Yielding - Not My Fight
Updated: Jul 9, 2020
…when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? Joshua 5:13 & 14
As I worked towards becoming an independent adult, I struggled with the various complex aspects of adult life: A career and a really tough job, my relationships, my finances, spiritual growth, my roles and responsibilities within the church and larger community, living in a rather insecure environment. I was struggling spiritually, socially and I did not meet my financial objectives. I launched 2 start-ups and failed, spending a significant portion of my savings in the process. I made choices I assumed were best for me and they often turned out wrong, I often got very frustrated my plans very rarely worked out and I was barely meeting my objectives. Then I experienced an epiphany from Joshua 5:13…
As Joshua prepared for his greatest battle - scoping his enemy (represented in the of city Jericho), he met someone he initially thought was an ordinary soldier. That is until the soldier revealed that he was the captain of the Lord’s host/army, then Joshua bowed and sought instructions. The story in Joshua 5:13 & 14 bear a deeper meaning that translates to many of our lives.
Like so many of us, Joshua forgot the big picture - which was that God was leading his people to a land promised to Abraham two hundred years before any of them were even born. Joshua took on the battle as his (rather than God’s) and would ask the stranger if he was on Israel’s side. The Captain’s response was, in essence, this is not Israel’s battle - it’s Gods, and it is Israel/Joshua that should be worried about being on God’s side not the other way. Joshua got this, then he yielded…
This is not my fight
"…For your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:32-33
If you, like me, have put yourself in the situation where you are wrecking yourself with worry or over-working because you fear what the future holds, calm down. It’s not your fight, it’s God’s. Focus on aligning yourself to God’s purpose and life would become easier, you will face difficulties but things are working in God’s way.
The Bible backs this up: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose Romans 8:28” the key is to focus on living and being aligned to God’s purpose, because once you fit in, things will work out. Every prayer will be easily answered - “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts James 4:3”. This does not mean that we should not plan and work hard to achieve our goals. It is a call to align our goals and plan's with God's through constant fellowship and guidance from the spirit.
On the flip side, it is a dangerous thing to be on the wrong end of God’s purpose. Lot’s loss in Sodom & Gomorrah shows that your life may be spared but at great cost and discomfort.
Stop worrying, focus on aligning to God’s purpose and yield to his will
