September 2021 – Salt and Light Ministries

September 29, 2021

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

SCRIPTURE: “Joshua ordered the officers of the people: Go through the camp and tell the people ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.” (Joshua 1:10-11 NIV)

The Israelites are to possess the land, and yet the land is something the Lord is giving to them. Now you might be thinking about how strange it is to fight for something which is being given to you but that is what is happening. God has so assured them of victory that they only need to go forth in faith. ‘Possess’ actually means to receive as an inheritance or to occupy and care for what was given to them.

Joshua told the leaders what God had told him, then the leaders quickly passed the message to their people. There was preparation to be made because in only three days they would cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land.
Joshua stood up against all the pressures that faced him and led the people of God into the Promised Land. God’s Words were no longer only to be dreams. They have heard those words, “Promised Land” for so long, now it was going to become true. Joshua would make sure the dreams became true. Aspirations would become reality. There was much more to be done, but his vision and action are in the right place.

STAY BLESSED.
Rev. Dr. Joyce R. Aryee
(Executive Director, Salt and Light Ministries)Salt and Light Ministries
P.O.Box AN 15007, Accra North
Contact: 0302 772013,026 8130 615/0243588467
Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com
Website : saltandlightministriesgh.org

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” – Hebrews 4 : 12 (NLT)

September 27, 2021

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

SCRIPTURE: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)

Joshua was commanded to be strong and courageous. He was to draw his strength from the Lord God and was not to be dependent on his own muscular strength. Neither Joshua nor the people of Israel sought to conquer the promised land by means of their own courage and physical strength they would have failed– they were to place their trust in the Lord their God, Who had promised to be with them wherever they went. Joshua simply had to trust the Word of the Lord and act upon it. As believers, we are to know the truth of God’s Word and to meditate on the promises of God; to trust in the truth of God’s Word and to obey. God has promised to be with us in every difficulty we face and every problem that comes our way, just as He was with Joshua.

September 24, 2021

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

SCRIPTURE: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:7-8 NIV)

What made this immense task more difficult for Joshua was that Canaan was not a vacant piece of land. It was already inhabited by numerous tribes and kingdoms that were very hostile and strong.
We will notice that the Word of God is represented in these 2 verses by the word ‘Law.’ This refers to the first five books of the Bible. It was the only portion of the Bible in existence then. And Joshua was given three steps to take regarding the Law that God had given.

1. Joshua was told to be strong, very courageous, and obey all the laws Moses gave him, do according to all that is in it.

2. Joshua is told not to turn from the Word to the right hand or to the left. This gives us another picture, that of a going on a defined path, and being careful to keep himself from deviating from it. So Joshua was to function not only as a guard to ensure that God’s Word was always obeyed, but also to stay always on the right path of God’s Word.

3. Joshua was to meditate on the Word of God day and night, and this means that he would have to focus his thoughts on portions of Scripture, ponder over them, and reflect on them until he understood them and how they are to be applied in his own life.

As believers, the same thing must apply to us. If we want to live successfully as Christian, and to prosper in everything that God has given us to do, we cannot do it without taking pains to learn all that is written in the Bible and faithfully apply to them. This is the secret of having good success. There is really no substitute for this, there is no other way or method, or formula for success

September 23, 2021

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

SCRIPTURE: “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them” (Joshua 1:5-6 NIV)

Without God it can be frightening, with God it can be a great adventure. Just as God was with Joshua, He is with us as we face our new challenges. We may not conquer nations, but every day we face tough situations, difficult people, and temptations.
God promises, however, that He will never abandon us or fail to help us. By asking God to direct us we can conquer many life’s challenges.

Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against such criteria. He said that to succeed Joshua must;
1. Be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy.
2. Obey God’s laws.
3. Constantly read and study the Book of instruction-God’s Word
To be successful, we must follow God’s words to Joshua. We may not succeed by the world’s standards, but we will be a success in God’s eyes-and His opinion is most important.

September 22, 2021

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

SCRIPTURE: “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates-all the Hittie country-to the Great Sea on the west.” (Joshua 1:3-4 NIV)

It was God’s purpose that the whole land should belong to the children of Israel. The conquest of Canaan was the special duty assigned to Joshua by God. Though their possessions extended not to the Euphrates, yet their dominions did, and all those lands were tributary to them in David’s and Solomon’s time. The precise territory of the land describes It described real land with real boundaries.

As believers, we are called to move ahead and step out, but it is God who is the ultimate giver of all things. Without His power and His ability working in us and through us we are not able to accomplish anything. God is a giver of the impossible. When we set our foot out to do what He has called us to do, He will GIVE us all that we need.
Wherever God guides, He always provides. He provides us with wisdom, knowledge, power, strength, skill, and endurance.

September 20, 2021

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

Joshua was a brilliant military leader and a strong spiritual influence, but the key to his success was his submission to God.
The Book of Joshua is divided into two main parts.
The first narrates the events surrounding the conquest of Canaan, and the second record the assignment and settlement of the captured territory.

Beloved in the Lord,
For the next couple of weeks, we’ll talk about THE BOOK OF JOSHUA, with today’s focus on, JOSHUA 1:1-2.

May the Holy Spirit minister deeply into our hearts, the message He has for us today.
Enjoy!

SCRIPTURE: “After the death of Moses the LORD’S servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, Moses, my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelite across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them”. (Joshua 1:1-2 NIV)

Joshua succeeded Moses as Israel’s leader. What qualifications did he have to become the leader of a nation?
1. God appointed him (Numbers 27:18-23)
2. He was one of only two living eyewitnesses to the Egypt plagues and as well as the Exodus from Egypt.
3. He was Moses’ personal aide for 40 years.
4. He was one of the 12 scouts sent to spy on the promised land, and only he and Caleb showed complete confidence that God would help them conquer the land of Canaan.
Because Joshua had assisted Moses for many years, he was well prepared to take over the leadership of the nation. Changes in leadership are common in any organization. At such times, a smooth transition is essential for the establishment of the new administration. This doesn’t happen unless new leaders are trained. If you are currently in a leadership position, begin preparing someone to take your place. If you want to be a leader, learn from others so that you will be prepared when the opportunities come.

September 17, 2021

OUR BODIES WILL BE REDEEMED BY JESUS

SCRIPTURE: “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. “. (Romans 8:23 NIV)

Our bodies are useful to Jesus, but that doesn’t mean they only matter for this life.
One of the most distinctive tenets of the Christian faith (and sadly, often overlooked) is that God has an eternal plan for our bodies. They are not just a temporary necessity for now, in the age to come we will not have “graduated” out of our physical lives into some floaty alternative.
If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11).
We will be resurrected, these bodies-sin-worn and imperfect though they are -will be raised to a new and perfect life. The death of our bodies won’t be the end of it. Our footprints and fingerprints will be all over the new creation. The promise of resurrection for our bodies makes our use of them now all the more significant.

Source: culled from, Sam Allberry: What God Has To Say About Our Bodies

September 15, 2021

OUR BODIES ARE USEFUL TO JESUS.

SCRIPTURE: “Do not offer the part of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the part of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.” (Romans 6: 13 NIV)

We are to offer various parts of our body to God. Paul says they can be “instruments for righteousness.”
Let us give ourselves completely to God, asking Him to put to good use for His glory. We are to bring glory to God with our bodies. If we want to know how valuable our life is to God, just look at the cross, with His arms outstretched, nailed to the cross, Jesus was saying, this is how valuable we are to Him, and we are priceless. When God puts His Spirit inside us, our body becomes a temple of His, a residence for His love. The day we become born again something significant happened to our life, another dimension has been added to our being. Our body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to build you up in the image and likeness of Christ to the glory of God. There is an ample reason why our body is called a “temple.” In the Bible, the temple was a place of worship, and the Holy Spirit lives in us, so every waking moment our body is to be a place where God is worshipped and God is honored.

Source: culled from, Sam Allberry: What God Has To Say About Our Bodies

September 14, 2021

BODY & SOUL

God has given us our body to do His work. A healthy body gives us the energy to do His work. As Christians taking care of our bodies is taking care of the place where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Beloved in the Lord,
For the next one week, we’ll continue to talk about, WHY IT MATTERS WHAT WE DO WITH OUR BODIES!

Today’s focus is on, BODY & SOUL.

May the Holy Spirit minister deeply into our hearts, the message He has for us today.
Enjoy!

SCRIPTURE: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship”.( Romans 12:1 NIV)

If we make the soul the focus of our spiritual life and downgrade the body, we can argue that the body is spiritually irrelevant. God (we might assume) is only interested in the spiritual side of us; the body is of no concern to Him. The mentality might be common in the church today, but it is profoundly unbiblical. We might think it doesn’t matter what we do with our bodies, but the bible repeatedly and powerfully shows us this is not the case. Through scripture we know that God values our bodies, and our bodies are said to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, and we are called to take care of and honor God’s temple. God’s words lead us to use our bodies and the gifts He has given us to achieve the will of God.

Source: culled from, Sam Allberry: What God Has To Say About Our Bodies

September 9, 2021

THE PSALMS!

SCRIPTURE: “Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” (Psalm 55:22 NIV)

David, brings his concerns and fears to God, asking Him to take care of the problems he’s facing. He knows he can trust God with the outcome. God has proven Himself before and will do so again. (Psalm 55:16-17).
Much of the time, what we care about is not entirely within our control. We can’t dictate the results of our best efforts; we can’t force our hopes to materialize, and we definitely can’t make someone we love healthy and happy by the sheer force of our will. When we try to control outcomes, we carry a burden too heavy for human shoulders to bear. What a relief it is to finally let go, to heave our heavy burden onto the strong back of the Lord. He promises to sustain our hearts and minds with His peace (Philippians 4:6-7). And no matter what He chooses to do with what concerns us, we have the assurance that His decisions are guided by His love for us (1 Peter 5:7).