When I read the book of Joshua, I’m uncomfortable with the violence. I’m uneasy when I read how nations were completely annihilated in the name of God. But I do believe God is teaching me through these lessons.

God wants us to completely and thoroughly annihilate our enemies today. But our enemies are never ever people. Our enemies are lack, lies, sickness, fear, racism, and hatred. How do we extinguish our enemies:

1. God told Joshua not to make a treaty with the existing nations. We form treaties with our enemies when we agree with them. We believe the lies God wants us sick, or in lack to humble us or teach us. We believe that one particular group is ALL evil. The moment we do this, we have made a treaty with our enemies. Break the treaty by recognizing the lies and refuse to partner with it.

2. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. There is no such thing as a little fear or an innocent racial joke. We cannot accept the small things as normal. For instance we accept the lie, random aches and pains are normal as we get older. We should be as diligent about praying against small pains as we are the bigger diagnosis. We should be as fierce about confronting stereotypes as we are about fighting injustices.

What would our life look like if we pursued the abundant life Jesus died to give us? What if we refused to accept anything less than complete healing, complete love for others, complete freedom in our emotions, and thought life? What if we entered our Promised Land like Joshua, determined to completely annihilate our enemies?

I’m pursuing an abundant life and I am completely annihilating my enemies. Who is with me?

“So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭11:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬