Edgefield Missionary Baptist Church

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

From Pastor Josh's devotion time this morning:

Lions don’t apologize for their roar. They don’t shrink back when danger comes; they move with the authority of who they are. Proverbs 28:1 paints this exact picture - those walking in unrighteousness are consumed by fear, but those rooted in God’s righteousness have a confidence that nothing can shake. This boldness isn’t about personality or being naturally fearless; it’s about knowing who stands with you.

This verse became real to me one terrifying night a few years ago when a tornado warning had gone off at the house. This was my first "real storm" since moving to Alabama, and as I looked outside and saw water comingdownin buckets, filling the yards and ditches, and pounding against the window. My heart pounded, my hands were sweaty, and fear’s whispers grew loud:“What if we don’t make it? What if this is it?”

I stood there, frozen for a moment, looking out the window, and whispered a desperate prayer:“God, remind me who I am in You. Give me peace to move swiftly in Your name.”Instantly, His peace washed over me like a warm blanket. I walked out to the living room where my family gathered, and we waited together to see the storm play out.

Even as chaos swirled outside, God’s voice was louder:“All will be well.” And He was right. The storm eased off as it passed and we were safe. That night taught me that boldness doesn’t always roar; sometimes, it’s a quiet, supernatural courage that comes only from knowing God is with you.

Being bold as a lion isn’t about the absence of fear; it’s about the presence of God. His Spirit gives us the strength to stand firm, move wisely, and remain calm - even when fear says we should panic. The same God who calmed me that night is the same God who will give you courage today.

Thought to Ponder:
What situation in my life right now requires quiet courage and bold trust in God’s promises?

Pray:
Father God, thank You for the boldness that comes from being Your child. Help me to stand firm in moments of fear, to trust Your promises, and to move forward with quiet courage. Fill me with the assurance that You are always with me, even in the storm. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."
Proverbs 28:1 CSB

06/03/2026

What does our passage below say?

Ezekiel shaved his head and beard. He burned one part with fire, struck another with a sword, and scattered the remaining third to the wind, but a few hairs were tucked away.

What does it mean?

The shaving of Ezekiel's head and beard was the fourth sign of God’s coming judgment. God had placed Israel in a specific position for a special task. They were the nation through which God would reveal Himself to the world. Their covenant with the one true God set them apart, but Israel and Judah both rejected God's purpose to the point that they were worse than the surrounding pagan nations. The divisions of Ezekiel’s hair vividly illustrated Jerusalem’s fate. God’s mercy, however, would preserve a remnant of the nation, symbolized by the few hairs tucked into Ezekiel’s robe.

How should I respond?

Believers in Christ are set apart from the world. This doesn’t mean we avoid interacting with those who are not followers of Christ. Unbelievers should be drawn to Christ by seeing a difference in the way we live. So how does that actually happen? When you surrender moment by moment to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you allow Christ to live through you. If you refuse His instruction, God may discipline you as a means to guide you back into His plan. Is there a specific area in your life that doesn’t honor the Lord? Ask God to help you live today set apart for His purpose.

"“Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair. You are to burn a third of it in the city when the days of the siege have ended; you are to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind, for I will draw a sword to chase after them. But you are to take a few strands from the hair and secure them in the folds of your robe. Take some more of them, throw them into the fire, and burn them in it. A fire will spread from it to the whole house of Israel. “This is what the Lord God says: I have set this Jerusalem in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. She has rebelled against my ordinances with more wickedness than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries that surround her. For her people have rejected my ordinances and have not walked in my statutes. “Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have been more insubordinate than the nations around you — you have not walked in my statutes or kept my ordinances; you have not even kept the ordinances of the nations around you — therefore, this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will execute judgments within you in the sight of the nations. Because of all your detestable practices, I will do to you what I have never done before and what I will never do again. As a result, fathers will eat their sons within Jerusalem, and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments against you and scatter all your survivors to every direction of the wind. “Therefore, as I live” — this is the declaration of the Lord God — “I will withdraw and show you no pity, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your abhorrent acts and detestable practices. Yes, I will not spare you. A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them. When my anger is spent and I have vented my wrath on them, I will be appeased. Then after I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken in my jealousy. “I will make you a ruin and a disgrace among the nations around you, in the sight of everyone who passes by. So you will be a disgrace and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations around you when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. When I shoot deadly arrows of famine at them, arrows for destruction that I will send to destroy you, inhabitants of Jerusalem, I will intensify the famine against you and cut off your supply of bread. I will send famine and dangerous animals against you. They will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”"
Ezekiel 5:1‭-‬17 CSB

06/03/2026

Israel Crosses the Jordan River

Just before the death of Moses, the Israelites arrived at the plains of Moab, making their camp at Sh*ttim, northeast of the Dead Sea (Numbers 25:1; Deuteronomy 34). From there, Joshua sent two spies to the Canaanite city of Jericho to get a sense of what the residents of the promised land thought about the Israelites who were soon to invade. These spies reported that the Canaanites were afraid of the Israelites because of the mighty acts that brought Israel out of slavery and defeated Egypt (Joshua 2). This set the stage for Israel to invade the land, as God commanded them to do (chap. 1).

The Israelites had to move west across the Jordan River to enter the promised land. Joshua ordered the people to set out from Sh*ttim, and they came to the Jordan, where they camped for three days (3:1-2). It was springtime, when the Jordan would have been a rushing torrent of water due to the melting of the mountain snow. Joshua 3:15 reports that the river was overflowing then, and the riverbanks would have been covered with thick brambles. The Israelites faced a seemingly impossible river to cross, and the three-day delay would have impressed on them the difficulty of their situation. God would have to intervene for them to enter the land.

Joshua ordered the priests to pick up the ark and carry it before the people (vv. 1-6). Normally, non-priestly Levites carried the ark (Numbers 4:15), but the fact that the priests carried the ark and that they went before the people highlights the importance of the event. The ark was the physical representation of God’s presence in Israel (Exodus 25:22), and its movement here indicates that the Lord would lead the people into the land. The people had to stay far from the ark and “consecrate” themselves to follow it, for God is a holy God, and the land they were going would be holy to Him.

This careful preparation indicated that what was about to happen would demonstrate to the Israelites that God would be driving out the Canaanites and giving the land to His people. But lest they have any doubts, Joshua told Israel that God would do something to show His power and will to give Canaan to them (Joshua 3:7-13). And God did intervene with a miracle similar to the crossing of the Red Sea. When the priests carrying the ark put their feet in the water overflowing the banks of the Jordan River, the water stopped, and the people crossed over on dry land (vv. 14-17; see Exodus 14). If God could accomplish that, surely He could defeat the armies of Canaan.

CORAM DEO - Living before the face of God

Matthew Henry comments that the miracle of the Red Sea crossing under Moses was repeated in the Jordan River crossing under Joshua “to show that God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people that he had to begin it.” God did not bring the people out of Egypt and leave them to finish their own salvation; He was with them to bring it to completion. The same God who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6).

"Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. After three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.” Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.” Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them. The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses. Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.” Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” He said, “You will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgash*tes, Amorites, and Jebusites when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth goes ahead of you into the Jordan. Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.” When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people. Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah — the Dead Sea — was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan."
Joshua 3:1‭-‬17 CSB

06/03/2026

GOD KNEW YOU FIRST

Before your name was ever spoken in classrooms, before it was written on documents, before it was attached to achievements or mistakes… God already knew you.

This means your identity did not begin with human introduction.

And because of that, human misunderstanding cannot erase divine recognition.

There may be moments where people mislabel you, overlook you, or fail to understand you. But none of that changes the fact that God already identified you correctly before time began.

You are not trying to become known. You are learning to agree with what God said about you.

Reflection:
Am I living from God’s recognition of me or people’s opinions about me?

Pray:
Father God, realign my identity with Your truth. Let me live anchored in how You see me, not how others define me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Declaration:
God knew me before anyone introduced me.

"To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."
Galatians 1:5 CSB

06/03/2026

Ezekiel saw a vision.

A valley.

Dry bones everywhere.

God asked, “Can these bones live?”

Not a question about probability.

A question about power.

Ezekiel spoke as he was told.

Into silence.

Into what could not hear.

There was a sound. A rattling.

Bone to bone.
Sinew.
Flesh.
Skin.
Bodies.

But no breath.

You can have shape without life.
Movement without Spirit.

The appearance of restoration while everything inside is still hollow.

I’ve left Bible reading times feeling assembled but empty.

Not in crisis. Just dry.

You can look fine and still need resurrection.

We need breath.
The vision first spoke to Israel in exile. Temple gone. Land lost. Identity fractured.

They didn’t feel weak.

They felt finished.

God didn’t offer improvement. He promised resurrection.
When Jesus walked out of the tomb, the pattern became flesh.

And in Acts 2, when the Spirit came like wind, the language of breath returned.

The God who raises from graves also breathes life into His people.

Resurrection.

Spirit.

Life only God can give.

Gentle Invitation:
Where have you quietly labeled something beyond recovery?
What would it mean to remember God specializes in resurrection?

Tomorrow: If God promised a ruler from ancient days, how do we see that promise fulfilled in Jesus?

"The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Lord God, only you know.” He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’ Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, my people, and lead you into the land of Israel. You will know that I am the Lord, my people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it. This is the declaration of the Lord.’”"
Ezekiel 37:1‭-‬14 CSB

06/03/2026

Good morning Edgefield Family! This is pastor Josh coming to you here again. It's Wednesday and day 154 of our Chronological study through the Bible in a year. Have you taken the time to connect with the Father today? If not, why not do that now. Then, let's dig in:

"Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. For it is pleasing if you keep them within you and if they are constantly on your lips. I have instructed you today — even you — so that your confidence may be in the Lord. Haven’t I written for you thirty sayings about counsel and knowledge, in order to teach you true and reliable words, so that you may give a dependable report to those who sent you? Don’t rob a poor person because he is poor, and don’t crush the oppressed at the city gate, for the Lord will champion their cause and will plunder those who plunder them. Don’t make friends with an angry person, and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered one, or you will learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Don’t be one of those who enter agreements, who put up security for loans. If you have nothing with which to pay, even your bed will be taken from under you. Don’t move an ancient boundary marker that your ancestors set up. Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of the unknown."
Proverbs 22:17‭-‬29 CSB

"When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite; don’t desire his choice food, for that food is deceptive. Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; because you know better, stop! As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky. Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread, and don’t desire his choice food, for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit the little you’ve eaten and waste your pleasant words. Don’t speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words. Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong, and he will champion their cause against you. Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge. Don’t withhold discipline from a youth; if you punish him with a rod, he will not die. Punish him with a rod, and you will rescue his life from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will indeed rejoice. My innermost being will celebrate when your lips say what is right. Don’t let your heart envy sinners; instead, always fear the Lord. For then you will have a future, and your hope will not be dashed. Listen, my son, and be wise; keep your mind on the right course. Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat. For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe them in rags. Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old. Buy — and do not sell — truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding. The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly, and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him. Let your father and mother have joy, and let her who gave birth to you rejoice. My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. For a pr******te is a deep pit, and a wayward woman is a narrow well; indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber and increases the number of unfaithful people. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes? Those who linger over wine; those who go looking for mixed wine. Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, because it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things. You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast. “They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn’t know it! When will I wake up? I’ll look for another drink.”"
Proverbs 23:1‭-‬35 CSB

"Don’t envy the evil or desire to be with them, for their hearts plan violence, and their words stir up trouble. A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding; by knowledge the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. A wise warrior is better than a strong one, and a man of knowledge than one of strength; for you should wage war with sound guidance — victory comes with many counselors. Wisdom is inaccessible to a fool; he does not open his mouth at the city gate. The one who plots evil will be called a schemer. A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to people. If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter. If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,” won’t he who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t he who protects your life know? Won’t he repay a person according to his work? Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate; realize that wisdom is the same for you. If you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will never fade. Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one, at the camp of the righteous man; don’t destroy his dwelling. Though a righteous person falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin. Don’t gloat when your enemy falls, and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, or the Lord will see, be displeased, and turn his wrath away from him. Don’t be agitated by evildoers, and don’t envy the wicked. For the evil have no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king, and don’t associate with rebels, for destruction will come suddenly from them; who knows what distress these two can bring? These sayings also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent” — peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him; but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a generous blessing will come to them. He who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips. Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterward, build your house. Don’t testify against your neighbor without cause. Don’t deceive with your lips. Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me; I’ll repay the man for what he has done.” I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of one lacking sense. Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction: a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, and your need, like a bandit."
Proverbs 24:1‭-‬34 CSB

06/03/2026

Pray for those encountering difficulties related to aging or caring for elderly loved ones, that they may find support and guidance.

06/02/2026

From Pastor Josh's devotion time this morning:

Have you ever felt overlooked? Maybe you’ve been passed over for a promotion, left out of a group, or felt invisible in your own family. In John 15, Jesus is speaking to His disciples during His final hours on earth, preparing them for His departure. He’s assuring them that their calling wasn’t random - they were handpicked by the Son of God Himself.

In that time, disciples typically chose their rabbi. But Jesus flips this cultural expectation:“You didn’t choose me. I chose you.” Imagine how comforting this was for the disciples, many of whom were fishermen and ordinary men society had ignored. The Savior of the world said, “I see you. I want you. I choose you.”

I remember a season when I felt completely overlooked. I had stepped out in faith, saying yes to a calling that seemed far bigger than me. Yet, instead of doors swinging open, I faced rejection after rejection. The enemy whispered,“You’re not enough. You’re not equipped. God’s forgotten you.” But in prayer, God brought me back to this Scripture.

He whispered to my heart: “I chose you. Before anyone doubted you, I appointed you. I am the One who opens doors, and no man can shut them.”

Confidence doesn’t come from being the most talented or popular. It comes from knowing the Creator of the universe personally selected you. If God chose you, then you are qualified. If God appointed you, then you are called. No rejection, no opinion, and no mistake can change that truth.

Maybe today you feel unseen. You’re not. God sees you, knows you, and has handpicked you for a purpose that will bear eternal fruit. Walk in that truth today.

Thought to Ponder:
How would I live differently if I fully believed I am chosen by God?

Pray:
Father God, thank You for choosing me even when I feel overlooked. Remind me daily that my identity is in You, not in people’s opinions. Give me the confidence to walk boldly in the calling You have placed on my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you."
John 15:16 CSB