Joshua
March 26
Joshua 8:1, 11-20
Victory!
Achan, whose sin had caused the Israelite army to be defeated, was punished by death. Now that the sin of disobedience had been dealt with, God could bless the Israelites again.
God said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid or discouraged, I will give you victory over the king of Ai.”
The next day, Joshua sent his best fighting men behind the city where they could not be seen. The rest of the army went towards the gates as if they were going to attack. When the king’s men came out to fight them, the Israelite army started running away as they had done the first time. All the men of Ai chased after them and left the city gates wide open. Then the Israelites, who had been hiding, ran into the city and set it on fire. Now, the men of Ai could not flee back to the safety of their city.
So Joshua’s men turned around to attack them from the front, while the other soldiers came and attacked from behind, and the men of Ai were defeated.
How can I have victory over temptations around me?
When you are on God’s side, you are on the winning side! The devil can never ever win against God. Jesus conquered the devil, once and for all when He died on the cross for all our sins in the past, and all the wrong things we still do. But that doesn’t mean that our daily struggle against sin is over.
It is up to you to win over the temptations in your life. Here are a few things to help you be a winner:
Pray every morning for God’s help and for His protection from evil (Matthew 6:13).
Don’t go to places where you will be tempted more easily.
Don’t make close friends with those who do bad things.
Fill your mind with good things (Philippians 4:8).
Verse for today
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7