Posts Tagged ‘Joshua’

Samson is an Enigma to me

Posted: February 17, 2024 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Have you ever read the story of Samson? If you are a guy, Samson is the Hercules of the Bible. He was by far the strongest character the Bible talks about and honestly, besides David fighting Goliath, no other character was like Samson. Think about it…You have Joshua who was the warrior of the Bible. He was a General and a leader who conquered the Land of Canaan by following the direction of the Lord. With each conquest that God gave to Joshua, his legend grew among his enemies…But Joshua was a general with an army. Samson was just one guy whom God raised up to fight an entire Philistine nation. 

Samson’s story is unlike anything you have ever read. Did you know that an angel of the Lord came and announced to Samson’s mother that she would give birth to him? (Judges 13:3). That only happened a couple of other times in the Bible and BOTH were significant births…I am sure you recall both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?

Samson however, was born and raised from day one with the Nazirite vow which meant that no razor could ever touch his head. Why? Because he was set apart for God from birth. Just so you catch this part…He was set apart from birth by God to save his people. Talk about having a plan for your life.

With that small introduction, this begins my blog about why I never quite understood this Samson character. As I mentioned, God anointed his birth as the next Judge of Israel. (If you don’t know Judges, the book after Joshua, God raised up a few people during this time to lead Israel…because they had no King) God gave Samson to Israel to fight for them against the idol-worshiping Philistines and that is exactly what he did.

Samson drove the Philistines nuts. He was a one-man wrecking crew every single time he encountered them. One guy against an army…and the army had no chance. Again why? The Bible tells us that each time he met them, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power” which meant that suddenly, Samson became the strongest human being who ever lived, and what army could stand against that?

I could go on and on about his feats of strength but I want to zero in on the reason I am writing today. Samson had another weakness besides shaving his head which, if you had not figured out was the secret to his strength. The weakness I am referring to was lust and sex. Samson was attracted to Philistine women and according to the Bible, he could not get enough which ultimately leads us to Delilah. If you have yet to hear about her then sit tight. 

Delilah was a beautiful Philistine woman and in my opinion, is the epitome of the line said in the animated Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast, “Twas Beauty that killed the Beast”. Samson fell in love with her for the reasons I mentioned above. Moreover, she must have been well known because once she got her hooks into Samson, Delilah was approached by the local Philistine leaders to find out the secret of his strength so they could capture him. If she could do that, she would get paid. 

The Bible tells us that several times Samson gave her false ways for him to lose his strength and each time she fell for it. Finally, because of this continued failure, the Bible tells us that she began to nag and pester him to the point that he was literally “tired to death of listening to her”. The bottom line… Samson finally relented and told her his secret and of course, he was captured. They shaved his head, gouged out his eyes, and threw him in prison.

Here is where I have to ask the question, what did he expect to happen? Each time she asked the question he made up an answer. Finally, he gave in. Was Samson that unintelligent?

Secondly, the Bible also says that when his head was shaved, the Spirit of the Lord left him and he did not know it, Judges 16:20. That is also very hard to grasp because I would think the presence of the Spirit would be a living and powerful presence inside of him and with it exiting you would think he would notice…but that was not the case.

I need to wrap this up so what can we learn from this story? I think one of the biggest lessons about Samson is that he was able to overcome how far he had fallen. God never forgot Samson, even while in prison. When we look back on the life of Samson, we can also see that God viewed him as a man of faith. Samson is listed among the other men of faith in Hebrews 11:12 below:

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, about David and Samuel, and the prophets…

All of those men did GREAT things for God but yet every single man on that list also had his faults…just like you and I do. But God was able to use them exactly for the purposes they were created for. Samson in particular, is included in the Bible for that very reason.

The bottom line for you and me, we don’t have to have our lives all buttoned up and perfect before God will consider using us. That is so far from the truth. Think about it…Samson was a mess but God was able to use him for his purposes JUST like He can do with you. All you have to do is take the first step and ask…

I encourage you to do just that-

Until next time Guys…

Commander of the Army of the LORD

Posted: February 12, 2024 in Inspirational
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

I hope this one gets you excited!… Have you ever read these 3 verses before In Joshua?

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

“Neither,” he replied, “but as Commander of the Army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.   Joshua 5:13-15

Unlike my usual approach, I believe it’s important to begin this blog by acknowledging that some of you may be unfamiliar with these verses. So let me set the stage;

Israel is about to go to war with one of the most disturbing, detestable, and disgusting groups of people that ever lived on this earth. The residents of Jericho’s sin had reached what God called “its full measure” which meant that after giving them ample time to repent, He was done with them. Their punishment…would be death by Israelite. 

So picture in your mind, thousands of men screaming and banging their weapons together, raising their fists and shouting as loud as they could. Both sides faced each other only in this instance, the warriors of Jericho stood very comfortably on the inside of the largest and impenetrable fortress of its time. Archaeologists confirm the walls of Jericho stood 30 feet high and get this, 20 feet thick.

How, on God’s green earth could an Israelite force, or for that matter, any force, assail an army behind walls that could not be breached? Enter God and His plan which was very different than what you and I would have done…but it worked. 

But the reason I write this post today is to call your attention to someone who came to this fight before it started. Did you pick that up in verse 14? I call your attention to the “Commander of the Armies of the Lord” Have you heard of this guy before? Did you know there was a Commander for the Armies of God? Can you imagine what this warrior from Heaven looked like? Guys, that is another blog altogether. But, here is my question to you, why was this Commander, with his seniority in Heaven, present at this battle?

Please hear my words guys because there is no conjecture here. This Commander was at this battle for one reason… besides the physical war happening between Israel and the men of Jericho, God’s armies were doing battle with the forces of Satan. All of this chaos was happening at the same time and the reason I mention this today is simply to point out that God did not desert his people. He sent His forces to war right alongside the Israelites to ensure victory during a battle unlike any other.

But I must bring this story back down to you and me, Let me remind you that God is doing the very same thing now in all of our lives. PLEASE remember that Spiritual forces are fighting for you and at the very same time, different evil forces are fighting against you. Yes…this is true. There is a battle going on for your individual soul. I have written about this many times in past blogs but when I get to illustrate God’s action by showing you who is sent to defend you, I just think that is incredibly encouraging and I hope you find that to be true as well.

Remember, you are NOT alone in your battle. God will send the Commander of the Armies of the Lord along with the legions of Angels to keep you safe. They are still on duty…

Until next time Guys-

It is time to take a stand…Again

Posted: July 5, 2015 in Husband
Tags: , , , , ,
0

1 Take a Stand

I originally wrote this post 2 years ago in June of 2013 and yet it still has huge relevancy as America continues to change before our eyes. I am calling out the men again to take a stand in their own homes and be strong and be who you have been called to be for your family. I ask that you read this post with the same urgency it was written 2 years ago and now…

The Ironman Strength blog has always been about MEN being strong in God and taking on the challenges that this life sends our way and this post is no different. Guys, I sense some indecisiveness out there. Maybe you have some doubt in your lives that if left alone, could cause some very serious problems for you and your family down the road. Please read this post with the same urgency that I write it and please take it to heart because our America is changing. I begin with a verse for warriors that I hope you will apply today…

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

This is a great verse because it is clear and to the point. When Joshua wrote this verse, he knew he was going to die. He had fought the good fight for God and now he was old but before God took him into heaven, Joshua spoke to the children of Israel and gave them two options about their spiritual future; either serve God…or don’t serve Him. They had already experienced the power of God throughout their daily journey as they moved through the promised land and continually overcame obstacles that were more than they could have ever withstood on their own…And now, here they stood on the precipice of the most important decision any of them would ever make for their future…and with Joshua gone…would they give in and serve the gods of the existing tribes around them…or…would they take a stand and serve the God who had brought them to where they were now?

What is critical to note here though is Joshua’s final opinion on the two options he gave Israel. He said, “as for me and my household, we will serve The Lord”. As was typical of the rock who Joshua was, he did not waver or falter…he spoke from his heart and it was solid.

Joshua was one of the most powerful warriors in Biblical history who served God with all he had and when the end of his life was near, he took his final stand in front of his nation and announced who he and his household would serve…

My question to you is…which option have you chosen for you and your house?

Have you taken the stand for yourself and firmly planted your feet on the solid ground before God?

I believe that now is time to “man up” in your relationship with God…You need to make a decision and then stick with it…It is your responsibility to shield both you and your family from the harm that Satan seeks to wreak upon the people you care about. Now is NOT a time for doubt, it is a time for clarity. Otherwise you will be like this;

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6 NIV)

Everyone has seen seaweed being tossed back and forth inside waves with no stability whatsoever. That seaweed could end up anywhere because it has broken away from its stronghold under the sea. Guys, if you doubt, that will be you being thrown around in this world like broken seaweed in the waves…with nothing to hold onto…being tossed around with no idea where you will end up…

Trust me here…that is NOT God’s plan for you OR your family.

Guys, I challenge you right now to be the warrior God intended you to be by taking a stand inside your house by protecting your wife and kids from what Satan seeks to do them. It starts by clinging onto our God who is a rock and a fortress and will always be there for us…

I challenge you to be like Joshua and declare to the world…

As for me and my house, we will serve The Lord…

Who will you choose to serve?

Until next time guys…

Our God likes REALLY bad Odds

Posted: July 4, 2015 in Inspirational
Tags: , , , , ,
0

bad_odds_for_youth_gamblers

I really enjoy reading the Old Testament because I like to see the hand of God everywhere throughout the various difficulties and challenges that each Israelite generation faced. What a life these Bible characters lived; between the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Hittites, the Midianites, the Jebusites, the Amorites and all the other “ites” working to destroy them through one means or another…One thing is clear, if the Israelites did not seek God for protection, they surely would not have survived. These armies they faced were immense and the men themselves were huge with some of them being Giants as we shall see.

Time and time again we see examples in scripture of a no possible way for victory and yet Israel survived through divine intervention Do you remember the story of Gideon in Judges 7 where God tells him that he has too many men to fight the Midianites? When was the last time anyone heard that before a battle? “You have more men than is necessary to accomplish this task”…so then after he pairs down his army to a “are you kidding me” number of 300 men, he goes out and wins a huge battle with trumpets… In our eyes, the Midianites should have destroyed this small band of men. But as was in most of the cases with Israel, the worse the odds seemed for any victory, the better God liked the scenario…because when Israel was ultimately victorious it was absolutely clear to ALL opponents, the God of Israel was truly ALL POWERFUL.

Now, we have another example in Dueteronomy with Joshua, Israel’s great General, where if you were a betting person, this battle was the ultimate long shot. In fact, the odds were so bad against Israel in Deuteronomy 3:22, God had to remind Joshua to move forward in faith and He, God…would fight the battle for them. You see from Joshua’s point of view, just counting soldiers, they would have been destroyed. But God had the situation right where He wanted it. He told Joshua:

Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.

Can you think about that for a moment…”God himself will fight for you”.

Could you use some help right now with someone fighting your battles for you? Here is something I want you to think about when you are facing a difficult situation; have you considered that God may want the situation you are facing to seem overwhelming, insurmountable and frankly impossible?

Why…because God wants you to be fully dependent upon Him in all of your life circumstances and especially the difficulties because he wants there to be no doubt in your mind that you achieved victory because of Him. God prefers situations and circumstances that have no apparent (human) solution…at least to you and me…but just like in Deuteronomy 3 where the children of Israel had to face Og (who was a real guy, a predecessor to the famous Goliath of Gath…Og King of Bashan who according the Bible, was even bigger than Goliath read Deuteronomy 3:11) they moved forward in faith on the battlefield and was victorious…not on their own power, but with God right their beside them fighting…you must move forward in your own faith and take the first step. I don’t care what the odds are for victory, I only know what Paul tells us in Romans 8:31:

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Honestly guys, those are odds I can live with…

Until next time Guys…

It is time to take a Stand…

Posted: June 9, 2013 in Father, Husband, Inspirational
Tags: , , , , , ,
1

theBible_poster_joshua

The Ironman Strength blog has always been about being strong in God and taking on the challenges that this life sends our way and this post is no different. Guys, I sense some wavering out there…some doubt in your lives that if left alone, could cause some very serious problems for you and your family down the road. Please read this post with the same urgency that I write it and please take it to heart. I begin with a verse for warriors that I hope you will apply today…

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

This is a great verse because it is clear and to the point. When Joshua wrote this verse, he knew he was going to die. He had fought the good fight for God and now he was old but before God took him into heaven, Joshua spoke to the children of Israel and gave them two options about their spiritual future; either serve God…or don’t serve Him. They had already experienced the power of God throughout their daily journey as they moved through the promised land and continually overcame obstacles that were more than they could have ever withstood on their own…And now, here they stood on the precipice of the most important decision any of them would ever make for their future…and with Joshua gone…would they give in and serve the gods of the existing tribes around them…or…would they take a stand and serve the God who had brought them to where they were now?

What is critical to note here though is Joshua’s final opinion on the two options he gave Israel. He said, “as for me and my household, we will serve The Lord”. As was typical of the rock who Joshua was…He did not waver or falter…he spoke from his heart and it was solid.

Joshua was one of the most powerful warriors in Biblical history who served God with all he had and when the end of his life was near, he took his final stand in front of his nation and announced who he and his house would serve…

My question to you is…which option have you chosen for you and your house?

Have you taken the stand for yourself and firmly planted your feet on the solid ground before God?

I believe that now is time to“man up” in your relationship with God…It is your responsibility to shield both you and your family from the harm that Satan seeks to wreak upon the people you care about. Now is NOT a time for doubt, it is a time for clarity. Otherwise you will be like this;

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6 NIV)

Everyone has seen seaweed being tossed back and forth inside waves with no stability whatsoever. That seaweed could end up anywhere because it has broken away from its stronghold under the sea. Guys, if you doubt, that will be you being thrown around in this world like the seaweed in the waves…with nothing to hold onto…being tossed around with no idea where you will end up…

Trust me here…that is NOT God’s plan for you or your family.

Guys, I challenge you right now to be the warrior God intended you to be by taking a stand inside your house by protecting your wife and kids from what Satan seeks to do them. It starts by clinging onto our God who is a rock and a fortress and will always be there for us…

I challenge you to be like Joshua and declare to the world…

As for me and my house, we will serve The Lord…

 

Until next time guys…