DCLM Sincere Milk 21 NOVEMBER 2021 — Try and Try Again
DCLM Sincere Milk 21 NOVEMBER 2021 — Try and Try Again
TOPIC: TRY AND TRY AGAIN!
BIBLE TEXT: JOSHUA 8:1-7
1 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
KEY VERSE: “So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai” (Joshua 8:3a).
MESSAGE:
After his secondary school education, Mike tried to gain admission to the university. He sat for the unified examination, but his score was below the cut-off mark. Cut-off mark is the mark a candidate must score before he/she can be qualified to be considered for admission. The second year, he sat for the examination again, but still scored below the cut-off mark. Mike was discouraged, he felt he would not be able to pass the examination and would not be able to gain admission into the university. He actually stopped writing the examination for some years until he decided to try it again. This time, he passed the examination very well and gained admission into the university. He graduated with distinction and later became a lecturer. Don’t ever give up! Continue until you achieve your goal.
The children of Israel were defeated by a small nation called Ai. Joshua was highly disappointed and sorrowful, but God told him the reason for the failure was sin in the camp. Achan had stolen a Babylonish garment from Jericho. The culprits were dealt with and God forgave Israel. God told Joshua to try again. Joshua took courage and fought against Ai again and Israel won.
What challenges are you facing in life, at school, at home or anywhere around you? Refuse to be discouraged, never give up. Try and try again; you will win at last!
PRAYER: Dear Lord, give me the courage to persevere and not give up.
FURTHER READING: 1 Kings 18:42-44
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
