Joshua Chapter 4 Verses 10 – 18

• There in verse 14, “On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel…” was exactly what God promised to do back in Chapter 3 Verse 7…because God is always faithful to His Word!
• Why would I bring that up? We read things almost entirely contrary to what we would expect, how we would naturally handle a situation, but God simply puts it out there, black and white on paper and says, “Trust Me…” Proverbs 14 says, “The house of the wicked WILL BE overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish…” Trust Me He calls out from His Word. “Trust Me with everything and don’t lean upon your own understanding; in all your ways turn to Me and I will direct your path. Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones!”
• Almost, well it really is, entirely contrary to what I want to do! I want to react, I want to bob and weave, stick and move, block and tackle, float like a butterfly…sting like a bee but God simply makes this request, “He who would love life and see good days, let him hold his tongue especially from evil, and his lips from speaking especially deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord ARE on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3)
• God does exactly what He had already promised to do in His Word…He always does…
• And there’s no explaining this one away. There’s no natural rationalization of what happens here…folks try to explain God away all the time. Awesome miracles happen! You get that job you’ve been praying for and immediately you talk about how well the interview went…”Oh yeah they loved me, I nailed it! NAILED IT!” Who do you think gave you favor in their eyes? Who do you think set the interview up in the first place? Who do you think calmed your heart? Man don’t explain it away! Give glory to God!
• Folks ask me how I got hooked up with what I do and with my employer. My ready response….grace man! Divine providence man! Even the unbeliever understands that when they hear the story! HA!
• Same here. As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests touched the dry land, AS SOON, AT THAT MOMENT, the waters returned…supernatural man…no explanation, no rationalization, no natural rhyme or reason…and I am just fine with that! In fact, I love that!

Joshua Chapter 4 Verses 19 – 20

• Very interesting how Gilgal is found today…the pattern of the place and the spot that archeologists can tell was a central place of gathering there in the region and right in the center guess what you find…a bunch of stones…standing stones…(video)
• Why? Well back in 6 of Chapter 4…as a testimony for generations to come…a sign to their children. Standing stones. I encourage you to do this as well. A new job. A new house. A new baby. A baptism or a decision for the Lord in your family…celebrate! Memorialize! We are so quick to forget and fall into the “What have you done for me lately,” mentality with God when He has done SO much for us already…we’ve just forgotten…
• And here’s the thing…we don’t remember the past great works of God so that we can live in a dreamland of the past, thinking that the best days are behind us…We remember them as a point of faith man…so we can know that we can trust God today…that greater and greater works and days are ahead…but man those days won’t come, and even if they do we won’t enjoy them, see them, recognize them, remember them…if we cannot just simply trust God man…take Him at His Word and watch His mastery unfold in our lives…

Joshua Chapter 4 Verse 21

• When the children ask who? Their fathers…not their mothers, their grandmothers, their grandfathers, their uncles…their fathers. Tell them. Tell them of God’s faithfulness. Show them that the strongest person in their understanding trusts in the Lord…because that’s your role dad. To be the strength, to be the lead…
• One night a little boy was being tucked in by his mom…just a little guy, 5 or 6…and he said to his mom, “Mom, I’m scared tonight, will you sleep here with me?” Mom kinda held his face in her hands and said, “Oh not tonight honey, I have to sleep with your dad tonight.” The little boy looked down for a moment, with a smug grimace on his face and said, “The big sissy!” HA!
• But man that is the case today. So many big sissy fathers. More interested in their projects or in themselves to fulfill the privilege command given to them by God…to install into their children power, strength, might and stability…by showing them and teaching them about the faithfulness of the God…
• And oh by the way, you most certainly cannot teach them without showing them and inconsistency is a cancer that will undermine everything…Joshua says here, the Word of God says here, calls it out plainly…Fathers…your responsibility. No one else…

Joshua Chapter 4 Verses 22 – 24

• So we leave the account of the stones. The 12 stones taken from the water, the 12 stones left in the water…and they are there to this day. 12 stones that everyone can see (maybe we can no longer identify) and 12 stones no one can see…except for God…and this is the work of faith in our lives…I don’t believe you can have the smooth, strong, beautiful, pleasant stones…landmarks as it were, memorials of awesome God-filled and God-led accomplishments in your life…without the 12 stones that are rough, that are dry, that are unfavorable and unwanted…entirely unknown…drowned in the depths of the water…

• There are always hardships. Denying the flesh is painful and difficult man…but it’s gotta go. That selfishness, that stupidity, that cruelty, that unbelief…its gotta die man…its gotta drown and while you and you alone carry those rough rocks to the depths and leave them there…forever to be out of sight, out of mind…one thing remains…God sees them. I love that. Every effort for this world…wasted. Gone the minute after it’s completed…Every effort for the Lord…never wasted. God always constantly sees man…and His reward and favor…never ending!