Each time that God carries us through a difficult situation, we can be sure he will be with us in whatever we face in days ahead. The Israelites erected a monument to remind them of the miracle they experienced in crossing the Jordan River.

It's easy to put off reading the Bible; or to get distracted during the Christmas or Easter season and go through the motions, rather than taking the time to remember why we set aside time to remember what God has done for us.

The Israelites that crossed the Jordan were not the same as their forefathers. This generation was obedient. Joshua, too, held fast to the directions Moses gave him. They remembered the error of the former generation, learned the lessons and did it different.

Finally, after 40 long years, the Israelites are ready to cross the Jordan River and enter the land that God promised to give to Abraham. This was an act of faith, because the Jordan River was at flood stage. God was going to have to do something miraculous if the people were able to cross.

And he did. When the feet of the priests hit the water, the water parted. The people would learn once again that God was with them, and he would open ways where there weren't ways.

Joshua chapter two takes us to the home of Rahab the prostitute. Joshua sent to spies to Jericho. They would certainly have been captured except that Rahab hid the men and saved their lives. And because she was sure that the spies served the one true God, she asked that they spare her life when they took the land.

Her courage saved her and her entire family. And she would go on to marry an Israelite and become part of the genealogy of Christ. Imagine that! She might have shrunk back or got stuck in who she had been. But courage and unyielding faith that God was a God worthy of her trust motivated her to shoot her shot.

What's been holding you back? If God forgives you, and he does, why have you let shame keep you from doing the kingdom work he would have you do?