“So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.” – Joshua 9:14

At a crucial moment during their conquest of the Promised Land, Joshua and the Israelites made a foolish mistake that remains all too common today. They relied on their analysis and reasoning about the situation rather than seeking God’s input. They’d been told not to make treaties with local groups, but when the Gibeonites claimed to have traveled from far away to make a peace treaty, Joshua was content to just review their fabricated evidence. He and the other Israelites spent absolutely no time in prayer.

Christians often do the same thing today! We can be so sure of our gut, the evidence of our eyes, or our brilliant reasoning that we forget to consult the all-knowing, all-wise God of the universe. Does that describe you? When presented with a difficult decision or complicated situation is your first instinct to start praying about it or do you primarily trust your instincts and ability to sort through the evidence and arguments? It isn’t wrong to carefully look at the data, review everything available, and think about it. However, you must also cultivate the habit of then laying all that before God in prayer. Review Scripture relevant to the situation and see if God’s answer is different from yours, talk to God, and listen carefully.

God can make sense of things that don’t make sense. He can also reveal truths that we can’t see. Whenever you’re presented with an important decision or confusing conundrum, make time for prayer, meditation, and Scripture reading. Don’t be afraid to call time out and take the matter to the Lord. Be confident in doing so. Don’t make the mistake Joshua did and foolishly rely only on yourself and your analysis. #FollowJesus

“And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” – Luke 22:44

Can you picture this moment? Can you see your Savior praying in such profound agony shortly before He was arrested? Jesus was praying about what He was about to do for you! In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was praying about the suffering He would soon endure on the cross. He prayed about the physical agony of being nailed to a cross to slowly, painfully suffocate. However, that wasn’t what weighed most heavily on His mind in the light of the full moon…

There in the garden, Jesus was agonizing over the sin He was about to take upon Himself. Your sin – all of it – would soon be on Him. If Jesus is your Savior, then every single sin you’ve ever committed or ever will commit was about to get charged against Him. And He was about to experience every bit of God’s righteous wrath for your sin. Jesus would soon drink the foaming cup of God’s wrath for human rebellion, cruelty, selfishness, greed, and degradation. Your rebellion, cruelty, selfishness, greed, and degradation…

All the sins of all the sinners throughout all of time… That’s what Jesus was praying about in such terrible agony. Alone in the dark, except for the spiritual assistance of an angel, Jesus battled every temptation to flee and save Himself. He battled the temptation to keep His righteousness for Himself rather than giving it to everyone who believes in Him. He battled the temptation to let us simply receive what we deserve rather than the mercy and grace we don’t deserve. In this profound spiritual battle, the sweat poured off of Jesus, thick and heavy like blood. That’s how intense the battle was.

Be glad that Jesus fought that spiritual battle in the Garden! Rejoice that He prayed with such fervency that He overcame it all and could freely and joyfully head toward the cross that made your salvation possible! Rejoice, but don’t forget your Savior praying alone in the night because of you. #FollowJesus

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
– Psalm 50:14-15

It would be impossible to describe how much more concerned God is with your attitude than the appearances of your religion. In this psalm, God reminds us that He doesn’t actually need anything from us. He doesn’t need the sacrifices or services we offer. Elaborate rituals of religiosity don’t impress Him. What matters to God in the practice of our faith is our heart behind our practices. Are we responding to God’s grace, love, and faithfulness with love, thankfulness, and faithfulness?

If you practice religion to try and gain favor with God, stop. Just stop. Trust in Jesus and know that by God’s grace, He already favors you more than you can possibly understand or imagine. God’s love and blessing is given entirely as a gift of undeserved, unearned grace. How you express your faith in worship, praise, discipleship, evangelism, sacrifice, and service to the Lord should entirely reflect the joy, gratitude, and thanksgiving in your heart for what you’ve already received from God through Jesus Christ: love, forgiveness, eternal life, adoption, union, salvation, transformation. If it doesn’t, what are you doing? What are you trying to accomplish?

The Great Commandment says to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. That certainly includes worshiping regularly and sacrificial giving to His Kingdom, but don’t do those things to “get right” with God. Do those things because God has already made you right with Him through Jesus Christ. Let your heart and mind overflow with thanksgiving and joy. Give that up to God in every way you can think of. Be faithful and obedient to Him, not out of fear but out of love and gratitude.

As you understand and embrace God’s grace, responding to it with worship, faithfulness, love, and thanksgiving, then your prayers will increasingly align to God’s will. He will hear your requests with delight and respond with blessing. He will be with you through every trial in life and ultimately deliver you unto Himself to enjoy His presence forever and ever. #FollowJesus

“That this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us forever.”
– Psalm 48:14

God will not get tired, distracted, overwhelmed, or confused. For those in Christ, He will be our guide, our strength, our rock, our fortress, our sovereign, our king, and our leader forever and ever. He will never slow down, never lose a step, never retire, and never give up on us. Trust in God. Trust His faithful, steadfast love that never runs out. Trust His Almighty power and presence that can overcome all obstacles and opposition.

Trust God’s guidance. Even when you don’t understand it or disagree with it. Trust that His perspective is higher, longer, and broader than yours. Trust that His experience is deeper than yours. Trust that His will is better than yours. Trust that His motives are purer than yours. Let God be your guide forever and ever. Study and obey His Word from Scripture. Seek His will in prayer.

Walk with God all of your days on earth, confident that in Jesus Christ, you will enjoy God’s presence forever. Take a moment to consider…. Is God truly the guide for your life? Are you fully following Him or are you typically following yourself or a leader here on earth? Are you following Him wherever He guides or are you holding back out of fear or discomfort. Let God guide you into and through a life greater than you could ever imagine! #FollowJesus

“Within her citadels God
has made himself known as a fortress.
For behold, the kings assembled;
they came on together.”
– Psalm 48:3-4

In this season of horrific violence, it’s good to periodically remember that Jerusalem (the subject of these verses), and her wellbeing, is extremely important to God. Jerusalem is a particular focus of God’s love and attention. He defends it against the gathered armies of the world. That doesn’t mean He turns a blind eye to injustices committed by those living within the city or surrounding country. It simply means that Jerusalem is on God’s mind, it’s near to His heart, and it’s important to His plan.

As followers of Jesus, we too should be concerned for the fate of Jerusalem and Israel. The climactic events leading up to the return of Jesus will occur in and around Jerusalem. When Jesus returns, it will be on the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem. The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and we should likewise be praying for the salvation of her residents (all of them).

The political issues surrounding Israel and Jerusalem are rooted in the deep history and profound spiritual realities of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. This is why they defy the simplistic solutions offered, shouted, chanted, or demanded by “experts”, “leaders”, or “influencers”. Don’t fall in love with simplistic, worldly solutions, no matter who’s offering them. Such solutions are utterly irrelevant, a distraction at best, a deception at worst. Pray, learn, pray some more, learn some more, support, speak up, and ultimately, trust God!