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?”
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, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
Joshua 5:13-14

As Joshua is preparing his army to face Jericho, he meets Jesus, the Commander of the Lord’s army. Jesus’s appearance to Joshua gives him the strength and direction to take possession of the Promised Land that God had already promised him.

When Joshua asked what side Jesus was fighting for, Jesus replied that He is not on either side, and that Joshua needs to get on God’s side! As believers, we need to follow these same instructions given to Joshua and align ourselves with the will of God.

God has called the church to be countercultural. He calls us to align our hearts, minds, and perspectives with His Word. God’s will may not align with popular views of the world because He is not of this world. Take care not to align yourself with an earthly kingdom, but rather align yourself with the Kingdom of God. The church has been called to be in the world, but not of it!

You may be thinking, Is God on my side? Instead, what you need to be thinking is, I need to get on God’s side.

And above all, the church is called to love God and love others.