Commitment In Serving

One of the most deflating things is to make a commitment to God, but soon find yourself falling short of that promise.

In this text, the nation of Israel was commanded to serve the Lord.  In verses 16-31, the people made the promise to serve the Lord repeatedly.  And in verse 31, we see that the people actually served the Lord throughout Joshua and the Elders’ lifetime.  However, in Judges 2:7-10, we see that as soon as one generation died, there arose another generation that did not know the Lord and consequently did not serve Him.

“We have to be very serious about passing on our faith.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

How Do I Keep My Commitment

The keys to helping the next generation keep their commitment to serve the Lord can be found in Joshua 24:23.

1)  Put away (throw away and destroy) the foreign gods who are among you.

Remove anything that you are bowing down to serve.

Any thing that we can’t bow in service to God is an idol.

What does idol worship look like today?

• If there was an opportunity to make more money, and you had a commitment to serve God, which would you choose.

These gods are among you.  These aren’t foreign to you.  Although they had seen God do amazing things, still wanted to hold on to the “gods” that their God defeated.

2)  Incline (Turn and Yield) your heart to the Lord your God

There’s competition for your heart.  The enemy desperately wants your heart.  Make sure your heart is bent towards God.

“It’s impossible to train the head towards God, and not [train] the heart.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

How Do I Incline My Heart

1)  Grab my heart with His presence

Ask God to grab your heart with His presence.  It is in His presence that there is fullness of joy.

2)  Govern my heart with His word

We should allow God’s word to be the “governor” or standard for our lives.

3)  Guard my heart from all evil

Proverbs 4:23 – Guard your heart above all else, because it determines the course of your life.