One of the most venerable science fiction series in the Western world is Star Trek. Most people, even if they’re nowhere near a ‘Trekkie’, are at least passingly familiar with Captain Kirk, Spock, “Live long and prosper” and the famous Vulcan salute.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).
We know Jesus was utterly dependent on the Father, and he is our example of yielding and trusting. Indeed, he makes clear that such a life is possible for us. If we actually lived this, God should be the captain of our souls by now. But is he? Too often, as soon as our next crisis arises, we question God’s faithfulness and give in to doubt and fear, relying on our wits to find an escape.
Tim Dilena addresses the danger of acting too quickly and moving without the direction of God, sharing three light posts to follow in our pursuit on what to do in difficult times.
When the devil entices believers to sin, it is important to realize that he loves to paint a beautiful, idyllic picture, but not the whole picture — not the anguish, loss, sorrow and heartache. He does this in order to take you right out of the battle. He most certainly did this on the rooftop when King David observed another man’s wife. In that critical moment, David looked at the picture before him and made a wrong choice, subsequently falling into adultery.
After Joshua took over leadership of the children of Israel from Moses, he led them into major victories — notably, Jericho and Ai. As God performed many astounding miracles for the Israelites, Joshua’s leadership was flawless with the exception of one very bad judgment. The crafty Gibeonites connived and manipulated him into making a decision without consulting God about it (see Joshua 9:3-13). “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them” (Joshua 9:14-15).