Question: Who is the King of glory? Answer: Yahweh, strong and mighty! Yahweh - mighty in battle (Psalm 24:8).

This is one of the major themes in the book of Joshua - the Lord, strong and mighty in battle! We have already noted that in every situation, including all the battles, Joshua gives credit to the Lord -- the Lord God as warrior who fights our battles and gives victory according to His purposes. In previous articles, we examined Joshua's overall 'divide and conquer strategy' for occupying the Promised Land. We discussed the battle with the Five Kings and the defeat of southern Canaan. Next we will see (starting in chapter 11) Joshua moving against the Northern alliance of Canaanite kings.

Before we follow Joshua as he turns north, I want to discuss a question that has been asked throughout the ages - Does the doctrine of God's sovereignty necessarily kill human efforts including our efforts to spread the gospel? You may ask, “What has this question to do with the book of Joshua?”

Let us think about it for a moment. Joshua keeps telling the people that the Lord is strong and mighty; the Lord fights for them; the Lord has promised to give them the land; the Lord will give the victory. So the question was the same for them - Why should we put on armor, and why should we train for battle when the Lord is the one who sovereignly ordains that we live in the Promised Land? Will our lack of effort thwart God's eternal plan?

There is no record of Joshua or the people asking this question, nor do we see this attitude displayed anywhere in this book. Even when God so clearly tells the people what He plans on doing, (see Joshua 10:8) the people obediently and enthusiastically participate in the work by going forth to battle. And that is what I want you to see, that these divine reassurances do not stifle the efforts of God's people but actually stimulate the godly to work obediently and enthusiastically. The truth of God's sovereignty, when understood correctly, does not weaken human response. Historically we see that a good solid understanding of God's sovereignty energizes the efforts of believers. We also know this experientially when it dawns on us that God's sovereignty also means that even with our best efforts, we are assured that God will give success to His purposes.

We do love our plans, don't we? But that does not mean that God will see to it that all our plans will work out. When the pre-incarnate Christ appeared to Joshua the question was, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?” Christ, otherwise known here as the Captain of the Lord's host, replied, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD” (Joshua 5:13-14). I take the ‘no’ here as another way of saying God's eternal decree is independent of the will of man. Could it be any different knowing the limitations of the human mind? It would take a big ego to actually think that we might make better decisions than the God who is omniscient, just, and benevolent to His children. No, clearly the Captain of the Lord's host, Christ, is doing the will of the Father and not obligated to the will of man. Even as much as we hope and pray for it, we may not place any obligation upon God to give us success in whatever we plan, but we are assured that God is all wise, merciful, and has all good intentions toward His people.

All of us have a calling from God. You may be called to work serving others, or you may be called to make a product. You may be called to study the Word and to preach. Whatever your calling, you are called to do your duty to 'the glory of God' and as such, to work to the best of your ability. "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men ..." (Col3:23). There are no insignificant callings, and the trash man is of no less value than the preacher.

What if something beyond your control happens to change your intended plan? Assuming you have done all that is humanly possible to assure success, you have an assurance that God is sovereign even when things don't work out as you have planned. What a blessing this assurance can be! When you prepare for work, you will do all that you can to assure success, and when the day is done, though all things seem to fall apart, and at the end of the day all you hold is a basket full of frustration, you can affirm with all confidence that the Lord is sovereign over all things. When you pick yourself up the following day, are you tempted to throw up your hands and give up?  Perhaps, but those believers, trusting in the One who redeems their work for His purposes--- even in the worst of days---will give their very best efforts in whatever task that is assigned to them.

If you are a preacher, you will prepare and preach your heart out. Yet even then, Sunday afternoon you may feel that your preparation and preaching might have been in vain. Nevertheless, you leave the results in the Lord's hands and start fresh Monday morning in wholehearted preparation in anticipation that the Lord may meet with you and, through your study, bless His people.

If you are a Christian parent and have faithfully brought your children to worship, patiently explained the gospel, exampled the life of a believer in your marriage and your interaction with your children, yet your child rejects the gospel, you may rest assured the Lord has not lost His sovereignty. You continue to pray, live the life, explain the gospel, and above all to love your child in all hope that the Lord may perhaps someday save your child for His glory.

If you are a health care professional, it is likely that someday you will unintentionally err in your treatment of a patient. But you study hard to keep up with the best information so that whatever diagnosis or treatment option you may have missed the previous day you will not miss again. You will pray for the patient that, though suffering, they will find comfort in the gospel and proper treatment.

If you are a truck driver, you may find yourself missing a delivery date due to something beyond your control, or you may be involved in some sort of mishap. You mark that down as a lesson learned, putting it behind, working and studying to improve your future performance. Even with a loss of wages you may be confident that, having given it your best effort, the Lord works all things for His glory and your ultimate good.

If you are an airline pilot, you will often find yourself subject to the lack of performance by many other people with resulting challenges added to your own responsibilities. Not everyone is a believer; therefore, many will lack a divinely given moral code and added motivation to do all things 'as to the Lord.' In a more extreme situation a terrorist may blow up your aircraft. Even in death, you will know that you did the best you could in a situation that was certainly ordained by the Lord who loves His children.

Indeed, in the worst of cases, you know that the Lord has ordained not only the outcomes of your life but also the day of your death - and that should give you great comfort. Whether you live with great successes or great disappointments, the fact of God's great love and His sovereignty ought to give you great hope but never cause you to neglect your best efforts.

No doubt, though we acknowledge full faith in the sovereignty of God, we will continue to have our fears and anxiety about various outcomes. In this life we will all experience this tension, but a solid understanding of God's sovereignty ought to help us in our doubts and fears. Who is able? The Lord, strong and mighty, He is able!

The Messiah

At the present time, we are under the illusion that our country is invincible and will always have the ability to successfully fight off those who might want to subjugate our nation and our way of life. However, history has shown that all nations will eventually come to an end. So, as hard as that is for us to contemplate, let us imagine what it might be like after the United States has been overwhelmed by another world power.

What would it be like to be ruled by an alien culture who would naturally favor those who were ethnically similar to themselves and at the same time treat the rest of us as a lower class of peoples? Although our present legal system seems to favor the rights of the guilty, imagine having an enemy conqueror impose its legal system onto us with no consideration at all for the Ten Commandments. Undoubtedly, the conquerors would also be prejudiced for their own citizens and against those whom they saw as the conquered. It is not hard to imagine that we would be placed on a different legal standing with less rights than those who had aligned themselves with the foreign invaders. We might be taxed at a higher rate; perhaps we would not be allowed to have a voice in politics. Perhaps our religion would be outlawed at worst, or tolerated at best, depending on the mood of the ruling powers. Imagine having our children brought up in a culture where biblical values are laughed at, while at the same time, ideas and customs that are disgusting and vile are elevated to high culture. Imagine being forced to watch our children being taught that wrong is right and that the things of Scripture, things that are right and proper, are offensive and harmful.

Now being in this situation, knowing that the Scriptures teach the promises of a 'Land', and reading the Book of Joshua, what might you conclude about the promised Redeemer? You would probably be thinking and hoping that the Lord would send another Joshua-like figure to set things right. You would be expecting a Redeemer who would save your nation from all the above abuses and offenses against God's holy law. You would be looking for the Warrior-King who comes in wrath and judgment to defeat the enemies of the faith and who would deliver His people to the Promised Land.

Consider this: Our wishful desires may lead us to misunderstand what the scripture is teaching. I know that in Sunday School you might have been taught that those who at first rejected Christ Jesus, those who misunderstood Jesus' ministry, were terrible people. They were not so much unlike ourselves! Their thinking may have been influenced by a sincere desire to see their nation restored. Our little imaginary scenario, where the United States is defeated and dominated by an alien nation, is the same situation that the Jews of Jesus' time were experiencing. It is only natural that we read the Bible with our own individual situations in mind. However, if we are not cautious we also may project our desires onto the meaning of scripture. The classic example, of course, are these Jews who were experiencing national disgrace and daily exposure to the excesses of a debased Roman culture. Perhaps they were sincere in their desire to see godliness and holy worship, but they missed the nature and purpose of Christ's incarnation. We know that the Old Testament scripture gave hints about the nature of Jesus’ advent, and we know there were some Jews who properly understood this 'suffering servant' aspect of the Messiah. New Covenant believers joyously expect Christ to come as a Warrior-King, but we also understand that to be a future event.

We agree that in God's providence the rejection of the Jews was part of the plan of redemption. God used their sin for His glory and the good of all His people. All those who reject Christ are responsible for their rejection, whether they be the Jews of Jesus' time or our contemporaries who also reject the biblical Jesus. For some of those ancient Jews, their rejection was based on a powerful desire to squeeze the book of Joshua to fit their own desires.

There is the caution here for believers; though we do not reject the biblical Jesus Christ, in our weaker moments, we may still wrongfully twist scripture to fit our desires. The remedy for us is twofold.

First, we should carefully use proper rules for biblical interpretation - we want to find the true meaning of scripture. By putting some distance between our desires and the study of scripture we may avoid our tendency to manipulate scripture to fit our desires. I would guess that the worst thing I have ever done in this regard is to decide what I want to do and then look for the scripture that allows me to do that very thing. Our desires are only proper when they are in agreement with scripture, and conversely, scripture is never validated by how we 'feel' about it!

Secondly, we prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit's guidance in revealing the true meaning of scripture. A proper understanding of our struggle with remaining sin helps us to understand that our heart's desire may miss the mark of scripture. We also pray for godly men to teach and preach as we pray that our hearts' desires will be conformed to the scriptures.

May the Lord grant us a hunger for the Word and the ability to patiently search the scriptures. May the Lord graciously give us godly men called to study and preach the Word.

Robin

Five Kings in a Cave

"Now these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. It was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them, but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.” It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel." Joshua 10:16-21

The five kings hid themselves in a cave - we examined this narrative from the viewpoint of the Five Kings in the last newsletter. But this month I would like to consider this event from Joshua’s viewpoint. Why did Joshua choose not to judge and execute the Five Kings immediately? The military answer is that these Kings were already no threat as they were trapped and neutralized in this cave. The real battle involved those fighters fleeing to defensive positions and who would soon recover their courage and muster for a counter attack. Pursuit and defeat while the enemy was in full panic was of first importance. The army of the sons of Israel had much work to accomplish and five kings in a cave could wait.

Before we return to the Five Kings let us consider an apparent problem with the text. In a number of places, the narrative appears to imply a 'final' victory but in light of further information found in the book of Judges we clearly see that the work of occupying the Land was ongoing. The generation who experienced these events first hand understood that, even with the initial victories, ongoing efforts to suppress the enemy would follow. The narrative in Joshua raises a few questions as most English words used in the various translations seem to imply that the Canaanite people were totally destroyed and occupation of the land was completed. A couple of explanations help us understand this apparent discrepancy. First, from a linguistic standpoint, we find that the specific word used by the writer seems to state that the battles were finally 'won.' However, according to Dale Ralph Davis in his commentary on the book of Joshua, “the Hebrew verb translated 'took' or 'capture' as in "Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day ..." (Joshua 10:28) means 'once' or 'one time' and is not "declaring that Joshua took the land all at one time, but that he took it once, which suggests the possibility that later battles were required to retake certain locals. In such a case, further tribal efforts are not surprising." Dale Ralph Davis, No Falling Words footnotes, page 89.

So I think this issue of a apparent discrepancy in the text is resolved but this brings us to a second question. If all Canaan was to be judged and destroyed, why were there further battles to be fought?

From the start, we understood the book of Joshua to be a record of both the judgment of the wicked Canaanites and the occupation of the Promised Land by the children of Abraham. So, even if it is not explicitly stated here, we know that this historical event is about more than merely beating the armies of Canaan. Remember that part of the promise was that the Lord would give the sons of Israel, “... great and splendid cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied ... " (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). It is reasonable to assume that though the judgment of the wicked Canaanites was violent and total, there still remained some Canaanite survivors to care for and tend to whatever physical assets not yet occupied by Israel.

Untended grape vines and olive trees and fields of grain would need workers to continue the 'cultivation' until the descendants of Abraham actually took physical possession of those various properties. Though the Scripture on this point is silent, is it possible that these remaining Canaanites were grafted into Israel? We know that later the descendants of the remaining Canaanites were enemies of the people of God. But considering the Sons of Israel, these children of promise, also failed to teach their children, it is not so big a stretch to believe that the ingrafted Canaanite families would also eventually fail in the task of teaching their children? That would explain the later record contained in the book of Judges telling us that many of the native Canaanite children eventually became mortal enemies of the Nation of Israel. It is mere speculation on my part, but I do think that the first generation of Israelites clearly understood the ongoing nature of the work of occupation. They understood that after the initial battles there would be smaller battles as they came to live in these previously unoccupied sections of Canaan. Sadly, many of the Israelite fathers apparently failed to teach their children these vital lessons about the ongoing work of perseverance in the faith - but that is a story for another article!

So in a larger, spiritual sense, this section of Scripture gives us a picture of both the patience of God in judgment as well as a picture of the believers ongoing struggle with sin. Today we know that, although Satan is defeated, ultimate judgment for him is delayed. Whatever view of end-times you may have, you will agree that ultimately Satan will be "thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10) at the final judgment. So this is another one of the 'Now-but-not-Yet" aspects of the promises of God. What I am saying is that the Five Kings represent the rebellious evil one - a Satan figure. Their power is broken but the war continues.

Yes, sin no longer reigns in the life of the believer (Romans 6:17-18) because of the life and work of Christ! Satan’s power over us has been broken. Nevertheless a battle continues daily as each believer struggles to slay sin in his or her life - the war continues. This is a picture of sanctification. Joshua and the sons of Israel were not, of course, fighting the enemy on their own power but they were nevertheless fighting - they were not sitting in their tents lamenting about how hard their life was and how difficult it was to resist the enemy. Neither do believers fight sin in their own strength - Christ not only saved us but He also fights for us! These sons of Abraham were under no illusion that life in the Promised Land would be easy with no struggle, we also should not be surprised or discouraged when the fight continues. They were assured, though, that the Lord was with them as long as they remained faithful to the covenant (see Joshua's farewell address to the people in Joshua 23). We have a similar assurance and a similar promise - that some day we also will inherit a spiritual 'Promised Land', a land where there is no sin, no struggle with sin, no tears of sorrow, and full communion with the Holy Trinity. Though we may see occasional glimpses of the promise, we do not see the fullness of the Promise today, and perhaps we will not see it for many years to come - but by faith we believe that we will, some day, see the fulfillment of the Promise. Telling our children or a new believer that there will be instantaneous deliverance from sin and temptation is only setting them up for unnecessary discouragement. Christ is sufficient, but our struggle with sin remains till our life on earth is ended or until He returns as the great, and ultimate, Warrior-King.

From the first telling of this event, the hearers understood its historical importance but I think they also understood these spiritual applications. Joshua's farewell address later in the book reminded them that there was a need to remain vigilant not only for mere physical enemies, but also spiritual: “When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.” (Joshua 23:16).

Later readers of the book of Joshua, those who were experiencing the Jewish dispersion in Babylon, would see in this narrative a promise: although now they were no longer in the Promised Land, and justice seems delayed, foreigners defiling the Temple, and the wicked prospering, there would come a day when the Righteous Judge would set things right and ultimate peace would reign throughout the Lord's Kingdom.

And for persecuted Christians reading the book of Joshua many centuries later, they would read this narrative and be reminded that the day of deliverance was merely delayed but not forgotten. That wonderful day would come in which Christ Jesus returns – as promised – as the final and perfect Warrior-King. Meanwhile, the battle, for them – and for us – would be ongoing. Joshua 10:22-28, though true history, is a picture of both believers fighting sin and of the return of Christ. Though by the life and work of Christ, salvation is purchased for His people and Satan is restrained, ‘smaller’ battles continue to be fought in the lives of individual believers; still there will be a final battle where all wickedness and evil is defeated. Satan and all evildoers will be put on display and the chosen ones will forever memorialize the great victory of the King of Glory (see Revelation 19).

"Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.” They did so, and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks. Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.” So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening. It came about at sunset that Joshua gave a command, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day." Joshua 10:22-27

Christ will return as the greater Joshua to judge the unrighteous: the wicked will not always prosper. Christ will return as the greater Joshua to deliver His people to a full and complete Promise Land. Meanwhile, we have both a present reality and this future hope. The present reality is that Christ has redeemed us to fellowship with Him and delivered us from our former slavery to sin, nevertheless, we continue to struggle with remaining sin. Be thankful that we have this future promise - that at the resurrection we will be taken to that Promise Land where we will no longer battle sin. Robin

The Five Kings

"So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it." Joshua 10:5

The pilots were starting to descend into Manchester airport when they heard a loud bang and the aircraft shuddered and yawed slightly to the right. The passengers also noticed the commotion and subsequently the flight attendants called on the intercom and said the right engine was 'smoking.' The pilots took a quick glance at the engine instruments and decided that the right engine was having problems. There is a checklist for engine fires and they quickly accomplished each item, shutting down the right engine. In their minds this was not a serious problem since they had two engines and the airplane was quite capable of flight on the one remaining engine. They continued to descend in preparation for landing. Several miles from the runway they became aware that they were slightly low and attempted to increase power on the 'good' left engine. As they advanced the power that engine started to shake and would not produce power. Too late they realized that in their haste they had been operating under a false mindset, assuming the right engine was bad when in reality, the left engine was the real problem. So now, with little time remaining, they desperately attempted to start the right engine. Too late, as they touched down about a half mile from the runway. The aircraft was destroyed and twenty passengers, plus the two pilots, perished. Though this accident occurred back in the early 70's the issue of false 'mindset' is a recurring theme in pilot training. Pilots learn that they must frequently re-evaluate what they know (check the facts with new information), the use of all available resources to verify a plan of action, participate in open communications between involved partners, and active development of alternate plans.

Our perceptions of reality are often shaded by preconceived notions formed with insufficient or even false information. Though you may not be entrusted with operating an aircraft and passengers, as a believer, the stakes are just as important. As pilot ought to review known facts, a believer will need to frequently review the scriptures in order to know how we might act in a particular situation. As a pilot will use all available resources, so also a believer ought to avail himself of the wisdom that comes first from consistent exposure to the preaching of the Word, then the wisdom that comes from other believers and also from a few good, solid books. Just as a flight crew will communicate freely, believers, especially husbands and wives, should freely discuss issues facing them during the week. Just as flight crews must consider possible 'what-if' scenarios, so also families ought to consider alternate plans for the future.

As we look at Joshua chapter 10 we want to look at these five kings and their mindset. First, we know that unbelievers are always going to have a false mindset since the scriptures state that they are under bondage from sin. Believers also struggle with sin and therefore will struggle with false mindsets but, unlike the unbeliever, we have the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. So from what I know about my own struggles with depravity and what I have learned about warfare I have made a few inferences from this section of Scripture. My first assumption is that these kings were no different than myself except they had absolute power over their realms. It probably won't make you feel good to consider this but the difference between the most evil person you can think of and yourself is merely a matter of God's grace. The difference between yourself, before conversion, and these kings is that the Lord, by his common grace, prevented you from gaining enough power or wealth to do that greater evil - God allowed these kings to have the power to do that which was according to their own desires. In essence though, even when God's common grace kept you from performing that greater evil, your sin is no less an offense to God than the acts of a mass murderer (though I am sure that we are all grateful that you are not a mass murderer!). So we ought to be careful not to be self-righteous when we think about these kings. They are just as guilty of sins as any other unbeliever, either in the past, present, or future. In the providence of God these kings were allowed to become powerful monarchs yet at the same time retained responsibility for all their grievous sins.

Application: You are to be eternally grateful that the Lord has, by common grace, restrained sin in this world. The fact that the Lord has restrained sin in your life is an even greater cause for gratefulness, and thanksgiving! It is tempting to look at unbelievers with disdain - better to look with pity and prayers for their deliverance - you are not so much unlike them except for the grace of God.

So we see that the kings mindset was formed by a desire to defend themselves and their property. They were aware that a key trade route ran through their territory. Presently they controlled access through a major trade route and they were made rich through tolls, taxes, and tribute demands to those who wished to trade with Egypt and beyond. Throughout their history they had been frequently attacked and sometimes conquered by other invading foreigners who saw this same potential source of revenue and power. If they were conquered they knew it meant the loss of their families, all earthly comforts, and probably death.

Faced with reports from those who had witnessed the destruction of Jericho and Ai they would certainly send out spies to evaluate the enemy. Because of their mindset they would interpret the spies reports without considering the power and promises of God. No doubt, their spies reported the relative poverty of the invaders and the large number of women and children living with their army. Invading armies must always have supply lines from a base of operations with food and provisions moving toward the battle line along with craftsmen to repair and replace broken weapons and spent ammunition - spears, arrows, stones for slings, etc. In the eyes of worldly men, the Sons of Israel were operating with several major disadvantages since they had no homeland and could not expect reinforcements from home to help. They were also a foraging army, they did not have supply lines back to their homeland but collected food along the way. Large numbers of fighting men will eat a lot of food so the Canaanites knew that if they could stall the attack for even a week the invaders would run out of food and have to retreat to 'greener' pastures. In contrast to the apparent poverty of the Israelite invaders, circumstances looked favorable for the kings as they would be fighting near their cities with ample sources of food and replacement arms. They also had their fortified cities of relative safety to fall back on and fight another day if a particular battle went poorly.

Obviously, the five kings were thinking they were self-sufficient and powerful. They trusted in the strength of their armies and the apparent weakness of their enemies. This was the ultimate false mindset. Due to their depraved mindset, they fell into the trap of pride and self-sufficiency that many fall into today - unconverted 'kings' scoff at the strange God who seemed to favor the people of God. Certainly, the Canaanite gods had no involvement with the world of men and generally had no interest in saving anyone except those with the mightiest armies. Too late, many will see that the gods of this world have no power to save.

If they had considered the witness of Abraham in the days of old, more recently the parting of the Jordan River and the defeat of Jericho, they might have thought more highly of the God of the Israelites. And if they had taken a higher view of God, they might have re-evaluated the situation and reconsidered their plans of resistance - the only rational plan for life would have been total submission to the rightful kingship of Jehovah, the God of Abraham.

Application: Submission to God is the only rational choice for your family, for your comfort, and for your life.

"It may be that you are struggling hard for the rewards of this world. Perhaps you are straining every nerve to obtain more money, or place, or power, or pleasure. If that be your case, take care. You are sowing a crop of bitter disappointment. Unless you mind what you are about, your latter days will be to lie down in sorrow.

Thousands have trodden the path you are pursuing, and have awoke too late to find in end in misery and eternal ruin. They have fought hard for wealth, and honor, and office, and promotion, and turned their backs on God, and Christ, and heaven, and the world to come. And what has their end been? Often, far too often, they have found out that their whole life has been a grand mistake. They have tasted by bitter experience the feelings of the dying statesman who cried aloud in his last hours, "The battle is fought: the battle is fought: but the victory is not won." (Ryle, J.C., Holiness. Charles Nolan Publishers, Moscow, ID Pg 77-78)

In conclusion I ask you to please consider your mindset. Are you informing your life through the scriptures or are you looking at the world for a true understanding of reality? Are you using all the resources that the Lord has graciously given you to 'work out you salvation with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12)? For example, are you consistently coming to church to hear your pastor preach the Word? Are you participating in the Lord's Table week by week? Are you spending time in prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, and confession? Are you working toward having open communication with other believers through frequent fellowship? Are you developing those few believing friends who will encourage and challenge you in your walk with Christ? The Lord has provided ways to correct our false perceptions of reality - the question remains whether you prefer a worldly life of comfortable illusion or a life with a vastly more satisfying relationship with the One who called Himself, the Way, the Truth, and the Light (John 14:6).

Robin