It’s Time to Move Forward

Joshua 1:1-7 (NKJV)

¹After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ² “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. ³ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 

⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall ^[a]divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may ^[b]prosper wherever you go. 

The text has to do with Joshua. It’s a picture of the consistency of God in adverse circumstances. This book of Joshua marks the end of one era and the beginning of another.

You were built for where you are going, not for where you are.

How do we move forward?

Forget the Past

Moses had been God’s servant, who confronted Pharaoh and ultimately led the children of Israel out of Egypt.  Moses was a great servant of God, yet when he died, God came to Joshua and simply told him that Moses was dead.  And then God moved forward.

“It’s amazing what something becomes when you submit it to God.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

“What is God knocking on your door and telling you to forget?” – Pastor Billy Johnson

“Everything that was used to rescue us from captivity is not supposed to take us into destiny.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

“What do you need to forget?” – Pastor Billy Johnson

Philippians 3:13 (NLT) – No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

Face the Present

In verse 2, we see God saying arise [get up, stand up, and come to fruition] and start moving.  That is the epitome of facing the present head on.  The enemy wants you to hide in the bed, withdraw from the world, and run from your present circumstances.

The Jordan River is the lowest place on Earth.  So when God said go over the Jordan, He was saying go over this low place into your destiny.

“Go to a place where you are agile and can move with God.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

“You have to face the present with faith in God.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

“Face the present but face it in faith” – Pastor Billy Johnson

Fight for the Promise

In order to fight for your promise, you will need strength and courage.
Strength, or being strong, means to harden and/or take hold.  But it means strong not just in a physical sense, but also in a moral sense.

Courage means I will do it even when I feel scared.

“Where He’s asking you to go, it’s already given.” – Pastor Billy Johnson