Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city. ” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.
Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses-an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.
– Joshua 8:18-19, 30-31
Devotion
The Lord gave Joshua the city. Yesterday’s defeat became today’s victory. Once sin is dealt with, forgiveness and victory lie ahead. With God’s direction we need not stay discouraged or burdened with guilt. No matter how difficult a setback sin may bring, we must renew our efforts to carry out God’s will.
It’s interesting that the altar was built out of uncut stones to prevent the people from worshipping altars like idols, or worshipping the craftsmanship of the workers rather than the great works of God (Joshua 8:30,31).
The Big Question
Is there unconfessed sin in your life? Take some time to ask God for forgiveness of those sins and ask God to reveal any other sins that need to be take care of (“fess em as ya duz em”).
Ask God if there are any idols in your life, or anything that is distracting you from being fully committed to Him.
Conclude in prayer and silence, reflecting on what you’ve learned.