Whose Side Are You On?

Truth often lies somewhere in the middle of the rhetoric, talking heads, and “experts” freely spirting their opinions and total silence or ignorance in a situation. Truth does not boast or present itself loudly. It needs to be searched out and sought after. The wise know opinions must be striped of agendas and collusion before they can be accepted as fact or as truth.

There is a story in Joshua 5:13-15 that gives us the most amazing picture of God in any battle or difference of opinion here on the earth.

Joshua 5:13-15 The Commander of the Army of the Lord

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”

14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

15 Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua asks whose side are you on? And the Commander of the army of the Lord responds and says “no”, in other words, he says neither. He’s saying I am the Commander of the Lord’s army; I am not for or against you. The picture and the deeper understanding we glean from this encounter is that God has His own side. He has his own agenda. We have to remember God’s ways are not our ways! Joshua thought it was strictly an “us against them” situation, which is an instinctually human approach to difficult circumstances or situations here on earth, the Commander of the Army of the Lord impresses upon Joshua He has His own deeper, multifaceted desires for the outcome of the battle against Jericho. In that moment Joshua could have railed against that agenda or been disobedient, but after many years of following Moses to the tent of meeting in the wilderness, and then meeting with the Lord face to face himself, Joshua recognized who he was standing in front of and did the only smart thing he could do in that moment: he fell on his face and worshipped Him and waited for instructions.

We have to ask ourselves:

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

It’s the enemy’s agenda to convince us there are only two sides to any situation: “us” or “them”; it's the "if you are not with me, you must be against me" mentality. But it is God’s way to have His own thoughts about every situation and they typically do not align with “us or them”. It isn’t until we stop, ask, and wait to hear from the Lord that we will learn what His agenda is in any given situation and what He wants our part in that agenda to be.

Interestingly enough, if you read the rest of chapter 5 in the book of Joshua, you’ll see Joshua goes on to win the Battle of Jericho in a fantastic, miraculous fashion! He heard the instructions and the strategy for the battle from the Commander well!

God is the foundation and the origin of all truth and wisdom. Just read the book of Proverbs!

Proverbs 25:2 tells us it is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

If we are diligent to test all things and to search out a matter, we will find Truth. (Notice the capitalization of the “T” in that sentence.) When we are obedient to follow and to do what the word says, our connection and relationship with the Lord grows, along with our level of maturity, wisdom, and our ability to discern good from evil.

I want to be fighting for the side God is on; that’s the winning side. I know He sees everything with His desired end in mind and the greatest good for all involved over the long term. I want to fight for that side.

I also want to love people well. Most people don’t take kindly to being disagreed with or being put on the opposite side of an opinion or a situation. That is the very definition of division, and division is a tool of the enemy. The Lord’s agenda is unity in diversity; we are different, by design, but if we have God’s agenda as our motivation, you will have your part of God’s assignment and I will have mine.

And finally, and most importantly, I want to be a part of the solution God is wanting to bring to the earth in every situation. God wants that too. As Christian’s we are being transformed into the image of Jesus here on the earth; to govern as Jesus would in every situation. But God never intended for us to govern or do anything here on earth without us eagerly asking Him to be involved or to partner together with us. After Christ ascended to heaven, He sent us His Holy Spirit. When we got born-again, His Spirit came to live inside of us, and He becomes the power we have in these earthen vessels to transform things around us to bring glory to His name.

So, I encourage and invite you to be slow to take a side. Wisdom and maturity will lead us to take our time. Ultimately, as Christians:

It isn't about taking sides, it's about taking truth.

I encourage you to seek God for His view of the situations you see around you, no matter what they are: personal, political, relational, professional, etc. As we get closer and closer to Jesus coming back, things are going to get much more complicated here on earth. Your survival is going to depend on your ability to discern good and evil in the situations around you. Now is the time to develop and mature in your ability to hear and discern the Lord’s voice for yourself.

In conclusion, I will leave you with one last scripture to meditate and pray on:

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

It is my joy to teach and train believers to hear His voice. If this is an area you would like to grow in, please reach out.