The foundational verse of this message shows how much God values the higher authority placed by Him over His people, as in the case of Moses' succession, when the Lord selected Joshua as the commander of Israel. God did not speak directly to the priests, but told Joshua to give the orders to those who made up the priesthood. The Most High always acts rightly; therefore, we must respect His decisions. He is Omniscient!

No pastor can act deliberately. Even being the highest authority in the churches, he should not act alone. In fact, he is the Lord's messenger not to beat the person who has erred, but to advise them according to the Word, seeking to help them reconcile with the Father. The leader of the congregation should be the greatest intercessor in the house of God.

Sometimes, someone from outside wants to take the lead of the church, using methods that today do not hold the same value they did in the past. According to the first apostles, the New Testament Church should take the prohibitions of the Law and cast them aside: only four were to be observed: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well (Acts 15:29).

When they reached the edges of the waters of the Jordan River, the priests had to stop. They could not take another step, for new instructions would come. This should happen to us; if we let the Spirit use us, we will not make mistakes. Nothing better than following the Bible: the Word will be fulfilled in us if we believe in it. Moreover, rebellion does not match the gentleness of God, who is serious at the same time. Believe, pray, and live!

If Joshua had made an agreement to let the priests decide how they should proceed, all divine work would be hindered. God knows everything, but we know nothing about it. Obeying the Almighty is a sign that there will be complete success, therefore, hold on to the knowledge you have learned from the Bible. Remember: the Word is God and has the Lord's seal that Heaven and Earth will pass away, but the Scriptures will remain (Mark 13:31). Whoever obeys the Father is called a good and faithful servant, but the disobedient, a wicked servant (Matthew 25:21-30).

Imagine the mess that the work of the Lord would become if everyone did what they think is best. All the problems would be common in the house of prayer. Well, the devil wants there to be offenses in the church, and Jesus declared this to be inevitable (Luke 17:1), because the desire of the king of evil is to close all churches, especially those zealous for good. Never be influenced to speak ill of the divine work, which is pure and orderly (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Limits are set to not be crossed. In this way, we must restrain ourselves from Genesis to Revelation, in order to learn from the Lord how to serve Him without sinning. The Christian who transgresses only needs to confess to be forgiven (1 John 1:9). However, when one sins willfully, the situation becomes complicated, as the person intended to produce something harmful to the saving work of Jesus (Hebrews 10:26-31).

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares