The Inner Witness |
| Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself (Himself) beareth witness with our spirit. Do you ever have trouble hearing from God? Do you find yourself caught in confusing circumstances needing guidance, and yet even after praying and reading the Word -- you're still not sure what God wants you to do? I've had that experience. I knew His written Word and acting on it changed my life. But I was uncertain when I had to make decisions about things the Word didn't specifically address. Things like whether to move to one city or another, for example. What held me back was my ability to know that I was doing the right thing. You see, God's written Word and the inward witness are two different things. They never contradict each other, but they're both a vital part of our walk with God. God expected Israel, for example, to obey His written Word. But He also said to them, "Obey my voice" (Jeremiah 7:23) because He wanted them to know His will in specific situations. That's what happened when Israel invaded Jericho. They heard God's voice. Where else do you think they would have gotten that strange battle plan? It wasn't written in the law of Moses. And certainly, no human being would suggest a seven-day march around a city as the most effective form of invasion! But exactly how, you may wonder, does God speak to us? Does He just shout down at us from heaven? Not usually! Romans 8 says the Holy spirit bears witness with our spirit. That means that God's directions come from inside, not outside, of you. At times when you hear His guidance, you may even wonder, "Was that me, Lord, or was that You?" That's because God doesn't normally inject thoughts directly into your mind from the outside. Instead, He speaks to your spirit, and your spirit translates it into a thought. Tune in today to that inward witness, to that quiet knowing, that urging, prompting and leading arising within you. If when you hear it, it sounds like you, don't be surprised. It is you! It is your spirit being influenced by the Spirit of God! After you're born again, your spirit is a safe guide because you are born of God's Spirit. You have His nature. And the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit to teach you and to give you direction. |
| Scripture Reading: Joshua 6:1-20 1. Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2. And the Lord said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3. "You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4. "And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5. "It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." 6. Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets to rams' horns before the ark of the Lord." 7. And he said to the people, "Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord." 8. So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9. The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10. Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout." 11. So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. 12. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13. Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14. And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days. 15. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16. And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! 17. "Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18. "And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19. "But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord." 20. So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. |
| This devotional was retrieved from: http://kcm.org/studycenter/devotion/f2f/index.php.3 |
| Tree Planted by the Water Publication |
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