Thursday, October 5 – Joshua 8:26-27

For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he reached out with the sword until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Israel took only the cattle and the spoils of that city as plunder for themselves, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had commanded Joshua.

At some time or another, we have all struggled with selective hearing. We hear instructions in light of what we want instead of what was actually said. We follow through with some of the instructions but leave the others undone. This is a common battle between parents and children. Earlier in the book of Joshua, the Israelites also suffered the consequences of selective hearing. They had skipped a step in God’s instructions and experienced great loss because of it. But this time the Israelites followed the Lord’s instructions in their entirety. Instead of taking what they wanted for themselves, they only took what God instructed.

Many times, we also practice selective hearing in our faith. We hear the instructions we want, and we tune out those that are uncomfortable or lead to conviction. But it’s always to our detriment to only follow God partially. In the case of Ai, there was no space untouched by God’s victory. God desires to do a complete work of victory in our lives as well. It is not enough to live with selective hearing. Jesus has called us to live fully surrendered to Him, His plan, and His direction to experience the abundant life He has promised. We can learn from the Israelites and surrender our plans and ideas to God and the fullness of His plan, even when it feels uncomfortable.

• What areas of your life and plans are hard to surrender to God?
• Who can keep you accountable in the areas you are prone to selective hearing with God?
• Pray and surrender your plans to God. Ask Him to guide you in the fullness of His presence and plan and for the faith to follow Him completely.