I want to take a break from our ongoing study of the last days to share with you some of the things that I believe we can expect, and therefore need to prepare for, in this coming year.

First, this will be another year of very solid spiritual growth for the body of Christ. Though 2005 was a very hard year, it was a great year for the church. 2006 will be an even better year, though it, too, will be a very hard one for the world. However, many of the difficulties are the birth pangs of the coming...

As we continue our study of crossing over to possess the Promised Land this week, we want to examine in a little more depth the reason for the ban that caused Achan to get into trouble. This ban was that the people could not keep any of the gold, silver, bronze, or iron in Jericho, but it was to be given as a first fruits offering to the Lord. This ban was not a punishment on the people, but it was a preparation so they could be trusted with the unprecedented blessing that the Lord was about to give...

As we continue our study from the rest of Joshua 6, we learn how Israel crossed over to possess the Promised Land by capturing Jericho through faithfully following the Lord’s orders. However, before they blew the trumpets and shouted so that the walls would fall down, Joshua charged the people to keep their vow to Rahab the harlot and those who were in her house not to touch anything that was under the ban. What the Lord had placed under the ban was basically the wealth of the city, its gold, silver, bronze, and iron, all of which was...

Immediately after Joshua’s encounter with the Captain of the hosts, he had to face the seemingly impossible, impregnable stronghold of Jericho. Of course, the Lord could have flicked Jericho with His little finger and it would have ceased to exist, but He did not want it to be that easy. Though the defeat of Jericho was going to require His intervention, the Lord was requiring His people to be vitally engaged in the fight for their promises. This is because of an important basic principle–anything that comes too fast or too easily is usually insignificant.  

There are...