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Yahweh said to Joshua, 'Get up! Why have you fallen on your face like that? Joshua 7:10 WEB.

The first town the Israelites came to when they entered the promised land was Jericho. They marched around it seven times, shouted, and the walls of the city crumbled. God was working with them, and He gave them an incredible victory. They were instructed to put all the loot from the first city into the Lord's treasury. In essence, it was tithing. He allowed them to keep the rest of the cities for themselves, but not the first fruits (Exodus 23:19).

A man named Achan stole part of the loot from Jericho and kept it for himself. Because of this, the Lord withdrew His help from Israel. The next city they came to was the small town of Ai. The Israelites had taken the great walled city of Jericho almost without a fight. But the tiny village of Ai beat them back and made them retreat.

After the defeat, Joshua lay on his face before the Lord and prayed for direction. Israel had lost the battle. That wasn't supposed to happen. When the Lord answered Joshua, it was basically: "Get up, make it right, and let's go forward!" God gave Joshua no time to lay there and dwell on the past mistakes and events that had happened. The first dealt with Achan, then went and took the city of Ai.

Many times in my life, I have stumbled, turned back, and wandered away from God. Each time I returned to Him, laid on the carpet, and prayed, it was exactly like this: "Now get up and let's go forward!"

God is always calling you into your future, into your destiny. The devil is continually calling you into your past, reminding you of your mistakes, giving you feelings of shame, and wanting you to return to your old ways.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, and God still has a plan for you, a destiny to fulfill. Don't live in your past mistakes, meditating on how much time has been wasted. When you dwell on those, you are siding with the enemy. Your past is gone, so let it go. Let this sink in: God talks about your future. It is the enemy that talks about your history.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for all that You do for me. Please draw my heart to You and give me the will to get up when I stumble. Thank You for Your mercy. Lead me into all that You have for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: For those participating in the Creation Photography weekly themes, here is this week's challenge from group leader, Dianna Wyles: John 14:26 "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." ~ This week's theme is "Reminiscing Days Gone By"! All of our themes are always open wide for creative interpretation and we encourage you to post anything else that inspires you as well. My photos this week reflect me still seeking God's creations through nature to connect and commune with HIM, our Heavenly Father! Here is the link: Creation Photographers

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