Judges 1:1-2 "Always Ask First"

¹After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Which tribe should attack the Canaanites first?" ²The LORD answered, "Judah, for I have given them victory over the land." ~Judges 1:1-2 NLT

I have decided to tackle my first Old Testament book. The Old Testament is the history of the Israelite people and God's first covenant with man. Therefore, it can be difficult to glean practical lessons from listings of laws, battles, and prophesies. So I won't be going verse by verse in this study. However, there are many, many valuable lessons to be learned from the journey this amazing nation took to get where God wanted them as His chosen people. And, of course, God stopped me in my reading at verse 2.

Here the Israelites have just lost their beloved leader, Joshua, who had finally gotten them into the promised land after many years of wandering through the desert. Now they are faced with a dilemna -- how to remove the Canaanites from the land God has told them they are to live in. They immediately ask the Lord who should lead the charge, and He answers, "(The tribe of) Judah is to go...." Why is that significant?

What struck me was the fact that they immediately sought God's leading. How often do we face an obstacle and immediately stop and seek God's direction? Now may we may often do so in very large decisions or trials in our lives. We may ask for His direction in finding a job or asking for healing from a major illness or accident. And this is what the Israelites did. They sought God for a very big task at hand. And this is a good thing. I certainly do not want to take a job without knowing I am going where God wants me to be. And if I or a member of my family is facing a life-threatening illness, I am certainly going to claim healing in the name of Jesus. But what about all the other times....

How many times a day do I need to seek God's direction and don't? He desires to abide in every aspect of your life -- not just in the big decision or major crisis. Of course He wants you to seek Him in the "big" matters of life. But He is not just some super hero or mega-doctor. He is our Father who desires a relationship that is involved in every situation, every choice, every action of our life. He left His Holy Spirit here with us to maintain a running dialogue throughout our day -- guiding each step we take. Without His constant direction, I will be prone to selfish decisions and will miss out on amazing God-filled opportunities. I must connect with Him to begin each of my days, and then maintain that connection until I lay my head on the pillow at night. Without His guidance, I exist. With it, I live purposefully in His will. That is where I want to remain.

Further Thoughts:

1. Do you just seek God's guidance in "big" moments of your life? Why?
2. Do you think God doesn't really care about this "little" parts of your life? If so, read Psalm 139.
   
3. What can you do to open that running dialogue connection with God in the morning?
4. How do you maintain the connection throughout the day?
5. How do we hear God's voice?
   
6. What big and small decisions do you need to take some concentrated alone time with Him to seek his guidance for? When will you do that?

Father, forgive me for the days I try to guide my own steps and only look to you for the "big" stuff. I need you every moment of every day because by myself, I will mess everything up. Holy Spirit, direct my steps today. I want to say what you would have me to say, to think what you would have me to think. To go and do what you would have me to do. And to remain in Your presence moment by moment. Amen.

James 1:19-20 "Purposeful Communication"

James 1:19-20.

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." NIV

Oh, how many difficulties, wars, divorces, and broken relationships could have been avoided if these verses had been written on everyone's heart. We each could read this every single day, and still not get it right. Let's look at each part of the verse.

"quick to listen" - How many times do we really listen when someone is talking to us? I would adventure not real often. Most of the time we are formulating in our mind what we will say next. We just don't seem to take enough time to really listen to what people are saying - both verbally and non-verbally. What are the nuances of their speech, word choice, body language? Are we just hearing words or discerning meaning? Communication takes time and time is precious. If this person is giving up time to speak to me, then I need to give them time and really listen to what they have have to say with attentiveness and respect. I don't have to agree with them to listen. I don't have to like what they are saying or even be interested in the topic. But to show them love as a human being, I need to honor them with my attention. Besides, you may be amazed at what you will learn.

"slow to speak" - Have you ever watched a wise elderly person. They never speak quickly. They choose their words very carefully and seem to always say something profound with each breath. That is what I am always striving for and seem to so often miss. I have a friend who before she answers her phone, she will pray for the person on the other end. We should take that approach before every conversation we have. "Lord, bless this person and may I speak wisdom and truth to them." Thinking through our words; letting the Father guide our conversations. Responding in love, not reacting in haste or anger. Taking time to breathe and speak from a place of peace rather than panic. Maybe in that pause realizing we must remain quiet.

"slow to become angry" - This is probably the toughest one of all three. Our first inclination and evidence of our sinful nature rearing its ugly head is lashing out at someone who is attacking us. Or maybe its because they are inconveniencing us. No matter what, anger usually is based in selfishness. You are doing or saying something I don't like, so I have a right to retaliate because I'm being hurt; I'm being inconvenienced; I'm not happy; I'm; I'm; I'm.

So many of our outbursts of anger could be quashed if we took time to listen and were slow to speak. It's all about slowing down in love. To truly express love to our fellow man, we must give them our time. Time to hear what they have to say -- not just in words -- but in meaning and heart. Time to speak truth and wisdom back to them -- guiding them in love. And time to save our anger for the things God would be angry about, not just exploding at every inconvenience to me. Then we will be living the righteous life that God desires.

Further Thoughts:

1. Study how Jesus responds in difference situations. His words are never wasted and His anger is reserved for very specific situations.
2. Work really hard today to listen intently. What are people really saying to you?
3. Pray before each conversation. It doesn't have to be a long prayer; simply commit your words to the Lord and ask for His guidance.
4. Check your anger. Before getting angry, stop and complete the first two directives -- quick to listen, slow to speak. Take time, in love, to understand the other person before spewing venom all over them. There may be hidden meanings behind their actions or words that you need to hear and understand.

Matthew 6:5-13 "So Be It"

Read Matthew 6:5-13.

"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed by your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'" NIV

In this second act of righteousness that Jesus addresses, He once again assumes that we will prayer. It's not an option. He says, "And when you pray,...." So we can begin with the idea that we are supposed to be praying as followers of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, the act of praying is not for self-promotion or entertainment. It's a solemn communication between us and the Almighty Creator of the Universe and should never be taken lightly. He not only wants to hear the desires of our heart, but longs to speak to us as well. Prayer is a dialogue and the Lord wants to hear from you and get in His two-cents worth.

Which brings us to how we pray. Jesus gave us a beautiful structure for our prayers. If we examine the bones of it and understand the meaning of each part, we can fit it to meet every communication with the Lord that we have.

In verse 9, Jesus teaches us to acknowledge exactly who we are speaking to. This is much more for our benefit than God's. By addressing God as being in heaven and holy, we are immediately separating ourselves from a superior position to one of the humility of a servant ready to do the Master's will. This attitude sets the tone for the entire prayer.

That leads us to verse 10 where we literally speak our surrender to God's will as opposed to our own. We are acknowledging that our desire is to submit to Him and His direction. And that all things around us are governed by His hand. He allows both good and bad to come into our lives, but the reasoning of it is His own. He is in control and that is as it should be.

Once we've totally surrendered to who God is and the power and dominion He possesses, our asking becomes minuscule. When I am completely submitted to Him, He has my life under control. Now I just ask Him to provide for our basic needs. The rest He allows me to have is pure gravy. He never promised me mansions or fancy cars, but He did promise to never leave me nor forsake me. And His promises are always true.

As imperfect sinners saved by grace, we must never forget to ask for forgiveness when we fail. Sin is sin and must all be forgiven. Again, our hearts must be in a place of humility. This act has two outcomes, we are forgiven for our sins, and we are reminded of our fallibility that will keep us from a judgemental attitude toward others. We'll discuss the second part of this verse tomorrow.

Lastly, we ask for protection from the evil one and the temptations to sin. That's where the Holy Spirit comes in. We must be constantly in-tune to the Spirit's directions and warnings and always listening in humility and surrender to the Master. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus - and off of the world and our own selfish desires, we will be able to overcome the evil one's attempts. It's not an easy task; the temptations are great. Hence, why Scripture says we are in a battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers we cannot see. The enemy will never stop fighting to get us back from the Master. So diligence is a necessity.

Never stop communicating with the Master. He created us for fellowship. Share your life with Him and He will pour out Himself on you.

Further Thoughts:

1. Look up the meaning of the word "amen." Does ending prayer with this word apply to how you pray?
2. Read Jesus' prayer in John 17:1-26.
3. Does selfishness ever have a place in our prayers? Why or why not?
4. Does God answer our prayers? Read John 16:23-24.
5. I know we live busy lives, but I challenge you to spend quiet, quality time with the Lord each and every day. He's our source. Get plugged in.