Leaving Behind Footprints

I was reading an article this week that was discussing Charlie Sheen. He is getting a lot of media coverage. Reports say that he is more “popular,” based on attention he is receiving, right now than President Obama and Lady Gaga.

Within the article, it mentioned something to the effect that it was sad how Sheen was going about presenting himself to the public. Some of it is on national television with interviews, but he is also recording his own rants and putting them on the internet for people to see — a free way to express yourself.

A portion of the sadness, as expressed in the article, would be that his sons would most likely be seeing these interviews and rants due to the electronic and technological age that we live in.

When I thought about it, I did think it was definitely sad for children to see their father (or mother) do things that are not only embarrassing, but saved in the archives of the electronic age to be continually embarrassing.

My parents may have done something crazy at one time in their life, but they were teens in the late 50s and young adults in early 60s. That was before there was anything electronic like there is now. If they did do something crazy (which I cannot imagine they did) I would likely be embarrassed or lose respect for them.

As we go about life, we must remember that we are leaving behind footprints. With the electronic age we currently live in, the footprints we leave behind have the potential of being permanent. Think about the crazy pictures and videos people post to their social media accounts. Think about that twenty-five years from now when the teens have teens or the parents are grandparents. It will be interesting to see what footprints are left behind. May we not only keep in mind those kind s of footprints, but also the spiritual footprints we leave behind. May our footprints be worth following.

An Outing Without Doubting - Joshua 6:15-17, 20

"Team, this year the conference championship is ours" says the coach. "All you have to do is practice, show up, and take the field," he continues, "Not only that, but we're going to win Districts, Bi-Districts, Regionals, Sectionals, Sub-state, and State!" By this time the kids are very pumped up. They can't believe it. Compared to last year's sub-par year, this will be awesome!

Can you imagine the hope they have each day and each game? Imagine what might be going through their minds. What would go through yours?

Put into a business perspective and create an endless amount of goals to reach, then imagine what it would be like to pursue that.

Now, imagine how hard you would work, in any instance, if you knew the victory was at hand? Some would still work, though many wouldn't. Think about as the season led on and you kept on winning and winning. You probably wouldn't work that hard as the season went on because your confidence level would be pretty high.

That is similar to what is happening in Joshua. God is guaranteeing the victory, they just have to do a few things to obtain it. This is probably one of the easiest victories in battle history. March around once-a-day for the first six days, then seven times on the seventh day. Blow your horns, shout, and take the plunder, while saving a promised family. Easy huh?

We CAN have it that easy, if we choose to look at it that way. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week from this section in Joshua...

1. March Around ~ We go a lot of places in this world. Some of them we go to regularly. The Israelites only went to Jericho once. Regardless, God may be sending you there to march around in order to give you a victory. Be conscious of the fact that where you go, it may be for the purpose of giving a victory...especially if you are going there on a regular basis.
2. Shout ~We can shout when we're at a sporting event, we can shout when we're mad, we can shout when we're trying to get someone's attention, why not shout to gain the victory? Imagine getting in your car, after "marching" for "six days" and saying "Ok, God...{then shouting...AAAAHHHHHH!} Shout for the victory! Shout like you're trying to break down the walls...of sin, of procrastination, of hesitation, of fear, etc., so you can go in and gain the victory that God has allowed to happen. If you don't experience the "walls coming down" keep marching and shouting!
3. Enemy Routed ~ I am in total awe when I sit back and think, "This is a God-thing". Something I didn't expect, but get a smack-in-the-face wake up call to the fact that what happened was God working with me and/or through me to put me in this situation. How I was in the right place to see a victory come to pass as God uses me, instead of the Enemy, to make a difference in someone's life.
   

One of the main applications that I can see from this section of scripture, is that when something that you feel God is asking you to do, which may seem utterly ridiculous to you, go ahead and do it. Whether you are going to be a dot in a connect-the-dots journey to Christ or you are going to be able to shout so as to knock down walls, do the crazy thing. You will probably be blown away by it as you are seeking Him in the process.

Deuteronomy 20:4 says, "For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." Rest assured that when you are going in to battle, with Him in mind, He can give victory!

I challenged my congregation to start marching for six weeks (figuratively or literally) and then shout, beginning the week of December 20, 2009...see what walls may collapse! Let me know how it goes.