Life of victory!
Joshua 1:7 "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.
The above scripture is an awesome package for success! Friend we do not get success like ‘Aladdin magic lamp’, the principles of the Kingdom of God has been neatly, meticulously and dexterously given to us by God in the 66 books of the Bible, all we got to do is follow it diligently. I have expounded the above scripture here below, breaking it down into sub-headings, also quoting my own testimony wherever necessary, so that we understand clearly, here we go…….
A) Strong and courageous: The words ‘STRONG AND COURAGEOUS’ rings with clarity! God emphasizes the word ‘strong and courageous’ here, which is very important to move forward with confidence, guts, grit in order to accomplish the work given by God, that’s exactly why satan tries to take us off the track from God, so that we fall in sin and become weak. The responsibility that was on Joshua’s shoulder was not small, therefore, God reiterates the words ‘ be strong and courageous’ so that keeps ringing in his ears each time he encounters his enemies. These words of encouragement comes to us also during this time of pandemic crisis, so that we do not buckle down to situations but yield to the will of God who can do unimaginable things beyond our comprehension. This is for somebody out there who is worried, lonely and scared, inconsequential the number of friends that might fall way because of our squeaky-clean Holy Spirit walk; yet, God would stand by you! Cheer up! Be daring, be brave!
Friend, we can be strong and courageous only if we live a life that is pleasing unto the Lord, the Bible says: Proverbs 28:1 says: "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." Daniel was fearless when he walked to the lions’ den because he himself declared to the king: "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime."(Daniel 6:22) Amen. Let me narrate a hilarious incident that happened in our Abide School, when my cook was busy with her work at our school, a police man knocked the gate of the school, the moment our cook saw the police, she started shivering and her face changed. Well, the police gave a piece of paper and asked me for a particular address which I explained to him and then he left, I looked at my cook and asked why she was so afraid, she said,” I am afraid of police”; however, this woman I later found out was a small time thief who would steal at the place of work. Now you see, when you have a corrupted life, secret sins, wickedness then you cannot be strong, that’s exactly why God first warns Joshua to be strong and courageous. God wants us to be strong outside and inside, so that we can stand brave in front of our enemies.
B)Do not turn to the left or right! Joshua 1:7”…..do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”
Joshua had a monumental task ahead of him of leading some hard-hearted, stiff necked people into the promised land! Moses was dead and Joshua had just stepped into the giant’s shoes! Scary! Lonely! May be many of you today are in such a state as you wonder, ‘can my family come out of such a mess?’, ‘can I get my friends delivered from idols?’, ‘how am I going to deal with this difficult situation?’ Take heart friend! God would be with you and help you deal with the situation! God spoke the above words to me when I was facing some tough situations in my ministry! Situation in the school ( Click to view - Abide Public School) that we run at times gets hectic, we are dealing with no ordinary kids – they are tough: boys hurt each other, disobedience, indiscipline and a lot more! Problems come in an avalanche to drown you, that’s when God reaches out to pull you out from the rubble and help you to accomplish the job. Hurray! Fear not! This scripture helped me jump up, I hope it would bless you too!
Remember Joshua was no amateur! He had been next to Moses when all the mind-boggling miracles happened: he saw the Red Sea divide, Jordan roll back and a lot more. Not enough, he was there to see the Hands of God punish Nadab, Abihu, Miriam the sister of Moses who was afflicted with leprosy and much more. Joshua very well knew the aftermath of disobedience! Joshua heard God speak from the mountain and he was also filled with Holy Spirit when Moses laid his hands on him. Despite all this experience and after walking with a legend like Moses, God warned Joshua: ‘do not turn to the right or to the left!’ Are you listening?
Friend, did you know ‘discipline and focus’ is predominant for one who is running a race on the tracks; likewise, we got to also turn away from the enormous temptations that try to ensnare us and run the race set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1,2) Never let your guard down just because you can speak in tongues or you have taken water baptism, the heat gets seven times hotter now. Are you listening? Someone calls you for a holiday when your church has a three days prayer conference, which one would you opt for? Think! You are pressurized to marry an unbeliever, what would you do? Friend, ‘God would understand me’ is not the answer, walking in the ‘truth and His Word’ is obedience. Do not turn to the left or right! God knew there would be umpteen things that would distract Joshua and the people along the way, thus He warned them not to look around. May be your neighbor has a better, bigger and trendier car than you – never mind, don’t look. May be your colleague holds a flashy mobile with whole lot of new features and your mobile looks like a peanut next to it – never mind, don’t look. There is a constant siege by myriad temptations! The ubiquitous temptations if not confronted and handled; it may devastate you! Caveat!
A slight deviation from the right path can cost you your life!
C)Obey the laws of God: “be careful to do according to all the law”
I got to share something really important so that we understand the importance of treating God’s word as our instruction manual, are you listening? One particular pastor was continuously doing things contrary to the Word of God but he would wear white clothes and also keep a stick with him during the church service and threaten the little children if they trouble during the service ( I am not kidding, this is true, I had been there to his church to preach); however, he would allow his minor son, just around 9 years old to use his scooter and roam around the roads. Well, let me explain the bigger issue, he had purchased a notary land without Government permit , paid huge advance (with risk) and was planning to construct a church building by paying bribe to the local authorities. I happened to meet him while he was on his way to the new premises with the church banner in his vehicle; however, the busy traffic did not hinder me from asking him if the land was a Government registered land, as usual he had excuses as to say that it was notary land and everybody were purchasing it.
I again reiterated that we are not supposed to do hanky-panky things even if the whole world was doing it, he smiled and left. After a month I got a call from his wife to tell that the pastor, her husband had passed away ( he was a very young man with 3 small kids), she again spoke about the utter confusion that she had to face because he had randomly given money without checking with her. I cautioned her too and said that as servants of God we are not supposed to build church on unauthorized property, she didn’t seemed to be very serious about it too. This talks about the irresponsible, reckless, careless lifestyle that some Christian ministers live. Caveat! Let us never forget that God killed Uzzah because he did not follow rules while doing the work of God, remember they were carrying the Ark of God: “Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God” (1 Chronicles 13:10).Never take God and His Words for granted! We get severe warning from this incident!
Be it in games or in life, you win and you succeed when you follow the rules meticulously! Are you hearing me??? Look what the Lord says in verse Numbers 15:39: “…not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.” Pretty harsh words indeed! Wake up! Obey His rules and be blessed! Never take God and His love for granted! He warns: “..if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”(Deuteronomy 28:15)
A woman living with an already married man came to see me and asked me to pray for her, I pointed out that she is living a sinful life, for which she replied, ‘he is just a friend and nothing more’, I said, ‘friend or foe you are into an adulterous relationship.’ She stopped seeing me. I am speaking to someone out there! Around 365 times the Bible warns us with ‘thou shall not’! We are warned enormous times in the 66 books of the Bible not to transgress His commandments; feigning ignorance of the Word is no excuse - better pick up the Bible and read the Full Gospel, not just the book of Psalms and the four books of the Gospel. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! (Psalm 111:10)
We remember ATM passwords, profile passwords, transaction words, login passwords and what not; we remember the birth dates of the film celebrities, the wedding anniversaries and many other details very sharply; yet, we fail to honor and remember the Word of God. Alas, that’s why many Christian homes are like graveyards! Amulets, rosary beads, black threads, cannot keep you away from evil spirits and danger; only the blood of Jesus and your careful obedience of His Word can keep you protected. Leviticus 26: 6”I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid.” Are you hearing me?
Study the word everyday, separate time with God, fast once a week and live a victorious life! Amen.
