"Internalizing Your Call"

Introduction: Do you know what you are called to do? For the believer in Christ this is one of the most important questions that you will have to answer during your course of life.

1. Don”t Trap yourself in the Hallways of life (Joshua 1:1-2

Our text today tells the story of Joshua being called to lead the nation of Israel forward. Many of us spend or lives marking time, a military command to march in place picking one foot up after the other but not going anywhere. Many of us are seemingly stuck in one place without the desire to move ahead. We cannot experience what’s in front of us because we cling to the only thing that we know. Allow me to paraphrase a command in verse 2 “now therefore arise, go over this Jordan”. Joshua stand up and lead the people forward! The crying must cease, I know your hearts are broken but I can mend them. Life must go on. We are experiencing a time that many of us thought we would never see, especially in the United States. The Pandemic is here, It is real, now what are you (we) going to do about it. We cannot afford to mark time, we must move forward.

How do we trap ourselves in the struggles of life?

*God calls each believer to a life of service. Many of us get distracted or hung up on the belief that we cannot be as effective as our predecessors were.

2. Don’t be afraid to walk into your tomorrow. (Joshua 1:4)

Fear of tomorrow can be as crippling as slavery to the past, but God is already in your tomorrow. He’s already been where you’re going. Notice God does not say, “Everywhere your foot shall trod I will give you,” but rather, “I have given unto you.” He’s already done it. With God, there’s no yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He not only sees the beginning and the end, He is the beginning and the end. Tomorrow is already today with God. Don’t be afraid to walk into it.

What fears do you have about going into a new day?

Do you believe that you are capable of completing the task?

3. God has taken care of every detail. (Joshua 1:4)

All things work together for the good of those who love the lord. We must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He has prepared all things for you and they will work together for your good. God leaves nothing to chance. You can’t surprise Him. God is sovereign. He tells Joshua, I have given Israel a vast amount of territory , from the desert to Lebanon, to the great Euphrates River, all the land of the Hittites, all the way to the great sea where the sun sets in the west. Their only duty was to trust Him and go forward. The will of God for your life has already been taken care of, you only need to love , trust, and obey Him and things will work out for your good. This is not to suggest that you will not have trials along the way, God orchestrate them also and He know just how the will turn out. They are designed to prepare us for the blessings that He has in store.

If God would show you the blueprint for your life, could you remain faithful to the details?

4. God’s promises should inspire you to do it. (Josh. 1:5-7)

Be encouraged, God is on our side. He tells Joshua; just as I was with Moses I will be with you. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Be strong and courageous. The lesson learned in these verses reflects on the Faithfulness of God. You saw what I did for Moses, I am going to do the same thing for you, just believe it and go. Yes the Jordan looks un-crossable, but so did the Red Sea. You were there, you saw it with your own eyes. There is no secret of what God can do, what He has done for others He will do the same for you. I heard Solomon say; “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths.” Gods promises are sure, you can count on them, He is faithful unto His word.

Why are you excited or inspired by the promises of God?

Closing: When we know what God has called us to do, He expects us to go forward in faith because He is faithful. Reminiscing on yesterday is not good when God is clearly showing us another way. You want know if the way is better or worse until you adhere to the guidance of God. That way was good and I prospered you in that way, but its time to move into a new era. If you are going to remember something, here is what I want you to remember. I am faithful, just like I took care of you yesterday, I can take care of you today. Israel had wandered 40 years because they failed to listen and remain faithful, every time the command was given to advance somebody came up with their own way of advancing, but God remain faithful to His promise, and now its time to go and possess it. Could it be that God is leading us to a better place! we wont know until we move forward. Yes He is calling, we have got to move!