Today's Passage - Joshua 8:34-35

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:34-35    Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law - the blessings and the curses - just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.   After blessing the Israelites, Joshua read all the words of Moses' law. He read to not only to the men of Israel, but also the women and children, even the aliens residing among them.  Reciting the Bible is an important thing for Christians to learn.  Before the advancement of printing, all ideas were conveyed through recitation. Today, with the advancement of printing, we seem to lose the blessings of listening to recitals of Bible.  Some believe that it is fine to receive God's word in silence. On the contrary, God's word needs to be spoken aloud, because God's word has power. Bible says, "my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty". God's word needs an outlet. And our mouths are the outlet for God's word. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God has been using people as outlets for his word. Not through the mouths of a few, but through everyone. Everyone will spread His wonderfulness. Psalm 119:13 says, "With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth." It is important to open your mouths and recite God's word.   In fact, reciting God's word is the way to release the faith given by God. When the Lord says, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed", it refers to the faith within us. Even though sometimes it is as small as a mustard seed, if you know how to use it, God will fulfill deeds on us that are beyond our imaginations. The principle of the Bible is to proclaim God's word in our everyday lives. James mentioned that our tongue have influence, because it is like the rudder of a boat, controlling our directions. If we only speak negative complains, then we will lead a life of negative complains. If we speak full of God's word, His word will influence us. There is a spiritual book titled "Boulevard of Praises". It mentioned that when we move from the street of complains to the boulevard of praises, we shall expect God to do even more miracles.   We should not only recite God's word out loud in church, but also lead our children to recite God's word out loud at home, so that they learn our example of reading God's word from a young age. We thank God for how Joshua proclaimed the preciousness and importance of God's word to all people, for it had great influence for the latter generations!     Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, we thank you for giving us your precious word.  May you give us hearts of yearning so that our mouths will read your word out loud, our ears will listen to it attentively, and our hearts will accept it completely. May God also teach us and give us the wisdom to use God's word.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Joshua 8:33

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:33      All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it--the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal,as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.    Joshua split Israelites into two group: one group stood in front of Mount Gerizim proclaiming God's blessings, and the other stood in front of Mount Ebal proclaiming God's curses. It was important for Joshua to this. After suffering the defeat at Ai, whenever Israelites deviated from God's will, God' curse would descend upon them at once. The judgment was swift. Otherwise, many people wouldn't have known the importance of following God's words. On the other hand, city of Ai represented the secret of rising from ashes. Whenever Israelites returned to God, God would stop judging them as He judges those who disobeyed him. He showed compassion toward Israelites. This shows that the blessings of God will descend upon those who follow God's will. To Israelites, blessing and curse had never been so clear as they saw at the city of Ai.     Never believe that God is a tyrant who's always saying "If you are not for us, then you are against us." Joshua 4:5 says: "The spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?" Do you think that like a human, God will love to death, and hate to death? James follows that "He will give more grace", meaning God will not love so much as to be jealous. He is not a tyrant, but is full of compassion, and is willing to gives even more grace. In the story of the prodigal son, wasn't the prodigal son full of misunderstanding towards his father? He thought that his father was a tyrant. He left home. When the prodigal son was down and out in the foreign land, he thought that his father was a merciless judge, and the son was afraid of returning home. But his father had always been a loving, compassionate father, waiting for him return. James 1:16 says, "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers." Do not be deceived that God is a tyrant, for He indeed is willing to give us grace, yesterday, today, and for ever and ever.      Even though He is willing to give us grace, He cannot make decisions for us. When one commits a crime in one's own will, he has to accept the consequence. God knows the terrible consequences of sin, that's why He keeps reminding His people to return to His way. A truly blessed man not only knows God's word, but also follows them willingly. May God give us the determination to follow Him!   Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, may you open our eyes, and understand how precious your will is. May God give us soft and obedient hearts, such that we will always walk in the path of blessings.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Joshua 8:32

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:32   There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses.   After the Israelites did their offerings on Mount Ebal, they kept on waiting before God. At that time, Spirit of God prompted Joshua to copy the law of Moses onto the stone. This is an important reminder for us. On the one hands, offerings and worship are important, for they can elevate our souls and submit ourselves to God. We've heard people ask this: If God is self-sufficient, why does He need us to worship Him? Actually, we are not worshipping for the sake of God, but rather for ourselves, because we need to worship God. Very often people come before God, but their hearts are left behind. Through worship, our hearts can turn back to God and we can submit ourselves to Him once again, and we can also find true meaning of life through worship and offering sacrifices. On the other hand, we don't come before God just to praise and worship Him, but we must also receive His word. In order for the Israelites to once again value God's word, Joshua wrote the law of Moses to the stone.   There are two reasons why Joshua did this: First, he wanted to remind the Israelites to remember God's word. Second, he openly demonstrated his determination to follow God's word in public. Isn't this what you and I need to do? First, we must remember God's word daily, and let us live in an environment filled with God's word. Why is it so hard for God's word to enter into the hearts of the believers? Main reason is that we are not filling our environment with God's word. Look at your home, office and room; is God's word there? No wonder that when you are helpless, you look up and only see the ceiling. If you home is filled with God's word, when you lift your eyes you will see "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Halleluiah! Also, we must learn to memorize the word of God inside our hearts. When temptation comes, you can immediately use God's word to defend yourself against it, just like how Jesus used God's word to reject the devil in the desert.   In addition, we must have the determination to follow God's word openly. We need to join services with brothers and sisters, learn to tithe, and to love one another in cell group life. Don't ever be afraid to move forward or try to avoid it altogether because of the price that you might need to pay or your fear! Your life will become mature only through growing up in maturity along with other brothers and sisters. May God help us by putting such aspiration in our hearts!      Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, I once again bring all the brothers and sisters before you, and ask that the Lord help them to learn to create an environment filled with your word. May the Lord also give them courage to take a step forward; not to fight the war alone, but to grow in maturity with fellow brothers and sisters. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Joshua 8:30-31

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:30-31   Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses - an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.    In recent years, there was an exciting discovery made by the Bible archeologists. They unearthed an altar in the Mount Ebal that was completely cut from a stone just like what this scripture passage says, and it was built around 1,500 B.C. This discovery further confirmed the accuracy of the Bible. Each time I see these news reports or visit the Holy Land, I am filled with gratitude for God.   Our faith is not some theory that fell from the sky, but it's based on real historical account and historical characters. God has worked throughout human history, and He also speaks to us today through what happened in history. From this perspective, every word in the Bible becomes rather important. Does it matter to us whether Joshua really built the altar on Mount Ebal? It definitely does, because it would prove the accuracy of the Bible. If there's any minor detail in the Bible that is not accurate, it's hard for us to tell others that the Bible is accurate everywhere else. Our faith indeed has a solid foundation, and it's not a fictional story.   At the time, Joshua had no choice but to continue to fight. Actually, there were several towns between town of Ai and Mount Ebal. On the way the Mount Ebal the Israelites probably took some detours to avoid confrontation with the other towns. This means that Joshua didn't simply pass by Mount Ebal, but he purposely chose this particular location at that particular time to build an altar for God for many reasons.   First, he wanted to bring the hearts of the Israelites back before God. Israelites haven't made burnt offerings and fellowship offerings according to the law for a long time. Joshua knew that he was engaged in a spiritual battle, and the most important thing was not how to fight, but whether the Israelites have turned their hearts back to God. Therefore, as a leader, he'd rather stop the plan of attack and take some time to come before God through making burnt and fellowship offerings. Burnt offering represents handing over of authority, and Joshua once again declared that God is the general of the army of Israel. Fellowship offering represents thanksgiving, as he thanked God and praised Him for the grace of God from the past. When his heart remembers God, God always remembers him. If God has a place in your heart, then God will save you a place in His plan of eternity. May God strengthen our faith, and let us live for God in our daily life!   Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, we thank you because all your words are true. May the Lord help us to turn our hearts towards you; let our eyes not values things on the outside, but to focus on the Lord, and to let your will be done through us. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Joshua 8:24-29

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:24-29    ...For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyedall who lived in Ai. But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. So Joshua burned Aiand made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.    In this passage, holding out the javelin wasn't just a signal, but also a proclamation of victory. Joshua must have learned this principle of spiritual warfare from Moses. In Exodus 17:11, when Israelites were fighting the Amalekites, Moses prayed on the mountain; whenever he held his hand up, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. The arms of Moses felt tired, so Aaron and Hur had to hold his arms up until end of the day.   The hands of Moses represent hands of prayer. He knew that he was in spiritual warfare, so he had to keep his hands of prayer up to proclaim and to uplift the battle. Why did God want Moses to keep his hands up? He didn't intentionally want Moses to suffer, but He wanted to teach us that in a spiritual warfare, everyone must work with Him. From the perspective of victory, God is already victorious and He can easily wipe out anyone who tries to resist Him. That, however, is not the principle of God's work. If we depart from the Lord, we can do nothing; but from the Lord's perspective, if He's separated from us, He also would choose to do nothing. That's how much He values working with us!   Joshua understands the meaning of spiritual warfare. When he was fighting in the town of Ai, he lifted the javelin in his hand; not just for a moment, but he kept it up until he was completely victorious! Lifting his hand means several things. First, it was his proclamation; he lifted his hand to proclaim that the Lord is victorious, and in the Lord he will always be victorious. Second, it was his faith; he deeply believed that it was a spiritual battle. God is the general of the army of Israel, and the key of victory in a war completely lies in God. Third, his prayer; he continued to pray and uplifted God's work. The reason why many Christians have unsuccessful prayer life is not because God doesn't listen to their prayer, but because they put their hands down too early, not have prayed continuously. Ephesians 6:18 tells us to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all Lord's people." May God put the spirit of continuous prayer into our hearts, so that we may experience His victory in every spiritual warfare!   Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, may you ignite us with the fire of the Holy Spirit! Grant us faith so that we may continuously depend on the Holy Spirit with prayer in every spiritual battle in our life, until we experience the victory that you have promised. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Joshua 8:18-23

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:18-23    Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city." So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction; the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers. For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. Those in the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.   This is a picture of spiritual warfare. Did you know that our God has an ambushing force? In 2 Chronicles chapter 20, when Moabites and Ammonites attached the kingdom of Judah, God asked Jehoshaphat to confront the enemy, but with the choir at the frontline to praise God before the army. The Bible says that when people were singing and praising, God set ambushes against the enemy of the Jews. When we are in hardship, or when we are surrounded by the enemy, we just need to praise God and proclaim victory by faith, and God's ambush will fight on our behalf, Halleluiah!   What does the ambushing force of God do? They enter into the strongholds that the enemy has built inside us and tear them down. No matter what have hindered us and bound us before, whether they are idols, bad habits or authority of family, God's Spirit will move inside our hearts to break all the strongholds. The devil can work on the believers because we have sin inside, and we allow the enemy to set up strongholds in our lives. As long as these strongholds are there, the enemy can freely enter into our lives to do damages to us. When we proclaim the redemption by His precious blood and the authority of healing, the enemy's strongholds start to collapse. God's ambushing force will enter into the strongholds and destroy them because of our praise and proclamation. When the enemy turns back, the strongholds are already torn down and it cannot enter into our lives again, so it must flee. The power of the enemy actually comes from the strongholds that we built for it! When the strongholds are destroyed, it no longer has power. Is there still any stronghold from the enemy in your life? May the Lord help us to proclaim by faith today that our strongholds will be broken and destroyed by God's Spirit!   Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, as we cry out to you by faith, you will set ambush to enter into the enemy's strongholds, and you will destroy them so that the enemy won't be able to return! May the Lord listen to our cry! I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Joshua 8:9-17

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:9-17    ...That night Joshua went into the valley. When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.    The battle of Ai was indeed a classic military engagement. God doesn't always do things in unconventional ways, and this time the strategy that He set forth would have been praised by all military strategists. Our general can fight the battle of Jericho and also the battle of Ai. He cares for all our needs and He wants us to plead His name in every little thing that we do. On the other hand, God also taught the Israelites the lesson of waiting. It's not easy to hide and wait, because you don't know when you are going to wait until. You have to stay alert anytime and wait for the signal to go. In the same manner, we also need to learn to wait in a spiritual warfare, as Isaiah 40:31 says: "...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The only way that we can "run and not grow weary" and "walk and not be faint" is to learn the lesson of waiting.   Waiting doesn't mean we do nothing, and it's also inseparable from staying alert. Waiting has a purpose and it's not completely out of helplessness. Because it has a purpose, we must be on alert for God's signal; we can't get ahead of God, nor can we fall behind too much. No matter how long we're gearing up to go, we must wait patiently. During the spiritual battles of your life, are you willing to wait quietly before God? Isaiah 30:15 says that "in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." God rebuked people at the time that if they wanted to count on their own strength, they will ultimately fail, and they will only gain strength by waiting upon God. Are you willing to learn to wait upon God starting today?   Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, I thank you because you are our God of mercy. May you give us true faith so that we can wait upon you in the battlefield of life, until we gain strength so that we can fight a good war for you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Joshua 8:3-8

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 8:3-8   So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night with these orders: "Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand. When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders."     The key of winning a battle is God, isn't it? He even revealed a strategy to the Israelites. The way to attack Ai is different from last time. It wasn't with the way of attacking Jericho, which was to circle around it, or like the first time they attacked Ai, which is to attack with a small elite squad. This time they were going to draw the enemy out at the frontline and then launch an attack from behind them. This is why we need to consult God every step in the way when we are engaged in spiritual warfare.   Back in the time of judges, Gideon was getting ready to fight the Midianites with more than thirty thousand soldiers, but God only allowed him to fight with three hundred people, and they overwhelmingly defeated the enemy. This is a good example of defeating an enemy that outnumbers you. In the time of Jonathan, he together with his young armor-bearer killed twenty Philistines at once, and the army of Philistines totally collapsed. It was a strategy from God which had two of them fought side by side. In the time of David, he alone killed Goliath. When you see all these different strategies, you'd see that God doesn't just use one way to fight. In the same manner, in 2 Samuel, David fought the Philistines twice, and the key to victory both times is to ask God before they go to battle. First time was in 2 Samuel 5:19, when Philistines came up to attack, David pleaded God to send him. God said yes, and they won the battle. The Philistines came up again, and David, instead of depending on his past experience, asked God again. God told him not to engage them directly, but to go around them and attack from behind. They again won the battle.   Asking God in everything that we do is the key to a victorious life. Our failures are usual result of us depending on our past experience. Indeed, we can do things according to our experience, but it's not necessary how God wants us to do it. In fact, formalism and legalism are the most effective way to stifle spiritual vitality. The key to break their damaging impact is to ask God in everything that we do, each time we do it! Brothers and sisters, are you willing to start developing such discipline today?   Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, I thank you because you are the general of the army of Jehovah, and you can lead us to proclaim victory in Christ every day! May the Lord teach us to seek your guidance; may you speak to us so that we can continuously experience victory in our lives. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!