Ron’s Corner – Who is it that God uses?

This amusing story below tells us that being stubborn and rigid is not how we are to be.

 

“Two people drove their cars towards each other on a very narrow road, so narrow you couldn’t pass. One put his head out the window and called,”I never back up for a Road Hog” to which the other said,”I always do ” and put the car into reverse and backed back.

 

 

 

 We will  look in Joshua 1:1-9  First of all what God he doesn’t  want…people who are  intractable and unyielding, when He wants to use someone He sets out for us clear guidelines on what He expects us to do.

In reading these 9 verses in Joshua, it breaks down to this.

 1. His promise

Whatever Joshua was promised – is ours

No one can stand their ground before us…God will be with us and never fail or abandon us.

2. His requirements

1. Be strong and courageous in Him not ourselves.

2. Be people of Prayer seeking Him with all our

heart, soul, mind and body.

 3. Obey and don’t neglect the laws of Moses by  fulfilling them in the most important Commandments … 

to Love God and our Neighbour.

4. Read the Bible day and night, study and meditate on it  choosing to obey all that is written in it  in the strength of The Lord …

Only then will we succeed.

 5. No need to be afraid or discouraged … we can trust in The Lord He will never let us down. 

Guarantee

The Lord, our God is with us wherever we go.

Is there anything in this that is unusual or difficult or only relevant to the time when it was written ? No of course not,  all is just as relevant to us today to be the kind of people who God wants and uses.

To be the people of  God

We need to be weak in the flesh by putting it to death through the Spirit as we walk in His Fruit by His empowering.

Colossians 3:4-6 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

 Four times in these verses God says to Joshua to be strong, be courageous, He knew Joshua was a feeling  afraid and said to him… when you are weak or not depending on yourself  then I am strong in you.

Wisely stated … “You can never be too small for God to use – only too big in your own fleshy estimation and strength “

We need to be people who pray, study and live by His word… to meditate  means to ponder to consider, to contemplate, think about and bring it to Jesus, He will give us understanding .

We can’t be backward looking people…

We learn from the past don’t live in it,  God wanted Joshua to lead His people into the Promised land, no more looking back at where they had come from, the future awaited them…

God has the same plans for us.

To prepare for this they needed to be a Sanctified people.

Sanctified means being set apart to live a holy life. If we want to be a person that God uses , we will want to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

1. We need to be weak in the flesh so it doesn’t have control with all its limitations so God can use us.

2. We need to be people who pray, study and live by His word in His strength not our own.

3. We are not to be a backward looking people allowing the past to impede us.

4. God uses people who set themselves apart from worldly fleshy restraints, dedicated to His work wholeheartedly.

Chronicles 16: 9 ” For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. ” 

Be encouraged

 Blessings

 Ron