Brad Easley
In the first few chapters of Joshua, there’s an incredible story of a peculiar people facing a situation that no one could have imagined. As the story goes, this wandering tribe of sunburned nomads was about to engage in battle with city-states of far superior strength. Even more surprising, these people – Hebrews, as they were called – were themselves the invading force.
In truth, they were not a fighting force at all – no real army or cavalry. No chariot battalion or horsemen. Yet they were about to lay siege to a fortified city, Jericho – the first of many who would fall in the years to come. And they would do so with stunning speed and astonishing ferocity.
How did they manage it? How did this generation of David-like weaklings bring down the walls and watch the giants fall?
In a word, consecration. It means “set apart for special purposes”.
The thing is, this peculiar people knew God had called them out of Egypt for something big – really big. In fact, the promise He had for them was so big it would be impossible to achieve on their own. And so as they stood in the shadow of the walls of Jericho, they knew that their very survival depended on being keenly aligned with this God, the “I Am Who I Am” who brought them this far.
So consecrate yourselves, Joshua told them. Get yourselves ready. Do some deep soul-searching, because we’re about to face battle.
- Are you fully aligned with God’s purposes for your and your family?
- Are you in any place of resistance or rebellion to His desire for your life?
- Are you stuck in a place of fear, or disbelief, or apathy?
If so, acknowledge it. Repent of it. Ask for His help. Receive His grace and power. And set yourself apart for His purposes.
__________
As legends of history go, here’s one that powerfully illustrates the danger of an un-consecrated life:
In the early Dark Ages, the pagan Saxons were soon defeated in battle by the Christian armies of Europe, and were pressured to submit to Christian baptism. The Saxons agreed, but on one condition: their fighting arms, the ones that carried the swords, that threw the rocks, that hand would not go under for baptism. “Baptize us all …”, they said in effect, “Except for that part. We want to use that part for what we want.”
Such an attitude isn’t limited to warriors of old. It’s the same mindset we have in our culture: we want to give God just enough to keep us safe and blessed. But very rarely do we willingly give him full, total consecration.
But for those who will, for those who give their whole selves in consecration, his wonders await.
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