Notes
“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:5-9
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:10
Possess the promise. The book of Joshua is about God leading His people out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. He prepared Joshua to step into an abundant life; the Promised Land didn’t come without challenges or troubles. What God desires to do is to help us grow so that we can live rich and satisfying lives in spite of the problems. To experience that type of life, we have to take the steps God has given us to take, so that like Joshua, we can live under God’s leadership and provision and step into the abundant life.
God is in front of us, behind us, and with us. If we focus on the things He tells us to focus on, we will have success, prosperity, and victory in our Christian lives. But in order to experience that, we have to let God be our leader and do as He says:
1) Be Prepared
We prepare by studying God’s Word. We have to learn to discern the voice of the living God, and the way we do that is by the Word of God. Study it for yourself. Make it a daily discipline to study the Scriptures. There you will see God’s promises to His people: He will provide and lead. He created us and He will sustain us when we choose to follow Him.
2) Build Memories of God’s Faithfulness
When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,“Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe.Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel.He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”
Joshua 4:1-7
The purpose of memorials is to remember what others have done and pass it on to people who come after. Find ways to remind yourself to continually praise God for His faithfulness, for bringing you out of the darkness and into His light. Make deposits in the next generations by building memories of God’s faithfulness.
3) Remember Your Purpose
“He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”
Joshua 4:24
The enemy will try to discourage you, but remember that Jesus came to give a rich and satisfying life. When Jesus performed miracles, He often had the person participate in the miracle they were experiencing. When God moves and does a miracle in your life, it is so that you respect Him and so that you will draw others to Him. The purpose of our lives is to show that He is the most high God, that He is who He says He is.
“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:14-15
Be all in. We can be the light to our world. Those who plant themselves in the house of the Lord will flourish. Let’s see what God can do when we allow Him to transform us and overflow out of our lives until the whole world knows who Jesus is.
Group Questions
- How can you build and remember memories of God's faithfulness in your life?
- In what ways can you remain courageous and follow God's leadership in challenging times?
- What distractions might you need to put away to serve the Lord wholeheartedly?
- How can you help the next generation understand and remember God's faithfulness?
Prayer
Thank you for your promise to lead and provide for your people. Help us to be strong and courageous, and to build lasting memories of your faithfulness as we live out our purpose of reflecting your love.