Setbacks, Strength, and Stepping Into God’s Promise: Joshua 5

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Have you ever wondered how setbacks could be the very foundation for stepping into your life's promise? Join me, Jessi Morgan, as I share personal stories of faith and resilience, exploring the rich lessons from Joshua 5 in this episode of the Jessi Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast. Reflecting on the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River from Joshua 4, I draw parallels to my own life experiences, like my daughter's premature birth, highlighting God's unwavering power and faithfulness. As we delve into the unexpected commands given to the Israelites before entering the Promised Land, I recount my father's professional football journey, showing how obstacles can become strengths through faith and determination.

The journey doesn't stop there. Embrace the continuous growth and learning inspired by my study of the book of Joshua, a deeply enriching experience that has left a significant mark on my spiritual path. Each week, I engage with the text, sharing insights and devotionals that emphasize living in the moment and finding strength in scripture. With gratitude for the support that has fueled this journey, I extend love and blessings to all listeners, encouraging you to reflect and grow in faith along with me. Whether you're a seasoned reader of Joshua or just starting, this episode offers heartfelt reflections and encouragement for everyone.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, hello.
You are listening to the JesseMorgan Devotions for the
Christian Heart Podcast, episode40.
This week's devotional istitled Setbacks, strength and
Stepping into God's PromiseJoshua 5.
Let's do this.
Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan.
I used to just share home decorand renovation tips on social
media, but now I'm sharingsomething even closer to my

(00:20):
heart my journey and love forJesus Christ, my Savior.
Welcome to the Jesse MorganDevotions for the Christian Hawk
Podcast.
This is a weekly devotional.
I started back in May 2024, butthe inspiration for it came
much earlier.
It was rooted in a faithjourney that began when my
daughter was born, four monthsearly in 2023.
Through that challenging time,god worked in ways that truly

(00:42):
amazed me.
On this podcast, I sharepersonal stories of faith, woven
together with scripture, toshow just how incredible God's
word can be in our everydaylives.
My hope is that through thesestories, you'll be encouraged,
uplifted and reminded of God'slove and presence, no matter
what you're going through.
So I invite you to spend lessthan 15 minutes with me each

(01:04):
week as we reflect on thesedevotionals together.
Let's all pray within Setbacks,strength and Stepping into God's
Promise, episode 40, keyPassages Joshua 4 and Joshua 5.
Hello, hello, welcome back.
I'm so excited to have you guyshere today.
So let's dive into anotherlesson and perspective from the

(01:25):
book of Joshua.
Today I want to focus on Joshua5, but before we do, let's take
a quick look at Joshua 4, whichreally is wrapping up what the
lesson last week was about,which was about crossing the
Jordan River and Joshua 3.
Anyways, joshua 4 comes rightafter the incredible miracle,
like I said, of crossing theJordan River.
God instructed Joshua to choose12 men, one from each tribe, to

(01:48):
go into the river and carry astone, to create a memorial.
This was to ensure that peoplewould always remember the power
of God and the miracle heperformed in bringing them
across.
In the end, two memorials werebuilt to acknowledge not just
the crossing itself but theundeniable strength of our
Heavenly Father.

(02:10):
For me, I truly believe.
I truly believe, and just thatremembering God's miracles in
our lives are important.
Having something to remind usof his blessings, whether it's a
physical object or even just apicture, helps us hold on to the
faithfulness right For me.
I look at pictures of mydaughter when she was born at

(02:32):
1.6 pounds in the NICU Hooked upto, it felt like 10 different
machines and I'm instantlyreminded of how far she has come
.
That kind of miracle that onlyhappens because of the Lord.
The memorials in Joshua 4weren't just stacks of stone.
They were lasting reminders ofIsrael and how God had cleared a

(02:54):
path for them to enter thepromised land, amen.
So now Joshua 5, the turningpoint.
So I feel like Joshua 5 isreally the heart of this week's
lesson and I'm so excited toshare.
So after crossing the JordanRiver, we see in Joshua 5, 1, it
says now we all.
Now, when all the Amorite kingswest of the Jordan and all the

(03:14):
Canaanite kings along the coastheard how the Lord had dried up
the Jordan River before theIsraelites until they had
crossed over, their heartsmelted in fear and they no
longer had the courage to facethe Israelites, can you imagine?
Every kingdom in the promisedland was freaking out.
They were terrified.

(03:34):
The Israelites had so muchmomentum, right, god had
provided for them, deliveredthem, and even you know and any
believer would feel unstoppableafter witnessing something like
that right.
But instead of immediatelyattacking the promised land or
going into Jericho to take over,here's what God did next in

(03:56):
Joshua 5, 2 through 3.
At that time the Lord said toJoshua make flint knives and
circumcise the Israelites again.
So Joshua made flint knives andcircumcised the Israelites
Circumcised what?
Right before you know?
Taking over the promised land.

(04:16):
Let's think about this beingcircumcised is painful, and
afterward you need time to heal.
Being circumcised is painfuland afterwards you need time to
heal.
So why would God require thisnow, especially when Israel's
enemies were just alreadytrembling with fear?
Wouldn't this weaken them?
Wouldn't this delay?
You know, when good things arehappening, don't we want them to

(04:42):
just keep going?
And when something unexpecteddisrupts that momentum, it can
feel like everything'sunraveling at once.
So have you ever felt like Godput an obstacle in your way
right when something amazing wasabout to happen, and you don't
know why?
Well, I have been there.
I'm raising my hand, and thatbrings me to a story that came
to mind when I was driving theother day, one about my parents.

(05:06):
So a setback that led to astrength.
My parents have been married for41 years, a love story rooted
in commitment and faithfulness,and one of my favorite stories
from their early time beingmarried is what happened right
after they got married.
They tied the knot in July 1983, just before my dad had to

(05:30):
report back to training camp.
For those who don't know, mydad played professional football
for 10 seasons with the MiamiDolphins as a defensive back.
He was a first round draft pickand when he was married and
when he married my mom he washeading into his like around his
fourth season.
Because of the NFL schedule,they had to plan the wedding in
just four months and my mommoved to Miami immediately

(05:53):
afterwards.
Then, during training camp,before the season even started,
my dad tore his Achilles and wasout for the entire year.
My dad was on such a highbefore that he had felt good, he
was feeling healthy, he wasmarried and excited to have my
mom by his side.
Such momentum and then aninjury, an unexpected setback.

(06:15):
What a turn of events.
My dad rehabbed like crazy,relearning how to pivot, run,
balance and everything, and whenhe finally returned to practice
it was major news in Miami.
Reporters were questioningwhether he could get his
starting position back.
Is he going to be faster?
Is he going to be the oldMcNeil?

(06:36):
And if the Dolphins would haveto trade him or release him
altogether, they really didn'thave faith that he could come
back from such an injury.
Back when my dad got on thefield, he did two drills, broke
up two passes and then he ran a40-yard dash and shattered his
own personal record from beforethe injury by a full second.

(07:00):
That's a big deal.
He was back and stronger thanbefore.
He had no fear getting hurtlike that ever again.
He had no fear getting hurtlike that ever again.
That setback, that injury,could have ruined his career or
psyche, but it ended up makinghim stronger than ever and if
you ask him, he'll tell you thatit was all because of God, who

(07:22):
placed Junior Wade, an amazingtrainer for the Dolphins, who
got him back better than ever.
My dad had no fear of an injurylike that ever again.
So now reading Joshua 5, Icouldn't help but think about my
dad's story, and here's whylet's go back.
So before the Israelites couldenter the promised land, they

(07:42):
had to undergo being circumcised.
But this wasn't just aboutremoving physical flesh.
It was about spiritualpreparation.
It was about shedding oldburdens, shame and the
disobedience of the pastgeneration.
In Joshua 5, 4 through 9, welearn that, as we know, joshua
circumcised the new generationof Israelites because those born

(08:04):
in the wilderness had neverbeen circumcised.
Their ancestors had disobeyedGod, which is why they were not
allowed to enter the promisedland.
However, after this act ofobedience, god told Joshua that
he had removed, that he hadremoved the shame of their past,
of their past, which was thebetrayal of the previous

(08:24):
generation that had left Egyptso years earlier.
Just to kind of give youcontext and remind you, years
earlier, when Moses was stillalive, moses had sent 12 spies
into the promised land.
10 of them returned with afearful, faithless report,
convinced that the land wasfilled with giants it was
impossible to conquer.

(08:44):
And, in their doubt, theIsraelites even considered
returning to Egypt and nearlyrebelled against Moses.
Mind you, all this happenedafter the parting of the Red Sea
.
I still don't understand howthey didn't have faith, but
anyways, because of their lackof faith, god decreed that they

(09:05):
would wander in the wildernessfor 40 years until that entire
generation had died off.
Only then would the nextgeneration be allowed to enter
the promised land.
And remember, the only twopeople from the previous
generation that God promisedthat could enter the promised
land were the two spies that hadthe faithful report, which was

(09:27):
Caleb and Joshua.
So, after this renewed act ofobedience, by being circumcised,
the place was named Gilgal tomark this fresh start for God's
people.
So they had the strength andconfidence, and no shame, to
move forward.
Yes, this moment in history ofIsrael was a setback in terms of

(09:49):
timing, but after it Israel wasfree free from the shame of
Egypt, you know, and what thatgeneration had done, free from
fear and ready to step into whatGod had promised them.
So you know, setbacks are oftensetups.
I feel my dad was on cloud nine.

(10:11):
He had just married my mom, hewas heading into a strong season
with the dolphins and thensuddenly everything came to a
screeching halt.
The rehab process was brutalfor him, but it made him better.
He became faster, more patientand played with a level of
freedom he had never experiencedbefore.
And because of all this, my dadshed old habits of training and

(10:35):
became stronger than ever, withnew habits and discipline and
returning that next season,getting his starting job back
Amen.
So, just like Israel, my dad hadto go through a refining
process before stepping intosomething greater, and the same
is true for us.
We need to remove the thingsthat are holding us back Our

(10:58):
shame, our fear, our injuries,our attachment to the world's
negativity, our attachment tothe world's expectations.
Israel had to circumcise theirflesh at that time.
But because of Jesus, we nowhave an even greater opportunity
to be made new.
He died on the cross so that wecould be free from our past,

(11:20):
our hurt, our shame, our sin andanything that weighs us down or
holds us back.
What a blessing.
Thank you, jesus.
So let go of whatever isholding you back.
Step into the new, stronger andmore faithful version of
yourself.
Cut off that hurt, that shame,and rehab by practicing putting

(11:41):
your faith in God, because, justlike my dad, you might think
you're facing a setback or anobstacle, but God is using it to
make you even stronger, to helpyou gain that confidence and
forget that guilt and that shamethat comes with being in the
world so so powerful.

(12:02):
I just thank you, god, so muchfor this lesson today.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, I thank youfor everything you've done for
me and for everybody who'slistening to this podcast.
Father, please let this podcastbless somebody, inspire
somebody, encourage someone,comfort someone.
Lord.
Please let this podcast blesssomebody, inspire somebody,
encourage someone, comfortsomeone.
Lord, we thank you so much forthe lesson in Joshua 5.

(12:22):
And we thank you for making usunderstand that.
You know Jesus came down toshed that guilt from us to get
rid of that sin from us so wecan be free and we can move
forward with confidence, knowingthat we are here serving you
and doing what we are asked todo of you.
Lord, father, I praise you andI love you and I thank you for

(12:46):
everything you've done for me,for everyone on this podcast
listening and just in life.
Love you and we praise you inJesus' name, amen.
Well, that wraps up this week'sepisode.
I hope these devotions help youdraw closer to God each day.
Praise you in Jesus name, amen.
Well, that wraps up this week'sepisode.
I hope these devotions help youdraw closer to God each day.
If this episode encouraged you,please share it with someone
who might need the same messageand don't forget to subscribe so

(13:08):
you never miss a weekly episode.
Also, if you feel compelled,leaving a nice review would be
so appreciated as well.
For more information or toreach out, check the show notes
or visit jessimorganhomecom orfind me on Instagram at
jessimorganlife.
Remember God's timing is alwaysperfect.
Keep trusting him Until nexttime.

(13:30):
This is Jessi Morgan prayingoff.
It's funny.
I always think about with mydad just how much of a
competitor and how much of ahard worker he was, because I
remember I got injured myfreshman year at Alabama when I
was running track and Iliterally strained both of my

(13:54):
quad muscles.
It was the weirdest thing everand let me tell you, it took so
long to to like get back, youknow, and I really feel like I
never really got full potentialthat I should have been.
I never really felt like I gotto the full potential dealing
with that injury, like reallygetting better from the rehab.

(14:18):
I think it was a mentality thatI just didn't have at the time.
I wasn't mature enough and Ijust I wish I had what my dad
had, that drive, that dedication, not allowing anything around
me to, you know, influence me ordistract me from what I was
trying to focus in on, which wasto get better.

(14:39):
So I just always, you know, Ipray that you know Sage grows up
my daughter and has thatmindset like my dad, like my
husband.
My husband went through someinjuries too and he was so
determined to get better and tosnap back and just having that
mindset of an athlete like thatis probably one of the best

(15:00):
things you could do in your lifeand you can easily put that
with your faith and walk inJesus Christ and I just feel
like this week you know we'retalking about being circumcised,
but it just God spoke to mewhere I would say, jess, share
your dad's story, you know.
So here I am doing it and thankyou so much again for all the

(15:21):
support and just excited tocontinue to grow with this and
continuing to learn about Joshua.
I think this has been one ofthe best studies I've ever done
so far and I'm just excited todo it and learn from it and
share with you guys as I go.
I'm literally reading thisevery week and then reflecting
on it and sharing a devotional.

(15:42):
I'm not studying 10 weeks out,I'm trying to do this in the
moment.
So, love you guys, have awonderful week.
I'm not studying 10 weeks out.
I'm trying to do this in themoment.
So, love you guys, have awonderful week, praying for you.