STEPPING INTO OUR FUTURE-PART 2

In Joshua 1:1-9 we see the instructions given to Joshua right after the death of Moses. Forty years earlier, God had brought the Jewish people out of bondage (their past) in Egypt. Their disobedience, grumbling, and lack of faith kept them wandering in the desert for 40 years…a journey that should have taken only a few months. God was so unhappy with the Jews that he decreed that the whole generation coming out of Egypt would have to pass away before He would allow the new generation into “The Promised Land.” Joshua and Caleb were the only ones from the old generation God allowed to go into “their future.” The death of Moses seems to be the trigger that released the forward movement for the Israelites.

“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses” (1:2-3 NIV).

I like the way the New King James Version translates the first part of this verse, “Moses my servant is dead. Now, therefore, arise, go.” I like clear instructions, and this is immediate and very demanding.

I believe the Lord was saying to Joshua and then, through him, to the people, “I have led you this far; I have prepared you for this time; I have made a promise to you and it is now time to get up from where you are and possess your future.”

Some people possess their future and others let the future possess them. Several weeks ago I wrote about the 12 spies Moses sent in to spy out “the future.” Ten of the spies let the future possess them when they let the future become a place of fear and uncertainty. The other two (Joshua and Caleb) saw the future as a great opportunity, filled with confidence born of a relationship with God. They knew the future was theirs to possess (see Numbers 13 and 14).

God’s words to Joshua were a command to action. Inherent in the command was the understanding that God’s people were ready; He doesn’t send people into their “Promised Land” before it’s time. But they have to be willing to step up and possess the future; they have to want to move from where they are toward what God has for them. The same is true for us in possessing our future.

We live in a tragic moment in the church in America. The wave of easy “believism” of today leads many to conclude that if I just think good thoughts and push away the bad thoughts, my life will be fine. I am not interested in imposing legalistic demands but we must understand that God demands a response from us. That’s why He was explicit with Joshua, “Arise, go.” What He is saying is, “Your future is here and it’s up to you to possess it. You must get up and start moving toward the goal and as you move forward, I will be with you and direct your steps.”

“I will give you every place you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” What was the promise to Moses that God was now reminding Joshua about?

The promise to Moses is found in Deuteronomy 11:23-25: “If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him—then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea. No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.”

Wow, that’s quite a mouthful, quite a promise! We are told that “if we follow God’s instructions, love Him and hold fast to Him” then He will move the opposition out of our way. What seems to be insurmountable opposition will be moved.

What comes to your mind when you read the words “hold fast”? I think of my grandson who, when confronted by a situation he is uncertain of, will run and grab onto the leg of his dad or mom. That is exactly the picture of what we are to do, “run to Him and grab on for dear life.”

And God’s promise to us is that as He was with Moses and as He was with Joshua, so will He be with us! Jesus refreshes this for us when he said at the end of His earthly ministry, “…I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

As we walk into the unknown of our future, of all the promises God makes to us, I believe this is the greatest. I am thankful for His provision, for His protection, for all the benefits that daily come our way, but most of all I am thankful for His promise to accompany me into my future. “I am with you…to the very end.” And I intend to “hold fast”!

He is God and He has promised to walk with us into our future! Walking with Him is the connection that assures us that we can and will possess our future. If we don’t stay with Him, there is no territory to possess and we have lost the help of our GPS (God’s Plan for Success).