Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: ACT (05/05/22)
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TITLE: NOWHERE TO GO, NOWHERE TO TURN | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dale Buchanan
05/11/22 -
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The Crisis was real, and they felt desperate. The crushing sensation of impending disaster was upon the immense crowd marching on foot. Mothers and fathers, children, and grandparents were all in the multitude. They all struggled to carry as much of their belongings as possible. The enemy was rapidly approaching from the rear, and mountains surrounded them left and right. There looked to be no escape. Ahead of them in the darkness was a large body of water.
As they saw the enemy approaching and realized their awful plight, they cried out to the Lord in their terror, and some of them complained to their leader. Moses answered them, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew to you today.” (Exodus 14:13) And the Lord told Moses, “speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” (Exodus 14:15) AND they did. That day at the Red Sea, God worked an incredible miracle.
Forty Years Later - Conquering
Two walls surrounded the mound, or “tell” of the city. The lower outside wall was a retaining wall for an incline leading up to a higher inside wall. The retaining wall was about 12 – 15 feet tall and was the base for a mudbrick wall six feet thick and rising another 20 or more feet higher. The inside wall at the top of the incline was another mudbrick wall whose base was about 46 feet above the ground level of the retaining wall and towered another 20 feet upward.
The area inside the walls was about six acres and provided living space for about 1,200 people. Additional people would have built homes between the inner and outer walls on the incline. Because of the threat of the Israelites, other people from the surrounding area would have crowded into the city. The city, seemingly impregnable, was the city of Jericho which God told Joshua to destroy.
With what appeared to be ridiculous instructions, the Israelites were to march around the city once each day for six days. They were to march around it seven times on the seventh day, blow the trumpets, and shout.
The people, under Joshua’s leadership, obeyed. The walls of the city fell flat. They climbed over the incline and fallen walls, entered the city, slew the enemy, burned the town, and took no spoil.
14 centuries later – Evangelizing
The man, dedicated to destroying Christianity, was converted while traveling to Damascus. God commissioned him to bear Christ’s name to Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. (Acts 9:15). It was a humanly impossible task, but Paul accepted the challenge and took action.
In I Corinthians 2:3-5, Paul said, “I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
He succeeded on three missionary journeys during his entire ministry to win many souls, plant many churches, and spread the gospel through Asia and Europe. AND – he wrote 13, possibly 14, of the New Testament books.
Three Stories – Three Impossibilities
In each story, the leader and the followers listened to the instructions, believed them, and acted upon them. God empowered them to do impossible, unbelievable exploits. They understood that God was omnipotent and could do through them what He promised. They not only believed. They acted on their belief. God honored them for their faith in action and empowered them to accomplish incredible results. God wants to do mighty works through us when we act by faith.
NOWHERE TO GO, NOWHERE TO TURN. But when you know Jesus, you can act by faith. You can proclaim the message of deliverance from sin and hell. You can conquer and break evil’s deadly grip and live in victory. You can evangelize and help turn the world upside down for Jesus.
(Scripture quotations are from the KJV Bible.)
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