Raising Joshuas

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As I listened to the concluding session of the Life Lessons of Joshua, one thing that stood out for me is that Joshua was a man of great influence and he left such a great impact on the lives of the Israelites.

Joshua 24:31 & Judges 2:7 say "Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known the work that the Lord did for Israel."

• Joshua lived a godly life, lived and walked the talk and had a very close relationship with God such that under his leadership, all of Israel served the Lord.

• His life also impacted the elders of Israel who continued his legacy of godly living and leadership even after his death.

• And he was very sure of the devotion of his household as he declared boldly to rest of Israel in Joshua 24:15b "...choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!" There is no two ways about it.

All these made me think about my own walk with the Lord - whether I am walking my talk and I wonder if my life will have such an impact on my children and others around. And what about my children? Will they also live lives that impact others for Jesus? Will they be like Joshua? Can others say the same of them?

It really made me think about what I need to do to raise the Joshuas in my family - to be godly servant leaders who make great, profound and godly impact on the lives of their friends and peers and wherever God has placed them in.

This series - Lessons on the Life of Joshua has taught me much indeed. And I pray that we will take time to listen and read through the broadcast/transcript again and take note of what God wants to teach us and show us in raising and training/nurturing the Joshuas that are placed in our care so that they can be men and women of influence for God, making great impact for Him wherever they may be! May God grant us the wisdom to do so.

(Do go back to the older postings on Joshua to read up again :

• Joshua & Motherhood
• Overcoming the Giants
• God's Promises / God's Word
• Our Battles
• Leaving a Legacy)

Leaving a Legacy

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How has your journey with Joshua been? Are you learning precious lessons from this series?

Lessons from the Life of Joshua can be a life changing series if we do take time to listen and digest and allow God to speak to us - bit by bit, little by little - it can change your life and will change your life.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss had just concluded the whole 12 part series of Lessons from the Life of Joshua. And with the concluding part 12, she got us thinking about the kind of life we are living now, the kind of legacy we leave our children. Nancy Leigh DeMoss challenged us with these words - "After your death will your children inquire of the Lord? Will those who have been influenced by your life, will they be influenced to seek the Lord because they have seen you do it?"

So where do we begin to make a change in our own lives? You can begin right here with Joshua in God's word :

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 12) : Leaving a Legacy

• A Beautiful Inheritance
• New Assignments Late in Life
• All the Way to the Finish Line
• Overflowing Abundance
• Making the Most of What You Have
• Promoting Peace
• Flourishing in Later Seasons of Life
• God Comes First
• As for Me and My House
• The Death of a Saint--God's Purpose in This
• The Lord Is with You

Our Battles

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What battles are you facing at this season of your life?

Can we learn anything from Joshua and apply the lessons in our life as mom of newborn, or mom of teens?

Our battle maybe with a testing two year old, or a child who is struggling in school or a 'angsty' teen who is in the process of self-discovery.

Or it could be our own personal battles - with pride or over indulgence or some other secret sins.

Let's go find out from Joshua what we can do to fight these battles.

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 9) : Defeating Your Jericho

• Lift Up Your Eyes
  
• A Humble Response
  
• Facing Your Obstacle
  
• The Perfect Justice and Mercy of God
  

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 10) : Rising from Defeat

• No Private Sin
  
• The Consequences of Coveting
  
• A Door of Hope
  

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 11) : Waging and Winning Spiritual Battles

• A New Beginning
  
• Two Mountains
  
• Joshua's Battle after the Battle
  
• God Grants Stamina
  
• The Right Time to Rest
  
• The Earth is the Lord's
  

God's Promises / God's Word

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Have you begun your journey with Joshua? If you haven't, you are missing out on some very very precious treasure. Go back to Joshua & Motherhood and get onto Part 1 of Lessons from the Life of Joshua and start your journey with this courageous biblical hero.

We continue our journey with Joshua as we learn how he took God at His word and trusted in Him to lead this rebellious group of people.

Read or listen and see what gems you can glean for yourself and family.

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 5) : Celebrating Victory

• A Foundation You Can Trust
  
• No Empty Words

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 6) : Grace in Loss

• A Changing of the Guard

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 7) : Indispensable Ingredients for Life

• God Will Never Leave You
  
• God's Presence in Your Life
  
• Keeping God's Word at the Center
  
• Planting Your Life in God's Word
  
• Infusing God's Word into Your Day

Joshua was told to meditate on God's word day and night and to keep God's law. How can we follow his example? Nancy Leigh DeMoss took time out from Joshua to focus on studying and meditating on God's Word :

How to Study the Word : An Interview with Kay Arthur

• Get Into the Book
  
• Grounded in God's Word
  

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 8) : Before we Conquer

• Be Strong and Courageous
  
• Set Apart to God
  
• It is Not Impossible
  
• Preserving a Memory
  
• Mark of the Covenant
  
• You Have a Story
  

Teens & Rules

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It is so tough to be a teen these days. And it is just as hard to be a parent of a teen.

Teens struggle to find their identity in a world that is fast changing on them. And we, parents are also groping along as we try to understand our teens and what cause all these changes that are taking place in them.

Mark Gregston of Heartlight Ministries says "We have a generation of kids in their teens who are confused and disillusioned. They've lost their innocence and they've lost what should be carefree days of adolescence. And kids from good Christian families are falling victim just as much."

It really doesn't help that we parents are struggling to help our struggling teens. Our teens get depressed, we get depressed too.

But I am really thankful for some of these wonderful Christian resources that are available on the internet to help shed some light into our teens' world and their struggles. Just this little glimmer of light is good enough for us, parents to hold on and take this journey of helping our teens navigate the dangerous world and find their identity in Christ.

Once again, a good investment of your time, just checking out these resources, reading them or listening to the messages.

One very help resource is from : Parenting Today´s Teens Radio with Mark Gregston

Here you will find very relevant topics with very practical help such as :

• The Author of Reconciliation (5-30-2009)
  
• Parental Controls and the Internet (5-23-2009)
  
• Keeping Marriage Going Amidst Teen Struggles (5-16-2009)
  
• Your Kids, the Internet, and Pornography (5-09-2009)
  
• Teen Accountability and Parental Grace (5-02-2009)
  

From FamilyLife a sampling of the broadcasts :

Mothers of Teens - Are you finding the teen years to be a challenge? If so, then join the crowd! Today on the broadcast, Dennis Rainey talks with a mother of three, Jana Morrison, who encourages moms to keep their focus and build into the lives of their teens.

Teaching Teens to Follow Rules :

Are your kids testing your boundaries? Today Dennis Rainey tells parents about the benefits of healthy boundaries, and what they need to do to pass on a legitimate faith in Christ to the next generation.

• Teaching Teens to Follow the Rules, Part 1
  
• Teaching Teens to Follow the Rules, Part 2
  

Preparing Your Teens for Launch

Your high school senior is about to leave home, but you still have time to invest in his character! Dennis and Barbara Rainey are joined by their son Benjamin to challenge parents to finish the race well.

• Putting the Finishing Touches on Character
  
• Launching Your Teen Into Life
  

Re-Create : Building a Culture in Your Home Stronger than the Culture Destroying Your Kids

What is it about the culture that is so irresistible to our teens? Ron Luce, co-founder and president of Teen Mania Ministries, tells Dennis Rainey about the need for parents to talk to their kids about the culture around them and to train them to see through the lies that are paraded as truth.

• Keeping Your Kids From Craving the World
  
• Connecting With Youth Today
  
• Instilling Values in Your Kids
  

From Focus on the Family :

The Importance of Heroes - A discussion about the importance of heroes and how they are especially influential to kids.

For Moms of Toddlers

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Toddlers are great fun to be with. Their curious minds are always at work, asking the whys and the how comes and testing the boundaries with their favourite word "NO!" They can also wear a mom down very quickly.

Here are some good resource for moms with toddlers from Focus on the Family.

Toddlerhood:

Listen to Dr. James Dobson as he offers advice to parents of toddlers, covering a number of subjects that include separation anxiety, potty training, refusal to eat and more.

• Toddlerhood: Dr. Dobson Answers Your Questions

Articles from Focus on the Family

• Toddlerhood (A comprehensive overview of the many issues parents of toddlers face.)
• Separation Anxiety (A mom shares some strategies parents can use to help their children overcome separation anxiety.)
• When Older Kids Suck Their Thumb (Parenting advice from Dr. Bill Maier.)
  

Overcoming the Giants

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Do you want to be able to face the giants (troubles/trials) in your life like Joshua did? Do you think he was born with a natural talent to lead a whole nation of Israel without any doubt or fear?

Well, even before Moses passed on the baton, God had told Joshua what the people of Israel would do under his leadership. Yep, they would disobey God and rebel! How was Joshua able to have that courage to lead the people despite knowing that they would rebel and be difficult to lead? What would we do, if we were in Joshua's position?

There are many practical principles and bible promises that we can learn and hold on to from this study. And these are precious principles you can start working on in your children and and great treasure to pass on to our children.

Do take time and slowly chew on God's word in this study of Joshua.... As you feed on God's word daily, you will find your faith as tall as or taller than the giants you face...

The more we listen or read, the more we hunger for God's word, the more we will find God's word to be real in our lives and our devotional time with the Lord exciting.

So what are you waiting for?

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 2) : Learning to be Teachable

• Starting the Race Well
  
• A Sustaining Vision
  
• Down From the Mountain
  
• Loyal to God's Leader
  

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 3) : Trusting God for the Promised Land

• The Faith to Take a Step
  
• Focusing on God's Promises
  
• Getting Past Your Obstacles
  
• A Brave Look at Bad News
  
• Into the Face of Fear
  
• The Trap of Unbelief
  
• Courage to Experience God's Best
  
• Finding True Rest

Lessons from the Life of Joshua (Part 4) : Following God's Lead to Lead

• Follow Me
  
• From a Learner to a Leader
  
• Passing on the Baton
  
• Developing a Godly Character
  
• The Value of Consistency
  

Will post rest of the links during the school holidays!