Is God Angry?
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Joseph and Uncovering the Purpose of Dreams
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No More Fuel to the Fire
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Making a Monument Out of Your Miracle, Pt. 4
Joshua 3:7-17 (NASB) says, “7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8“You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12“Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”
14So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
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Making a Monument Out of Your Miracle, Pt. 3
Joshua 3:7-17 (NASB) says, “7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8“You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12“Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”
14So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
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Making a Monument Out of Your Miracle, Pt. 2
Joshua 3:7-17 (NASB) says, “7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8“You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12“Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”
14So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
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Making a Monument Out of Your Miracle!, Pt. 1
Joshua 3:7-17 (NASB) says, “7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8“You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12“Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”
14So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
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Confronting and Overcoming Bitterness!
If a loved one passes away and goes to eternity to be with the LORD, your bitterness can prevent you from reuniting with them ever again! You cannot leave this life with bitterness. When John the Baptist, the man who claimed Jesus was the Lamb of God, was in prison struggling with bitterness, Jesus said, “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Matthew 11:6). As Jesus was dying on the cross, He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). You cannot leave this life in bitterness and expect to spend eternity in the presence of the LORD! We must allow His grace to heal us.
Bitterness with God can be rooted in not having a father. Since God is our heavenly Father, it is naturally translated in equivalence to our earthly father. If our natural father was abusive or abandoned us, then we will view Him the same way! Those people are not a father, but God is a true Father whose love drives out all fear! He gives you a new identity.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (NASB) says, “18Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2) Other People – They have done something that we take offense too. It can be something that they said or didn’t say. It could be something that they did or we thought they did, but without discussing it we do not know the true intentions. We cannot live on eggshells and be offended over every little thing. This ultimately proves we do not have confidence in who we are in Christ. If something happens, it is o.k. to go to that person to get clarity so you can be healed, but you have an offense with like 30 people, more than likely it is not on the 30 people. That is when you have to check yourself!
When you forgive someone, you release them from guilt, but when you ask someone for forgiveness, God’s grace releases you. When you approach someone to mend the relationship, you do not go and say, “Well, you did this and this to offend me.” This is not apologizing. You search your own faults because a relationship is a two-way street. Even if it is simply saying, “I have had a grudge in my heart towards you, and I want you to forgive me.” That takes courage!
Our offenses can be the result of creating a storm in our minds, allowing one lie of the enemy to creep in and separate a positive friendship. These lies can be exposed through the proper approach in communication. Otherwise, you can misinterpret someone else’s actions and words to the point that you take it personally! Also, don’t pick at wounds God has already healed. If you are picking at them, it proves you have not forgiven or reconciled.
3) Yourself – Bitterness can form an anger inside of you. You are mad at yourself for the mistakes you have made. You have held a standard over your life you couldn’t meet, and now you feel worthless. Never put a higher standard on yourself than what God puts on you. That is idolatry! When you enforce that standard on other people, it is religion! You struggle inside because of all of the mistakes you have made, and you have never been able to forgive yourself for it. But today is a new day! You cannot live in the mistakes of your past. This is what makes the sufferings of Christ so significant. He was bruised for our faults so we can be presented as blameless before Him. When you begin to recognize how much God really loves you, His love tears down those walls of bitterness that kept you introverted and away from people, enabling you to comprehend what your identity is in God. You are a son! You are a daughter! If God is willing to forgive you, how come you cannot forgive yourself?
The Exposure of Bitterness!
* Esau was betrayed by Jacob twice, once for selling his birthright for a pottage of stew and the second with Isaac pronouncing the blessing on Jacob rather than Esau, even though Esau was the oldest. This formed a wedge of bitterness that lasted for what is believed to be twenty years (Genesis 31:41).
* In Genesis 32, Jacob had wrestled with the angel of the LORD to the breaking of the day. It effected him in such a powerful way that he would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. He would now with a name change, from “Jacob” meaning “thief” to “Israel” meaning “prince of God”. The purpose of this identity change was not just to break those old labels off of his life, but also to prepare his heart for reconciliation with Esau in Genesis 33.
* Barnabas’ name means “son of a prophet”. He was known for being the son of encouragement and operating in the ministry of reconciliation. When Paul received salvation and desired to unite and minister with the apostles, Barnabas brought him before them and defended him, explaining his miraculous conversion (Acts 9:27). In Acts 11:22-29, Barnabas, being a man full of Holy Ghost and faith and who added many to the family of God, went to find Paul. Paul had been driven home due to persecution, and Barnabas refused to let him stay when there was work to be done. He brought Paul to Antioch to instruct the people there due to the mighty revival taking place. This was where we were first called “Christians”.
* Barnabas and Paul would be sent on their first missionary journey by the Holy Spirit. The prophets and teachers there fasted and prayed for them and sent them on their way. They also took with them John Mark (Acts 13:1-5). However, John Mark would leave and go home to Jerusalem from Pamphylia, more than likely due to homesickness. When it came time for the second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark, but Paul wasn’t having it! The contention was so great that Paul would take Silas while Barnabas would take John Mark and each would go on separate missionary journeys. Scripture doesn’t really detail Barnabas and John Mark’s trip, but in reality the gospel spread to other places had they not went separate ways (Acts 15:35-41).
* They would later reconcile, as Paul would call for Mark, who was seen in his eyes as profitable in the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). He would commend Barnabas for being like him and not causing a strain on the church for support financially, but they worked to support themselves (1 Corinthians 9:6).
* Had Barnabas not defended Paul and brought him before the church, he would have not offered at least 13 books of the Bible. Had he not been a mentor to John Mark, we might not have Mark’s gospel for us to read today. Do not undermine the ministry of reconciliation and the power of encouragement! They are important and necessary for the body of Christ!
The Path to Reconciliation: The Healing of the Inner Man!
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