The Joshua Generation
Walking Out Of The Day Of Miracles
Joshua 1:1-6a
I’m leaving the day of miracles. I’m walking away from the day of miracles. I’ve had enough of it and I’m leaving it behind me! Do you want to come?
1) Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister (slave) saying,
2) Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4) From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5) There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6) Be strong and of a good courage:...
This is the most exciting time in Church history. God is calling HIS church to "arise"...to do battle... and to march forward victoriously! The Joshua Generation was a type and foreshadow of the modern church. They were the remnant of the Jews that had come out of "bondage" in Egypt. They were the generation that was able to look forward to the "Promise" of GOD without bringing up the bondages and memories of the past!
In Genesis we see GOD choosing men.
In Exodus we see GOD redeeming men.
In Leviticus we see GOD calling men.
In Numbers we see GOD speaking to men.
In Deuteronomy we see GOD commanding men.
And In Joshua we see GOD conquering through men!
In verse 2 GOD tells Joshua that "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over..."
GOD first lets Joshua know that their "deliver" from the land of bondage is dead and that now it is time to leave their sin behind them and "arise"!
It is time to leave behind the "promise" and to receive! It is time to "go over" and get what HE has "given" them! It’s time to get from where they are; it’s time to leave their past behind, get out of their childish existence and into the new life GOD has for them. It’s time to leave their old way of doing things behind and move on.
It’s time to leave the day of miracles behind! The day where GOD placed a miracle in front of them to lead them where HE wanted them to go.
In verse three we see that GOD is telling Joshua it is time! Time to move from living on a promise and time to move into possess that which "I (have) given unto you"!
In Numbers 14:6-9, Joshua and Caleb were the only two of twelve to come back from spying in the promised land with a belief that in GOD they could take the land! Now, they were the only two old enough to know of the hard times in bondage in Egypt and still believe that their GOD was delivering them through it! They were also the only two to look past their circumstances and see their future!
Because of this belief, for the next 40 years they would become the first, Youth Pastors of the future of Israel! They would be held responsible to lead, shape and impress upon the next generation that GOD was for them and that with HIM they could do anything and conquer any adversary!
If you asked, most of these youth would not really remember the bondage of Egypt. They wouldn’t really recall the hard times of their oppression, only the excitement and exhilaration of their freedom and deliverance. I’m sure they would remember the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea and possibly even the fear of passing through the waters. The fear that would be present when all you could see would be your future and your past and yet wondering exactly where you were?
They came across on "dry land" bringing with them nothing of their past, none of their "bondage"! Now they were about to go across on "dry ground" to insure that they would not take any of the "Wilderness of Sin" with them! This is just like we experience with the two separate baptisms of water and fire in Christianity. Like when Mary prepared JESUS to go to HIS FATHER when she washed HIS feet and HE prepared the disciples to receive the HOLY SPIRIT when HE washed their feet! Now the children of Israel were prepared to receive their new home, their new land of opportunity, their promise!
These are they who walked and lived in the miraculous daily for the last forty years. They would follow a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night.
They would receive manna from heaven, fresh every morning to last them and sustain them through the day.
They would drink water from a poisoned pond or receive it fresh from a rock!
They would not receive or need new clothes for forty years! Not only would those clothes not wear out but they would grow with them as needed!
These were not slaves! They had died off! These were miraculous, victorious conquerors! Overcomers!
For the last forty years these had NOT looked back wondering what they had left behind. These were the ones that kept looking forward to see what was before them! What was the next miracle GOD had for them? How would HE next supply their need? How would HE next sustain them?
These were they who looked for miracles everyday! Everytime! Everywhere!
We are supposed to be like this generation! Unlike they which were led by the pillar of smoke or fire, we are to be led by the SPIRIT!
Every morning we are told to eat of HIS word to sustain us!
We drink from THE ROCK, JESUS, Springs of Living Water!
Instead of wearing the same clothes for forty years we are given robes of righteousness!
No longer do we need to be slaves to bondage. We can walk free in the SPIRIT! We can be more than conquerors through CHRIST JESUS!
To Moses GOD had said, "Go down to Egypt" but to Joshua HE had said, "arise".
To those of us who have or want to come out of our bondage, to come out of our sin , to come out of our past, HE says to arise! To get up and head into your destiny! It’s time to GET UP AND GET OUT OR GET UP AND GET OUT! Either get up and get out into the world and do the works of JESUS or get up and get out of your pew and let somebody into it that will show how much they appreciate the work of JESUS!
When Moses led the Jews, GOD always had miracles in front of them to remind them of HIS presence. When Joshua led, GOD always went before them but the miracles followed behind them except the drying of the Jordan River and the fall of Jericho. These two first miracles were done in front of the Israelites to show them that GOD was still with them and that HE was with Joshua. HIS new leader for them. HIS new servant! The miracles were left for others to see how powerfully the GOD of the Jews worked on their behalf. How HE could take this remnant people and make conquerors of them even against greater adversaries.
Jericho was the biggest, best fortified city in the promised land. Because of this GOD destroyed it. HE showed the inhabitants of the promised land that nothing would be to great for those who served THE LIVING GOD! That HE was with them and that everything in front of them was theirs to conquer! They had to go and take it, or else they would not appreciate what they were given and give HIM the respect for making it possible.
The Jews under Moses sought the miracles and they found GOD. Under Joshua,(as with us) they sought GOD and they found the miracles.
How do you have a Joshua spirit? How do you become spiritually a part of the Joshua generation?
They walked out!
They left behind them their past and pursued their future! They knew of their past and used it to motivate themselves into their futures. They used it only to remind themselves of a place they didn’t want to return to and as a tool to show them where they were headed from time to time if they didn’t change their ways of thought and acting.
The last place Moses is with the children of Israel is at Shittim (Num 25:1). A place that symbolizes the flesh. A place where they commit acts against GOD and chase after the gods of Moab (Num 25:2). A place where GOD’s anger is kindled against them but is turned away when Phinehas goes zealously after the sin to annihilate and eradicate it from the camp (Num 25:6-10)! This is where Balaam is supposed to pronounce cursings upon the Israelites but instead can only pronounce blessings unto the new generation (Num 22-24)! This is where they turn from their wanderings and start to head to the waters of the Spirit; the waters of the Jordan!
The Jordan is where Elijah was caught up into heaven. It is where Elisha received the double portion. The Jordan is where JESUS was baptized with the HOLY GHOST. This is where the man of the Spirit is born. This is where they quit being lead by the miracles and start being lead by the Spirit! This is where they are no longer living in the day of miracles. Where they no longer seek the miracle to find out where they are to go but instead the miracles are left behind them as they go where HE leads. From here they would first consult GOD to find out if they were to attack a city, and if they were, then the devastation of that people would be the miracle left behind them. This is where they would go about doing the work of GOD and the miracles would follow. This is where they were to live as JESUS tells us to live in Mark 16:15-18.
15) "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18) They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
This is the works of JESUS that we are supposed to be about! This is the instructions that GOD left with us through HIS SON JESUS to do! These are the miracles that are NOW supposed to follow us.
This is why I said I am leaving the Day of Miracles behind me. I’m going to "ARISE" and cross over the Jordan and move into the promised land and possess it! I’m going to start doing the work of GOD and let the miracles follow me as an example to the unbeliever. Remember in Acts 5:15, the people would bring the sick into the street so that when Peter would walk by if only his shadow would fall over them; that by this they might be healed. Peter was not looking for the miracles, the unbelievers were! The miracles were following Peter! This is the promised land!
Are you prepared to enter your "Promised land"? To possess that which is rightfully yours? Are you ready to take that which has been promised and always before you and make it yours?
Then "Arise"; and know that Joshua 1:5-6a
"I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. "
"Be strong and of good courage"
Always HIS servant,
Pastor Eric Aschendorf
Become a part of the love at
http://www.treeoflifeinc.org
