DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
Recently a pastor in the city where I live went to be with the Lord. As he lay on his deathbed, his son walked into the hospital room and began to pray for him. He said, “God, my father has been a soldier for You for many years. I pray that You take this tired old soldier into Your kingdom.” Fifteen minutes later, the old soldier passed into eternity.
Joshua was used of God to win many victories. He did what God said to do, and it resulted in many great victories. He didn’t stop with initial victories, but he grew into being an “old soldier.” He would live as a soldier of the Lord and die a soldier of the Lord.
Today we desperately need men and women who don’t win just a few battles, but grow into “old soldiers.” We need men and women we can look to as faithful. We need leaders who are marathoners, not just sprinters. But how does one become an “old soldier?” Joshua gives us a good example.
After the battle of Ai, Joshua had many other battles to fight. Next there were five kings who would oppose Joshua. He soundly defeated them and their armies. He didn’t do it by being a hot dog. He just kept doing what God directed. The Bible says that later a very large army came against Joshua and the children of Israel. It was so large, the Bible describes it as “a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (Joshua 11:4).
But Joshua defeated that great army by simply trusting in God. He relied on the eternal strategy of “not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God.” That’s what Joshua did, and God gave Him victory. God said to Joshua, “‘Do not be afraid of them’ … and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel.” (Joshua 11:6, 8). God did His part, and Joshua did his.
The Bible says, “Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed” (Joshua 11:9). Those words of direction were very familiar to Joshua. He had been hearing them since he was a young man. Joshua knew that victory is won by the promises of God, and he had learned to walk and fight by the promises of the Word of God. He grew to be a great old soldier by trusting in the promises of God. It’s a common denominator of “old soldiers” — trusting in the Word of God.
But Joshua had also learned to obey the Word of God. He did “as the Lord had directed.” It was the potent combination of a lifetime of faith and obedience that made Joshua a champion marathoner. He was in it for the long haul — for an entire life.
None of us knows how long we have to live, but one passion ought to grip our hearts. We must passionately pursue God — all the days of our lives. We must determine we will not rise a bright shining star, then fade as quickly as we rose. Our passion must be that of becoming a grand “old soldier” in the kingdom of God. We must learn to walk daily in faith and obedience. There’s no retirement for God’s soldiers. As long as God gives us breath, there will be battles to fight, victories to win. We must set our eyes on the finish line and run the race until its end.
O God, help us to become grand “old soldiers.” Help us to fight to the end — trusting You all the way.
Joshua : Chapter 11
1) When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Akshaph, 2) and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; 3) to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah. 4) They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 5) All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom to fight against Israel. 6) The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.” 7) So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, 8) and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
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