God is in control
Joshua 10:12, “Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar ? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.”
The kings of the Amorites had seen and heard what God was doing for His children as they began taking possession of the land they were promised, and they were scared that they too were going to lose their lands. So they developed a plan that they would join forces, and attack the Gibeonites who had been placed under the protection of Israel.
I imagine they thought if they could attack this small group, and defeat them then they would have a way to chip away at the confidence of the Israelites. Satan acts in much the same way He will rarely attack a strong Spiritual leader to try to erode the confidence of God’s people, but he will try attacking the weakest link in a congregation in order to cause a sense of disarray. That is not to say that Spiritual leaders will not be attacked by demonic forces, but Satan knows that weaker people are easier to manipulate.
As the Amorites began their attack on the “weak link”, Joshua and the Israelite armies came back into the picture, and with the assistance of God routed the Amorites. At the request of Joshua, God caused the sun to stand still while they finished their work. Showing once again that He has control over the entirety of nature.
When Jesus Christ came into this world the demonic forces of Satan were well on the way to gaining control over the people, but Jesus Christ came to show people a new and better way to God. When I read this story my mind goes to the time on the sea of Galilee when Jesus and His disciples were caught in the middle of a storm.
The Bible tells us in Matthew 8:24, “And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves ; but Jesus Himself was asleep.” Jesus was sleeping in the middle of this storm, not because He did not care about the disciples; but because He knew that this storm was of no real threat. He knew that whatever troubles might arise He would be able to defeat them. When the disciples became so scared that they awoke Jesus He used the opportunity to show them that He had control even over the forces of nature. With a simple word He quieted the storm, and the disciples asked, Matthew 8:27, “…What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
The God that lives inside of every believer is the same God that held the sun still so the Israelites could continue the work He called them too, and the same God who calmed the storm that scared the disciples. Whatever problems you may be facing God can calm the storm for you when you call on His name!
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Father God, I thank You for calming the storms in my life, and I ask that You remind me that there is nothing that I will face that You cannot overcome. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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The image above can be found at:http://adonai-elshaddai-jewel.blogspot.com/2010/11/jesus-calms-storm.html
Yes, You Can Ministry 