January 22, 2022
TEXT: Joshua 1: 1 – 11
POINTS (cont’d):
4. Set Your Goals and Walk by Faith (Joshua 1: 1 – 5); Habakkuk 2: 4
God sets the goals for us.
Is there anything too difficult for God?
a) Habakkuk 2:4 says:
“The Righteous shall live by Faith.”
This word can also mean ‘Faithfulness.’
Faith is what you believe; Faithfulness is acting on what you believe.
The righteous shall live based on the faithfulness of my God.
Faith is trusting God for life.
At times God may allow us to see only what is right in front of us. Joshua could only see what was in front of him (Jordan River).
Think about looking at an image through a window, then close your eyes for about 5 minutes. Then open your eyes for a second, close it again, you will visualize that image when your eyes closes again.
This is a form of making images stick to the sense of sight.
God was saying to Joshua, I am not going to show you everything right now, but only a glimpse of all that is possible, then the next step requires you to walk by Faith.
God has promised to give us what we need to accomplish our goals. (Philippians 4:19).
You and I must now act and walk based on who we know and what He said.
Some of us are not moving forward because we want to know the beginning, middle and end result.
Listen: God is not obligated to give us every detail. He just says, trust me, follow me, and walk by Faith.
5. Have Courage; Reject Discouragement (Josh. 1:7)
We lack courage, and we become burdened down by discouragement brought on by disappointment.
DISAPPOINTMENT vs. DISCOURAGEMENT
– Disappointment is an emotional response to a failed expectation.
–Discouragement is the spoiled fruit that results from unresolved disappointment.
–The Pre-fix dis means ‘without.’ It means without courage altogether.
●There is no way to avoid all disappointments in Life.
●Careful: “If I had to do It all over again, I’d do it differently.”
●Are the disappointments holding you back?
●While we may not be able to avoid disappointments in life, we can avoid discouragements. It is a Choice.
●It is one of Satan’s most effective weapons against Christians.
●Marks of Discouragement:
-Divided Mind: affects every area and decision of your life.
-Blame Game: Find fault with God or accuse others.
– Anger: Bitterness and vengeance followed by depression.
● If you are w/o courage, ask God to wipe away your fears and remind you of His mighty power.
Strategy to defeat Discouragement:
a) Obey God: Do what He says
b) Start Moving: Move on what you know is truth.
6. Develop a Calendar (Joshua 1: 10 – 11)
You help defeat discouragement and the giants in life that hold you back by developing a PLAN of ACTION
Text says: Joshua commanded the people to “pass through the midst of the camp and get ready to move…..”.
-A plan of action can be short, mid or long range.
-Start moving with a Purpose.
