Today’s Reading:
Joshua 24
14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:14-15
The Spirit of the Lord says,
Submission required. For where we are going, submission is required. Submission is the price of entry. Former ways, former habits, former mindsets, former associations must be laid down at the altar of God. I’m calling you to walk in holiness. I’m calling you to walk in purity. I’m calling you to walk in continual submission to the voice of the Lord Your God. This is a choose this day whom you will serve time. This is a choose this day whom you will serve hour. You can’t serve two masters, and you certainly can’t serve more than that. You can’t serve yourself and Me. You can’t serve your ego and Me. You can’t serve your bank account and Me. You can’t serve your leisure time and Me. That’s not the life of a solider. That’s not the life of a warrior. That’s not the life of one who has laid it all down and has been raised from the dead, as you have been.
16 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;17 for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”
Joshua 24:16-18
It’s time to return to first principles. It’s time to return to austere living. It’s time to return to simple, straightforward, honest and pure. If it’s complicated, it’s not from Me. Complication births corruption. My instructions may not be easy, but they are not complicated. I have told you before, and I will tell you again — you will hear Me say, this is the way, walk in it. I will lead you in the way you should go. It’s no call to get overwhelmed or overridden with anxiety and stress. It’s a call to purity and obedience. It’s a call to the life of a disciple, a follower of Jesus, a solider of the One True King. March to the beat of My drum, and you will not be led off-course. March to the instruction of My voice, and you will stay in lockstep with Me, My purposes, My movement, My timing.
This is not a time to be overrun. Your schedules and commitments, your nice-to-dos and even your must-dos have overtaken you. Strip them down. Wipe the slate clean. Wipe the calendar clean. What does it look like to have only Me on your calendar? Where Am I telling you to go, to do, to offer and to serve? This is not a call to abandon fun. This is a call to abandon busyness, fillers and empty relationships that steal time and money. This is a call to deep, ruthless, unapologetic prioritization of your life — your resources, your schedule and your emotional energy. What can get left on the the cutting room floor? What can be abandoned in exchange for more life, more time, more mental bandwidth?
22 Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 “Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice.”
Joshua 24:22-24
This is the way to live. This is the call for now. My soldiers are single- minded. My soldiers are very focused. Battle ready soldiers lead organized, disciplined and straightforward lives. This kind of life leaves room for fun. It actually cuts out the time wasters and finance wasters and leaves wide open space for fun and true life. This is what I’m calling you to — a battle ready life, the life of a true solider.
How to Respond
- Sit with the Lord and ask Him to help you ruthlessly prioritize your life.
- Pray, Holy Spirit come. Show me where I am to spend my time. Show me who I am called to serve, to lead, to bless. Help me to cut away time, energy and resource wasters, so that I can lead the simple, straightforward, organized and disciplined life of a battle ready soldier.
- Declare, this is a day and an hour to choose whom we will serve.
- Decree, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I will discard every attitude, belief, activity and relationship that does not honor and serve the Lord. I will prioritize my life and get rid of things that are stealing time, energy, resources and creativity from what the Lord is calling me to do. I will be a battle ready soldier.
For more encouragement from Glory & the New Wine, check out the post from this day in 2022: Leadership After the Fury
And in 2021: The Lord Is Coming in Glory & Power
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