The Gibeonite Mistake

April 14, 2017

It doesn't take much for a leader to make a bad decision that can affect people for years. The tragedy is, that for a Christian leader, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Joshua found this out the hard way. He and his leaders were having great success as they conquered the enemies in the Promised Land.

They were so successful that the Gibeonites knew they would be next. So, they deceived them by putting on old clothes, going to the Israelites and telling them they came from a far land and wanted to strike a covenant of peace. Israel made a deadly decision which allowed the Gibeonites to become a thorn in their side for decades.

THE FATAL STEP

""So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord."" (Joshua 9:14)

God was waiting and would have exposed this lie if the Israelites had just taken time to ask Him. They assumed that things were fine and underestimated their enemy.

A leader can't afford to assume anything. He is charged with the responsibility to oversee his home and all those entrusted to his care. It is a serious and sacred task.

God has made Himself accessible to any leader who will take the time to listen to Him. He has given us His Word, His Spirit, and His church as a three-fold means of discovering His will.

He will give the leader excellent direction if asked. Not only are the lives of people, but also God’s glory is at stake.

Are you making some assumptions right now? Headed into a place of blind defeat, simply because you are not asking for the counsel of the Lord?





Also in Graceful Truth

REFLECTIONS ON SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (Part 15)
REFLECTIONS ON SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (Part 15)

March 15, 2023

This is the heart of revival, both personal and corporate. Revival intimates two things have occurred: a drifting and a return. We have wandered from Christ. Our hearts have become cold and lifeless. To be revived is to be brought back to that which is life itself. It’s not a return to a program or a discipline. It is to fall in love with Jesus all over again. It is a repentance unto Him.

Continue Reading

REFLECTIONS ON SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (Part 14)
REFLECTIONS ON SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (Part 14)

March 10, 2023

Is prayer a nice thing to do? Something we resort to when we are in a serious situation? A word to describe one of the disciplines of the Christian life? Secondary, but not really all that essential? Something we do as a segue between songs on a Sunday morning? Or is it the essence? The foundation? The fragrance that is to pervade everything for the serious follower of Jesus? The ultimate pathway to communion with God and the source of life and power for all we are and do?

Continue Reading

REFLECTIONS ON SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (Part 13)
REFLECTIONS ON SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (Part 13)

March 09, 2023

Why should we pray fervently for the blessing of a nationwide or worldwide spiritual awakening? Why should we unite (as Jonathan Edwards said) in “explicit agreement and visible union among God’s people in extraordinary prayer for a revival of religion and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom on earth?” Why should we seek to cooperate together and not tear apart the beginnings of His awakening in our nation?

Continue Reading