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Intention

The need for divine alignment before divine assignment.

Scripture

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’

So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’

Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so.”

– Joshua 5:13–15

Reflection

In this month of May 2023, many calls to prayer and evangelism are converging locally, nationally, and globally at an unprecedented level. Before we run off doing things, it is essential that we stop to make sure we are aligned with the Lord’s heartbeat and His methods of action.

In Joshua chapters 5 and 6 we see a wonderful example of divine alignment before divine assignment. Joshua knew that Israel was to take the land of Canaan and specifically the strong, fortified, and walled city of Jericho. Normally, Joshua would have taken the army, laid siege and then attacked the city. It was standard military procedure at the time. This would have probably cost many lives and taken significant time. The Lord had a superior plan!

The Lord intervened! A man stood opposite and Joshua asked this man “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”

Note: This man was in fact Jesus appearing in the Old Testament, theologically referred to as a Christophany. We know this because Joshua worshipped and Joshua would have only worshipped the Lord and not an angel.

The response from the Lord is crucial: “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” I.e., it is never ‘Is God on our agenda?’, but rather ‘Are we on His agenda?’ This is true divine alignment when we hear the Lord and act accordingly.

In Joshua 6 the battle plan of marching around the city, blowing shofars (trumpets) is made clear by the Lord to Joshua. Israel obeyed the Lord and had a brilliant victory as a result. The walls fell and Israel prevailed. This is the divine assignment. We are seeking for the walls of Jericho to fall, i.e., abortion, euthanasia, rainbow agendas, etc. These are the issues that our nation and other nations are facing. Only a move of God will bring these things down.

What is converging this May 2023? Here are some things (and many others) that we are connecting with nationally and globally.

• Mike Bickle’s call to pray for Israel, with ultimately 100 million praying for Israel.
• 100 million people activated in prayer and witness, sharing the gospel.
• The start of a decade focused on evangelising the whole planet by 2033.
• The National Day of Repentance in the USA (we are standing with our US family)
• Shift the Nation 24/7 prayer 12–22 May (Canberra Declaration), please register to join in.
• Australia Prays – National Day of Prayer and Fasting – 27^th May (Pentecost Saturday).
• Canberra Declaration Global Day of Prayer for Israel – 28^th May (Pentecost Sunday, part of the call to 100 million globally).

We are all vitally connected as family and we stand together this May to seek the Lord. All this activity is why we need to hear from the Lord (divine alignment) as to how to proceed with all the things we do (divine assignment). One simple example is that we have asked everyone to pray for five people and share Jesus with those five during May. Let the Lord show you how to effectively reach those five with the gospel.

As Joshua listened to the Lord from a place of worship, he received his divine plan on how to take Jericho. So, we need worship and to hear the Lord ­– and only then take action.

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Prayer

Papa God, we thank You for calling us, your Ekklesia, to seek You afresh, for Israel, and the for the gospel of Your kingdom.Please let us hear Your heartbeat as we worship in Your presence. Let us be aligned with your purposes.

Holy Spirit, equip us to be your ministers as we bring Your healing, deliverance, and salvation to all in need.

We seek to glorify Your name in all the earth.

B’shem Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus our Messiah. Amen.

Author Bio

Kym lives with his wife Nel in Adelaide, South Australia. He has a background in business and the IT industry. Kym and Nel are active in local, national, and global ministries and have ministered in various nations including Kenya, Uganda, and Israel. Kym is also a Board Member of Rahab Ministries and an executive member of Australia Prays.

Prayer Points and Purpose for GO 2023 in May

1. To worship Jesus and give extravagant praise to God. Heb 12:28–29
2. Pray that the Lamb who was slain might receive the reward for His suffering. Rev 5:6–14
3. Pray for revival for Australia and for millions to find Christ. Isa 64:1–2
4. Pray for revival for Israel and millions to find Christ. Rom 10:1
5. Pray for five friends to find Christ and share the gospel with those five in May. Matt 28:18–20

We invite you to support this prayer campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for Family, Faith, Freedom, Life, and the Good News of God’s love through Jesus Christ His Son.

May Daily Devotionals: https://dailydeclaration.org.au/tag/go-2023-prayer

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TIME: 8pm AEST

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