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Human wisdom can fail, and could at times need updating, is what the world is finding out at present. And through it all, the everlasting truth of God, that the eternal life of a person is in the Blood, is quite sublimely being revealed. For, the determinant of his physical life lies in the oxygen level in his blood is what is being very visibly seen, as an intangible and virulent infection, that attacks his very breath, is causing havoc and pain all over the earth. But in the midst of it, in a petrified and paralyzed world, that is unable to move forward, and is locked down, you, as a child of God, who is sowing your life in the kingdom of God, can still find growth and progress. And in order for it to happen, as the prayer of the psalmist, expresses well, there is the need for wisdom from above, Teach me to do Your will, for You are My God; May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. [Psalm 143:10]
For, God is faithful; His love never fails. And, His unfailing word, in the Spirit’s power, will give in you, a divine determination, to travel in the divine direction, for a divine purpose, towards the destination that He has already prepared for you. He is well able to lead you forward, even in this difficult year. All it calls from you is to receive and abide in His word that comes to you as a word in season. It was what Isaac did in his time of challenge, a time of famine that saw him go against the grain, so to speak, and continue to stay where he was, instead of following the crowd to go to Egypt. And, it was in heeding the counsel of God, to walk in it, that he was enabled to sow, and also reap a hundredfold, in the same year. He moved forward in the plan and purposes of God for his life, as he focused on His word to him, and hence was not dictated by his circumstance and environment. [Genesis 26:1-12]
Problems in the form of temptations and trials, can suddenly come, or slowly arise, in any person’s life. But, it is where the grace of God intervenes, to strengthen and rescue you, for you will never be tested beyond what you can bear. God knows how fragile and vulnerable you could be in life’s troubled waters, and will surely and safely lead you through it all, in the gracious power of His word. And it is your heart’s sensitivity to hear from Him, whatever your situation maybe, that holds the key. The boy Samuel’s response to the call of God was, ‘Speak Lord; your servant is listening’. And, it needs to be the prayer of your heart too, in order to be led forward and not regress in accomplishing the call of God upon your life. For, He is the God who can make rivers in the desert, and streams in the wilderness, to make you fruitful and blessed even in a time of drought, as you trust in Him, and not in your own strength. He will make a way for you, even in this particular season, when there seems to be no way, that you may advance and grow, in His will and plan for your life.
HIS promise:
And, as your heart and soul remains focused upon Him, to hear and also apply His word in your life, you will indeed be able to be in agreement with Joshua’s words, that not one thing has failed, of all the good things that the Lord your God, spoke concerning you; but all have come to pass. [Joshua 23:14] And, the Lord your God is reminding you this day, of the good word that He spoke to Joshua to remind him that he was strong, for he was armed with the promise of His presence with them. [Joshua 1:9] Today, in what lies ahead in your life, in what could be challenging and yet uplifting, it is His promise to you, as it was to Joshua, on that day. And, what makes it effective is your response to it. For, the seed of God’s word needs to be received by faith, and be planted in the soil of your heart, in order to be fruitful, and yield a good harvest.
HIS procedure:
The promise of God also involves a procedure, for godly blessings always come to you in godly ways. And in the above scenario, it is where the two verses prior to what the Lord promises Joshua come into the picture, Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do, according to all the Law that Moses, My servant commanded you, do not turn to the right hand or to the left that you may prosper where ever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. [Joshua 1:7,8] In stating forthrightly that it is about ‘you’ making your way prosperous, the word of God makes it very clear that you need to do, what you have to do. And, there are three things that need to be done by you to prosper and succeed in fulfilling God’s purposes for your life, is the truth that can be gleaned from the above passage.
1. MEDITATE – the Word in your heart:
You are called to meditate upon the word of God, for His wisdom is mandatory for you to have in your life’s circumstances. And, whatever you may be facing or going through right now, you will be looking at it with a godly perspective, when the word of God is the theme of your thoughts, all through the day, as it dwells in you richly. It is then that even as the psalmist describes the blessed life of the one who meditates upon God’s word day and night, you also will move on to prosper in all that you do, to experience good success. [Psalm 1:2,3] You will move to a point where you will begin to look at your circumstance as a child of God, to know that a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand on the other, but it will not come near you. [Psalm 91:7] It would be very much like the medical doctor, who when he holds your hand, even in monitoring your pulse beat, can detect how healthy you are.. And also like a businessman, whose eyes are looking for favorable opportunities, in any given situation that he could work to make it profitable to himself, and the society at large.
Developing the godly point of view by meditating upon God’s word, consciously and subconsciously through the day, needs to be intentional to begin with, until as you keep walking in it, it becomes habitual. And even without you being consciously aware of it, you are automatically looking at life, and life’s happenings, from a godly perspective. It comes with discipline, that needs to be in every child of God, who then is also His disciple, in a relationship with Him. Discipline therefore needs to be a part of your personal walk with God. And challenging though it may be to maintain your attention and focus upon God and His word, it is something that can never be outsourced, for the path to godly blessings, can never be bypassed. And the word ‘meditate’ in the scriptures, in the Hebrew language also means ‘mutter’, or speaking forth the word of God softly to yourself. You and I can well recollect the process of learning by heart, of repeatedly saying to oneself, that was inculcated as a discipline and an effective learning tool, in our early childhood days, especially when it came to mathematical tables! And fast forwarding to the present, even in your walk with God, what is in your mind, goes to your heart, and out of the fullness of your heart, your mouth speaks.
2. SPEAK – the Word in your mouth:
Let not the word of God depart from your mouth, was the counsel of God that came to Joshua. And the psalmist describes the working of it, when he says, ‘I believed, and therefore I spoke…’ [Psalm 116:10] When you believe, there is something that you need to do next; and that is to speak it. It is how blessings came in the life of David, even as they will in yours. The apostle Paul elaborates upon the truth in his letter to the Corinthians, to reveal how it is the attitude of faith, the spirit of faith in you that makes it possible, And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke’, we also believe and therefore speak. [2 Corinthians 4:13] Faith comes to you by God’s grace, for in the kingdom of God, His unconditional grace gives, and faith receives, as a positive response to what God wants to give you. And where it all begins is when you were saved, as Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. [Ephesians 2:8]
It is also where, the word of God, a confession of it, plays a pivotal role, but what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’, [that is the word of faith we preach] That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [Romans 10:8,9] It well illustrates, even as it is written in God’s word, how the tongue has the power of life and death. For, salvation moves you from death, or separation from God, to eternal and abundant life in and through Christ, your Savior and Redeemer. And salvation is the sum total of all the blessings of God that come to you in Christ, and through His finished work of the Cross.
Confession – the proof of your faith:
‘Be it to you, according to your faith’, the Lord said to the two blind men, and they could see!. And it was their confession of faith that paved the way to their blessing. [Matthew 9:28-29] Thus, it can be said that in, ‘I believe and therefore I speak’, ‘I believe’, signifies the faith in you, and, ‘therefore I speak’, is the proof of your faith, that can see you receive from God all that comes to you by His grace. And, as Paul has declared, you too will receive from Him, not according to your resources, but according to His glorious riches, to see your needs met, when you can speak forth your belief in saying, ‘I know in whom I have put my trust’. Unlike western societal norms, maintaining a stiff upper lip, is not what is required or applicable in the kingdom of God! Rather, it is your declaration of faith, your confession, that bears fruit.
Confession – declaring your confidence in God:
For, your confession is the declaration of your heart’s confidence in God; a proclamation of your confidence that God will take care of all that concerns you. And your trust is not misplaced, for on the Mount of Calvary, He has taken care of it all. Whatever the nature of your need may be therefore, or the magnitude of it, you can indeed trust that He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will together with Him, give you all that you will ever need in life. The walls of his beloved city lay in ruins. But, with the promise of God in his heart, Nehemiah’s clarion call, and confident proclamation was that, he and the people who had returned from exile, could rise up and build, for the God of Heaven would give them success. And indeed it was so. In life’s challenging times that comes to one and all, while walking in the midst of it, your own ears, need to hear your confidence in God, in order to be strengthened and led forward, and keep at bay the discouraging thoughts that come from the enemy. In the midst of his emotional turmoil, David strengthened himself in the Lord by his confession ,My soul, wait silently for God alone; My expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He only is my defense. I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation, and my glory, The Rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. [Psalm 62:5-7]
What can quieten the disturbance within you, in times of trouble is your focus upon God in faith expecting to receive from Him. Faith always needs to be accompanied by patience and an expectation to receive from Him. ‘Ask and you will receive’, is the dictum that the Lord has laid out to receive what is from God, and implied in it is, asking because you believe, or in other words an outward expression, of your inward faith. He is the Healer, who becomes your Healer, when you open your mouth, to ask in faith, to receive your healing. Believing to confess that he is the God who cares for you, can move you to the place of casting all your care on Him. It is a shifting of your focus to be upon Him, in faith, believing, to then proclaiming it.
Thus, a confession of your faith in God could also be a proclamation of who He is to you, and your trust in Him. And the psalm that has assumed a very great significance, in such a time as this, can be the hymn of faith that springs forth from your heart and mouth, ‘I will say…’ I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him, I will trust’. [Psalm 91:2] It is His way, That if you believe in your heart, you confess it with your mouth. And God’s response to it, what He says to you, when you declare your trust in Him, is so wondrously, immeasurably higher and greater, as it comes to you in the same psalm, ‘I will …..’ Because he has set his love upon Me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My Name’. [Psalm 91:14] And when God says ‘I will’, He certainly will, for it is His will ! Deliverance and security, is yours this day, for He is a faithful God, who loves you, and honors your trust in Him. And therefore, it will be your portion in the coming days, as the Most High God, goes on to say to you.
Rescue and honor:
‘He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him; With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation’. [Psalm 91:15,16] He will answer you, when you call; He will be with you in trouble; He will rescue you and honor you. He will satisfy you with long life; He will show you His salvation! How wonderful is His word to you and I is, in this time of uncertainty that is still lingering so many areas of our lives. For, when you call Him in prayer, the Lord Almighty will surely answer you. When you are confused, He will give you clarity. And Oh, what peace we often forfeit, all because we do not take it to the Lord in prayer. For, it is much more than rescue, that is God’s will for you in the coming days and months; it is rescue and honor! He will honor you, in the presence of your enemies; as His goodness and mercy follows you all the days of your life. He will; for it is His will for you! Only believe; and speak it forth!
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
