“After the death of Moses…it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua…Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.” ~ Joshua 1:1-2
REFERENCE:
Life is not fair; the unexpected happens; what we make of it produces a life of victory. If we looked at Ruth’s background, she wouldn’t be in the Lord’s lineage; looking at how Sarah started, there should be no Isaac; if you met Job in his misery, you would wonder how he ended doubly blessed. If we followed what the rulers of this age did to Jesus, we would not be saved.
Joshua lived his early life under the shadow of Moses, a strong leader whose records were hard to match. He had no record of any significant achievement. However, God raised Joshua for battles – he would confront nations, well-trained and veteran soldiers, decorated military generals, giants, and an impregnably solid city wall of Jericho. But guess what happened?
Joshua suffered bereavement; his mentor-leader died. He must have been overwhelmed by grief, a deep sense of loss, and confusion. Although Moses imparted his spirit into him, Joshua faced a challenge Moses did not meet. The land he was to divide to Israel was in the possession of enemies. He would have to fight great opposition and turn formerly enslaved people into men of war.
Our text reveals the recipe that turned Joshua into a military strategist and gave him exceptional victories over the land of the Canaanites. We will begin to look at some of them:
a. Your Victory is Settled: God spoke to Joshua in the past tense: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I HAVE GIVEN you…” God had judged the inhabitants of Canaan and swore to dispossess them and give Israel the land. Your victory is also already settled. Victory is yours by inheritance; it is your birthright because Jesus, the Greater One, is in you.
b. Failure is Not Final: God told Joshua to arise from his sense of loss and mourning. Life continues beyond your pain, loss, failure, defeat, etc. So, arise from your place of defeat, failure, loss, or sorrow. Failure is neither fatal nor final. To walk in victory, let the past be in the past, and bygones be bygones. Decide to follow God into the future. Victory happens by moving from setbacks/delays to steady and incremental progress.
If Joshua became a celebrated hero, your story will end well, in Jesus’ name. We will continue tomorrow.
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
I John 4:4, Judges 14:14, and Micah 7:8
PRAYER:
+ The Greater One lives in me. The smell of victory is all over me. Out of my defeat comes great victories, in Jesus’ name. I may be down now, but I will arise, make a glorious comeback, and end better than I started, in Jesus’ name.
