(Joshua 1:8 NLT) Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”. This is the first day of the second month of this series. I laid the foundation in January. I will now start to teach on different things we should give our focus to this year. We will start with the Word of God, using Joshua as our case study.
As a young man Joshua was selected to be one of 12 leaders who would spy out the land God was giving the nation of Israel. God made it clear that HE was giving them the land. All they needed to do was take possession of it. However, 10 of the 12 spies allowed fear to grip their hearts. Instead of focusing on what God said, they chose to focus on the giants in the land. The 10 fearful spies infected millions of Israelites with fear and a generation died in the wilderness because of it.
40 years later God was, once again, ready to give the Israelites the land. Joshua was still around and by this time he had been promoted to national leader. Tomorrow we will look at all God said to Joshua to prepare him for the assignment. For today we will focus in on the key counsel God gave Him.
Joshua was the newly appointed national leader and it was his responsibility to lead the nation into the promised land. God was giving them the land by grace – unmerited and unearned. But in order to take possession of it, they were going to have to use their faith. To ensure the new leader remained focused, God said to Joshua, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
In my normal fashion, we will take our time breaking down this verse and all those that lead up to it. For today I just wanted to introduce the topic.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- God loves you enough to have already made plans for you. He freely offers you His best by His unearned and amazing grace.
- Grace does not alleviate you from doing anything. It actually empowers you to do more! God offered Canaan to the Israelites by grace, but He then required them to use their faith to take possession of it.
- What you focus on matters. Joshua chose to focus on the promise (Canaan) instead of the problem (giants) and because of it, he was able to experience Canaan, while millions of his contemporaries died in the wilderness.
- As a key to Godly success, when the time came for Joshua to lead the nation of Israel into the promised land, the Lord instructed Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night.
- You are the way you think you are (Prov 23:7). This is why it is so very important that you meditate on the Word of God. The more Word you get down in your heart, the more you will see yourself the way God sees you.
- When you meditate the Word of God it is like you are medicating on it. The Word of God is life to your spirit and health/healing to all your flesh (Prov 4:20-22).
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. My life is greatly influenced by whatever I give my attention to. I choose to give my attention to Your Word. Your Words are life to me. They are health and healing to all my flesh. Your Words give my life meaning. Your Words provide divine direction. Your Words build me up from the inside-out. I meditate Your Word day and night. As I do, I am literally medicating on it. Your Word ministers peace, love, serenity and rest. Your Word is the fuel that feeds my purpose and it provides me direction and motivation. Like Joshua, You have made great plans for me by grace and You require me to use my faith to access those plans. In order to do so, I meditate and medicate Your Word day and night. As I do, my thoughts lead to Godly actions and my Godly actions produce good success! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
