New Beginnings

New Beginning’s Deuteronomy 31:7-8 Joshua 1:8-9 Well, here we are at the start of another school year. Another New Beginning. For students and teachers, every new school year brings new opportunities. Students get another chance to learn and grow more. Teachers have the opportunity to impart lasting knowledge in the lives of their students. Parents as well get to watch once again as their children mature. Surely every new beginning is happy and sad because for something new to begin, something had to of ended. And new beginnings aren’t just limited to a new school year. Life is full of new begins. As we live life, doors close and doors open. Sometimes we feel prepared, other times we’re simply wondering how we’ll get by. So today we’re all going to learn from Joshua, how he handled his new beginning, and how to apply that to our lives today. Joshua’s new beginning begins with loss. Moses is dying and telling Joshua to be his successor. Deut. 31: 7 says, “Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance.’” Now up until this point Joshua had only followed, never lead. For 40 years, Joshua assisted Moses as they wandered in the desert. The first generation that Moses lead out of Egypt had all died, all but Joshua and Caleb, because these two men, if you remember, were the only two faithful spies years earlier (Numbers 32:12-13). Out of all the people that left Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb remained with Moses, because it was only they who faithfully followed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The faithfulness and respect for God years ago did not go by unnoticed, and now Joshua’s devotion for God was ready to be used. Joshua’s time and new beginning had come. He had his orders and knew what God wanted from him. Here stood Joshua, a faithful follower of God, now being commissioned by God Himself to a seemingly impossible task. What was God asking Joshua to do? To lead a massive amount of people in two ways. Joshua was to lead the people spiritually, making sure they always followed and obeyed God. And he was to lead the people physically, across the Jordon River, and into the promised land, flowing with milk and honey. There was just one problem; the promised land was heavily guarded by people not so willing to just give up their land. Just picture yourself in Joshua’s place. Moses, the Godly leader who you followed and watched for decades just died. Now upwards of 2 million people are staring at you. And as you peer over them, you see the not so empty and ready to move into promised land. Talk about pressure! I mean most of us get nervous talking in front of small groups of people. And I’ve read before that public speaking is people’s number one fear. Now it’s up to Joshua not to fit into Moses shoes, but establish his own leadership and authority while guiding people into hostile territory. No doubt Joshua was taken off guard at first, because as God told Joshua in verse 9, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.” Joshua felt like any of us would in that moment, but His faith, reliance, and optimism in God was all that was needed. Joshua’s faith and optimism in God lead him right where God needed him. He remembered God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He knew God would fulfill His promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. Joshua spent his life following God, and his faithfulness and devotion to God is now going to be used. As Jesus said, “Everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). God found Joshua as faithful and enlarged his territory. Joshua was faithful in small and great matters, so his territory, his field of influence for others in service to God was expanded. Joshua took on his new beginning with a “Kingdom Mentality.” A Kingdom Mentality is putting God first. It is basing your life in God so that no matter what life may bring, you’re ready because you’ve got God. It’s being Christ-focused. Like Joshua, all of us have specific purposes in life that unfold as God’s Word works its way into how we think, what we say, and what we do. A new beginning brings a new purpose. A new goal and new challenges to meet. But with a Kingdom Mentality, the equipped Christian can face any challenge. But before any new beginning. Before any journey or battle or challenge, we must be equipped. We must have a strong foundation in God’s Word. Jesus taught that “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-27). Just like Joshua standing upon the banks of the Jordan, we don’t know all of what will happen after we cross the river of the point of no return. We don’t know what floods may come our way. But if we are wise, if we have that Kingdom Mentality, then our strong foundation is built on the rock of Christ our Lord. To be Kingdom Minded is to continually reaffirm God’s Truth so it fills your mind, speaks your words, and guides your actions. To have that Kingdom Mentality as Joshua had is to beware of any distractions. It’s not to place limits on yourself because God is limitless. Distractions can and will occur and test even the best of us. Distractions are very destructive because nothing can zap the life from you faster than something distracting you from the God who gives you life. A distraction is harmful because it harms our ability to pray, to think, and to listen. Distractions can especially happen during a new beginning because so many thoughts swirl through our minds. Distractions aren’t harmful until it begins to harm your relationship with God. If something is replacing your time with God or influencing the way you walk and talk with God, that’s when it’s harmful. And it can happen to anybody. You and I are not immune to becoming distracted. Even Martha was distracted by cooking when Jesus came over and everyone, including her sister Mary, sat and listened to Jesus instead of helping her cook (Luke 10:38-42). In Martha’s mind, she didn’t need to pray because Jesus was there in her house. She couldn’t listen because she was too busy cooking and all she could think about was how she needed help. New beginnings cause excitement, wonder, maybe even some fear. So how can we keep our Kingdom Mentality and live a life for God as Joshua did? I call it the: 3 P’s of New Beginning’s 1. Plan The first step in planning for anything is to know what your planning for. With a new school year here already, ask yourself what you hope to accomplish this year. A benefit of planning for the future reduces your worry. The Bible never says you shouldn’t plan ahead. In Luke 14:28-33 the Bible says, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with 10,000 men to meet him who comes against him with 20,000.” However, the Bible does say not to worry about your future, because adding worry only subtracts life which equals being distracted. If worry is in the equation nothing will be gained. So don’t worry and always be reminded of God’s Word to Joshua, “The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you.” So plan to have a determined purpose with a Kingdom Mentality. It will help guide your thoughts, words, and actions. No matter what wilderness you find yourself in, or what River you must cross, proper planning will help guide you to the promised land. 2. Prepare What will you need for this journey? When you count the cost and decide to follow God and face your new beginning head-on, sometimes it can feel like your on the front lines of a battlefield. Your new beginning can have a way of placing you right in the middle of the action with no way out. No doubt Joshua at first felt this as he had to lead God’s people into battle. But remember, “God is with you” so make an effort to be with Him. The best preparations you can make spiritually or physically is to spend time with God. Read your Bible and prayer will keep you focused and ready to make a difference. Prepare to be committed to God, and keep His Word as your guide so no matter what your new beginning brings, you’ll remain strong and courageous. Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” So don’t try to hurry up and rush to the end of your new beginning. Allow the Lord to establish your steps and walk at His pace. 3. Prosper Now by prosper I don’t mean that God’s going to make you rich. I’m not talking about material prosperity. Being God’s child is being rich in Christ, even though you’re poor on Earth. To prosper also doesn’t mean you’ll never have problems. Problems are part of life which frustrate us while reminding us there’s something more than the here and now. Paul defined prosperity in Philippians 1:19 when he said, “I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” Stay Christ-focused, “And all things will work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). It’s been said that you can’t direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails. In other words, you may not be able to control all the elements in your world, but you can control your reaction to them. That comes from proper planning and preparation with a Kingdom mentality. “It’s putting your hand to the plow and not looking back” (Luke 9:62), and “It’s forgetting what’s behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Phil. 3:13). It’s to do what God instructed Joshua to do in Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” A good leader follows and leads. They follow God while leading others by their example. They plan and prepare to prosper because “God is with them.” Which of God’s promises are giving you a future and a hope? Because your answer to that question leads to Godly prosperity. There are many new beginning’s people of all ages face in life. And the only way to truly prosper is to have Christ in your life. Until you invite Christ into your life, you’ll never be complete. You’ll never be fully equipped to tackle life’s problems. So if you’ve been going through life wondering what in the world am I missing. Or if your standing on the banks of a new beginning, conquer it with Christ, because “the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Amen. Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity  To accept the things I cannot change;  Courage to change the things I can;  And wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time;  Enjoying one moment at a time;  Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;  Taking, as He did, this sinful world  As it is, not as I would have it;  Trusting that He will make all things right  If I surrender to His Will;  So that I may be reasonably happy in this life  And supremely happy with Him  Forever and ever in the next.  Amen.