THE JOSHUA GENERATION - A "DIVINE IMPACT" ON SOCIETY

It is interesting to discover that Joshua is the only man in the Bible who was honored with same name as Christ. Numbers 13:16 states that God placed His name within the name of Joshua. Joshua's name was originally OSHEA, but Moses changed it to Joshua, a name that reflected his character. He was a warrior (Exodus 17:9 and 14) and a worshiper (Exodus 33). The name Oshea combined with the name of God-Yah-is Joshua. Joshua's generation was the shadow of the future substance of our wonderful Lord Jesus, whom we follow. Just as Joshua was a man with God's name upon him, we are a people with God's name upon us. Joshua's generation was the generation that fought and conquered the enemies of God. They carried out a "divine attack" on society. WE TOO, ARE CALLED TO FULFILL GOD'S purposes - penetrating the spiritual darkness that pervades this world. HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE BATTLE Everything in the Old Testament is simply a shadow to what is substance in the New Testament. They had the shadow, and we have the substance. Joshua gave the people four important instructions that we, too, must follow in order to be prepared for spiritual battle: 1. FEED ON THE WORD. Joshua told the people, "... Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which is the Lord your God giveth you to possess it". (Joshua 1:11) Joshua said this because the people needed to take food with them to keep up their physical strength in the natural realm. But Jesus, our Great Commander, tells us, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”. (Matthew 4:4). The first thing you and I must do as we prepare to move into spiritual battle is to feed on the Word of God and get it in our spirit. 2. REMEMBER THE WORD. Joshua told the people: “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, the LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you the land.” (Joshua 1:13) The second thing we must do is remember the promises of God to us. God gave the Israelites the Promised Land, but we have an even greater promise from God: “ According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be parttakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4) 3. CATCH A VISION. In Joshua 2:1 we find the third key to successful invasion. Joshua instructed two men to spy out the land. He knew there could be no possession with out vision. The spies caught the vision and declared, “Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.” (Joshua 2:24) Jesus commands his people to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19) This is the vision of our generation- winning souls for His Kingdom. 4. SANCTIFY YOURSELF. In Joshua 3:5, Joshua instructed the people to sanctify themselves so they would be ready for what God was going to do. The fourth key to impacting society is to sanctify yourself – reject sin and begin to live a holy life. Scripture declares: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into marvellous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) GOD’S COMMANDS TO THE JOSHUA GENERATION After the death of Moses, God spoke to Joshua and commanded: “…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. Every place that the sole of your feet shall TREAD UPON, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. (Joshua 1:2-3) God told Joshua three things: 1) ARISE 2) GO OVER 3) TREAD. This is the message of the hour as God raises up a new generation to impact society. As the book of Joshua opens, we find Israel encamped at Shittim – a place that is symbolic of the flesh. They had been there before (Numbers 25), and because of sin, had returned to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. But in Joshua 2, Joshua led Israel OUT OF Shittim and across Jordan. Shittim speaks of the flesh. Jordan speaks of the spirit. It was at Jordan that Elijah was caught up into Heaven. At Jordan, Elisha received a double portion. At Jordan, Jesus was baptized and the Spirit of God descended upon Him. And it was at Jordan that the people passed over from the flesh into Spirit realm. Once God’s people had arisen and gone over, they were commanded to “tread” . Once you arise and move out in the Spirit, the Bible declares you can tread on scorpions and serpents because you have the power “over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). They entered the Promised Land with the presence of God represented by the ark. WE go forth with the presence of God in our earthen vessel, a body of clay filled with the divine power of the Holy Ghost (2 Corinthians 4:7). Inside the Ark of Covenant were the tables of stone and the rod that budded, symbolic of the Word and resurrection power of God. The enemies of God were destroyed because of God’s presence symbolized by the ark and its contents (Numbers 10:35). As you go forth with the Word of God and with His resurrection power abiding in you, you too, will have a divine impact upon society. God told Joshua, “If you will RISE, If you will GO OVER, If you will TREAD – no one will able to stand before you!” Are you ready to invade the enemy’s territory? Are you ready to have a divine impact upon your community..and in your home….and on your Job? PASSING OVER JORDAN When the Joshua generation passed over Jordan to possess the land, It was HARVEST TIME and the Jordan River was at flood levels. As soon as the priest’s feet touched the water, the way opened for Israel to cross on dry ground. When the leaders stepped into the current, the waters rolled back 30 miles north to the city of Adam. There is a tremendous spiritual truth in what happened to Israel at the Jordan. When you leave the flesh behind and cross over into the realm of the Spirit, God vipes away your past right back to Adam! The Joshua generation’s crossing is a shadow of the substance to come. The real time harvest began when Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and began His public ministry. Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest”. (Luke 10:2) When Israel crossed over to Jordan, they erected two memorials. Twelve stones were taken from the WILDERNESS SIDE and erected in the middle of Jordan where the priests stood with the Ark while Israel crossed. Twelve NEW STONES were taken from the River and erected in a memorial on the other side of Jordan (Joshua 4). These two memorials symbolize what we leave and what we press on to in our walk of faith. Our new life in Christ and new covenant is taken out of the waters and established in the promised Land. We are part of new covenant – THE JOSHUA GENERATION. The Joshua generation was a generation that fought and conquered the enemies in the Promised Land. We are commanded by our wonderful Lord Jesus to fight and conquer spiritual darkness. Just as Joshua led the nation of Israel across the Jordan by the light of the day, we should show our faith in the light of the day. Jesus aid, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14) We can learn to do what Joshua did in order to see the glory of God revealed in our life and in the lives of those who we touch. We can learn how to have a Joshua spirit and go on to conquer in the power of the Holy Spirit.

FAVOR!

God's favor will get you through the door but you have to work hard to fulfill your vision and God ordained destiny. Nothing will drop in your lap. Get up and work hard for it. Remember, only in the dictionary we see Success before WORK.

LEADERSHIP

A LEADER must allow himself no INDULGENCES in secrets that would undermine his CHARACTER or mar his public witness. The character of a leader should be one that commands respect from all, even his ENEMIES. Hey HEY, you can fool few people all the time and all people few times and a season, BUT YOU CANNOT FOOL ALL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME!!

LEARN TO LAUGH!

" A MERRY HEART maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken". Proverbs 15:13. Hey, do you know that when a violin string is not tight enough, the music will be flat and dull? And the string is too tight, the music will be shrill and high-pitched. But if it is tightened even more, that string will SNAP! It's the same way with tension in the home. STRESS AND STRIF...E raise tension in our homes. The strings can get mighty tight, and sometimes, IT CAN SNAP. Hey, have you ever noticed you don't have to teach children to laugh: perhaps you have to teach them not to laugh? You see, laughter comes innately. And if you have the joy of the Lord in your heart, it's going to show on your face! Jesus tells us to laugh (Luke 6:21). My friend, Laughter is God's way to break the tension when the string get TOO TIGHT. Ha Ha Ha HA HA HA, JUST DO IT!

THE WINNABLE WAR

"But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your MINDS may be corrupted from the simplicity that is CHRIST". 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV). My friend, do you know that an idle mind is the devil's workshop? The devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, we are only a STEP away from actually doing it. He knows that our minds are COMMAND CENTRAL. It is h...ere that we REASON. It is here that we remember. It is here that we DREAM. Our minds are the HARD DRIVE, the place where everything originates. Satan knows it is only a SHORT STEP from a thought to act. So realize that in Jesus Christ, you have been positionally placed into the family of God. DON'T let the devil cheat you out of that truth. Live and THINK as a child of God and a child of the KING, and walk in close fellowship with GOD. Purposely DELETE the thought devil brings to your mind. We may lose a skirmish here and a battle there. But NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, WE WILL WIN THE WAR!!See More

PRAYER

MOSES prayed, "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now Your way" Exodus 33:13. ELIJAH prayed: "O Lord my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him". 1 Kings 17:21. AND GOD ANSWERED THESE PRAYERS! Let me see. This means that my prayers do not have to be long for God to answer. The biggest lie Satan tells you and me about prayer is that it needs to take a lo...ng time. It is not the length of prayer that makes it effective, but the sincerity and faith behind it. Our prayers must be Spirit-led, heartfelt and accompanied by true faith. Don't tell me you don't have time to pray. What is your excuse. If the Lord leads you to sit down and pray or intercede long time, go ahead and do it. If not you can pray like Moses, Elijah, David, Jabez.......JUST DO IT BUDDY!

Are you a servant LEADER!

True greatness and true leadership are not achieved by reducing men to one's service , but in giving oneself in service to them. Are you a servant LEADER?

ALLEVIATE ANGER!!!

"A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife". Proverbs 15:18. If I say AA, what is coming to your mind? American Airlines or Alcohol Anonymous? My friend, I would say it stands for ALLEVIATE ANGER also. The scripture here shows us that anger brings stress and strife. We need to be peacemakers in our homes. Proverbs 15:1 says " A soft answer turneth away wrath...: but grievous words stir up anger". The way to control your anger is to control your WORDS- your SPEECH. Perhaps you might say, " I just can't control it". Really? Oh yes you can! Sometimes in a home the husband and wife are just snarling, fighting, snapping, down one another's throat, and their voices are full of hostility. Then right in the middle, the phone rings. They go to the phone and say, "Hello", so SWEET and NICE. Don't tell me you CAN'T CONTROL IT! And you'd BETTER LEARN to control in the midst of INTENSE NEGOTIATION (I know Christians never argue), if you don't, you'll be out of control- and THE STRING WILL SNAP. You don't want that, do you???

LORD, YOU HAVE TO DO IT! REALLY?

"Come near to God and He will come near to you" James 4:8a. Frustrated with a mediocre spiritual life and hungry for something more in our relationship with God, we pray, "God, I am tired of living a life of continual defeat and disappointment. I need to experience Your power in my life. I'm tired of fighting myself. If anything supernatural is going to happen, You are going to have to do it. Lor...d, fill me with your Holy Spirit. Use me Lord. I pray in Jesus name, amen!!!". Have you ever prayed such a prayer? Sounds familiar? Aren't we handing back to God a responsibility He had given to us? It's time for self-evaluation. How many minutes a day, a week, have you spent time with Him? Are you satisfied with a 30 minutes Sandwich the pastor is giving every Sunday? Do you have a daily devotion? Tithe of your time with the Lord? STOP handing over the responsibility of your spiritual life to God. You know what is this called "UPWARD DELEGATION". Stop handing over the responsibility of your spiritual life to God, maaan, take charge, BE REAL!!!

CAN YOU ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE?

My friend, do not shackle yourself to past pains or trauma, or a self-imposed life sentence for past mistakes. CAN YOU ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE? Learn the values of your talents, the value of your time and the value of your love, you will understand what a DISSERVICE you do to yourself by trading them in for token just like we trade money for tokens in Chuck E. Cheese. I want to dare you to see yourse...lf through the eyes of your heavenly Father. What ESTEEM he holds for each of us! I DARE you to see yourself through clear vision. Life alone can be very difficult, and there can be a seemingly never-ending mountain of troubles, but do not make it more difficult by gambling your resources away. LIVE the life that God has predestined to you, live FEARLESSLY in the comfort that you have weighed all your options, made the best choices, and wait to reap the benefits. Ma..nnn, YOU ARE AN ORIGINAL CUSTOM MADE BY GOD, NOT A CARBON COPY. Can you live with your eyes wide open??? Well, can YOU???