Preparing for the Promise (Part 3)

DECLARE & PREPARE! 
So, initially, we saw that the key components in preparing to enter into the promises of God are 1.) receiving the full promise which God has made, 2.) an expectation that labor will be required of us as we cooperate with God’s grace and miraculous deliverance, and 3.) a need to press into, study, and meditate upon the Word of God, thus allowing the Holy Spirit to instruct us so that our way may be prosperous. Now let’s take a closer look at Joshua’s response to God’s prophetic word for him that we may better understand how to prepare ourselves to enter into the fullness of His promises for each of us.  In Joshua 1:10-11 we read this: 

“Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it.’” 

Joshua’s first response here is two-fold. To start with, in the middle of telling the people to gather provision, he declares to them the promise of crossing the Jordon in order to possess the Land which God was giving them. It is important to declare the promise; to ourselves, as well as to those around us who have a stake in the promise. 

We are created in the image of the living God. If there is creative, life-altering power in His speech, there is creative, life-altering power in ours as well!  Consider Acts 7:22: 

“Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.” 

This was spoken of him before he had left Egypt for the first time, before he had met the living God in the burning bush, and before he had even set out to deliver God’s people from bondage. If this was the case before He knew God and was equipped to do His signs and wonders, how much more then is this the case for us as those who now put our faith in the living God (as believers)?! Our words carry power. Declare them to yourself, and all those entering into the promises of God with you and let them stir up faith! 

RECEIVING & GATHERING PROVISION 
Along with declaring the promise Joshua had the leaders tell the people to make food provisions for themselves. Now the curious thing about this is that God was still providing the food for them up to this point. They were still receiving manna from heaven. Nevertheless, though God provided it they were still required to go out and gather it in; only this time Joshua had them gather enough to take them to the edge of the Jordon…the edge of the Promised Land. They were asked to take practical steps while depending upon God’s provision which would allow them to be positioned on the edge of the promise. 

What practical steps has God been asking you to take in order to be positioned on the edge of your promise? 

For example, if God has promised to move your family into a larger home you need to go out find the home He was speaking of, learn about the house, find out how much it is selling for, talking to the bank, etc.  You may not have the financial resources at the time or any idea of how He might do it, but sometimes provision needs to be sought out and anything short of pursuing it out of obedience is to miss out on His “manna” for you.  And like the manna, we still need to seek out and gather what provision we have at hand in order to set it aside for His designated purpose.  Anything short of this is to (at times) completely miss or abort the promise.  We need to cooperate with the grace of God, and above all be obedient to His leading. 

Faith will also play a key role.  Remember that the Israelites were being taken to the edge of the Jordon without any visible means of crossing over. No boats, canoes, ferries, bridges, nothing. They moved with faith that the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob would then provide a way where there seemed to be no way. The courage that God told Joshua to stir up was as much to face doubt and unbelief as it was fear. For what is doubt or unbelief but simply fear that God will not do what He said He would do?! 

Faith is essential, and so too is covenant relationship…and these are the last few things we’ll be talking about in part 4 of this series on preparing for the promise.