Monthly Newsletter
January 2025
The Captain of the Lord’s hosts said to Joshua, “remove your sandals from your feet for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 5:15
Happy 2025! What awaits us this year? What goals do we want to set for ourselves, our families, our church? What do we want to accomplish this year? Where do we want to be at the middle and end of this year?
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me encourage you to hit the “pause” button. I don’t mean “do nothing.”
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7)
Pausing in the Christian life is not about stopping as much as it is evaluating. Before Joshua led Israel into the Promised land he needed to pause. In his pause he encountered the Captain of the Lord’s Armies who most likely was the pre-incarnate Christ. Joshua needed this for several reasons.
The Pause allows us to check our obedience – Just before this scene in Joshua, we read of Israel being circumcised and celebrating the Passover together. Why was this? Because they needed to reset as a nation in obedience and unity.
Are there places behind us that our obedience has been less than whole hearted? If so let me encourage you to not move forward until you reaffirm your commitment to the Lord and His church! Pause and take stock of that
The Pause allows us to leave some things behind – We read in verse 12 of Joshua 5 that the Manna provision stopped on this day. That is a huge deal. For the past decades Israel never had to worry about food because of this miraculous provision of God. But God didn’t want babies who couldn’t take care of themselves. He would need to train them to trust Him in new ways because they were going into a New season. So it is with us. We cannot rely on past provision for future needs. We as WBC will be entering into a new season this year and we may need to let go of some things that were good for us then, but could hold us back later. Pause and hold everything loosely because God will always provide.
The Pause allows us to wait on the Lord – Joshua was going into his first big battle without Moses and he needed to keep God first. The beauty of this passage is that when asked whether He was for or against Joshua, The Captain of the Lord’s Armies replies, “No; rather I indeed come now as Captain of the armies of the Lord.” So Joshua got the message and, “bowed down and said, ‘What has my lord to say to his servant.’” (Joshua 5:14). In other words, Joshua needed to be reminded of who was in charge. We may have a lot of plans and goals but I assure that if the Lord is not Leading us and in charge then all we will build is sand castles and monuments to our own egos. But if God is in charge and we are following Him, then whatever He wants to build through us will be pleasing and glorifying to Him.
The Pause allows us to be ready for whatever comes next – You know the story of Joshua 6 and the walls of Jericho. Have you ever thought to yourself how crazy that might have seemed to Joshua. He was a fighter and God tells him that his fighting won’t be needed. Rather they are to march around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. Sound crazy? Sound impossible? What if Joshua had decided not to do that? He wouldn’t have been following God then. I assure you that as Followers of Jesus and members of this church, God will lead us into some different, strange and maybe even inexplicable acts of obedience this year. Will we follow? My prayer is that we will.
Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He also will do it.
(Psalm 37:5)
Following Jesus with you,
Pastor Brandon
Joshua 5:15
Happy 2025! What awaits us this year? What goals do we want to set for ourselves, our families, our church? What do we want to accomplish this year? Where do we want to be at the middle and end of this year?
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me encourage you to hit the “pause” button. I don’t mean “do nothing.”
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7)
Pausing in the Christian life is not about stopping as much as it is evaluating. Before Joshua led Israel into the Promised land he needed to pause. In his pause he encountered the Captain of the Lord’s Armies who most likely was the pre-incarnate Christ. Joshua needed this for several reasons.
The Pause allows us to check our obedience – Just before this scene in Joshua, we read of Israel being circumcised and celebrating the Passover together. Why was this? Because they needed to reset as a nation in obedience and unity.
Are there places behind us that our obedience has been less than whole hearted? If so let me encourage you to not move forward until you reaffirm your commitment to the Lord and His church! Pause and take stock of that
The Pause allows us to leave some things behind – We read in verse 12 of Joshua 5 that the Manna provision stopped on this day. That is a huge deal. For the past decades Israel never had to worry about food because of this miraculous provision of God. But God didn’t want babies who couldn’t take care of themselves. He would need to train them to trust Him in new ways because they were going into a New season. So it is with us. We cannot rely on past provision for future needs. We as WBC will be entering into a new season this year and we may need to let go of some things that were good for us then, but could hold us back later. Pause and hold everything loosely because God will always provide.
The Pause allows us to wait on the Lord – Joshua was going into his first big battle without Moses and he needed to keep God first. The beauty of this passage is that when asked whether He was for or against Joshua, The Captain of the Lord’s Armies replies, “No; rather I indeed come now as Captain of the armies of the Lord.” So Joshua got the message and, “bowed down and said, ‘What has my lord to say to his servant.’” (Joshua 5:14). In other words, Joshua needed to be reminded of who was in charge. We may have a lot of plans and goals but I assure that if the Lord is not Leading us and in charge then all we will build is sand castles and monuments to our own egos. But if God is in charge and we are following Him, then whatever He wants to build through us will be pleasing and glorifying to Him.
The Pause allows us to be ready for whatever comes next – You know the story of Joshua 6 and the walls of Jericho. Have you ever thought to yourself how crazy that might have seemed to Joshua. He was a fighter and God tells him that his fighting won’t be needed. Rather they are to march around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. Sound crazy? Sound impossible? What if Joshua had decided not to do that? He wouldn’t have been following God then. I assure you that as Followers of Jesus and members of this church, God will lead us into some different, strange and maybe even inexplicable acts of obedience this year. Will we follow? My prayer is that we will.
Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He also will do it.
(Psalm 37:5)
Following Jesus with you,
Pastor Brandon
