GOD SAYS 3 THINGS TO JOSHUA
Joshua 1: 1-9
God's
Charge to Joshua
1 Now it came about after the death
of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun,
Moses' servant, saying, 2 "Moses My servant is dead; now
therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which
I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 "Every
place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I
spoke to Moses. 4 "From the wilderness and this Lebanon,
even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the
Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be
your territory. 5 "No man will be able to stand before you all
the days of your life Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I
will not fail you or forsake you.
6 "Be
strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land
which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 "Only be strong
and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My
servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that
you may have success wherever you go. 8 "This book of the
law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and
night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it;
for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
9 "Have I not commanded you? Be
strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is
with you wherever you go."
I Let Go of Yesterday – vs.
1,2A Past
A. Let go of all the great miracles that I have shown you.
We can’t live on yesterday’s VICTORIES
God wants our relationships with Him to be up to date.
B. Let go
of yesterday’s frustrations
Yesterday ended LAST NIGHT
“Any person can fight the battle of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of 2 awful eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, that we tremble. It is not the experiences of today that drive us to distraction. It is the remorse or the bitterness of something that happened yesterday. Or it is the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore live 1 day at a time. And let us take advantage of the precious moment of today. Let go of yesterday.”
Philippians 3: 13-14 ; Matthew 6: 34
C. Don’t hold on to past BITTERNESS
Hebrews 12: 15 - 15See to it that no one comes
short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes
trouble, and by it many be defiled
Today I let go of ________________________________________________
II Hold On To God’s Promises – vs.
2-9 Present
Right about now, Joshua was feeling:
INSECURE
INFERIOR
INADEQUATE
God gives Joshua, and to us, 3 promises:
A. God’s DIRECTION
/ will for your life
There are 5 ways that we know
God’s will:
* Scripture / * Prayer / * The counsel of godly people / * Circumstances /
* An inner assurance of peace
B. God’s POWER /
presence for your life
God will not send us where He cannot sustain us
Hebrews 13: 5-6 – God Himself has said: “ I
will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you”, so that we can confidently
say “ The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?”
What happens to us when we realize that God is always with us?
* Confidence / * Peace / * Perspective / * Courage
C. God’s PROVISION for success
God equips us and expects us to be successful
SUCCESS – vs. 7 & 8 means to be living on a plane of success in:
· Relationships / * Purpose - meaning in life
If we are to be successful in this way, we are to meet the conditions that God has for us:
1. Obey God – vs. 7
2. Study God’s Word effectively:
KNOW it in my head
STOW it in my heart
SOW it in the world
3. Be Strong and Courageous
The battle in the Lord’s. It is not mine. It’s His. And I receive courage when I understand that fact and give Him my yesterdays and my tomorrows, and let Him run the show!
Then Joshua commanded the officers