Read Joshua 22:5-6 – “… But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. (NKJV)
What do you do after the battle is over? For most of us, it seems easy to stay focused on God’s will during the battle. We search for His voice and do our best to follow His direction, hoping He’ll reveal the light at the end of our current tunnel. But when we step into that light and victory is finally ours, what then? As Joshua dismisses the Eastern tribes to return to their new homes, his words penetrate a critical question. “Take careful heed” to be obedient to God seems easy enough to say, but will the people realize its importance now that the battle is over? Someone has wisely observed that the Church becomes strongest and most committed in the midst of persecution. That’s because it often takes a battle to make us serious in our pursuit of God and willing to be dependent on Him. When peace comes, we find it easy to drift back into self-focused ways and live the careless paths God once steered us from. Seems tragic doesn’t it? Only by a determined choice to recognize that God has brought us the peace we enjoy will we find the focus to live obediently in peacetime. But that is our choice. Consider today the steps you can take to be obedient to God now that He has brought you through your latest struggle. Live each moment with gratitude that is demonstrated by obedience and worship.
– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
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