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They burnt the 
city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver,
the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of Yahweh’s house. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s 
household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in
the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers,
whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, 
“Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this 
city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its 
foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all
the land. Even for the person with only a casual knowledge of the Bible, 
Israel’s victory at Jericho is one of the most recognizable 
stories in Scripture. Facing an imposing target, God’s people 
followed a unique and extraordinary battle plan to conquer the 
city. It was a strategy that only God could have conceived, meant
to ensure that He would get the credit for making it happen. Yet, just one chapter later, the Israelites suffered a 
humiliating defeat at the less-imposing city of Ai. Why do we as Christians sometimes go from victory to defeat in 
our lives? PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES 1. Self-confidence. After God handed victory on a silver platter to the Israelites, they felt like they could defeat Ai with just a portion of their army. They got a little cocky and arrogant 
about their abilities. In the same way, our greatest dangers 
often come after our biggest victories. We start believing that 
we are succeeding on our own, and forget that it was God who did it for us. 2. A neglect of prayer. Before Jericho, Joshua consulted with God
before putting forth a strategy. But at Ai, he did not bother to go to Him in prayer beforehand. Similarly, Simon Peter couldn’t
stay awake to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and it turned out to be another step toward him denying Christ. Lack of prayer will
lead to a lack of guidance on God’s part and a greater chance of failure.
3. Disobedience. God’s rule for Jericho was that the Israelites 
would take nothing from the city. It was not much to ask, 
considering that He gave them the victory. God has given all 
believers certain things we must do in order to stay within His 
will and achieving victory in life. When we neglect those things and fall prey to sin, we don’t just hurt ourselves, but the 
church around us too. RELEVANT REMINDERS It might seem like overkill that Israel lost at Ai because of one
man’s sin, but the truth is that one person outside the will of 
God is a menace to themselves and others. Jonah’s disobedience to
God nearly caused the sinking of a ship and its entire crew. 
Today, a husband or wife’s disobedience can hold back an entire 
family’s faith. A pastor outside the will of God can mislead an 
entire congregation. In short, what you do matters, not just to 
you but to others. APPLICABLE ACTIONS Does the obstacle ahead of you seem insurmountable? Bring it to 
God and let Him gain the victory. But don’t let yourself get away from the things that God has 
called you to do, or you’ll find yourself slipping from victory 
to defeat.
WEDNESDAY, 26 February 2014
Overcoming or Overcome? — I
Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3 All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.”
6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.”
7 They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of Yahweh’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.
10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, going about it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp. 12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went. 14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.
15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city! 17 The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.”
20 So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city. 21 They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you swore to her.” 23 The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of Yahweh’s house. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
Many are familiar with Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. But many have missed the lesson it offers for the battles we face in our lives today? Pastor Greg Laurie helps us dig deeper into this account , from his series "The Greatest Stories Ever Told."
THURSDAY, 27 February 2014
Overcoming or Overcome? — II
Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3 All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.”
6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.”
7 They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of Yahweh’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.
10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, going about it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp. 12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went. 14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.
15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city! 17 The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.”
20 So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city. 21 They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you swore to her.” 23 The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of Yahweh’s house. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
When are we most vulnerable to spiritual failure? Pastor Greg Laurie says it's often after a time of great spiritual success. We'll see what happened after the tremendous victory at Jericho. Pastor Greg helps equip us to be on our guard against the post-victory onslaught of the enemy.
FRIDAY, 28 February 2014
Overcoming or Overcome? — III
Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3 All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.”
6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.”
7 They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of Yahweh’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.
10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, going about it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp. 12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went. 14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.
15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city! 17 The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.”
20 So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city. 21 They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you swore to her.” 23 The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of Yahweh’s house. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
The body of Christ is meant to function in unity and harmony. When one of its members is out of sorts, it affects the whole body. Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see that demonstrated in the story of Joshua's great victory at Jericho, followed by his stinging defeat at Ai.
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Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie
P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000
Phone: 1(800)821-3300