Title: The secret of victory (Joshua 11:15)
Contents
"Moses commanded Joshua what the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, and Joshua did just as much as he did, and he did not do anything that the LORD commanded Moses."
Joshua's victory was great. The secret to such a victory is as follows.
1. Obedience.
Joshua's faith is to do the word of God as it is. It means that there is no change. It means doing everything you say. Some people add or subtract what they say, depending on their thoughts, experiences, and circumstances, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, sometimes they do less, and vice versa. In reality, it is not that we are dissatisfied with our situational ethics. But Joshua did exactly what he had been told. It was a characteristic of Joshua's obedience to do nothing without adding or subtracting. Some obey their own style. We want to act in consideration of one's self-esteem and one's own position. These kinds of people are okay when they are in a good environment, but when they don't, they stop. As Joshua said to obey, it is obedience.
Even though the Jordan River overflowed in front of us and we could not cross it, we were just doing what God had told us to cross. The only way to occupy Jericho, which was equipped with enormous armaments and preparedness, was to do just as God had told him. I followed God's command to go around Jericho quietly once a day. On the last day, we were to obey the command to turn around and shout. His obedient faith, acting as it is, created a miracle and brought victory. That victory is not a victory obtained through one's own efforts, but a victory obtained by giving God's pleasure. It is the victory of Joshua's faith. Abraham had the faith to go to Mount Moriah for three days, build an altar, and offer Isaac to God as God had asked him to give him his son Isaac.
In Jesus' parable, a father tells his two sons to go to work in a vineyard. However, the eldest son said he would go, and did not go, and the second said he would not, but later turned and went to the vineyard to work hard. The Lord asks people, "Who did the will of the Father?" He says, "The second one did the will of the Father." I think that the eldest son's answer and the second son's obedience are very desirable. There is a saying that respect is not obedience, which means that it is better to obey what you are told than to respect it. This is what God's saints need in today's reality.
2. It is a firm conviction and boldness.
In Hebrews 11, people of faith and courage are recorded. With their faith and courage, they closed the mouths of lions, won the war, fulfilled their mission, and were saved even in the fire. Let's live with faith and courage. It takes courage to have faith. These people can handle anything.
3. Thorough preparation.
There was an experience of failure when trying to occupy Ai Castle. It was because Joshua was not prepared for war. You must be thoroughly prepared. A person who prepares thoroughly is a humble person. Only those who are not conceited prepare. A conceited person has the mindset that he can win without preparation. However, even when the wild beasts are about to hunt small animals, they prepare their strength and carefully hunt with all their heart. When you do that, you can get it. Frogs also have to come to jump. Even spiders have to line up to catch bugs. No matter how much meat there is, you must prepare a net by making a net. A book called Yegi says, "If a public figure wants to do his job well, he must sharpen his tools."
A person who does not prepare is a negligent person. He's an arrogant person. He's a stupid person. A proud person is not prepared. God has blessed us. In order to acquire the land, thorough self-preparation is required. God uses prepared people. If you are not prepared, you will continue to fail. You can prepare for threats. In the current state of confrontation between the two Koreas, we must prepare. There is a saying in the Seogyeong that is Yubi-Mu-Hwan. It means you have nothing to worry about if you are prepared. You must be thoroughly prepared for war. Ideologically, militarily, in many ways, we must prepare to achieve victory. Nothing is obtained vaguely. Those who prepare for worship show more power. But the unprepared are not. Those who prepare are pleased with God.
10 I know the parable of the virgin. Among them, the five virgins were foolish and could not prepare. Even when the Lord, the bridegroom, is coming, we are not ready to meet the Lord. We must prepare for the Lord's return. You must be awake. Because you never know when you will come. We need to check our faith. We need to reinforce what we have and make up for what we don't have so that there is no shortage. You need to prepare a fire for when night comes. When winter comes, you need to prepare firewood and food. We must prepare for the afterlife. We must prepare today for tomorrow. To win, you need to be thoroughly prepared.
conclusion
I hope that you will be victorious in society and in faith every day with obedience, firm conviction, boldness, and thorough preparation.