Joe Barnett

I have delivered Jericho into your hands.                                      —Joshua 6:2 God didn’t say, “I will deliver,” but “I have delivered.” They had to wonder about that. Jericho was a walled city—and they were on the outside of the […]

Be strong and courageous.            —Joshua 1:9 Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow. You have good days and bad days. Victories and defeats. Times when you feel good and times when you don’t. What sets courageous people apart is that they refuse to give up. They stumble. Fall. Get

I will never leave you nor forsake you.                          —Joshua 1:5 “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). With those three sentences God sealed Joshua’s commission to lead

You did not trust him or obey him.                 —Deuteronomy 9:23 Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel. Do you recognize those names? Probably not. How about these two? Joshua and Caleb. Yep, you know them. Add the first ten to the last two and you

You will forget the Lord your God.              —Deuteronomy 8:14 God pummeled Pharaoh with plagues until he released the Israelite slaves. That was just the beginning of his blessings to Israel. He orchestrated their Red Sea escape, protected them from fierce enemies, provided water and food, and clothes that didn’t

Be careful that you do not forget the Lord.                          —Deuteronomy 8:11 Alzheimer’s! Scary word. We all know someone who has it. We have seen its devastation. A memory lapse triggers a haunting feeling that we may be headed for the twilight zone of

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.         —Numbers 6:26 Is someone making your life miserable? An always-on-your-case parent? A you-can’t-do-anything-right spouse? An out-of-control child? A know-it-all associate? A cantankerous church member? Do thoughts that splinter your peace go something like this: If only my spouse was more

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge.                         —Leviticus 19:18 Revenge and grudge-bearing is a dead-end street—and the name of the street is Misery Lane. Revenge is like biting a dog because the dog bit you. Harboring a grudge hurts no one but

You shall not covet. —Exodus 20:17 Francis de Sales allegedly heard more confessions than any Catholic priest. He said that he never once heard anyone confess covetousness. We don’t confess it because we don’t think we’re guilty of it; covetousness is seldom recognized by its victim. Yet, it ranks high among human flaws. A lopsided