Just Keep Going
(Joshua 21:43-45)
(Joshua 21:43-45)
There will be times our lives when we are tempted to quit. There will be times that all you have is a promise. Be encouraged! Don’t give up on God, because He won’t give up on you.
When we are talking about God, we are talking about a God who does not lie nor change. God sees the end at the beginning, so when He makes a promise, it will come to pass.
In order to keep going, we need several things:
You Have To Have A Promise
vs. 43 (ESV) – The Lord gave to Israel all the land that he had promised to their fathers.
This promise did not originate with Joshua or even Moses. It was a promise that originated with Abraham.
You Have To Pursue The Promise
vs. 43b (ESV) – And they took possession of it, and they settled there.
They land that was promised to the Children of Israel was not vacant. The previous tenants had to be “driven-out” by force.
“You will never possess what you are unwilling to pursue.” – Pastor Billy Johnson
Just as a man pursues a wife, we must pursue the promise. Pursuit is proof of desire. And your pursuit will cause you to focus on and fight for the promise.
“God will not make the step for you.” – Pastor Billy Johnson
You Have To Have Patience
vs. 43a (ESV) – …all the land that He swore to give to their fathers.
On a macro scale, there is a significant span of time between when the promise was given and when it was fulfilled. But even on a micro scale, when we look at the life of Joshua, we see the need for patience:
“God not only has to prepare you for the promise, but to also prepare the promise for you.” – Pastor Billy Johnson
In Joshua 12:24, we see that there were 31 kings the Children of Israel had to conquer. Our responsibility is to be patient.
Hebrews 6:12 (NIV) – We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
You Have To Have God’s Power
vs. 44 (ESV) – …the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.
Their first battle was at Jericho, where they faced the Great Wall. Their opening military strategy was to walk around the wall and then shout. Which on the surface seems ridiculous and ineffective. We can surmise that God wanted to make it clear that in order to acquire the promise, you must have His power.
vs. 45 (ESV) – Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
What is our responsibility? JUST KEEP GOING!