Sandals Off!
- Aug 1, 2025
- 6 min read
God’s work must be done God’s way in order to receive God’s blessing.
What would happen right now if we came alive to God’s presence and power today?
Paul’s perspective is this: “to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph 3:20).
Why don’t we just stop and come before Father God and ask - "Father God, reign in me and work in a radical, powerful and life-changing way in my life today."
Imagine Joshua standing by the old city, working out options: scale walls, break down gates, tunnel underneath, long siege? Then Joshua saw the Lord of Hosts!
This is the “battle” title of the Lord; it speaks of His supreme command of the armies of Israel and host of heaven. (See Psalm 24:10 and Psalm 46:7,11.)
Seeing a man with his sword drawn could only mean one thing: this man was ready for battle, and Joshua was quick to acknowledge His leadership.
Bible Knowledge Commentary tells us, “The top general of the Lord’s army had not come to be an idle spectator of the conflict or even an ally. The drawn sword was indicating that He would fight with and for Israel. But the sword also shows that God’s long-suffering delay of judgment was over.”
The first step toward victory is to confess that you are not in command.
Looking at it another way, don’t deal with the Jericho’s of life without first going to your Commander.
Watchman Nee wrote, “Not until we take the place of a servant can He take His place as Lord.”
The Lord came to Joshua that day, not just to help but to lead. Joshua is being reminded that he was second in command. Same with us; Jesus should reign and have ultimate authority in our life.
Every one of us, is second in command to the Lord Jesus Christ, and when we forget this, we begin the slide towards doubt, disappointment and defeat.
Joshua asked in verse 13: "Are you for us or for our enemies?" One could expect the Lord to say, "Don't worry Joshua, I’ve got this!" The response was, "Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." It was a simple question. Two answers: “you” or “them.” The Lord answered, “Neither.”
Then God reassures Joshua that he’s not alone: “I have now come” (v14).
It’s a great reminder of Joshua 1:5: “Just as I was with Moses, I will be with you I will not abandon you, and I will not forsake you.” How reassuring for us!
This is a pivotal moment in Joshua’s life, of his leadership and his future.
Look at Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Just try and take this in today.
Just to emphasize this, let me remind you of Hebrews 13:5: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” How wonderfully reassuring today.
How often we have a wrong view of Christ as one that exists only to meet our needs; to grant our wishes. All too often our theology places ourselves in the centre. We are not at the centre. God is!
Be honest! Does your prayer life focus on your comfort and your glory, or is it focused on Him? What if, when we are in turmoil, pain, and loneliness, instead of asking God to alleviate our pain, we asked Him to use it to make us more like Him?
There can be no victory for the Lord in public unless we experience true worship of the Lord in private. Joshua fell on his face in worship; he turned all his plans over to the Lord when he said, “What message does my Lord have for His servant?” (v14).
God’s response? - “I’ve not come to take sides but to take over" - I'll be Lord of all, or I won’t be Lord at all!!
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones says "There are certain demands I make of life; certain things I am looking for. I am looking for peace and joy, I am looking for happiness, and Christ completely satisfies me in every respect. I have an intellect: Christ satisfies it, I have feelings and desires which need satisfaction: Christ is my all in all. Every demand that I make of life is more than fully satisfied in Christ. …My dear friends, can you say the same thing?”
Those of you that want to be victorious in your battles in life must be willing to surrender wholeheartedly first to God. Tomorrow’s freedom is always about today’s surrender!!
Remember Paul’s call: "I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship". (Rom 12:1).
J.I. Packer puts it this way: “Holiness starts inside a person, with a right purpose that seeks to express itself in a right performance…A holy person’s motivating aim, passion, desire, longing, aspiration, goal, and drive is to please God, both by what one does and what one avoids doing.”
Joshua, perhaps, had always felt like he didn’t quite match up to Moses. Moses was an amazing leader of whom it was said, “he would talk to God as a man talks to his friend” (Exod 33:11); “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face!” (Deut 34:10).
These are BIG SHOES to fill!
When Joshua fell on his face in worship, the real battle of Jericho was being fought and indeed won right there. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy” (v15).
The Lord sometimes turns the most ordinary places in our lives into holy ground. Right where you are, right now ‘Holy Ground.’ ‘Sandals Off’
Stop and reflect
Brennan Manning once said, “We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.”
Worth noting! When does the Lord come? After they have renewed the covenant; after they begin to do what they should have been doing all along. Whenever God does come, He will do so in holiness, so our first response should be complete and utter submission.
These final verses declare the point of the entire chapter.
Let’s take an honest look at our lives today. Is there renewal that needs to take place? The question isn’t, "Is God for you?" The question is, "Are you for God?"
Sandals off, we’re barefoot and vulnerable, aware of a Holy God and His new purpose/plan for our life!
This was not about the Israelites. This was about God’s glory!
Paul says in Romans 8:37: "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
It's great to have the assurance of being conquerors in Christ. But let's not miss the point that before we can be conquerors, we must first be conquered.
I once read about President Lincoln. He was asked if he thought God was on the Union side in the Civil War. Lincoln wisely replied, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
God was impressing on Joshua that since He was the one in charge of the battle, it was Joshua who needed to choose whose side he wanted to be allied with. So must we!
‘Sandals off!’
Prayer
'Lord, I so wish to prepare well for this time. I so want to make all of me ready and attentive and available to you. Please help me to clarify and purify my intentions. I have so many contradictory desires.
I get preoccupied with things that don’t really matter or last. I know that if I give you my heart, whatever I do will follow my new heart.
In all that I am today, all that I try to do, all my encounters, reflections, even frustrations and failings, and especially in this time of prayer; in all of this may I place my life in your hands. Lord, I am yours. Make me what you will.
Amen.'
St. Ignatius of Loyola
Words that struck me today were battle, surrender an private worship. Why? Because they were all things that came up yesterday in devotionals, verses and a film.
I had not really considered that battles we’re not mine to fight, I have to surrender situations and leave God to fight for me. To know scripture and live it out. I had not really long flight this week and found myself reading scripture. It was like reading it afresh. I had nowhere to go, had to be still, and found a new excitement for the word and desire and reminded to keep eyes focused on things above.