Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. —Isaiah 41:10
LET’S LOOK AT Joshua 1, which records a critical point in Israel’s history, to see what we can learn about having the “good success” that God promised Joshua. Joshua was appointed as the new leader of Israel after Moses died and he was to bring God’s people into the Promised Land. This was a mammoth responsibility. Forty years before that, the children of Israel were on the brink of entering the Promised Land. But because they had refused to believe God’s promises to them, that generation spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.
We do not have to strive and strain to be blessed. Good success for us today is enjoying the fruits and labor of Another— Jesus Christ.
That was not God’s will for them. God wanted to bring them into a land that was flowing with milk and honey. He wanted to give them a land filled with large and beautiful cities they did not build, houses full of good things they did not fill, hewn-out wells they did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees they did not plant (Deuteronomy 6:10–11). In other words, He wanted them to enjoy the fruits and labor of another—the giants who were in the land.
Beloved, that is good success. That’s the kind of success where you enjoy abundance of provision in every area of your life. That kind of success that is characterized by rest because today, the Bible says that our promised land is God’s rest (Hebrews 3:11). We are enjoying the fruits and labor of Another—Jesus Christ. And that’s the kind of success Christ has given us today. We do not have to strive and strain to be blessed.
What caused the entire generation to be robbed of their promised inheritance? To answer this question, we need to ask another: Who were the leaders over that generation? The Lord showed me that Moses had followed his father-in-law’s advice to appoint “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness” (Exodus 18:21) as his leaders to help him rule over the children of Israel. The 12 spies who were sent to spy on Canaan must have been picked from this pool of leaders. This means that they were all able men who feared God, men of truth, hating covetousness. [By the way, when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He said, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matthew 4:10). Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13, which actually reads, “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him…” Jesus substituted the word “fear” with the word “worship.” So according to Jesus, to fear God is to worship God.] But despite having all these leadership attributes , none of these spies or leaders whom Moses appointed entered the Promised Land apart from Joshua and Caleb. None! Why was this so?
The answer is this: They lacked courage! We can read an account of this story in Numbers 13:17–14:9. Moses sent 12 spies into the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report of the land, saying, “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them” (Numbers 14:7–9).
The other 10 spies gave a bad report, saying, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we…all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants…and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:31–33).
They all saw the same land, the same giants, but what a stark contrast in the reports that they brought back! Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit (a spirit of faith, Numbers 14:24) and focused on the promises and goodness of God. But the rest cowered in fear and saw only the giants and challenges in the land. They had good leadership qualities, but it was all negated because they were fearful. Fear paralyzed them! The nation of Israel could only go as far as their leaders could bring them. Because their leaders were fearful, the entire generation was robbed of God’s promises for their lives!
Today, no matter how dire your circumstances may appear, choose to focus on the goodness of God. Choose to see how Christ has paid the price for you to enjoy God’s unmerited favor, peace, protection and provision in every area of your life. Fear will not paralyze you. Instead, you will see His faithfulness and walk in all His blessings!
Today’s Prayer
Father, strengthen me today and uphold me with Your righteous right hand. Give me a greater sense of Your abiding presence, so that I will not fear, but be able to face all my challenges today with boldness and courage, knowing that You are my help, my wisdom and my strength. All I need to do is walk in the victory that Jesus has already won for me.
Today’s Thought
I won’t be afraid for God Almighty is with me!
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Prince, Joseph. 100 Days Of Favor, Daily Readings From Unmerited Favor.