Today we continue our series entitled, “Back to the Bible,” with Part 9: Joshua’s Formula For Success (Part 4). We have been looking at Joshua 1:8 and the context around the verse for days. 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. You also know the enormity 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 make your way prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8).
So what does this mean to you today? I will give you a few nuggets as we break down Joshua 1:8.
- 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. Speaking words from a believing heart was how you released your faith for salvation (Rom 10:9,10). You opened your mouth and spoke words that lined up with heaven, you believed those words in your heart, and you were saved from hell. When you speak words that you believe, you can quite literally tap into either the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. That’s why Solomon said that both death and life are released through the tongue (Prov 18:21). You will have what you say. You will experience what you declare. So 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! Keep the Word of God on your lips. Speak the Word only!
- 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. In many ways, you are WHO you think you are and you can DO or NOT DO what you think you can or can’t (Prov 23:7). If Joshua was going to be successful, 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. The more he would believe what God believed about him. This was absolutely critical to both his success and the success of the nation of Israel. This was true for Joshua back then and it is true for us today. If we meditate and medicate on God’s Word day and night, we will think Godly thoughts. We will see ourselves the way God sees us. We will believe what God believes about us. Our Godly thoughts will produce Godly actions and we will experience God’s best. It all starts in your mind..
- 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. The Lord wanted Joshua 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! Your learning must turn into LIVING! Your studying must turn into 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 make your way 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/actions. If you do that, you will be living the life God called you to live and your will be both prosperous and successful!
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation 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. 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 mastering my mouth, is so that I can master my methods and actions. I don’t give you lip-service. I am not a hearer only. I am a DOER of the Word of God. My learning turns into LIVING. My studying turns into DOING! I declare what You have decreed and I follow up my words of faith with actions of faith. Living this way I MASTER MY LIFE and I make my way both prosperous and successful! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!${USER_LAST_NAME}
