Every Place You Set Your Foot, Prayer Walking Series: Day 30—Provide

So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following

towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance.

 Joshua 21:3

Every October is Pastor Appreciation month at our church. We send cards, take them out for coffee, have them over, give gifts, and let them know how much we appreciate them. Unless you’re a pastor, or the spouse or child of one, you may have no idea how exhausting and thankless their work can be. Most of them are up all kinds of crazy hours—praying, studying, counseling, visiting, sitting through meetings, setting up and tearing down for events, dealing with personnel issues, and you name it—caring for the flock. And that doesn’t even include preaching!

Being a pastor is not just a Sunday job; it’s a life calling. A worthy and honorable and blessed calling.

That’s why the Lord told the Israelites to make special provision for the Levites, giving them towns and pasture for their flocks. When God divided the land, all the other tribes were granted portions, except the Levites. As the priestly tribe, God was to be their portion and inheritance.

The priests’ job was spiritual leadership—teaching the people about God, and offering their sacrifices to Him. But like all of us, they still needed to eat, live somewhere, and care for their families. So God told the other 11 tribes to give them some of their land.

This served three purposes:

It gave them a place of their own where they could live and thrive.

It sprinkled them throughout the Promised Land among the other tribes.

It gave the Israelites a chance to bless their spiritual leaders out of the abundance God provided.

It’s like the 10% tithe we’re commanded to give out of our earnings. That money pays our pastors’ wages, and for heat, lights, insurance, and all the supplies and expenses of running a church.

 

for you Pastor Jeff

Some people get stingy about sharing their wealth—as if it’s optional. They pay their pastors meager salaries, provide inadequate housing, expect them to work 6-7 days a week, and be at every event. Then they criticize them when they get sick because they never get any time off. 

The law said to let oxen eat while they worked (Deuteronomy 25:4). Well fed oxen are healthier and happier than ones forced to work with no reward. In the New Testament, Paul applies this to the way we care for our spiritual leaders:

“Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’...because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.” (1 Cor. 9:7-11).

He mentions it again in his letter to Timothy (1 Tim. 5:17-18). 

 

It’s our job to provide for our spiritual leaders out of what God has so graciously given us. Let’s be generous! If your church doesn’t have a designated time of year when you honor and bless your pastoral staff, maybe you should get it started.

Today as you prayer walk, pray for every pastor you know and their family members—for health, strength, joy in serving, and rewards for their work. Ask God how He wants you to give personally and make plans to carry it out. Our leaders need to know how much we love and appreciate their dedication to the Lord and their efforts as we claim this land in His name.

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

Romans 12:21

#payyourpastor #tithe #prayerwalking #spiritualwarfare #claimingterritory #Joshua21 

Every Place You Set Your Foot, Prayer Walking Series: Day 29—Get Busy!

Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait

before you begin to take possession of the land

that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?”

Joshua 18:3

A wife was surprised one day to see her husband lounging on the couch and said, “I thought you were going out to mow the lawn?”

He replied, “I was, but I’m waiting for a part.”

“What part is that?”

“The part of me that wants to get off the couch and go do it,” he said.

We laugh, but there are consequences for waiting too long (apart from frustrating your wife). Where we live, if I put off mowing the lawn on a sunny day, there’s no guarantee it will be out tomorrow. If I don’t get busy while the sun shines I may miss my chance for another week or so while rain saturates our lawn. When the sun comes out again, the lawn is five inches taller and heavy with moisture.

The consequences for the Israelites waiting too long were much more serious. They got comfortable living at the edge of God’s Promised Land and lost the momentum they needed to actually go in. The land was theirs; they’d come all the way from Egypt to claim it. But that would take effort, so instead they settled “on the couch” waiting for a part—the part of them that wanted to fight for it.

This can apply to us in so many ways. If we want a better marriage, we’re going to have to get off our rear end and start working on it. If we want a closer relationship with our kids, we have to set aside the newspaper, our cell phone or computer, or turn off the football game, so we can ride bikes, play board games, or go hiking with our kids. You can’t build intimacy without regular doses of focused attention.

What has God promised, but you don’t possess, because you haven’t made the effort to claim it? God calls us to do our part. After all, no one buys a present, gives it to the intended recipient, and unwraps it for him too!

God’s already paid for our gift—giving us life and knowledge and strength—enough to claim the prize. It’s time to unwrap His presents and rejoice in His generosity. And go see what blessings this land holds for us and our families.   

So how long are you going to wait for your “part” to come in? It’s time to make a plan and carry it out. Get up off the couch and walk the land. Fight for it. In the name of Jesus, go to battle with the enemy of your soul who seeks to lull us into apathy. And claim the promises that are yours for the taking.

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

Romans 12:21

#couchpotatoChristian #waitingforpromises #claimingterritory #Joshua18

Every Place You Set Your Foot Prayer Walking Series: Day 28—Legacy

On that day Moses swore to me, “The land on which your feet have walked

will be your inheritance and that of your children forever,

because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.”

Joshua 14:9

Kelly and I went to a lawyer a few years ago and mapped out our will. It felt a little weird since I had yet to hit fifty. And we need to update it again already. We want to be prepared, because you never know what tomorrow holds.

We want to make it as easy for our kids as we can when we’re gone. We’ve seen too many families torn apart, squabbling over who gets what when Mom and Dad die, especially when it’s a second marriage. Step siblings who seem to love each other, feud over the stuff their parents meant to be a blessing, instead of leaning on each other in shared grief.

We want to provide for our children’s future, but even more than that, we want to leave a spiritual inheritance. If we live all out for the Lord, as Joshua did, that will be our greatest legacy.

If we model what it means to love our spouse through temptation, sickness, and financial woes, as well as when we’re healthy and secure, we hope it will give our children the determination to stay true to their marriages. If we give freely of our time and resources to help others, we hope our children will find it easier to be generous.

The people we love to the Lord will become their forever family. The neighbors we befriend will support and encourage our children when we’re gone. The authority we speak over demonic forces in the name of Jesus will clear away the oppression and defeat from previous generations.

The Promised Land was an irrevocable gift from God to the Israelites. He also has an inheritance in store for those who choose to be grafted into His family tree. Those who founded this country sought God wholeheartedly and set up laws to govern people in righteousness. But we have given way to idol worship and immorality, pursuing other things more zealously than our relationship with Jesus. How can we reclaim our land so it is worth passing on to the generations to come?

Daniel chapter 9 is an excellent example of repentance for the sins of a nation. I have personalized verses 17-19. I hope you will pray for our country today: “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate [nation of the United States]. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the [country] that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.  Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because [this country] and your people bear your Name.”(NIV)

Let us never forget what made America great to begin with, and return to Him in wholehearted obedience. Only then will we leave an inheritance for future generations that is the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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

Romans 12:21

#repentAmerica #inheritance #whatsinyourwill #prayerwalking #claimingterritory #Joshua14

Every Place You Set Your Foot, Prayer Walking Series: Day 27—Finish

 As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua,

and Joshua did it;

he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

Joshua 11:15

How many unfinished projects do you have lying around? I have quite a few. There’s a mostly knitted blanket, a stack of research books ready for me to pick up where I left off, a few quilt squares laying beside my sewing machine, and scores of unfinished manuscripts on my computer and random scraps of paper - for books, articles, small group lessons, and devotions.

Perhaps you have car parts strewn across the garage floor waiting for you to get around to them. Or you have a craft room littered with beads, fabric, and paper that haven’t quite come together yet. Or there’s that half trimmed hedge, or partly built fence in your back yard. It seems like no matter how much we like to get things done, all of us have a few loose ends somewhere.

That’s why I’m impressed with this verse about Joshua. He got it all done. It’s possible he had some tent mending he never got around to, or didn’t finish the spear and shield set he started for his 45 year old grandson…when he was 10. But he finished the most important things—he did what the Lord wanted done.

Out of all the projects you have going, what are the ones that involve kingdom work? Is there a relationship God has urged you to cultivate that you haven’t gotten around to? Is there an unsaved neighbor you promised to help trim trees? Or a lonely widow with no family God has put on your heart to visit? Is there a letter you need to write to someone in prison or a missionary God keeps bringing to mind?

We have the advantage this side of the cross—God communicates to us directly. We don’t have to wait for someone else to hear from God, like Moses, and then convey the message to us. And He communicates to us in a myriad of ways.

Maybe prayer walking is one of those unfinished tasks God has called you to do. What’s holding you back? Is it the weather, setting aside the time, sickness, injury, or just plain laziness?

Ask God what work He wants you to finish. Joshua claimed the Promised Land for God by physically conquering the ungodly nations residing in it. Praise God that’s not our assignment! Ours includes loving and sharing His goodness and the amazing sacrifice Christ made for all nations, and invite them to accept Jesus as Lord.

When your life is over, will others say you finished the work God gave you to do; you left nothing undone? I pray that will be said of me, even if I leave a few stray quilt squares behind.

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

Romans 12:21

a few projects I actually finished

#finishwell #getitdone #unfinishedprojects #prayerwalking #spiritualwarfare #claimingterritory #Joshua11  #Rom12:21 #halloweenandChristianity #AllSaintsDay