It’s been a couple weeks since my last post. To be honest, God’s gotta walk us through things before we can speak on them, and that’s where I’ve been lately. Walking.
Early, at the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that He’s taking off limits in our lives, and those limits include the areas we’ve been limiting Him. The giants in the land are what He’s putting His finger on right now, so that we can move into a whole new place of victory. I’ve been in the book of Joshua lately, and His strategies there are amazing. I thought I’d put them down for us all. This will be a valuable reference as we face the things before us, things that have held us back in the past, but no more.
There’s a lot here, so I’m breaking them out into separate posts. Let these take root in your heart. Study them. Marinate in them. Then walk them out, and you will see the salvation of the Lord.
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1. God has given the land to us.
Joshua 1:3 – Every place that the sole of your foot will tread, I have given to you. Know that the land God is giving you is ALREADY yours. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. Get ahold of that. It’s YOURS.
2. NOTHING will be able to stand against you.
Joshua 1:5 – No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. With God on our side, we are ensured a great victory. NOTHING can stand up against Him. As long as we are aligned with Him, we cannot fail.
3. Only be strong and courageous to trust God and obey Him. Do not deviate from His path.
Joshua 1:7 – Only be strong and courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. Our obedience is imperative here. Listen to God’s directions. Then do them. Walking the steps out solidifies them, so you’re not swayed in the wrong direction. Don’t just believe it in your heart. Faith without works is dead. As you step out, you will stay the course, and in that you will prosper. Don’t compromise. Don’t sell your soul — your promise, your birthright — for a bowl of soup. What may be tempting now, could be detrimental to your future.
4. Do not fear anyone. It is the enemy that is fearful of you!
Joshua 2:9 — And [Rahab] said to the men [the spies]: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. Rahab goes on to explain that the faithfulness of God towards His people is known throughout the land and “As soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, HE is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). We have such a tendency to be fearful of the opinion of others or what lays ahead, but the truth is the enemy, the devil, is scared of us!! Don’t fall for the deception. Know your identity, your authority. God fights for you.
5. God will make a way where there seems no way. Cross over and do not look back.
Joshua 3 & 4. Before the Israelites could enter into their Promise Land, they had to cross the River Jordan. Just as God parted the waters of the Red Sea, He parted the waters of the Jordan. This place became a marker of God’s faithfulness, and a memorial of stones was set here. We will have to cross over into what God has for us, leaving the past behind. This, too, is a marker for us, where we make the decision to move forward, never falling back onto our old ways. Know this … when you know you are loved, you will never look back.
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There’s a lot here, and much of it is about obedience. I want to share a little something I learned along the way. Receiving God’s direction can something feel overwhelming. “God, how can I do this?!” For so many years I felt it was up to me to power through and accomplish what He told me. Little did I know the beauty of His grace. He shared with me one day, “I’m not telling you these things so you can make them happen. I’m telling you these things, so you know what I’m doing next.”
Mmmm … wow. How refreshing that was! He truly includes us in His plans, and just needs us to come in alignment with Him. He does the heavy lifting. We’re called to walk in step with Him. He’ll open the doors, He’ll direct our paths. Don’t try to push forward ahead of Him. But be ready when He moves. And when He does, His grace will be there. We’re not alone in these things. He truly fights for us. This is a safe place. Our Father knows the way.