1 00:00:02,670 --> 00:00:13,299 Speaker 1: Life Audio Hello. Thank you for listening to your daily 2 00:00:13,340 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: Bible verse, the podcast that examines one verse each day 3 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,500 Speaker 1: to learn more about God and His will for us. 4 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,740 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jennifer Slattery, and after this short word 5 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,410 Speaker 1: from our sponsors, we'll continue with our series, Courage for 6 00:00:26,450 --> 00:00:29,860 Speaker 1: the Journey, Trusting God One Step at a Time, with 7 00:00:29,900 --> 00:00:45,350 Speaker 1: a discussion on today's Bible verse, Joshua 6.27. Today's Bible 8 00:00:45,390 --> 00:00:49,030 Speaker 1: verse is Joshua 6.27. So the Lord was with Joshua, 9 00:00:49,170 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: and his fame spread throughout the land. Joshua experienced history-making 10 00:00:56,060 --> 00:00:59,710 Speaker 1: success because he relied fully on the Lord. A stark 11 00:00:59,770 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: contrast to one of my toxic traits. When life feels hectic, 12 00:01:04,810 --> 00:01:07,460 Speaker 1: my family and I hit a crisis, or I face 13 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,420 Speaker 1: a challenge I don't know how to navigate, I tend 14 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 1: to prioritize my time with Christ to better recognize his 15 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:18,940 Speaker 1: guidance and receive his strength. Far too often, however, once 16 00:01:19,140 --> 00:01:23,060 Speaker 1: I experience victory in that particular area, I slip into 17 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: my old distracted and overly busy ways until I the 18 00:01:27,750 --> 00:01:32,740 Speaker 1: next obstacle or hardship despite recognizing my need for God, 19 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: His power and perfect wisdom, and how much better life 20 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:40,300 Speaker 1: goes when I receive and act upon it. I want 21 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: to reach a place where I'm able to celebrate every blessing, provision, 22 00:01:44,260 --> 00:01:48,820 Speaker 1: and triumph the Lord provides while maintaining the same level 23 00:01:48,940 --> 00:01:53,940 Speaker 1: of dependence I practice when everything feels high stakes and uncertain. 24 00:01:55,110 --> 00:01:57,470 Speaker 1: I see the Lord training this same heart posture in 25 00:01:57,490 --> 00:02:00,190 Speaker 1: the ancient Israelites who lived during the time of Joshua. 26 00:02:00,650 --> 00:02:04,110 Speaker 1: After guiding and sustaining them in the wilderness for 40 years, 27 00:02:04,510 --> 00:02:06,990 Speaker 1: he finally brought them into the land he'd long promised 28 00:02:07,050 --> 00:02:10,790 Speaker 1: them and their forefathers and called them to conquer a 29 00:02:11,050 --> 00:02:15,950 Speaker 1: heavily fortified city and its people. An action that might 30 00:02:15,990 --> 00:02:20,050 Speaker 1: have felt impossible, humanly speaking. The city itself wasn't all 31 00:02:20,090 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: that large in terms of square mileage, but it was 32 00:02:23,350 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: heavily fortified. with numerous layers of protection. Two massive stone walls, 33 00:02:28,940 --> 00:02:31,740 Speaker 1: each up to 26 feet tall and 12 feet thick, 34 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:37,060 Speaker 1: were separated by a steep 45-foot earthen embankment. For the 35 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,620 Speaker 1: ancient Israelites marching around its base, which is what God 36 00:02:40,690 --> 00:02:43,090 Speaker 1: called them to do, this would have been like standing 37 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:48,210 Speaker 1: on a sidewalk looking up at a 10-story building. Can 38 00:02:48,230 --> 00:02:53,269 Speaker 1: you imagine how intimidating that must have felt? if they 39 00:02:53,310 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: focused on their strength, resources, and abilities. But that's what 40 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:04,119 Speaker 1: makes God's instruction so powerful. He narrowed their focus onto 41 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,610 Speaker 1: himself and what he'd commanded them to do, promising if 42 00:03:08,650 --> 00:03:14,109 Speaker 1: they did their part and remained obediently dependent, partially by 43 00:03:14,350 --> 00:03:18,150 Speaker 1: marching around this city numerous times, he would do his 44 00:03:18,530 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: and make the walls come crashing down. We don't know 45 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,300 Speaker 1: what went through their minds as they circled this sophisticated fortress, 46 00:03:26,980 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: but I suspect more than a few of these quote-unquote 47 00:03:29,900 --> 00:03:35,250 Speaker 1: warriors and priests felt a bit foolish. All that walking 48 00:03:35,260 --> 00:03:38,850 Speaker 1: gave them plenty of time to feed their doubts and 49 00:03:38,870 --> 00:03:43,950 Speaker 1: their fears. Although, they might have also recognized the futility 50 00:03:43,990 --> 00:03:48,410 Speaker 1: of any strategy not designed and empowered by God. Plus, 51 00:03:48,860 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: They'd watched him stop the rushing waters of the Jordan 52 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,860 Speaker 1: at flood stage so that they could cross over it 53 00:03:53,940 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: on dry ground, along with numerous other mind-blowing miracles the 54 00:03:57,540 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: Lord had performed in the 40 years prior. This was 55 00:04:02,380 --> 00:04:07,020 Speaker 1: the epitome of a quote, reaching the end of yourself situation. 56 00:04:07,780 --> 00:04:11,500 Speaker 1: That almost peaceful place where one is finally ready to 57 00:04:11,580 --> 00:04:15,690 Speaker 1: abandon any efforts or plans not directed, ignited, and carried 58 00:04:16,260 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: by the Almighty. And so the people obeyed, seemingly without protest, hesitation, 59 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:28,260 Speaker 1: or compromise. The result? Complete victory, just as the Lord 60 00:04:28,339 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: had promised. This victory was strategic in terms of Jericho's location, 61 00:04:33,820 --> 00:04:37,070 Speaker 1: as it controlled important trade routes throughout the area, provided 62 00:04:37,250 --> 00:04:41,950 Speaker 1: abundant fresh water necessary for civilization to thrive and really 63 00:04:41,970 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: to survive. and created something of a military checkpoint that 64 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:49,110 Speaker 1: allowed its residents to retain control of and limit access 65 00:04:49,230 --> 00:04:54,570 Speaker 1: to the land's mountainous interior. But it was strategic in 66 00:04:54,630 --> 00:04:58,090 Speaker 1: another way as well. The Lord used this victory to 67 00:04:58,150 --> 00:05:01,630 Speaker 1: reveal his power, presence, and provision to his people while 68 00:05:01,710 --> 00:05:04,690 Speaker 1: reminding them of their need to remain dependent on him 69 00:05:05,270 --> 00:05:09,490 Speaker 1: during that particular battle and each one that followed. He 70 00:05:09,570 --> 00:05:13,850 Speaker 1: showed them in a tangible and unforgettable way that his 71 00:05:13,970 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: strength was greater than their weaknesses and limitations or any 72 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: obstacle they faced. The God who toppled the seemingly insurmountable, 73 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:28,220 Speaker 1: impenetrable walls could topple any other barrier standing between them 74 00:05:28,420 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: and the life to which he was calling them. Unfortunately, however, 75 00:05:33,170 --> 00:05:36,890 Speaker 1: success can make people forget those truths that feel so 76 00:05:37,310 --> 00:05:40,380 Speaker 1: vital to in their place of need. We see this 77 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,100 Speaker 1: human tendency in ancient Israel as well, and it seems 78 00:05:43,180 --> 00:05:46,390 Speaker 1: to have led God's people to share my toxic trait 79 00:05:46,589 --> 00:05:51,150 Speaker 1: of forgetfulness once I'm beyond whatever problem or challenge first 80 00:05:51,310 --> 00:05:54,390 Speaker 1: inspired my reliance on Christ. As we'll see in our 81 00:05:54,430 --> 00:05:58,580 Speaker 1: upcoming episodes, God's people soon fell into their old self-reliant 82 00:05:58,620 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: and often sinful ways and suffered for it. as have I, 83 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:09,370 Speaker 1: whenever I fall into the same unhealthy, unproductive patterns. But 84 00:06:09,390 --> 00:06:14,550 Speaker 1: I'm learning to cultivate rhythms of celebration and dependence into 85 00:06:14,589 --> 00:06:17,940 Speaker 1: my days to help me remember my desperate need for Christ, 86 00:06:18,140 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: his guidance and strength. For me, this looks like recording 87 00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: answered prayers in my journal to reflect on periodically and 88 00:06:26,300 --> 00:06:30,070 Speaker 1: asking the Holy Spirit to keep my soul pliable to him, 89 00:06:30,110 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 1: receptive to him. Maybe those two simple practices will prove 90 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: helpful to you as well. Let's pray. Holy Father, as 91 00:06:40,380 --> 00:06:43,820 Speaker 1: we go through the book of Joshua, I just thank 92 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,870 Speaker 1: you for the reminders that you are with us, that 93 00:06:46,890 --> 00:06:52,549 Speaker 1: you are always leading us towards increased peace, increased effectiveness, 94 00:06:52,930 --> 00:06:58,950 Speaker 1: increased rest, and most importantly, deeper connection with you. Thank 95 00:06:58,970 --> 00:07:03,090 Speaker 1: you that you see the things within us that lead 96 00:07:03,150 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 1: us astray, that cause us to react in fear, that 97 00:07:06,700 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: distort our thinking, our perspective, and you don't come at 98 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: us with judgment or condemnation. Instead, you come to us 99 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:20,700 Speaker 1: in love, in gentleness, in grace, and you provide opportunities 100 00:07:20,780 --> 00:07:26,340 Speaker 1: for us to practice depending on you today. And Lord, 101 00:07:26,380 --> 00:07:29,180 Speaker 1: we want to do that. We want to practice depending 102 00:07:29,420 --> 00:07:32,220 Speaker 1: on you in the small things so that when those 103 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: really big faith challenging, anxiety producing instances occur, that we've 104 00:07:39,180 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: already got this strong foundation, that we've already trained our 105 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: minds to focus on truth, to focus on your character, 106 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,700 Speaker 1: to focus on your faithfulness. And when we are in 107 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:53,140 Speaker 1: a place of overwhelm, of fear, of sorrow, of hardship, 108 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: of frustration, whatever is going on within us, Speak truth 109 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: to our emotions. Remind us of your faithfulness. Remind us 110 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,050 Speaker 1: of your heart. And remind us that you want us 111 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:08,130 Speaker 1: to turn to you in our marching, just as ancient 112 00:08:08,190 --> 00:08:12,930 Speaker 1: Israel did, however long we're marching around whatever issue we're 113 00:08:12,950 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: dealing with. You are faithful, loving, merciful, powerful, attentive, kind, gracious, sovereign. 114 00:08:26,260 --> 00:08:32,709 Speaker 1: You remain in control always, and your heart is always 115 00:08:32,910 --> 00:08:37,870 Speaker 1: turned towards us. Lord, if any of those attributes don't 116 00:08:38,309 --> 00:08:41,530 Speaker 1: feel true to us, we ask that you would begin 117 00:08:41,570 --> 00:08:45,980 Speaker 1: to dismantle whatever is challenging our ability to see you 118 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: as you truly are and to rest in your power 119 00:08:49,740 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: and your strength. We thank you for the gift of 120 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 1: your Son, for his death and resurrection and that allows 121 00:08:56,740 --> 00:09:00,140 Speaker 1: us to live in such close connection with you. And 122 00:09:00,179 --> 00:09:03,060 Speaker 1: it is in his name, Jesus Christ, our Savior, that 123 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 1: we pray. Amen.