This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with a mini-series within it entitled “Focusing on the Word”. We are using Joshua as a case study. When I brought you to Joshua chapter one at the beginning of this week I knew I wanted to get to verse eight. However, I needed to provide you the context. I believe I’ve done that. You now know the timing, Moses was dead and Joshua was in charge. You now know the setting, God wanted to lead a new generation into the Promised Land, a land promised to Abraham 440 years earlier. And you now know the size of the task assigned to Joshua, he had to lead millions of people to take possession of millions of acres that was already inhabited. The inhabitants were not going to give up the land without a fight. Many of the inhabitants had fortified cities and tested armies. Joshua had a nation of young and untested people. So the bottom line is: if God was not with them, they would fail miserably. But with God ON them, WITH them and FOR them, there was no way they could lose.
Now that you have a good picture of the setting, let’s go back to the key instruction God gave Joshua. He said, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8 NIV).
So what does this mean to you today? I will teach on Joshua 1:8 for days. For today I will simply give you a quick overview of what the Lord was saying to Joshua in this verse.
- You can use use the Word of God to help Master Your Mouth. The Lord said to Joshua, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips.” In the New Testament James taught us that if we can control our tongue we can control our life (1:26). Keeping the Word of God on your lips is critical to Godly success. You can’t speak death and expect life. You can’t speak failure and expect success. Joshua had an enormous task before him and if he was going to succeed he needed to speak the Word of God continually. Guess what? If you want to succeed you will have to do the same!
- You can use use the Word of God to help Master Your Mind. The Lord instructed Joshua to “meditate on it day and night”. The “it” God was referring to was His Word. If Joshua was going to be successful, he had to take control of his thought life. He needed to bring every wayward thought captive. The best way to do so it to meditate and medicate on God’s Word day and night. The more Joshua kept God’s Word in his mind, the more he would SEE himself successful. This was absolutely critical to both his success and the success of the nation of Israel. What was true for Joshua back then and it is true for you today. If you meditate and medicate on God’s Word day and night, you will think Godly thoughts and your thoughts will produce Godly actions.
- You can use use the Word of God to help Master Your Methods/Actions. The Lord told Joshua to keep His Word on his mind and his mouth. But not so he could simply “look” the part. No, the Lord wanted him to “live” the part. The Lord said, “So that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” The Bible is not a textbook to study, but rather a life-book to LIVE! The purpose of studying is DOING! The purpose of speaking Godly words and thinking Godly thoughts is to produce Godly actions. Anything less is merely a façade.
- You can use use the Word of God to help Master Your Life. In Joshua 1:8 the Lord basically instructed Joshua to master his mouth, mind and methods with the His Word. If Joshua heeded the Lord’s counsel, the Lord went on to say, “Then you will be prosperous and successful.” If you are reading Today’s Word, then chances are you want to be prosperous and successful. You want to live a life pleasing in God’s sight. You want to maximize your purpose and potential. Well, this is how you do it. You keep the Word of God in your mouth and your mind, and you then allow the Word in your mouth and mind to influence your methods and actions. If you do that, you will be both prosperous and successful!
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. In this season I take control of my thought life. I bring every thought captive. I master my mind with Your Word. I meditate and medicate on Your Word day and night. In this season I also master my mouth. I speak Your Word continually. When people listen to me, they are actually hearing You, because my speech is seasoned with the grace found in Your Word. And Father, the purpose of me mastering my mind and my mouth, is so that I can master my methods and actions. I don’t give you lip-service. No, my learning turns into living. I DO what I read. I PERFORM what I say. Not by my strength, but only by Your grace. Living this way I MASTER MY LIFE and I am both prosperous and successful! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
