Preparing for the Promise Part 1 by Fred Garcia
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When God speaks, things take form and come into being; the heavens, the stars, the earth and all the living creatures. For Him it's easy, right? As Christians we have come to expect and acknowledge that God can do more with one spoken word than we are able to accomplish in several lifetimes (if it were possible) of toil, labor, and our greatest efforts apart from Him.
When God does something He always makes it seem so easy.
And while this may be true from His perspective we need to be cautious not to read the stories of His mighty deliverances and victories throughout history as stories in which man was not involved. From the beginning, even before the fall of Adam and Eve, they were required to labor in cooperation with what God was doing. They were to fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over all the living creatures. They were to tend and cultivate the garden. Work was required even in the very midst of God's miraculous provision. So, with that in mind let's take a moment to consider another such story of God's mighty provision.
Easy Peasy, Entering's Easy!
In the book of Exodus, we read of God's miraculous deliverance of the Israelites with signs, wonders and undeniable power. We know that in the midst of this not only did God deliver them, but He promised to take them to a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex 3:8). The rest of the book goes on to tell of God's dealings with His people, their stubbornness, pride and general waywardness. An entire generation ended up needlessly perishing in the desert before God could get them to a place spiritually whereby He was able to bring them into the Promised Land. They finally made it and entered under the leadership of God's newly appointed man Joshua. So then...entering in was easy, God paved the way, and all that Joshua and the people had to do was to wait on God, watch Him move, follow His directions, and then enjoy the fruits of their new vacation resort with sunshine and frolicking camels, right? I must admit that this has always been the ethereal picture in my mind of how things went down. As a result, I have often grumbled to God and asking Him "why hasn't it been as easy to enter into Your personal promises for me as it seemed to be for Joshua?" I would find myself questioning this in spite of the fact that I had read this story numerous times and knew all of the details. Well if you too have been frustrated in your attempt to enter into the promises of God for your life let's take a closer look at the details of Joshua's story together.
Receiving in Part
"Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses... 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." (Joshua 1:3, 5)
BAM! Looks like smooth sailing, right? Well, sort of. While these words are truly from God and can be relied upon by Joshua as well as reflecting God's heart for the walk of the believer, they are also incomplete. They are among some of the most frequently and ill quoted words in some Christian circles. Pastors and leaders have lead their people on prayer walks, outreaches, and out into the world around them telling them that all they need to do is to walk, and their footsteps will be established. Well as true as that may be it is only partial truth. To stop and lean upon this small segment of God's word to Joshua by itself fails to give the full perspective of what God is doing both for and through Joshua and the people of Israel.
While RECEIVING any Word from God is of the utmost importance, to think that this is all that is required in order to step into His promises is to set oneself up for disillusionment, discouragement and a plethora of unfulfilled promises.
For a more complete perspective we need to read further and take into account God's full counsel to Joshua as well as his response to God's word.
Quadruple Order of Courage....To Go
To continue, we see that God goes on to tell Joshua three times from His own mouth, and yet one more time through Joshua's army at the end of the chapter, to "be strong, and courageous." (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 17-18) If this were going to be so easy, why would God tell him four different times to be strong and courageous? Do we need be strong to accomplish a simple or easy task? No, strength is needed for something or a situation which is challenging. And to be courageous is a quality which enables us to face difficulties, dangers, pain, etc. without fear. So in essence God is telling Joshua this (if I may paraphrase):
Look Joshua, I am going to establish you and give you every place that you set your foot upon, but it's going to be challenging, it's going to be difficult and you are going to face many potentially dangerous and even painful situations. But I'm telling you right now that it is critical that you lean on me and not be afraid, no matter the circumstances. Fear is going to cloud your ability to hear me. Fear is going to blind you from seeing what I am up to and where I am going, so Joshua it is imperative that you do not yield yourself to fear!
Did God miraculously clear the way for Joshua? You bet He did! However, God only did so as Joshua set himself and the people of Israel to courageously labor in response to what their God had spoken. If indeed God is the same yesterday, today and forever, then the first thing we must realize when seeking to step into the fullness of His promises for us, is that He will require no less of us than he did of Joshua.
Labor, as directed by God, in the face of fear will be required.
The Foundational Word
God sets out one final expectation of Joshua before he begins to prepare (labor) to enter into this promise. In Joshua 1:7-8 God tells him this:
"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. 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."
If we desire to step into the fullness of God's promises for us we must not only be ready and willing to labor, but we must also get to know Him through the entirety of His word. Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. (Matt 5:17-20) We need to get into His Word. We cannot hope to be obedient to His Word if we have never sought to understand it, much less read it.
We are responsible to get the Word of God into us. There's no excuse.
With the help of the Holy Spirit we can even understand it as we depend upon Him to teach and instruct us along the way. (John 14:26) It is not the pastor, priest, author or televangelist who is responsible to get it into us. They may be very helpful along the way, but at the end of the day, and at the end of our lives we will be the only ones held accountable for not knowing or pursuing intimacy with God through His Word. It has been made more readily available to us in this present age than at any point in history. It is a crucial ingredient for entering into the fullness of God's many promises for us throughout our lives. If we choose to do so "then [we] will make [our] way prosperous, and then [we] will have success!" (Joshua 1:8)
