I believe Joshua chapter 1 is a prophetic call to the church for 2025
Joshua 1: 1,2
After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.
I believe there is something new the Lord is stirring in our nation and our world. I believe God is stirring a divine call on the church. I believe the Lord is talking to us right now that it is time for us to move.
What did Joshua find out in these verses?
– It is his time to lead….people of God, it is now your time to come out from the shadows and lead in this broken and hurting world.
– God wants more people to come into the Kingdom than ever before
Haven’t you felt like the church, as ancient Israel has just been wandering in the desert not really being effective? As we watch, so many things happen in our families, communities, and nation that we seem to have no control over.
We have been trained and are now called to change the world. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1) and, God’s desire is that none should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter3:9b)
Who are you?
You are called to lead….you are to be the head and not the tail
You are to be light…..scattering all the darkness, being a direct reflection of your Father, who is light
You are salt….you stop corruption, you add flavor, and you preserve what is good
You are a child of the King ….given authority on this earth to impact a broken world
You are a joint heir with Christ….giving you a divine inheritance
You are more than a conquerer…..called to conquer the things the devil and this world offer
You are an overcomer….called to overcome everything your own flesh can through at you
Joshua 1:3
I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.
God has made certain promises to you personally but he has made one corporately to the church that should help us to radically change our world.
Acts 1:8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What does this mean in light of the call of the Joshua generation? Let’s keep reading
Joshua 1:5
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Jesus told us he would be with us always, He told us the Holy Spirit would guide us and He would lead us into all truth. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 11 gives us a list of saints who have gone on before us that are a living testimony of God’s faithfulness to us. If, as I said earlier, God desires for none to perish and all to come to repentance then he is already battling for us and them and if he has given us the power to be his light to disciple a broken world then we need to move in this power. The great moves of God in the past will be shadowed by what the Lord wants to do now if we will allow Him!
Talk about tongues, wisdom, knowledge, healing, Coffee shop and so much more. We must break the mold of the ways we are used to presenting the Gospel and find the wisdom and power to touch hearts and lives….stir the creativity to make it happen.
We must be able to stand with the Lord on his word, which means we need to get back into the word, study it, read it
Joshua 1:6-8
Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
We already established that the earth and all the people belong to the Lord and God is making it personal to Joshua, and I believe the Joshua generation as well. We are to lead a broken world into a place of freedom. But none of us have the ability to do it on our own. As I mentioned earlier, we must read God’s word, know God’s word, and the word. “meditate” means to think and pray about God’s word. When we choose to do that the futility of our work goes away and God brings favor to us, not favor that the world gives but the favor the Lord gives. Our frustration with fruitlessness goes away. We begin to see a difference being made. God gives vision and we need to follow it. He will give you vision, he will correct wrong vision, he will give favor and success as you chose to follow him, by seeking him, being active in your pursuit of him, his way.
Some will need to wait on the Lord to get new instructions. Others will need to wait to get fresh vision. Some will need to merely begin listening to the voices God has placed in your life to begin fulfilling your call.
It is not easy to follow the Lord. Many have been pursuing their own vision, their own desires it has cost you, you have not had peace, you are struggling, you have struggles in your family, your work, even it has cost you, your health. God is saying it is time for you to prosper and have success to be amazed at what God will do through you.
Joshua 1:9
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
I believe the Lord is saying it is time to shake off the feelings of inadequacy, fear, frustration, hopelessness, failure and whatever else the enemy may have lied to you about and to agree with the Lord as to who you are
Just in case you forgot the list from earlier
Who are you?
You are called to lead….you are to be the head and not the tail
You are to be light…..scattering all the darkness, being a direct reflection of your Father, who is light
You are salt….you stop corruption, you add flavor, and you preserve what is good
You are a child of the King ….given authority on this earth to impact a broken world
You are a joint heir with Christ….giving you a divine inheritance
You are more than a conquerer…..called to conquer the things the devil and this world offer
You are an overcomer….called to overcome everything your own flesh can through at you
The Holy Spirit will lead and guide you like never before, empowering you with gifts of wisdom, knowledge, power, and most importantly a fresh feeling of the fruit alive in your life.
There are two main reasons for this activation of the Joshua generation
Matthew 28:19,20
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
And secondly but none the less important
Hebrews 10:24,25
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
God has called us to live lives that are authentic, real that shows both a hurting and broken world and our brothers and sisters in Christ that our relationship with the Lord is real and our love for them is real.
There is so much fake in this world. In a world full of real and spiritual artificial intelligence. We need to be the real thing. Knowing what we believe and living it. Using the gifts and fruit of the Spirit to draw us to Christ and/or deeper relationship. Our nation has been torn down and beaten up enough. Our brothers and sisters in Christ have been beaten up and torn down enough it is time the Joshua generation to arise and go forward in the power and love of God!
Will you? We often wait for others, and the Lord will say to us, “How about you?” You can be a very real source of healing, strength, hope, peace, love and joy if you are simply willing to say “Yes”, to the Lord