With God, All Things Are Possible
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
Mark 10:27
Twice, the Bible makes this powerful statement: “With God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27 and Matthew 19:26) One small word, “with,” makes all the difference. To you all things are possible, with God. When it was time for the Israelites to take the Promised Land, Joshua did not stride in with the strength of men. He purposefully planted his feet in the promise of God. Every step he took was a step of faith.
God told him: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.” (Joshua 1:3 NKJV)
Why did Joshua succeed where others did not? The reasons were deep within in Joshua’s own heart, not in his surroundings. That’s the difference between what happens for some people and what doesn’t happen for others. God’s people live for His plan. They don’t sit around and wish for their future! God has a plan, and a purpose for you! He knows the plans He has for you! Step into them!
For the faithless of Israel, 40 years of wandering turned the Promised Land into Never Never Land. For those same 40 years, Joshua held onto a delayed victory. When God called him, Joshua responded! His faithful action put God’s promise into effect. His faith led lost, aimless people into possession of perhaps the most sought-after piece of real estate on planet earth.
Success is in yourself and God’s Word, not in your circumstances. If you see God’s promises in front of you, take that first step of faith. He is with you!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for being faithful to fulfill all of Your promises, including Your promise to walk with me. Your promises, not my circumstance, are the blueprint for my future. There is nothing that can separate me from You and Your love! Help me to remember this and to live accordingly! In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Yes, and Amen!
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV)
God’s Word is for you. It belongs to you to the full extent that you will accept it. Just like Joshua, you simply have to step out in faith to secure the result. What was God’s promise to Joshua? “From the wilderness … to the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.” (Joshua 1:4)
The land waiting for Joshua and Israel was as big as their faith. Every place where they purposefully, faithfully placed their feet yielded to their control. Joshua marched through the land with victory after victory. You know with each victory, his confidence and his faith increased!
God wants Joshua’s lifestyle for you. He does not want His people living downtrodden lives, just barely hanging on emotionally and spiritually. You are meant to live and breathe and have your being, your existence in Him! You are meant to function on a different plane of reality!
A gathering of the people of God should be marked by testimony after testimony of God’s greatness! Our God is great and greatly to be praised! If you want that life, it is yours for the taking, in Christ Jesus. He came to make your joy complete! He is sufficient for all of your needs and He will lead you, like Joshua, into the reality of promised victory.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for creating me to live in communion with You! I may not be meant to take giants from the land by myself, but with You, the giants are irrelevant! Help me see through the circumstances that surround me and loom over me. Help me see Your protective and guiding hand. Give me a willingness, like Joshua, to joyfully take a command to get up and move out! In Jesus’ Name, amen.
The Giver of Vision
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5-6
From the time God established His people in the Promised Land He said, “I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) He repeated Himself for our benefit in Hebrews 13:5. Sometimes, we need reminded of His eternal faithfulness, His abiding presence.
Know that God is with you as much as He was with anybody. He is with you, not because of your actions, but because of His. God does not wait for you to find strength or success on your own. He does not require unachievable perfection. He is with you! He has made a promise, a very clear promise. Believe Him! Expect Him to be with you!
God never changes, and He doesn’t change what He requires. He doesn’t choose those who appear to be the most qualified. He chooses those whose heart seeks after Him! He chooses those who echo the heart of Isaiah. After realizing his own sinfulness and receiving cleansing from the throne of God, Isaiah did not hesitate to say, “Here am I, Lord! Send me!”
In the same spirit, Joshua saw the giants in the land just as the other spies did, but he did not fear them. He recognized if the Lord was for him, for the people of Israel, the appearance of the enemy was absolutely and completely irrelevant. The hand of the Lord, the presence of the Lord, was the only thing that mattered!
When fear creeps into your thoughts, into your emotions, remind yourself of what matters. Remind yourself that the only correct way to assess your situation is based on the promised presence of the Lord!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for being the giver of vision. I pray You would open my eyes to see my assignment in the Kingdom. Let my heart be stirred by what I see around me, let there be an unmistakable longing to see change. I will follow the direction You gave Joshua to be strong and very courageous, for You are with me! In Jesus’ Name, amen.
What If
No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
Joshua 1:5
We talk about our “circumstances” as if they are likely a muddled, undefinable mess. The word is used to capture every unpredictable event in life. We live our life in consideration of our circumstances. We evaluate our finances, our family status, our health, etc., and call this our circumstances. The only thing you need to evaluate is your God! Make the decision that shows faith. Make the decision that honors God. God makes everything else irrelevant! Be consistent in considering one factor in life: God!
We all know people who are consistently inconsistent. They say one thing and do another. James talks about men with divided loyalty, men who ask God for something but don’t ask in faith. God’s response will match their faith. Faithless men should simply hold their tongue.
How would your life look if you walked in complete faith in God? We ask ourselves a lot of “what if” questions, but this is the biggest one of all. What would I do, what risk would I take for the Kingdom of Heaven if I genuinely believed that God was with me?
The great testimonies of faith arise in circumstances that require great faith. They don’t happen when you stay in your comfort-zone. Take time to reassess your level of service, reassess your life and remember, God is your circumstance!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your distinct purpose for me in Your Kingdom. You prepared a task for me, and You prepared me to do that task. Thank You that the only “circumstance” I need to assess is the fact that You are with me. There is nothing else that compares in importance, in priority, to Your presence. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
The Lord Rules Over the Supernatural
Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land The Lord your God is giving you.
Joshua 1:11
When God moves, He often moves suddenly. He expects His people to be ready to follow His lead at a moment’s notice. He gave Joshua and the entire nation of Israel three days to pack up and get ready to cross the Jordan. Most of us take longer than that to prepare for a two-week vacation!
The people of Israel needed a quick change in their view of themselves and their view of God. God went from the One who led them around the wilderness in seemingly endless wandering to their Commander in Chief, leading the battle cry. They had come to think of themselves as grasshoppers, and God wasn’t about to lead an army of grasshoppers into conquest.
We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!
Numbers 13:33
Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As a person thinks in his heart, so is he.” The people of Israel, and perhaps you, needed to be reminded that they were servants of the Most High. They were under the command of the Lord of Hosts, of an Almighty God. It is hard to feel like a grasshopper when you focus on God Himself.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your greatness that overshadows all. Your greatness overshadows the challenges that I see in the natural realm. Never let me forget that You rule over the supernatural! You are an awesome God! You are worthy of all praise and adoration! I will follow You every day, every moment of my life! In Jesus’ Name, amen.