Get Up!

Joshua and the Israelites had things pretty good with God. Other nations stood in awe of them because the Lord’s hand was upon them and it was very evident. The Lord directed them on matters of war and they constantly came out victorious even if they were greatly outnumbered! You could say they had quite a reputation and understandably had grown pretty confident in the way things would go down for them.

One day, after spying out an enemy’s small camp, the Israelites decided they only needed a few thousand men to go out and defeat the town. To everyone’s dismay, Joshua’s people were utterly defeated. Joshua went to God, tearing his clothes and throwing dust on his head. As he sprawled out on the ground, He questioned why God had allowed this to happen. He cried out, asking how He could just let them be disgraced in this way.

The Lord’s answer to Joshua surprised me. He said:

“Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.”

The Lord is the epitome of compassion. However, in this instance He really just got down to business. He said, “Get up!” In other words, quit feeling sorry for yourself and moping around because there are some things you can do to make this better. The reason they were being defeated by their enemy is because there were things that belonged to the Lord that they had kept back for themselves. Until they released them back to the Lord, the enemy would not be defeated.

Wow. This verse says so much. Is there an enemy in your life that has long overstayed its welcome? An area in your life that you feel defeated by, even disgraced by? Every situation is different, but this verse may hold the key for numerous believers. Are there areas in your life that you have kept back for yourself that you know belong to the Lord? It could be in the area of finances. It could be in the area of sexual intimacy. It could be in the area of relationships or Sabbath time. You know better than anyone what you have kept back from the Lord instead of giving it over to Him.

If we want to live victorious lives, we cannot keep for ourselves what God has already commanded us to set apart for Him. It may feel a little scary at first, but God would not have commanded us to give it to Him if it was not for our good. This is where we have to say, “God, I trust You with what’s Yours”.

Father God, thank You for Your Word. It brings life to my soul. I want to live a victorious life, free from defeat and disgrace. Please show me any area in my life that belongs to You and yet I have been keeping it back for myself. I know that if You have asked for it, I can trust You with it. Please give me the strength to release it to You. I trust You with all my heart.