The testimonies we have of God's faithfulness should be a great reminder that God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. However, we often find ourselves in a similar position to the Israelites who never made it out of the desert. Pastor Bill will compare the faith Caleb had in God, to the faith he has witnessed in his life. Like Pastor Bill, we should all desire to believe like Caleb, to have that unique spirit that will have faith in spite of difficult and seemingly impossible circumstances!

Can you imagine what it must have been like for Joshua and Caleb? When they went in to spy out the promised land, they would have seen all the goodness of the land, tasting the grapes! But Pastor Bill shows us, that their enthusiasm to go in and lay claim to God's promise wasn't shared by all. The focus was on the difficulties ahead, most didn't have much faith that God would fulfill the promise. Caleb and Joshua were faithful in waiting, and give us a great example of how we can live as we wait.

On one hand, you can understand the fear that might come over the nation of Israel in this story. They are standing on the doorstep of the land God promised them, but even though the land looks good, it's filled with giants and obstacles that seem insurmountable. On the other hand, you almost cheer for Caleb's faith that God was able to take care of it all! Pastor Bill will encourage us today, to have faith like that when we look at the promises of God, and the opposition we face.

Did you forget to pray earlier? Did you jump into something without checking in with God first? Maybe it didn't turn out so well. Joshua was in the same place. He started without checking with God but once he did kneel and pray God did miraculous things! It's never too late to bring our troubles to God. Pastor Bill asks, “What kind of universe-stopping prayer are you praying?” Are you ready to pray a prayer that big and watch the God of the universe step in and change reality to accomplish his purpose!?

Pastor Bill tells us the tale of the Gibeonites today, who conned their way into covenant with Israel. With their hands tied, the Israelites turned them into servants in God's house. We get the same privilege of serving in the house of the Lord and just one day there is better than thousands elsewhere! So when we come across an opportunity to serve, we choose to do the task with joy! After all, we are following the savior who knelt and washed his disciples' feet. How could we want anything more than that?

God takes the tithe seriously. He calls for us to bring the first tenth into his house. And Pastor Bill tells us today what the book says about it! When we take what's God's and put it in with our stuff, we're stealing from God. That didn't work out so great for the people of God here in Joshua 7! And it doesn't work out well for us today. Bring the full tithe into his house and experience the blessings he wants to pour out on you. Don't steal from God. We need to remember that all that we have comes from him.

God's instructions sometimes don’t make sense. He sent the people of Israel walking around in circles for days before they saw anything happening. Pastor Bill will take us on that slow, methodical, and nonsensical walk with the Israelites. With the priests and soldiers and all the people. And when the walk was over, they got to watch the walls fall down! But it didn't come without the price tag of obedience. They sure looked foolish along the way, but God proved them to be right to follow him.

What's your Jericho? What fortified city does God have in front of you today, waiting for you to take it down? We all have something in front of us. We're all facing a challenge. But our first step might be surprising. Our first step is to worship God. To get on our face before him, to remove our shoes, and to worship him. We can worry or we can worship, but we can't do both! And like Pastor Bill says, it's all about Jesus! He's called us, he's got the plan and he tells us we don't need to worry.

Friends, we have a chance to be a part of the program! Pastor Bill shows us today why it is we need to continue to storm the fortified cities or face down the giants. There is someone waiting to believe. Someone that Jesus has called is stuck behind those walls or cowering behind the giant. And we have left her for that purpose! We can't rest in our comfortable homes and forget that we have been given a purpose and we have been invited into God's purposes. It's time to get out there and fight the fight!

Pastor Bill tells us how to go get our promised land today. We are already secure in the family of God. We're saved through the work Jesus did on the cross. But in order to obtain the fullness of what God has for us, we need to continue the fight! How do we do that? We worship God humbly and walk a holy walk. That holy walk is one of unity, wisdom, and light and it's not easy. It's a battle against the world and against our own flesh as we strive to become holy. But as we do, we will gain our promised land!