Dr. Thomas White reminded us in chapel to run toward the Lord as His mercies are new every morning. Your heart posture is what matters above all else. If you have a repentant heart posture toward the Lord, His mercies are new, and He will forgive you. If you have a heart posture of rebellion against the Lord, God will send judgement your way. Develop a heart that longs to follow the Lord. When you fail, come to Him and repent. Don’t choose to actively rebel against God.  

Jesus paid the price and died on the cross for all your sins. He forgave you for all your sins, and they no longer define you. You don’t have to be good enough or earn your way to get to God. He already paved the way for you. All He wants is your heart and for you to seek Him. 

You were saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone. It is okay for you to mess up and fail. It’s not about what you’ve done; it’s about what you will do. Now that you messed up, what are you going to do? Are you going to get frustrated and run away from God, or are you going to get back up and run towards God? 

Dr. White emphasized this message of running to God by saying, “There is mercy for you at the cross. Don’t push away from God. Lean into God.” 

Don’t allow your failures to get you down. Even if you messed up last night, His mercies are new this morning. Even if you will mess up this weekend, His mercies are new Monday morning. Jesus loves you just the way you are, and you don’t have to earn His love. Keep running the race and strive to head towards Christ.  

Below are some guidelines Dr. White provided to help with studying Joshua 8:  

Biblical Principles:  

• A posture of rebellion against God leads to judgement.  
• A posture of repentance toward God leads to mercy.  

Memory Verse:  

Lamentations 3:22–23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  

Big Idea:  

God’s promise of never-ending mercy provides hope to pursue new victories. 

Outline:  

• War (Joshua 8:1–29)  
• God’s Assurance (8:1–2)  
• The Preparation (8: 3–13)  
• The Battle (8:14–23)  
• The Finish (8:24–29)  
• Worship (8:30–35) 

Main Takeaways:  

• God’s mercies are new every morning. 
• Failure is not final. Keep failing forward.  
• After victory, they worshiped God.