Joshua 9:14 "The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD."
Have you ever been fooled by someone or tricked into believing something that ends up being a lie? It's frustrating isn't it? The Israelites were certainly fooled by the Gibeonites. God had told the Israelites not to spare any nation within the Cannon territory, nor make treaties with them but the Gibeonites concocted a plan to deceive them to preserve their lives.
The Gibeonites approached the Isralelites in worn out clothes and sandals, old worn wine skins and moldy food explaining that they had come from a far off country when they actually lived nearby. Convinced of their plight, the Israelites signed a treaty with them and swore an oath to let them live and Israel, not knowing of the deception, had now lost part of the land that was promised to them. How in the world could the Israelites and Joshua have been so sucked in to giving up their promised land? The answer lies in Joshua 9:14 "The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD."
Joshua had inquired of the Lord before the attacks of Jericho and Ai but neglected to ask the Lord about these very people who were asking them to spare their lives. It's easy to pass judgement on Joshua but don't we do the same thing. All too often, especially when something seems within the bounds of our own human capability, we will neglect to inquire of the Lord whether we should get involved or whether or not we should or shouldn't do something in particular. It's all too easy to be fooled by what we see or by rationalizing something with our minds. It can be dangerous territory when we assume we understand the situation and don't take the time to ask God for help.
Guess what? Joshua was wrong and we're wrong too when we neglect to include God in every decision that we face. The Bible teaches us that "God is the vine; we are the branches. If we remain in Him and He in us, we will bear much fruit; apart from Him we can do nothing.” (John 15;5) We need Him. We need His wisdom to be able to make the decisions that He desires that we make for Kingdom purposes. We need His guidance and direction in all things in order to live out the godly life that He calls us to live so that we don't have to suffer the consequences of our mistakes.
The next time you are needing to make a decision my friend, tread lightly and take it to the Lord asking for His wisdom. As Christians, we can not depend on human understanding. He sees all, hears all and knows all so wouldn't it make sense to let Him guide you in all things so you can do things right the first time?
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Dear Lord,
Please forgive me when I take things into my own hands. I know that I need to inquire of you at every turn but I get so caught up in life that I forget to involve you. I want your wisdom and discernment and am going to try harder to look to you in all situations. You know every detail of my life, past, present and future and You know what is best for me so I surrender all of who I am to You wholeheartedly and without reservation. Please go before me and protect me from myself. May Your will be done in and through my life at all times. You are wonderful and mighty and pure. You are undeniably the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I want You to be the center of all of who I am and all of what I stand for. Make me a blessing to those I come in contact with but please give me foresight to inquire of You in all things. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth and in my life.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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