Bible reading for 40.Day 2025 | Joshua 5:13-15

Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV) says:

“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, are you for us or for our adversaries? And he said, no, but I am the commander of the army of the Lord.

“Now I have come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to him, what does the Lord say to his servant? And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so.”

Commitment and consecration

Today, I want to talk to us about being All In for the nations, specifically about this idea of commitment versus consecration.

We all know that we have a call to the nations. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 – “Go into all the world and make disciples.” And recently, in LoveSingapore, God has been speaking to us about the nation of Japan and our call to reach that nation and see many churches planted there.

But when we talk about being All In, especially when we talk about other nations and missions, I think our first thought many times is toward commitment.

“What will I need to do?”

“What will it cost?”

“Okay, if I’m going to go All In, how is it going to work?”

“I hear the call. I’m inspired. But for me to go All In, what is the commitment required of me?”

That call to nations can be overwhelming to many of us because it’s so big. So much is required. “All the world”. Wow, God. It feels almost pressurising.

“Are you for us or against us?” 

I want you to imagine Joshua in a moment like this, standing before Jericho, meditating on the upcoming battle. He’s thinking about the call of God on his life.

He’s thinking about his responsibility to lead Israel into the Promised Land. He’s thinking about commitment: “How are we going to do it? Where will we attack? What is the strategy?”

Suddenly he sees a man, and you can tell he’s thinking about this because he goes straight to the details. “Are you for us or against us?” In other words, are you part of my plan or not?

The answer to Joshua is very simple: No, no. That’s not what the correct response is; it’s not about my commitment to you. The correct response in this moment to God’s call is actually consecration. So the man says, “Take off your sandals. You’re on holy ground.”

The correct response for Joshua is to bring his life before the Lord and have a moment with God.

The correct response in this moment to God’s call is actually consecration.

Consecration to God’s purpose

Similarly, we bring our lives before the Lord today and say yes to His purpose. When we go All In for consecration, we are aligning our heart with His heart. That is what these 40 days are all about. As we do that, I believe you’ll find the same thing: Joshua found that the greatest strategies, the greatest keys, and the greatest breakthroughs come from the greatest consecration.

In fact, all of that strategy read about in the Scripture – you’re going to march for seven days, you’re going to shout at the end, the walls will fall down – it all flowed out of this moment of consecration.

And so today, as we think about the nations, I want to challenge us to go All In for God’s call to the nations.

Not in a flurry of activity, not in pressure, but in a moment of consecration where we align with God’s call and say yes to Him. As we pray about Japan specifically and our part in it, rather than trying to figure out first what our commitment will be, let this moment be a moment of consecration to God’s purpose and God’s call, saying, “Lord, this ground is holy ground, and I want to be part of Your plan.”

Let’s pray:

Father, today, as we think about Your call and as we hear Your word, we pray that our hearts will be consecrated to You in a fresh way and in a new way. We come to align our lives with Your purpose, not to try to get You to align with our purpose. So we pray that You would speak to us. We pray that you would find our hearts surrendered completely to You. Lord, whatever You want to say, whatever You want to do, we are here for you as we consecrate in a fresh way to You. I pray You would fill us with fresh revelation, fresh strength and grace and power to do what You have called us to do. God, we thank You for it today. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect: 

1. Would you bring your life before God today and let Him have His way?

2. Will you obey God’s call for you to reach the nations?

3. Will you trust God for the best strategy in your ministry and your life?

Pray: 

1. That we will first consecrate ourselves before making any commitments even in missions.

2. That we will receive strategies and breakthroughs from the Lord Himself as we embark on missions.

3. That the Lord will fill us with fresh revelation and power to do all He calls us to do in the nations.

Follow Salt&Light on Telegram, Facebook or Instagram for more of LoveSingapore’s daily devotions until August 9, 2025.