DO IT AGAIN THE RIGHT WAY THIS TIME

Proclamation:

“Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai … to … spy out the region … when they returned to Joshua, they said, ‘Not all the army will have to go up against Ai …’ So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai. (Joshua 7:2-4)  Then The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai.  For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.’”  Joshua 8:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Joshua under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The first time that Joshua led the Israelites against the army at Ai, The Lord God was not with them for they had sinned and broken their covenant with Him. (Joshua 7:11-12)  The first time, Joshua listened to his spies and did not speak to The Lord God.  The second time Joshua prayed, listened to God, and followed His plan when he attacked Ai.  The Lord God had to first encourage Joshua because the Israelites had been routed by Ai the first time they fought them.  This time, Joshua had renewed his commitment to The Lord God, and this time he was going to do it the right way, God’s way.

Application:

All too often we do things our way, without going to The Lord God in prayer first.  The Bible teaches us that we should pray about everything. (Matthew 21:22 and Luke 21:36)  We need to show our love for The Lord God with our life and our life style.  Jesus, The Christ, said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)  And, if we love Him, then we should not be afraid to step out on faith and do what He says do. (1 John 4:18)  We should not let the fear of failure, or the fear of rejection, cause us to stop doing something God’s way.  Even if we failed the first time, let’s do it again but do it the right way this time.  Let’s do it God’s way.  Let’s not go into battle unprepared.  Let us pray first, then let us put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18)  If we do it His way, the victory is ours. (1 Corinthians 15:57)