Joshua Enters The Promised Land: Pt. 2 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

Subscribe to the ‘Time With God’ Podcast

Transcript

Good morning. This week we’re looking at just the beginning of the book of Joshua in the Old Testament of the Bible, and it’s a time of transition. Moses has been the leader. The people of Israel have felt safe and secure, knowing that Moses was listening to God and had the hand of God’s blessing on him and his activities. And now Moses has just died, and Joshua is taking the leadership.

And yesterday we saw that God says to Joshua, just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. And this confidence we can have as we face circumstances and situations in our lives that may seem way beyond us, out of our control, we don’t know what to do.

But if we make our choices based on what we know God wants us to do. If we walk God’s way, we don’t compromise for the sake of convenience, but we keep putting God at the center of our lives and our choices. Then God will walk with us.

This idea that God says to Joshua, I will be with you is like God’s anointing His special presence with Joshua, his power accompanying Joshua’s life because Joshua’s life was following God’s path, and we can have that same confidence as we follow God’s path.

Well, right in the middle of that conversation with Joshua where God is telling him, I’ll be with you, so be strong and courageous. We find verse 8 of Chapter 1, and this is what it says. If we start in verse 7, it says, do not turn from the law that Moses commanded you either to the right hand or to the left. That is, keep walking down the straight and narrow. That you may have good success wherever you go and then listen.

This book of the law. Basically, the Bible, the part of the Bible that was written by then, this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Well, so often we don’t think about the Bible that way, do we?

We think, well, I need to hear enough of the Bible to kind of soothe my conscience or to be a good Christian, you know, if I go to church on Sunday and I hear something being taught and then I go to a small group meeting or something like that – then I’ve kind of done my Bible time for the week. But the Bible is not something to be endured as much as you have to.

Hope 103.2 is proudly supported by

The Bible should be right at the center of your life because it’s God’s description of the life that is pleasing to Him, the life that He has designed for you. It’s not some horrible, dreadful thing to read the Bible, but rather, here’s what God says to Joshua.

If you meditate on the Bible day and night and also let it not depart from your mouth, that is you just talking about what God’s saying to you from His word.

And you’re careful to do what’s in it, then you’ll make your way prosperous, and you’ll have good success. That is, God will be with you. God will be blessing your life as you live, following His Word.

The Bible is the way to the greatest joy in your life as you learn from it and apply God’s way of life to your way. He is the one who designed life, and He designed you. There’s no way for you to find the most fulfilling path in life and leave the Bible out of your life. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. Keep on talking about it. Meditate on it day and night.

That is the way to really find your life full of meaning.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

Feature image: CanvaPro