A Country in Crisis
Spiritual Victory
November 27, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
As we look forward to the next chapter in Joshua, think about this… Is it possible to go through life victoriously? To avoid discouragement and defeat? Are you caught up in the whirlwind of peaks and valleys, of being up and down? If so, there is the most wonderful news: a victorious life is possible! A person can conquer and triumph throughout life. All the enemies that seek to defeat and destroy mankind can be overcome. Victory is found in God, found in His love and care, in His presence and power that is available to us. One lesson that we must learn: victory is in God and in God alone. This was the lesson that Joshua and the Israelites had to learn. There was a victorious life over all the enemies that sought to defeat and destroy them. But there was a price to pay for victory. The Israelites had to act, take certain steps to achieve victory over their enemies. They could not just sit back and let God fight their battles for them. God had promised to be with them and to empower them, but they had to actually march forth and fight the battle. This Sunday we will see the steps to take so we can march forward as conquerors over our enemies just like Joshua and the Israelites did.
Spiritual Defeat
November 20, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
All kinds of human emotions are felt by people who experience failure. There are emotions of discouragement and depression, of being distressed and downhearted, of feeling down and being treated like an outcast, of being sad, disheartened and demoralized. Sadly these emotions can become serious problems. Some people, millions of them, wrestle with the problem of depression and discouragement, living defeated, and unsuccessful lives. But listen! There is a glorious message of hope, the message of the Holy Scriptures! The Word of God declares that all these emotions that discourage and defeat us can be conquered. We can live a victorious life. A life that conquers and triumphs over all enemies that seek to defeat us as we walk through life. Joshua is a good example of this very thing in chapter seven. Joshua experiences victory at strong Jericho then a terrible defeat at little Ai. This Sunday we will look at what brought this defeat to Joshua and the Israelite nation, and how they overcame that defeat.
How to conquer our Jericho
October 30, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
The book of Joshua is about three degrees of faith, as God's people rest on God's word, count on God's promises, and dare to do great things for God because they believe and obey His word. God's people have dedicated themselves to serve God and then, "Boom!" They are immediately confronted with the challenge of an impossible enemy city, Jericho. If you and I to be what Christ wants us to be, we are going to be faced with many Jerichos. Join us this Sunday as we take a look at how we can overcome our Jericho.
Are you ready to claim your Canaan?
October 9, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
Groundwork has to be laid and strategies have to be planned in order to engage in war. But there is one preparation that is far too often overlooked: spiritual preparation. The Israelites were about to march into war, seeking to drive out the enemies of the promise land. Would they be victorious or would they be defeated? For the Israelites, the answer would be found in one word, preparation, spiritual preparation. The Israelites were the people of God, the people chosen to inherit the promise land and to be witnesses of God to the whole world. It was through the Israelites that God was to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to save the world. Because of this, the most important preparation God's people could make was the preparation of their spirit in their commitment to God. They would be victorious if they followed God wholeheartedly. But, if they turned away from God and disobeyed His holy commandments, they would be defeated and lose the promised land. There was much at stake. There still is! For this reason, spiritual preparation is absolutely essential. This Sunday we will look at the spiritual preparation that was necessary for Israel to be victorious. We will see how this applies to us as well in our battles of life.
How to get past your Jordan
October 2, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
We are to bear strong testimony of our faith. If we are walking by faith in God, it is because He has worked in our hearts. We know what it is to trust God, to have faith in his power and help. We have experienced the conquering power of Christ. We have conquered the passions of the flesh, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life stimulating from the world. The power to overcome all this has come from God. God has given us the power to become more than conquerors because we have trusted Him. His power works in us to conquer because of our faith. Faith in God brings His power into our lives. Faith conquers and triumphs over all. When a person's faith honors God, God honors that person. This Sunday we will see just how Joshua honored God through his faith and in turn, God honored him.
Rahab and the Spies
September 25, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
In the book of Joshua, chapter two, we find the story of a reconnaissance mission carried out by two spies and the prostitute who saved the spies. The Israelites were camped in the plains of Moab, close to the Jordon River, right across from the great city of Jericho. The commander Joshua had just issued the orders to mobilize the people for crossing the Jordon. Within three days they were to launch the march into the promised land. Immediately after issuing the orders to his officers, Joshua sent two agents to spy out Jericho and the surrounding territory. The story of what happened next is one of the most intriguing and suspenseful dramas in all of Scripture. Spoiler alert! The two men encountered a prostitute named Rahab, who was to be converted and become one of the significant women in the history of Israel. This is an exciting story, a story of intrigue, suspense, and high drama. You don't want to miss this message of The Two Spies and Rahab this Sunday.
A Call to Duty
September 18, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
No work, however high and holy, should be undertaken without the express awareness that it is God's pleasure and not our own. We must honor God's sovereignty in our life. We are God's servants, not His master. He gives the orders; we follow the orders, not vice versa. We should not procrastinate when the order comes, but neither should we get ahead of God, and move before the orders come. Acting according to our own will, instead of God's will, makes fools of us and causes failure in our work. We should wait until God commands; then we should wait no longer. We can't force the gate open that is closed: there is plenty to do upon this side of the way. In due time the gate will open as if an invisible angel had touched it, and by the opening of the gate, we will know more surely that our opportunity has come. Don't miss this Sunday as we look at Joshua whose time had come to take Moses' place. We'll continue in Joshua, chapter one.
Joshua's calling from God
September 11, 2016 • Dr. Danny Lovett
Before a man is hired for an important job, he is often given a background check. His past life is examined to see just what kind of man he has been. As we start our study in the book of Joshua, we will do a through examination of Scripture about Joshua. We will discover a number of important characteristics about him which gave Joshua good credentials and qualifications to be Moses' successor and to be the conquer of Canaan. These discoveries will also provide us important lessons concerning what sort of persons we all need to be in order to be placed in service for God and to be a conqueror of the evils of Canaan in our own lives.