Six principles for taking the Land (pt3)

We've been talking a lot about being the Joshua generation that have entered in and can now take possession of the Promised Land. Over the last month we have looked at these principles from Joshua 5:13 onwards.

After speaking about (1) recognising the problem, (2) positioning yourself for fresh revelation, (3) praising God for who He is, and (4) receiving the prescription for action we move onto the next stage in this process of possessing which is:

5. Putting the prescription into practice

Sometimes God's prescription to us for dealing with obstacles or problems in our lives don't seem to make sense to human eyes. Just take a look at Noah and that ark, Moses and his stick, Naaman the leper, the blind man and the pool of Siloam or Ananias and Paul. They all were given strange prescriptions - and it was no different for Joshua. And did Joshua question or argue with God. No. We read that he simply accepted the word of the Lord and put it into practice.

That should be our response. When God reveals to us His prescription to overcome the obstacle we should be willing to:

• be obedient: say "yes sir!" and do as He says!
• be persistent: keep following the prescription
• apply your faith: take action believing God will do as He promises
  

6. Possess the Land

Someone has once said:

"If you want something you have never had, then you have to do something you've never done."

The Israelites didn't just receive the Promised Land, they had to take possession of it. Similarly, the heroes of faith noted in Hebres 11 didn't just receive what was promised, they gained it. Taking possession of what God has for you and me means that we need to do something. It is us that take possession, that gain the promise, not simply receive passively from God all that He has promised in Jesus by the power of His Spirit.

To gain the Land we need to be courageous. It has been said that "cowardice turns pilgrims into wanderers." This was certainly true for the Moses generation.

But courage, on the other hand, turns pilgrims into possessors. Courage and faith turned the Joshua generation into a nation that took possession of the Promised Land.

Let's be a Joshua generation that take hold of all the promises that God has for us in our lives and together as the people of God today.