Scripture:

Judges 21:25

25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

"In those days there was no king in Israel."  300 years later, the Lord would tell Samuel that when Israel asked for a King, "they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me."  I think it is important that we understand the context of this verse.   There are two things here: first, that they had rejected the Lord as their King, and the second thing is that they had become self-reliant, thinking that they did not need the Lord.

Things always go wrong when we start thinking we don't need God.   This is why, when things are good, we have to guard our relationship with God, because we begin to think we don't need Him. Always be concerned when you begin to do what is right in your own eyes, instead of seeking the Lord's direction for your life.  Proverbs says that it ends badly, and it always did for Israel.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death"  ~Proverbs 14:12

To seek the Lord, His leadership, to look at the book of Judges as a reminder that when things get good, don't lose our dependence on the Lord, rely on Him, trust in Him, be God-Reliant instead of Self-Reliant.   Keep God at the center of your life, and life will be better.

Lord, may we always keep you as the King of our lives, that we would not lose sight of your presence in our lives, when things get good, we would not grow distant from you, we would not think life is good I don't need Him, but they we would always be desperate for your presence, seeking you in all that we are and do, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Judges 16:20

20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

"A Slow Fade"

Like the Casting Crowns' song, Samson had begun a slow fade; he had created distance between himself and the Lord and, slowly, with his choices, was removing himself from covenant with the Lord, from the Lord's covering.  Samson was not watchful, careful with his calling and his decisions as they were dragging him away. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us that we must be watchful, the enemy is looking for those whom he can devour and destroy.

Fix our eyes on Jesus, to keep our hearts close to Him, the Bible says we must guard our hearts above all else.   The story of Samson is a reminder that we must be careful chasing our desires, be watchful, for Samson, the enemy was in his camp, and by the time he realized it, it was too late. 

Two things:

Our decisions could lead us away from the Lord, or toward Him; we must be careful in them.

Be careful of the people you allow in your life, because not everyone is going in the direction God has for you. 

Lord, I pray that we look at Samson's life and realize the importance of staying in covenant with you, staying in close proximity to you, in relationship with you, to guard our distance, to guard our hearts, and to guard what influences we let in our houses.   What we allow in the gates of our life, they have access to us. Lord, let it be filled only with those things you have provided, those things you have planned for us, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Judges 14:9

 9 He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

Samson, one of the most detailed stories in the Book of Judges, and sort of superhero with superhuman strength.   But one thing you should catch is that his character is not all that good.   It is evidence that God can use imperfect people, even people who are out of alignment, and this verse shows you the beginning of the decline for Samson.   See, Samson is a Nazarite, and the requirements for a Nazarite from conception must not touch anything from the vine; even his mother during pregnancy was to abstain.   He was not to cut his hair or touch dead bodies.  Yet here we see him kill and then later touch the carcus of the dead lion and give the honey to his parents. 

See, our drifting away from the Lord and His requirements is not something we do or even see all at once; it is a slow drift, it is subtle decisions that lead us away.

The application today is to guard our relationship with the Lord, to look out for the little compromises in our lives and to put a stop to the bleed, to really be away of our walk to guard our hearts, our minds, what we hear, what we speak and of course what we do. to be careful to prioritize our walk with the Lord.

Lord, show us the cracks in our walks, the weak spots in our walk so that we would not fall away, that we would not discover our relationship had deteriorated and slip away from you.   Keep us in close proximity to you that we may hear your voice clearly, that we may walk in your ways carefully, that we might honor you with our lives, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Judges 6:11-12

11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

"What He Sees"

Gideon and Israel were in a tough spot because of Israel's sins and turning away from the Lord, but again the Lord heard the cry of the people and raised a deliverer up.  Something to catch, and it happens to all of us, our situation beats us up, and we lose sight of who God made us to be.   For Gideon, the Midianites and the Amorites had come and devoured the land, and every time Israel would try to flourish, plant, or grow farms, they would come like locusts and devour the land.   How many times have you been in a circumstance or a season in your life that everything seemed to be devoured, your energy, your time, everything you put in seems to be sucked up, and you muster up all the energy you have to eke out survival?    

That is where we find Gideon, but like Gideon, today the Lord wants to remind you of your strength in Him, the person He sees is so much more than the circumstances you face, you are hiding in your own winepress, but God says come out, mighty warrior. " Today, you will defeat your enemy."

Don't allow your circumstance to dictate who you are, but allow God to speak into your life, into your circumstance. His plans, His power, His purpose is far greater than your circumstance, no matter the size, and He can defeat those things in your life, with just a word.  So get up mighty man/woman of God, God sees greatness in you.

Lord, I pray for those who have felt defeated by the pressure, the circumstance, I pray that you would like Gideon, like Abraham, speak a word that transforms them, transforms their situation, that you would remind them of who they are in you, the strength they have in you, the power they have with you, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Judges 5:31

31 “So may all your enemies perish, Lord!
    But may all who love you be like the sun
    when it rises in its strength.”

Then the land had peace forty years.

"Victory in Him"

When you read through the book of Judges, you see this hills and valleys story, where the people of God would turn from the Lord, and they would end up in captivity, then they would cry out and turn back to Him, and He would raise a deliverer up.   Today, ladies, this one's for you. In today's portion, God raised Deborah as a deliverer for Israel. She was a rare leader in Israel in a time when women could not even be considered a witness of legal matters. Deborah was a judge and a prophetess, and because of God's favor and her leadership, Israel experienced 40 years of peace. 

This story, however, is God breaking the cultural norms; in fact, He uses a woman, Jael, to defeat the King who oppressed Israel.   This story is a reminder not to let anyone convince you that you cannot be used by God, that there is not something in you that God can use. This story is a reminder that you can be used, you can make a difference, and your contribution could be the very thing that turns the tide.

The application today is just this: remember that Greatness is not defined by your sex, or your looks, your position, your power, or even your ability, but rather it is defined by the presence of God in your life and His great power at work in you, through you.  Seek Him, and He will provide the tools you need to accomplish the things He has planned for you and don't let anyone rob you of this truth.

Lord, I thank you for the great women you have placed in our lives, those who changed the climate of our times, who made a difference, who served you, who shone for you,  who changed the outcome, who left their indelible mark, Lord raise up our sons and our daughters to be these people, do great things through them, let them leave their mark, and let no one stop them, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Judges 2:7

7 So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

"Faithful Generations"

As we read this portion today, you should catch this truth: "If we are not faithful to teach the generation to come about the goodness of God, they will turn away to the world."   One of the repeated patterns in the book of Judges is that the people of God serve Him faithfully for a time, and they are blessed, have peace, and prosper in the land where they live. But then a generation would come and turn away from the Lord, and they would end up in captivity until the Lord would raise a deliverer.  This pattern still repeats today, if we lose sight of the importance of spreading the gospel, teaching it to our children, telling of His wondrous works in our lives, then we too will see a generation turned away.

We must be "Gospellers" those who share the good works of the Lord tell of what He has done for us, we must share it with the generations to come that they too might be blessed, that they too might serve the Lord all the days of their life, and we must teach them to do the same, so that we might raise up revival, raise up a Joshua Generation...

Father, I pray that we would be part of a Joshua Generation, a movement for the Kingdom of God. We have seen your wondrous works, we have seen your goodness, let us not let your works die in our hearts, but let them burst forth to the generations to come, let our generation be the catalyst for change, for a Holy people, do it in our time Lord, change us, change our future, let our hearts always be given over to you, in Jesus name!

Scripture:

Joshua 24:14-15

14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of [a]the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [b]the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

"Choose the Lord"

This decision has been laid out before us our whole lives, the act of free will.   God loved us so much that He created us with free will. See, love is the free will act of a person; we choose to love.  Joshua lays out before the people of God this truth that every day forward, you must choose for yourselves, for your family, whom you will serve.   I love that he makes a declaration, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"   You and I need to declare this very thing: "We will serve you, Lord."  

The application today is in Joshua's declaration, to choose the Lord, to serve Him, to decide that the Lord is good, and to serve Him is the only choice for me.  "I must choose!"  Decide in my heart, when the world pulls at me, choose Him, when my desires try to drag me away, choose Him, when my old self tries to drag me away, choose Him.

Lord, I pray that we would always choose you, even when life is going great, that we would consciously choose you in our everyday life, in our everyday decisions, that we would choose you and the life that comes from that choice.  In Jesus' name, Amen!