Every Place You Set Your Foot, Prayer Walking Series: Day 23—Inquire

The Israelites sampled their provisions

but did not inquire of the Lord.

Joshua 9:14

When the Gibeonites heard about the walls of Jericho falling down, and that Ai had been taken, they were terrified. They knew it wouldn’t be long until the Israelites got to their cities, so they resorted to a ruse. They wore old worn out clothes and sandals, loaded their donkeys with mended sacks and cracked wineskins. They took dry, moldy bread to make it look like they’d traveled a long way. Then they presented themselves to Joshua and the leaders of Israel.

“Make a treaty with us,” they said. We’re from a far country, but we’ve heard what your God did to Egypt and how you’ve conquered the people here. We came because we want to be your servants.” The Israelites questioned them, suspecting they might live nearby. God had told them not to make treaties with any of the inhabitants of the land, because He knew they would get wrapped up in their false religion. 

But the Gibeonites showed their supplies as proof. “See, this bread was fresh when we left home and our clothes and bags were all new.” The leaders checked the evidence they presented and believed what they saw. Trouble was they didn’t ask God.

The Gibeonites were able to deceive the Israelites and they ended up making a dangerous alliance. The Gibeonites became their servants, but they brought their false gods with them. And idol worship creeped into the nation of Israel and eventually brought it down.

 Have you made unwise treaties because you sampled but didn’t ask God to interpret your findings? We live in a world full of false beliefs, partial truths, and deceptive “evidence.” The only way we can tell for sure what is true and what is false is to ask God. Compare the information we hear and see with what the Bible says.

We need to do that with what we watch and what we read (especially on the Internet). We need to question persuasive and popular dialogue against God’s unchanging truths. We need to examine what we, and our children, are being taught—even at church—and not gulp everything down without question.

If we don’t, we're inviting the god of this world into our homes and churches and will be pulled away from the truth. He is sneaky; he can sound convincing. That’s why he's called the Deceiver. He began leading mankind astray in the Garden of Eden and is still at it today.

As you pray today, think about what “provisions” you’ve been sampling lately. What is the source of the information you have received? Is someone trying to sell you a changing cultural norm disguised as eternal truth? How does the information you’ve been presented compare to God’s instructions for His people? Do they match up? Ask God to reveal the truth to you. And ask Him what He wants you to do about it.

He may say you need to step away from a person or group whose teachings are destructive to your soul. Or you may need to expose a false teaching, not only to protect yourself, but others who are vulnerable to deception.  The Israelites were sorry they trusted the enemy instead of asking God for the facts. We don’t want to make the same mistake. 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:21

#deception #Gibeonites #falseteaching #prayerwalking #spiritualwarfare #claimingterritory #Joshua9  #Rom12:21 #halloweenandChristianity #AllSaintsDay