Reading:

Judges 3:15-25, 29-30

What “foreign power” do I serve as a defeated child of God?

If I cry out to God for help, will I accept whatever help and helper He sends?

When I plead with God for help, do I do so with a surrendered will?

By what criteria does God select deliverers? Am I ever a suitable candidate?

As a New Testament child of God, do I ever justify (or resort to) deceit and treachery in my efforts to do God’s will?

Or do I strive to live by the Spirit of Christ and His Gospel?

Reading:

Joshua 7:1,10-12,22-26

Might my sin be the cause of defeat for my congregation?

Might my sin bring dire consequences for my family?

How are those kinds of cause and effect at all just?

How am I to know when it’s time to quit pleading with God?

Is there some accursed thing I’m tolerating or defending or justifying or protecting?

What must I do to reverse my defeats and experience new victories in their place?

Am I discerning in matters of holiness, mercy, and justice in my home church?