March 10: Are you drowning in a sea of debt?

 Joshua 1:1-9, 3:1, 2:1-24, 1:10-18, 3;2-17, 4:1-24, 5;1-15

Joshua 3:14-17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,

¹⁵ And when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were in the brink of the water—for the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest—

¹⁶ Then the ^[a]waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt [Dead] Sea, were wholly cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.

¹⁷ And while all Israel passed over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Footnotes:

1. Joshua 3:16 The city of Adam has been placed 16 miles up the river from Jericho, and it seems probable that a stretch of 20 or 30 miles of the riverbed was left dry. An interesting parallel of the event here recorded has been found in the pages of an Arabic historian telling how in a.d.1266, near a place many experts have identified with Adam, the bed of the [Jordan] river was left dry for ten hours as the result of a landslide. John Garstang (The Story of Jericho) cites other parallels. But to accept this “natural” explanation of what happened centuries earlier does not detract in any way from the supernatural intervention which opened the way to Israel just at the moment when they needed to cross. The sight of the priests standing in the dry bed of the river as the whole nation passed over was the sign (Josh. 3:10) that this was the doing of the Lord (F. Davidson, ed., The New Bible Commentary).

The feet of the priests were in the water before the river was parted. 

Do you have a river of financial debt in front of you? Preventing you from doing what God has called you to do? You feel stuck. You stare at the swollen river (The Jordan river was at flood stage. Even a bigger impossibility.) in front of you and feel hopeless and helpless. Because of your past mistakes and foolish spending, you will never be able to accomplish God's call on your life. NOT SO!!! IT'S ALL LIES!!! Just set your feet in the big ugly river of financial debt. Take a step of action. Ask God to lead and guide your footsteps. He will part the river of debt (or past mistakes) and lead you safely across into His bountiful blessings and His perfect plan for your ministry!

Joshua 5:13-15

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹³ When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a Man stood near him with His drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are you for us or for our adversaries?

¹⁴ And He said, No [neither], but as Prince of the Lord’s host have I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What says my Lord to His servant?

¹⁵ And the Prince of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, ^[a]Loose your shoes from off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so.

Footnotes:

1. Joshua 5:15 “The real character of this personage was disclosed by His accepting the homage of worship (cf. Acts 10:25, 26; Rev. 19:10), and still further in the command, ‘Loose thy shoe from off thy foot’” (kjv) (Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown, A Commentary). The New Bible Commentary supports this position (as do J.P. Lange, The Cambridge Bible, Charles Ellicott, and many others) when it says, “We believe that this was the Son of God Himself.”

Whoa... Seriously??? Beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Jesus, You never cease to amaze us!

"We read not of any appearance of God's glory to Joshua till now. There appeared to him one as a man to be noticed. This Man was the Son of God, the eternal Word. Joshua gave him Divine honours: he received them, which a created angel would not have done, and he is called Jehovah, chap. 6:2. To Abraham he appeared as a traveller; to Joshua as a man of war. Christ will be to his people what their faith needs. Christ had his sword drawn, which encouraged Joshua to carry on the war with vigour. Christ's sword drawn in his hand, denotes how ready he is for the defence and salvation of his people. His sword turns every way. Joshua will know whether he is a friend or a foe. The cause between the Israelites and Canaanites, between Christ and Beelzebub, will not admit of any man's refusing to take one part or the other, as he may do in worldly contests. Joshua's inquiry shows an earnest desire to know the will of Christ, and a cheerful readiness and resolution to do it. All true Christians must fight under Christ's banner, and they will conquer by his presence and assistance." Matthew Henry's Commentary

"Dear Father, I desperately want to do Your will. But I have made so many mistakes in the past and now I'm lying in the bed I have made for myself. I feel stuck. Please help me take my eyes off of my failures and the resulting mess in front of me. Please help me to just simply set my feet in the edge of the mess and humbly follow Your leading. I believe You want to part the sea of debt, but I must act. I am not stuck. I claim Your miracle! Those around me may not believe but I believe Your promises are true and You are the God of the impossible (Romans 3:4). You are FOR me!  You have Your sword drawn, Jesus! You go before me to fight for me! I thank You for giving me the strength to take action. I worship You for You are worthy. In Jesus' precious name, the Name above every name, AMEN."