Come a Little Closer.

 

So I used to think the Lord had favourite people. I used to think He loved some people more than others.

But as I read the scripture about Joshua's encounter with the Angel at Jericho, which says in Joshua 5:13–15 (KJV):

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

As I read this, I realized that the Lord deals with us based on our intimacy with Him.

When Joshua encountered Jesus in the Old Testament, he wanted to know if the Lord was on their side or the enemy’s side. But the answer was simple: "Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come."

Here we see that it is our relationship with the Lord that makes Him attend to us faster than anyone else. Intimacy with the Lord sets us up for encounter, and for us to enjoy the realities in God's kingdom.

God is looking for men who will forget their position, their title, and the money they have—just to seek a deeper relationship with Him. All these things are important, but who does your soul belong to? And what does it yearn for?

I’ve come to realise that those who follow God never lose their way.

In the Old Testament, we knew God the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. It was in the New Testament we realized that the Word is Jesus, and He is the Commander of the Lord’s Army. So the theophany Joshua experienced was Jesus.

1 John 5:7 (KJV):

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

He doesn’t pick sides. When He comes, He comes to carry out what He came for, and then He goes.

He is calling us today into the deep waters of His Word. He’s saying, “If only you can come a little closer, then I will show you all you need to know concerning yourself.” And the truth is, we are the ones who benefit from this intimacy with God.

It takes one who has been in bondage to understand what freedom truly offers—and God is offering that freedom to us today through His Son, Jesus.

He is saying: “A little closer... and I will come closer also.”

So make that decision today—to COME.

Stay Revived!