One very significant lesson Joshua teaches us is that we’ve gotta stay open to the fact that a life with God is made for the supernatural, the impossible.
Here’s s quick review as we get into part 2, Even when we find ourselves consumed with time, right now in our humanity, we are eternal people.
Which means we need to maintain an eternal perspective. And the only way that happens is by allowing the eternal book to inspire, challenge, motivate, to direct us toward the realities contained within it’s pages.
The psalmist tells us, God’s word is what enlightens our path, renews our soul to His world.
And because we are His born again, new creations, we made to be able to see, to comprehend what He’s saying.
Joshua 6, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand”
One very significant lesson Joshua teaches us is that we’ve gotta stay open to the fact that a life with God is made for the supernatural, the impossible.
Here’s the deal, as long as we allow our senses, emotions, intelligence to determine reality, we leave no room for faith
I bring this up because being in God's family, He gives all of us Holy Spirit inspired dreams, plans, ideas, assignments, purposes. Holy Spirit inspired lives.
Sometimes we simply need to be able to see what He’s saying. To be open to maybe a fresh approach toward those Holy Spirt inspired dreams, our God given purposes, those ideas that might seem a little out there.
And the wonderful thing about our NT is that it will take us from glory to glory. If we’ll let it. I mean listen to what John tells us, you are of God, and He who is in you is greater than anything in this world. You see what I’m saying?
Here’s the thing, seeing what He’s saying empowers us to rise above the fears, failures, disappointments, excuses, and become the person God already knows we are.
But here's the deal, becoming this person, discovering our dreams, taking ownership of our God life, will demand CHANGE!!!!!
Galatians 6:9,NLT- “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
Remember what John told us, you are of God, and He who is in you is greater than anything in this world.
God wants nothing more than for you to discover this life. A life He's already seen you having. You see what I’m saying?
“See! I have given Jericho into your hand”
Now you remember what God told Joshua concerning time in His word? (Day and Night.) In Matthew and Luke, Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye, and if the eye is single, the whole body will be full of light.”
Obviously, all of us could be more single minded when it comes to Jesus, His word and kingdom of Heaven realities.
This is why Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4, “Stop going along with this empty-headed, mindless crowd.”
We are new creations in Christ, this is why the Holy Spirit repeatedly tells us to set our minds on the things of the Spirit.
According to the book of Colossians, the only way we will ever get to the place where we actually expect God to be the God of the Bible is to set our mind on things of the Bible.
I know I remind y’all of this all the time but being a Christian isn’t just about receiving Jesus’ life, it's about living His life. And it all starts with a fixed, confident expectation, anticipating good.
Remember Deuteronomy, I’ve set before you life and death, choose life!!
This means there will be those times we’ve got to stop being moved by the things that we see, and focus on the things we can’t see because they are eternal. You see what I’m saying?
As one of Jesus’ disciples, we’ve got to take enough time with Jesus and His word that it begins shaping our expectation for God to do certain things in our lives.
We will never become who God says we are if we don't take the time to make ourselves available to Him.
He gave us His Word to enable us to see who He's called us to be.
Romans 15:4,NIV- For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
One of the main things Paul emphasizes is the fact that the moment we accept our new life in Christ, it comes with an assignment.
And just like Joshua and the children of Israel, we also have to possess our promise land.
Philippians 1:6,AMP- I am convinced of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ, right up to the time of His return, developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
I bring this up because it's easy for us to settle into our routine and forget that we're deliberately made, divinely gifted for purposes out beyond our current situation.
Let me drop this on ya while we’re here, let this truth settle in your heart, as a child of God, don't ever let what you do for income define who you are for God.
Here’s something else to consider, lets not confuse provision with destination.
As your SURRENDER becomes deeper, your ASSIGNMENT becomes clearer.
One of the main reasons we’re unwilling to step out of our self-imposed boundaries and discover something God has already seen us having or doing is simply because we can’t see what He’s saying.
Psalm 37:23-24,NLT- The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Something we’ve got to stay aware of, Godly inspiration requires faith participation.
I'm sure many of you know first hand how life will try desperately to get us to question our faith.
But what if the giant you're facing right now isn't there to defeat you but promote you. (David & Goliath)
Remember what Paul tells us about our OT examples, we repeatedly see God using what appeared to be an opposition to advance His people to a higher level of success.
Jeremiah 29, God says, I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you’re expecting.
The thing is, when we're in the middle of a challenging situation, doing something that makes no sense isn't what we want to hear from God. We just want Him to fix it.
I can't help but wonder how many of us miss things God has for us because we want to reason with Him instead of trust Him.
Sometimes our simplest act of faith is making room in our thinking for God to do what only He can do.
What if Jesus is asking you to do something that makes absolutely no sense?
Nick Vujicic, evangelist, speaker and author. He teaches all round the world, made this statement:
"The place between your comfort zone and your dream is where life takes place." "So, dream big and be willing to look a little foolish."
See! I have given Jericho into your hand”
Nick simply put into practice what the apostle Paul told us to do in Romans: with God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.
Now I realize that for many of us that are enjoying the blessings of God, the question for us is, will we be willing to let Jesus interrupt the routine of what we've gotten use to?
Remember, one of our big take always from Joshua is that we’ve gotta stay open to the fact that a life with God is made for the supernatural, the impossible.
Here’s the deal, as long as we allow our senses, emotions, circumstances, intelligence to determine reality, we leave no room for God’s supernatural.
I bring this up because being in God's family, He gives all of us Holy Spirit inspired dreams, plans, ideas, assignments, purposes. He gives everyone of us Holy Spirit inspired lives.
Sometimes we simply need to be able to see what He’s saying. To be open to maybe a fresh approach to a Holy Spirt inspired life.