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Today is Sunday March 21, 2010, and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Joshua, chapters 22-24. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-21

Title: Bible Study: Cleave to The Lord Your God
You know, the amazing thing about God is that we all have a choice, He has given each and every person here on earth the gift of free will. That means we can choose to follow the One and only Lord, Our God or any other false god we make up. Regardless of what we choose, God is still in control, even if a person chooses to follow some other god, the One and only True God is still in control and will always be in control. He can even accept a person who chooses to serve a false god, but what He can not accept is someone who chooses to follow Him, yet serves false gods as well.

The nine and one half tribes of Israelites were getting settled in their rightful part of the Promised land, now it was time for the other two and one half tribes to go to the land God gave them on the other side of the Jordan River. “Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you: Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan. But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” - Joshua 22:1-5. The one thing that Joshua stressed before they left was to make sure they kept serving God. Regardless of where we are, we must not go one day without God, the second we lose one day with Him we fall right into the hands of Satan. I have witnessed so many people go from one religion to another and even get themselves into occults because they did not cleave to God. They fail to realize that God is not a religion or occult, He is God, there is only One God and the only way to know Him is to know Him personally. The only way to know Him personally is through Jesus Christ, and as we cleave to Him we will not be persuaded to search for God through some religion because He is right there with you.

Now, Joshua was getting old and coming to the end of his life here on earth, he gathered all the people together one last time. “And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.......Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.” - Joshua 23:1-3,6-8. Once again he stresses to the rest of the tribes to cleave to God. We are to keep our eyes straight on God, the second we begin looking around we open our eyes to corruption and trouble. It is much easier to fall into the hands of Satan when we take our eyes off of God.

I wasted a good ten years of my life because I took my eyes off off God and looked at the things that were around me. Even I have at one time tried to serve God and false gods, having gotten myself into witchcraft and I paid the price for that too, but Praise God. He took me out of all that mess and showed me the truth. The only way that I learned the truth is by going to Jesus. Without Him, I would still be thinking I am serving God and the only one I would be serving is Satan.

Joshua did remind the Israelites that they were free to choose whether or not they want to follow God, but also warned them of the consequences of what would happen to them should they choose God and follow the false gods as well. “And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods......Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:1,2,14,15. God has given us the right to choose to follow Him or false gods, it's our choice. He would rather you serve other gods than say you serve Him and do nothing for Him. “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” - Revelation 3:15,16. God does not stand for someone who jumps from church to church. Serving God is more than just showing up at church on Sunday or holiday's, it's more than giving tithe, and helping people. Serving God is a commitment to Him, to change your life for Him, it does not happen over night, but it does happen one day at a time by cleaving to the Lord, Your God.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and the Lord's Day.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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