Title: You Will Prosper / Joshua 1:5-11
Everyone in this world wants to prosper. But not everyone who wants to prosper is like that. You just have to do what you are supposed to do. So people do everything they can to make their lives prosperous. The same is true in faith. No matter how omnipotent and omnipresent God is with us, we must bear the fruit of faith in order to prosper spiritually and in life.
Verse 6 of the text says, “Be strong and courageous,” and in verse 7, it says again and again, “But be strong and extremely courageous.” Be strong and courageous", "Do not be afraid or be dismayed." If we, as well as Joshua, want to live a successful, victorious, and prosperous life in our lives, we must become strong and courageous in our faith. What should I do in order to prosper?
Be strong and courageous
When you have the belief that there is no one against you, you become strong and courageous. God said to Joshua in verse 5, “No one will face you all the days of your life, just as I was with my servant Moses, I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” Please pay attention to three words here.
First, it says, “As I was with Moses, I will be with you.”
In Exodus 3:12, God promised Moses, “Surely I will be with you.” God, who had sent him to Egypt and said that he would be with him, did not leave Moses for even a moment as he promised, but became Moses' strength, became Moses' side, and became the God of Moses and was with him. He was with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, before the Red Sea, and even amidst the complaints and riots of the people. For 40 years in the wilderness, He was with Moses on all the journeys of the wandering road. Just as he was with Moses, he said to Joshua, 'I will be with you'.
There are times in life when we encounter dark and hopeless moments. In this case, do not be discouraged or discouraged, but have a courageous heart by relying on God. God does not work on those who turn back because they cannot.
Too many people today are so passive in life that they lose opportunities and regret it. However, if you have courage with an active mind, even if you have no money, poor health, low education, or old age, if you go out boldly with the belief that God will be with you, God will work miracles and make you prosperous.
It also says that I will never leave you.
In Genesis 28:15, God promised Jacob, "I am with you, I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, and I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." It was because of God's promises that 'I will keep you' and 'I will not leave you' that gave Jacob strength and courage to live as a sojourner in a foreign land for 20 years.
Before the resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven, there are some words that he said to his disciples. Matthew 28:20 says, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Because of this very word, the disciples were able to preach the gospel boldly without giving up in the face of all kinds of tribulation, persecution, and death.
And it says, “I will not forsake you.”
Children who have lost their parents are called orphans. An abandoned child is called starvation. In John 14:18, Jesus said to his disciples, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." Orphans are characterized by loneliness. It means there is no going back.
Here, 'I will be with you' means 'I will live with you'. It means 'I will be with you in my life'. 'You will not leave me' means 'I will protect you'. The word 'you will not forsake me' is a promise that you will love me. This promise is not only a promise to Joshua, but also a promise to me today. So we are strong. No worries. You can be strong and bold.
There is a way to prosper
You must keep the law and do it.
We must obey the laws, words, and commandments that God has given us. Practical faith and living faith are required. You have to know it right away, believe it right away, and live it right away.
It must not lean to the left or to the right.
If the train veers left or right on the rail, it derails and overturns. If the aerialist derails from the rope, he will fall and die. When a person deviates from the order of ethics and morals, ruin comes. When Christians deviate from God's Word, they roll into hell. Left! That's not the place to go either. Ooh! That's not the place to go either. Our goal should be Jesus Christ. I hope that all of you will live God-centered, Jesus-centered, and Holy Spirit-centered. I pray that you will hold on to the rope of the cross and move forward.
You must not let the book of the law leave your mouth and meditate on it day and night.
The Bible is the compass of life. Your guide on the way to heaven. It is the sword of power when fighting Satan. It is a fire that shatters evil in the heart (Jeremiah 23:29), a fountain of water that quenches thirst (John 4:12), and is like lye that washes away dirt (Mal 3:2). If you read the Word and meditate on it, your heart will be warmed. Faith arises (Acts 17:11). Overcome temptations (Ephesians 6:14-17). Overcome sin (Psalm 119:9). Receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It gives you comfort and hope (Romans 15:4). You will prosper in everything you do (1 Kings 2:3). Prosperity, peace, and blessings will come to those who love and meditate on the Word. Therefore, I wish you all to participate in the 100-day Bible reading period to receive grace and blessings.
let's do our mission
Joshua commanded the Israelites to 'prepare food' before entering the promised land of Canaan. During their wilderness life, He opened the gates of heaven to the Israelites and gave them manna in a supernatural way. In Joshua 5:12, when the Israelites settled in Canaan, cultivated the land, and ate the produce, the manna stopped. It was not because God was incapable of performing miracles. Because now they can work on their own to get that product.
Even today, if you think you need God, you must believe in God who works in a supernatural way. God has absolute sovereignty and works by breaking our reason and thinking in a supernatural way.
America's first lady, Bertie Jackson, told her children, "Many trials and tribulations come to us. But remember that the morning always comes."
Eisenhower, a five-star general and president of the United States, suffered a heart attack four times as a field marshal. It is said that President John F. Kennedy suffered from Acheson's disease his whole life, former President 'De Gaulle' of France suffered from diabetes and cataracts, and the great British hero Winston Churchill suffered death from heart disease. In addition, President Nixon of the United States entered the university by taking three lessons, and Edison was a failed student, but became an inventor.
When Moses died, God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. He called Moses to be the successor of Moses, and when he appointed him as the leader of Israel, he told him to be strong and courageous. When he promised great blessings, he said that he would be with him forever, but he told him to be strong and courageous.
Dear saints, God has given us the world. He gave Asia, Korea and Gyeonggi-do. Let's all take the world as our workplace and move forward with the vision of conquering the world in our hearts. I hope you will hold fast to the word of the covenant and be strong and courageous. Don't be biased, and move forward vigorously towards the target. I pray that God will always be with you and that you will carry out your mission well.