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Overwhelmed and Defeated? Try the ‘Samuel Solution’
VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING:
Overwhelmed and Defeated? Try the ‘Samuel Solution’
Life has always been filled with challenges. Handled correctly, they can leverage you to a better place. Handled unwisely, the demotion can be swift.
What about when the enemies and problems proliferate? Like the ‘verbal bombs’ of the culture war, the spread of violent jihadism, and rise in temperature at global ‘hot spots?’ Why are once great nations being humbled by a much smaller enemy in this asymmetrical war? When the troubles, pressures, and the enemy comes in like a flood (Isaiah 59:19), what do you do?
For the God-fearer, the question should be: Is there a Word from the LORD?
Short Answer: Yes! It’s the ‘Samuel Solution’
Solomon wisely observed that there is ‘nothing new under the sun’ (Ecclesiastes 1:9). What we see in our day has a parallel in Biblical history.
During the time of Samuel, the last judge of Israel, there was great distress in the land. Their sworn-enemy, the Philistines, was winning victory after victory. In one particular incident, they came to Shiloh, their ancient capital where the tabernacle stood. They stole the Ark of the Covenant, destroyed the city, and brought a great slaughter to Israel. Eli the Priest and his sons Hophni and Phinehas were all slain. It was like Armageddon.
Eventually, in their darkest hour, a chastened Israel came to seek counsel from Samuel, the man of God. They looked for, and received, a ‘word from the Lord.’ A couple of powerful insights came from this encounter.
Samuel’s First Principle – Backsliding: The reason Israel was defeated by the Philistines was not because of the strength of the enemy but by the backsliding of the people. God gave generous promises of protection but if the people were unfaithful to the LORD, His protective hand would be withdrawn. In Deuteronomy 28:25 (NKJV), failure to obey the voice of the LORD your God, would bring humiliating results with the enemy.
The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.
Again and again, we learn it is not the strength of the enemy but the strength of our sin that will defeat us.
Samuel’s Second Principle – Revival: There is a promise and prospect of deliverance and victory. The key to this is found in I Samuel 7:3. Samuel told a humbled Israel:
If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.
Can it be any simpler? Deliverance and victory come by doing the following:
1. Return to the LORD with all your hearts;
2. Put away (get rid of) the false gods and unclean things among you;
3. Prepare your hearts for the LORD;
4. Serve the LORD only.
Do these simple principles (even a child can understand them) and God promises to deliver you from the ‘hand of the Philistines.’ You will go from being ‘overwhelmed’ to being an ‘overcomer.’
How did Israel respond to Samuel? They immediately got rid of the Baals and Ashtoreths and served the LORD only (I Samuel 7:4).
Then Samuel called all Israel for prayer at Mizpeh. When the Philistines heard it, they came rushing toward them like a flood. The people of Israel began to panic and said to Samuel to cry out to the LORD to save them. God heard the prayer of Samuel – and noted the repentance of Israel – sent a loud thunder upon the Philistines and they were overcome.
Samuel took a stone and called it ‘EBENEZER,’ meaning ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’
Israelite cities which had been taken by the Philistines were restored. Please note I Samuel 7:13:
So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
Repentance, fruit of repentance (put away the false gods), returning to God, and prayer, are part of the Biblical prescription for deliverance from enemies. It is called ‘revival.’ Note that as long as Samuel was the judge, the Philistines – Israel’s relentless enemy – no longer came into their territory.
Today, we need Godly leadership which will position God’s people into a state of blessing and protection, while keeping the enemy at bay: humble-servant leaders, not lordship leaders; shepherds, not CEOs; saints, not superstars.
The problems of the western world will not be solved by national elections, government funding, or trendy ideologies. Only by employing the ‘Samuel Solution’ – prayer for a Holy Spirit revival – with exemplary leadership, will turn the tide. God will hear our prayer, forgive our sin, and heal our land (II Chronicles 7:14).
Be Strong & Of A Good Courage: Why Study the Book of Joshua
Despite so much talk about ‘leadership’ today, there is a curious absence of the most important character quality: courage. Without courage, you cannot go forward, overcome obstacles, suppress fear, and make it safely to your destination. In short, without courage, you cannot lead. Remember that courage is not bravado, bullying, biceps, or bluster. Courage is the mastery of fear, a steeling determination to go forward, to take one’s focus off the obstacles and aim it clearly at the prize. No turning back.
To live as a Bible-believing Christian in an increasingly hostile world takes courage, conviction, and consecration, while willing to turn one’s back on comfort, convenience, and cowardice. In order to become ‘strong and courageous,’ one needs to learn the Bible, God’s Holy Word.
A great inspiration for this is the Book of Joshua. It is the first of a series of historical books in the Bible. The Book of Joshua has a victorious theme: After centuries of exile in Egypt, the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob finally inherit the land promised to their fathers. The exodus is finished, the land is possessed, and the covenant with God renewed in the land.
Here are some points to get you started in your study of Joshua.
Hebrew Name
He came from the tribe of Ephraim and his original name was Hoshea, the son of Nun. Hoshea means ‘salvation.’ In Numbers 13:16, Moses changes his name to Yehoshua or Joshua, which means ‘Yahweh is salvation.’ The diminutive form of Yehoshua is Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus.
Author
While so many Bible books have anonymous authors, this one does not. It says in that Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law (Joshua 24:26). So he is the author of the book that bears his name.
Theme
Possess your possession.
Portrait of Christ in Joshua
1. Scarlet cord: Rahab the harlot and her city of Jericho were scheduled for invasion and destruction. The only thing that would save her and her family was hanging a scarlet coloured cord on the window of their home. Whoever dwelt in the house where the scarlet cord hung when the invasion occurred would be spared (2:18-19). This is similar to an event which happened 40 years earlier in Egypt: The Passoer. The death angel passed over any (Israelite) house in the land of Egypt that had the shed blood of the passover lamb on the window or door. What a powerful metaphor of the blood of Christ cleansing us from all sin (I John 1:7) and delivering us from death.
2. Commander of the LORD’s Army (5:14): On the eve of the invasion of Jericho, the Commander stood before Joshua, who asked him if he was on Israel’s side or their enemies. He answered ‘Neither: I am Commander of the Lord’s army.’ This Commander had to be the Lord Himself because a) Joshua fell on his face and worshipped him and b) He said that the ground was holy.
Jesus Christ is coming back again, not to take sides, but to take over.
Key Verses
Joshua 1:8-9 (NKJV):This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 11:23 (KJV):So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.
Distinctives
• Fulfilled covenant: The Book of Joshua shows the proof that God fulfilled His covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give their descendants the land of Canaan. God is faithful to His word (21:43, 45).
• Joshua: A forerunner of Jesus, Who leads His people out of sin and into their promised inheritance;
• Jordan River: Boundary to the promised land. It represents a line of consecration which needs to be crossed.
• Canaan: Represents our inheritance before God.
• Gilgal: Israel’s first camp in Canaan. It represents a place of covenant, where the ‘reproach of Egypt’ was rolled away.
• Conquest of Canaan: We have a glorious inheritance in Christ but we must ‘fight the good fight of faith’ (I Timothy 6:12) in order to receive it;
• Holy and Herem: The land was the holy inheritance of God but there were parts that were ‘herem,’ the accursed thing assigned for destruction. Jericho was one of those places. Failure to completely destroy the accursed brought judgment on Israel (Joshua 7:10-13).
• Supernatural intervention: In the battle of the south and the 5 kings, Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still in Gibeon and the moon over the Valley of Aijalon (10:12). The Scripture goes on to say that there was not a day before or sine, when the Lord obeyed a man, for He fought for Israel. God will move heaven and earth to intervene on behalf of His servants who are doing His will.
• Rest: After the battle, and fighting the good fight of faith, there is rest (Joshua 11:23; 14:15; 21:44; 22:4; 23:1).
Outline of Joshua
Crossing Jordan and Preparation to Invade Jericho 1-5
Conquest of Jericho 6
Sin of Achan 7
Conquest of Ai 8
Treaty with the Gibeonites 9
Conquest of the South 10
Conquest of the North, Kings slain 11-12
Land divided among the tribes; city of refuge 13-21
Reuben, Gad, Manasseh go to Transjordan; Altar of Witness at Jordan 22
Farewell speech, Covenant at Shechem, Death of Joshua 23-24
Joshua is a courageous, overcoming, victorious book. May it help you to become ‘strong and courageous’ in the coming days.
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HONEY BAKED CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE
This is a very simple and easy dish which is very tasty. Try it with steamed or roast vegetables. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
3 or 4 chicken breasts, skinned
3 tablespoons of honey
3/4 cup water
1 packet of French onion soup
Instructions
1. Combine all the ingredients in a overproof baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for as long as you can. Turn over.
2. Cover with foil and bake at 160 C (320 F) for 1 hour.
3. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes.
4. Remove from oven. Rest with foil on top for 10 minutes.
5. Serve and enjoy.
ON THE EDGE PART 2
The July 2016 Australian federal election was volatile and took days to decide.
Days before, the British electorate voted for BREXIT, despite the overwhelming support of the elite for BREMAIN.
The US Presidential campaign is the most turbulent in history.
Why is there such political volatility in the western world? How did a nation like Australia, with a reputation for political stability, get into this situation of having 5 prime ministers in 5 years and a knife’s edge election?
There is a simple explanation: a lack of respect for the democratic process.
As mentioned earlier, in 5 years, 3 prime ministers were replaced by a backroom party manoeuvres, not by the electorate. When an elected leader stands and falls because of his/her colleagues, rather than the voters, this is NOT democracy. The Australian voters, who elected the Rudd government in 2007, should have had a chance to vote for or against it in the 2010 Federal Election. The same applies to the Abbott government, who was clearly elected in 2013. Mr. Abbott, not Mr. Turnbull, who should have led his party in the 2016 election (the same applies to the Gillard government in 2013).
Contempt shown for the democratic process eventually brings instability
This erosion of democracy is by no means limited to the Australia. No sooner had the ballots been counted in the UK EU Referendum, than left-wing voices were calling for another referendum. Petitions were signed, protesters marched in London, and a lawsuit was launched. If the electorate chose a clear pathway, demands to undo their mandate are anti-democratic.
What is True Democracy?
Most people think that democracy is merely ‘free and fair’ elections. This is an important facet but there is much more to democracy than elections. As one person put it, it is what happens in-between elections that constitutes a democracy.
Here are some of the components then of a truly democratic society:
1. Free and fair elections at regular intervals: ultimately, the people of the nation are the boss and on the most important matters they should be the final arbiters.
2. Rule of law: This is where parliamentary law reigns, not the whim of a leader. Rule of law means Lex (Law) is Rex (King);
3. Human rights: Respect for basic, universally recognised human rights is fundamental for a true democracy. These include freedom of speech, freedom of conscious, freedom of worship and religious freedom;
4. Independent judiciary: The courts properly interprets the constitution; note: justices interpret, they don’t create laws. They should not be controlled by other branches of government;
5. Free and responsible press: The media should not be controlled by the government but also they should be responsible too, seeking to inform, not indoctrinate, society;
6. Separation of powers: the executive, judicial, and legislative branches must have clear boundaries and be free to exercise their constitutional powers (but no more);
7. Balance of power: no branch of government can have too much power. When any branch oversteps its boundaries, instability comes in (this can include military coups);
8. Separation of church and state: this means that both areas are given due respect but neither encroaches on the other. This separation does not mean ‘freedom from religion’ or marginalising religious belief or ethics in the public square.
9. Basic moral foundations: More about this in a subsequent article.
Undermine one, or more, of the above tenets, and true democracy will begin to erode. Failure to uphold the ‘rule of law,’ a muzzled or biased press, activism in the courts, one branch of government overstepping another, suppressing human rights … all these things begin the rollback of democracy. In our day, moral sounding terms like ‘political correctness,’ ‘tolerance,’ ‘fairness doctrine,’ ‘inclusion,’ ‘deconstruction’ and similar phrases have been used to used to undercut one or more of the above democratic freedoms.
When this happens, political instability begins to take over.
In Part 03, we will see how democracy has been undermined over the years.
You are not in control
How much of our life can we really control? Jesus’ answer may disturb you, but it may also be the path to peace and joy