The Faithful Word

20 Questions from Church “Mystery Shoppers”

Posted by admin on June 7th, 2010

Over the past several weeks, a family has been praying and searching for God’s will for their lives. He didn’t agree with a doctrinal stance of the pastor, and, after four months, he had to leave. God has called him to preach, so he is praying for God’s leading in their future ministry.

This current search is different than other searches they’ve done before. Before, he would visit churches as a prospective or visiting preacher/staff member. Now, however, he is looking for a church that he can be members of for a time of healing, and a full-time position is kind of a “side issue.”

During this process, he has had the privilege of viewing churches, not from a preacher/staff member view, but from a first-time visitor’s prospective. This experience has allowed him to grow and learn a lot when it comes to treating and interacting with visitors. As much as people try, a visitor can still be treated differently than a visiting preacher. The Scripture in James comes to mind:

(James 2:1-4) My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

He has compiled the following list of 20 questions regarding a visitor’s point of view:

1. What do visitors see when they first pull up?

2. What do they see when they walk in the doors?

3. Are they greeted right away?

4. Do they truly feel welcome – like an honored guest?

5. Are they shown where to go and what to do?

6. Are they invited into conversations?

7. How do they view the pastor?

8. How do they view the pastor’s wife?

9. How do they view the others in leadership?

10. Is the service inviting to them?

11. Was the music service uplifting or depressing?

12. Did the pastor (and others) demonstrate a passion for the Bible, souls, etc.?

13. Did the message seem well studied?

14. How did the nursery workers and Sunday school teachers treat them and their children?

15. Did the nursery workers change, or at least check, the children’s diapers?

16. Were the visitors invited back?

17. Did people address the visitors’ questions?

18. Did the visitors feel comfortable enough to ask questions?

19. Were the visitors and/or their children complimented?

20. Did the visitors receive a visit or letter that week?

Facing Your Giants

Posted by admin on June 1st, 2010

(Numbers 13:31-33)

But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

(Numbers 14:7-9)

And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

Are there GIANTS in your life? Are there GIANTS of finances? Are there GIANTS of heath problems? Are there GIANTS of distress? Are there GIANTS of discouragement? Are there GIANTS of any sort in your life? We all have our own GIANTS to face in our lives, but there is encouragement in this. God knows about those GIANTS and is ready and willing to take care of those GIANTS for you.

“So what’s the catch?” The “catch” is that you must trust Him fully. Have you come to the place that God is all you need? If you still “need” someone or something else, your trust is not fully in Him. “Casting all you care upon him, for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

The GIANTS in your life might be humungous, but God is BIGGER than any GIANT. The Israelites were faced with the GIANTS in the land of Canaan, but Joshua’s answer was clear and undaunted: “The land is good…God promised it to us…Our job is to obey…Don’t be afraid.” We must do the same thing in our life – be obedient to God and don’t fear the GIANTS. God is able to take care of the GIANT for us, just as He did for the Israelites (when they finally obeyed in the book of Joshua).

There is one more thing to consider: God is able to take care of the GIANT, but He may have a greater purpose. The Apostle Paul had a “thorn in the flesh,” which he prayed to have taken away, but God’s plan was to keep that “thorn” in his life to keep Paul humble. God may allow you to go through tragedy to grow you in your spiritual life. Look at the answer of the three Hebrew children: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Dan. 3:17-18) They stated that God was able to deliver them, but God may chose not to deliver for His greater purpose. We don’t like to think about this, but it is a reality.

One pivotal question must know be answered, and the answer will reveal how much you trust and love God: “When you are facing your GIANT, if God does not deliver you from ____________, will you still love Him?

Don’t Give Up Until It’s Too Late

Posted by admin on May 28th, 2010

(2 Sam. 12:15-23)

David had gone into terrible sin – first by lusting after and committing adultery with Bath-sheba, and then trying to cover it up with the murder of Uriah. God sent His prophet Nathan to point out the sin to David. Under great conviction, David responded by confessing and repenting. There was still a punishment that would follow (I believe that the punishment would have been much worse if he had not repented). Part of that punishment was the death of the child.

David was grieved over the fate of the child, and, as a caring father, he fasted and prayed fervently that God would have mercy and spare the child. If anyone knew and understood the grace and mercy of God, David did. His servants tried to get him to eat and resume his daily activities, but David refused and continued to fast and pray.

After seven days, the Bible says that the child died. Having seen the toil and despair that David was in during the child’s illness, the servants feared to tell him of the child’s death. They thought that he would be more “irrational” when he heard the news. David, however, reacted quite differently. He cleaned himself up, changed his clothes, and went to the house of God to worship.

This action confused the servants. David replied that, as long as the child was alive, there was still hope; but, now that the child was dead, there was no need to fast and pray for him – he was already in God’s arms. David knew and understood that as long as the child was alive there was still hope, and he was not going to give up. What a lesson for us to learn as well.

We tend to give up too easily in our lives. We have some trial or problem come in our lives, and we may go to God and plead for His intervention. When God does not answer when and how we want Him to, we give up hope and stop praying. God may decide to answer some prayers immediately, but there are many times that God waits until the last moment to test our faith. We tend to look at the outward circumstances, and when they get worse, it becomes harder to trust in God.

In David’s case, the death sentence was already given by God through Nathan. The child fell ill immediately, but David held on to the hope that God would be merciful and heal the child anyway. David kept fasting and praying until the child died. The child’s death was not a result of God ignoring David’s prayer, it was an answer of “no” to his request. God knew what was best and answered accordingly. The child would have been a shame to the nation of Israel and would have served as a constant reminder of the sin that David committed.

David then immediately went and worshipped God – something that most of us would not do after losing a loved one, especially after a week of fasting and praying. God was honored by David’s actions, and God will be honored by us if we do the same thing. We must learn to wait patiently for the Lord, and then give Him the praise and honor no matter what happens.

We must never give up until there is absolutely no hope left.

Thanks For What You Took From Me

Posted by admin on May 24th, 2010

(Mark 11:8-10) “And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.”

The events that took place in Mark 11 caused the day to be known as Palm Sunday. Jesus rode into town on a colt in a similar fashion that a king would ride into town. In those days, the king would send people ahead of him to “prepare the way” before him by making sure the road was smooth and even. As the king would ride into town, his presence was announced an a great scene would unfold with applause and honor given to the king. This is what we see in Mark 11.

Jesus rode into Bethany as no ordinary king – He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords; yet everything about this entrance was wrapped in humility. Jesus Christ, the Creator and King of the universe, “humbled himself” and “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” for our sakes.

As Jesus entered into the city, the people shouted praises to God. They thought that Jesus was making this journey to establish Himself on the throne and to rule as the King of Israel. They thought that He was going to throw down the government and tyranny of Rome. The last thing they thought was that He was marching in to a death sentence.

We need to take time to thank and praise God for what Jesus did for us that week. Just days after that triumphant entry, Jesus was condemned and crucified for you and me. He bore our shame and agony; He took our sins upon Himself and actually became sin for us. He took our place, not only on the cross, but in Hell as well. It is because of His loving sacrifice and His holy, sinless blood that our sins have been covered.

We spend so much time asking God for things, that we do not thank Him and praise Him as we should. When we do give Him thanks, many times we fail to thank Him for the best thing of all – for the time when He took our sins away. As a born-again believer, we no longer have the death sentence upon us because of our sin. We no longer have to live in sin and its condemnation (although many foolishly choose to sin anyway).

More Than Conquerors

Posted by admin on May 20th, 2010

(Romans 8:31-39)

I read this passage many times before, and I was able to glean from and be encouraged by these words. It is amazing how God uses His Word in different ways at different times in your life. I believe that God sometimes allows thing in our life just so He can reveal things to us and speak to us in a different way.

Verse 31 asks a rhetorical question: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” The obvious answer is, “no one.” For God to be “on our side,” we must first get on God’s side and follow His rules. Exodus 32:26 asks, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” After finding our who was on God’s side, the punishment was then delivered. If you want God on your side, get on His side; then He will be for you, and no one can be against you.

The question is asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” in verse 35. The answer in verses 39 tell us that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In between these two, there are many things that are listed:

Tribulation
Distress
Persecution
Famine
Nakedness
Peril
Sword
Death
Life
Angels
Principalities
Powers
Things Present
Things to Come
Height
Depth
Any other Creature

NONE of these “shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” N-O-N-E! It does not matter what your situation is, what problem you have, what tribulation you are going through, or what persecution you are enduring – nothing will separate us from His love.

On top of all that, look at verse 37: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” The first word in this verse I want to look at is the word “in.” It does not say “before all these things” or “after all these things” or “in place of all these things” – the Bible tells us that while we are “in” all these things, we are more than conquerors.

The second word I want to look at is “all.” That tells us that we can be victorious in everything we encounter in life. That word “all” means (I know this is deep theology) “ALL.” Nothing can defeat us, unless we allow it to.

Next, look at the phrase “more than conquerors.” We not only get to be victorious, not only to be conquerors – it says that we are MORE than conquerors. God’s level of victory far surpasses our understanding of victory.

The most important part of this verse in at the end of it: “through him that loved us.” Nothing is possible without God. As Jesus said in John 15:5b, “without me ye can do NOTHING.” “…but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) We must rely on God for everything. Remember the famous verse in Philippians 4: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Local Church vs. Universal Church

Posted by admin on May 16th, 2010

There is coming a day when all believers will be united under Christ, but until that day, God’s plan is working through individual, local churches. If we want to refer to the entire body of believers that have ever lived, the term the Bible gives us is “the kingdom of God.” There is a difference between the kingdom of God and the church.

Not once, did I mention that one denomination is the Church. God doesn’t work with denominations, He works with individual, local churches. More or less, every religion or denomination claims to be “the true one.” I never said that Baptists were the only ones going to Heaven. However, I believe that, generally speaking, Baptists hold to the true teachings of Scripture more than others (I say “generally speaking” since there are many “Baptists” that believe differently).

Those verses in 1 Corinthians 12 certainly seem to refer to a universal church, and certainly it is true that we are spiritually “baptized into Christ,” but we can’t just take a couple verses to establish a doctrine. Too many times we build doctrines based on our presuppositions or premises that we’ve been taught (I’ve been there myself, and still working on it) – we hear preaching growing up, study things in Bible college, read books, etc. We start looking at these verses thinking that there is a universal church that God is working through, but that is not what the Bible speaks of if you take it as a whole.

Paul is writing to the Corinthians about things going on in the church in Corinth, not in the body of believers throughout the world. In the local church we are one body, to be united together in Christ. I am not negating the universal body that will come together one day – we must remember that the Bible teaches that God works through local churches.

Regarding baptism, where does the Bible speak about the “baptism of the Holy Spirit?” If you look at all the 91 verses in the Bible referring to baptize, baptism, baptized, Baptist, etc., the baptism that is referenced is water baptism. There are a select few verses that don’t specify water baptism, and these are verses that are used to “prove” a universal church. There is “he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” (mentioned in Matt. 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, and Acts 1:5) but that was fulfilled in Acts chapter 2. Peter then mentions it in Acts 11:15-16, but he was equating it with what took place on Pentecost.

1 Cor. 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…” The Spirit is not doing the baptizing, He is the authority behind the baptism. There is a difference between “by one Spirit are we all baptized” and “we are all baptized by one Spirit.” We are baptized by the pastor (or ordained person in the church) into the church (one body) – a means of membership. Baptism is always an act after salvation.

I am not an expert in this subject, as I’ve only come to this realization in the recent past.

Great Faith

Posted by admin on May 12th, 2010

Matthew 15:21-28

Introduction:

Jesus Christ went into the area of Tyre and Sidon, which was to the north of Judea and west of Galilee. There a Syrophenician woman met Him, and her daughter was possessed by a devil. She pleaded with Jesus that He would cast the devil out. Jesus responded by telling her that He was “sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

This answer would have devastated most of us today. She had a dire need, and the only way that it could be taken care of was by Jesus. He was her only hope. She had no one else to turn to – no one – and the answer that Jesus gave was that He was “sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel?” She was a Gentile, a person that was a second-class citizen to the Jews.

What would you do – or what have you done – when you go to God in prayer with a need, and it seems like He turned away? Do you whine and complain? Do you get angry at Him? Do you give up in despair?

But notice what He said, not what you heard. There is a difference many times between what God says and what we hear. God may say something, but, by the time it goes through the filter of our clouded preconceived ideas, the message is changed. God’s answer is still the same, but our perception of it is different. Jesus never said “No” to her.

There are three answers that God can give to us when we pray. We normally hear about two of them, but He gives three answers:

We want to hear Him say “yes.” If we didn’t want to hear that answer, we would never pray. We might not expect to hear that answer – which shows our lack of faith. (James 1:5-8)

We never like to hear the answer, “no.” Nobody likes rejection. No one likes to be told that they can’t do something. Some people are stubborn enough that when they are told “no,” they have a stronger desire to do it! We must learn to be content when God does say “no” to us – it is for our benefit that He denies us some things.

The third answer, “not yet,” I believe to be the hardest to accept. For me, I hate waiting (probably why God has to work on that area in my life). Once I know that I can or should do something, I want to do it right away. It is hard for me to wait for it. There are times that God tells us to wait on something to test us – test our faith, test our character, test our determination, or whatever else in our life needs work.

With this Syrophenician woman, Jesus was testing her faith. He didn’t tell her “no” because His intention was to take care of her problem – or rather, her daughter’s problem. Jesus’ miracles are always connected with the faith of those He is working with. (Matt. 9:22; 13:58)

The woman responded to Jesus’ test with faith: “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Jesus saw her faith and said, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” Jesus then healed the daughter that very moment.

Let’s look at some things that we can learn from this woman:

I. She knew Who to go to

(Hebrews 4:16) “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

- She knew that Jesus was the only One

II. She agreed with Christ

(Amos 3:3) “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

(Matthew 18:19) “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

III. She was persistent

(Luke 18:1-8) “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

- She didn’t give up until she got an answer

IV. She was humble

(James 4:6-10) “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

- She compared herself to a dog

Conclusion:

We can learn from this woman and be able to have “Great Faith” also. Faith is something that always needs to grow. Luke 17:5 says “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.”

Faith Promise Missions Giving

Posted by admin on May 8th, 2010

This is a lesson I taught when introducing Faith Promise to a church several years ago. It is only in outline form, but it should be helpful.
I. The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)

- The Great Commission is two-fold: at home and abroad

1. At home

- Door-to-door soulwinning

Visiting the sick, elderly, hospitals, nursing homes, prospects, etc.
Bus/van routes
(James 1:27; Jer. 8:20; 1 Cor. 15:34)

2. Abroad

Missionaries

II. What is the Tithe? (Mal. 3:10)

10% of your income
“It is God’s way for God’s people to do God’s business.”

1. Commenced by Abraham (Gen. 14:20)

2. Continued by Jacob (Gen. 28:22)

3. Commanded through Moses (Lev. 27:30)

4. Confirmed by Jesus (Matt. 23:23)

III. What is the Faith Promise?

It is over and above the tithe (Mal. 3:8)
A promise made to give a certain amount each week

1. It is by faith

It is a step of faith
We must leave our “comfort zone”
We must be careful of overconfidence (Matt. 26:31-35; 2 Cor. 9:1-5) – be realistic

2. It is a promise

It is not a “pledge” to the church
It is a promise or vow to God (Ecc. 5:4-5; Deut. 23:21-23)
The key is faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:1-2; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:2)

3. It is an organized method for supporting missionaries

Everything must be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40)
We can have a good idea of a budget for missions
Provides stability on the missionaries part – a consistent “paycheck”
Provides an equality for both the church and the missionary (2 Cor. 8:10-15; Phil. 4:14-17)

4. The blessings from giving to missions

Fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
God multiplies blessings to churches that have a heart for and support missions
(Luke 6:38; Prov. 11:25; 22:9)

IV. The Power of Faith Promise (2 Cor. 8:14; Acts 1:8)

(Lev. 27:30; Ezra 2:68-70; Phil. 2:5-8)

1. The Promise (Luke 6:38)

2. The Prosperity (Matt. 6:19-21)

3. The Place (Mal. 3:10; 1 Cor. 16:1-2)

4. The People (2 Cor. 9:7)

5. The Proportion (2 Cor. 9:6)

6. The Precaution (1 Tim. 6:17-19)

7. The Principle (Heb. 11:6)

Nothing Undone – Lesson 14

Posted by admin on March 31st, 2010

13. Purity

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things. {honest: or, venerable}

1Ti 1:5 ¶ Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned:

1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

1Ti 5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.

2Ti 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from [my] forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

2Ti 2:22 ¶ Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1Jo 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

The Greek word for “pure” is also translated “chaste” and “clean,” and Strong’s definition says, “properly, clean, i.e. (figuratively) innocent, modest, perfect.” We are too be clean – according to God’s standard, not ours. This purity can be seen in Psalm 12:6, where it tells us that God’s Word is “purified seven times.” Man’s standard would stop the process after just a couple times, but God’s keeps going. As long as we are living in this flesh and in this world, we will constantly have to be in the process of purification.

The Greek word also includes “modest” in its definition. If we are to be pure in our lives, we must dress modestly and with identity (men wear men’s clothes and women wear women’s clothes). We must make sure that we have our bodies covered and that our clothes are flattering. Much of modern fashion accents certain features on a person’s body, especially the body of a woman. People should be able to tell that a woman is a woman and that a man is a man, but it should not draw attention.

This word also gives the connotation of being “innocent.” The Bible tells us in Romans 16:19 that we are to be “simple concerning evil.” The world condemns a Christian when they shelter their children from the things of the world. Our children need to learn to properly resist sin and temptation, but we cannot bury our heads in the sand; we should not openly expose our children to sin and temptation.

Purity is absolutely necessary if we are going to accomplish what God wants us to do since our purity (or lack thereof) will affect our fellowship with God. Remember that God said about Joshua that “he left nothing undone.” Joshua worked in his life to keep himself pure, and, as much as he could, to keep his family pure (Joshua 24:15).

Nothing Undone – Lesson 13

Posted by admin on March 24th, 2010

12. Prudence

1Sa 16:18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, [that is] cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD [is] with him.

Pr 12:16 ¶ A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent [man] covereth shame.

Pr 12:23 ¶ A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

Pr 13:16 ¶ Every prudent [man] dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open [his] folly.

Pr 14:8 ¶ The wisdom of the prudent [is] to understand his way: but the folly of fools [is] deceit.

Pr 14:15 ¶ The simple believeth every word: but the prudent [man] looketh well to his going.

Pr 14:18 ¶ The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Pr 15:5 ¶ A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

Pr 16:21 ¶ The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

Pr 18:15 ¶ The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Pr 19:14 ¶ House and riches [are] the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife [is] from the LORD.

Pr 22:3 ¶ A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Pr 27:12 ¶ A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.

Pr 8:12 ¶ I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

Prudence is the act of “handling practical matters judiciously.” When we are prudent, we handle our situations by properly weighing the information and options in light of God’s Word. The world set their own standards and judges thing accordingly. The Bible says that “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). God, however, disapproves of this kind of action in Deut. 12:8: “Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.”

We must study God’s Word so that we can rightly divide it (2 Tim. 2:15), and we need to rightly divide it if we are going to be prudent. I believe that this is why God began Joshua’s career as the leader of Israel by telling him that “this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night…” (Joshua 1:8)

Joshua was prudent in his affairs, other than the incident with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9). Joshua looked at the situations he was faced with and took them to the Lord so he could make the best possible choice. He was also constantly meditating on God’s Word, which gave him guidance each day. We can and should learn from this example in prudence.