Sure victory

Imagine Joshua standing on the bank of the Jordan listening to the voice of God, commissioning him to continue His plan started by Moses. Moses could not see the promised land from Abraham and now Joshua was the Lord's chosen one to lead his people. A sure promise: "as I was with Moses, I will be with you; I will not leave you or forsake you" (v. 5)

"I will be with you," says the Lord. An irreplaceable condition: be obedient to comply with the entire Law without deviating from its principles. The consequence of this obedience: you will have victory, you and your people.

Joshua's success did not depend on his strength, but on his efforts to fulfill and enforce God's Word. God's entire command revolved around obedience to his Word. It demanded fidelity and effort. Doesn't it take a supernatural effort to obey the Word?

The Jordan was ahead. The same Jordan where Jesus would receive the baptism of John a thousand and so years later. The Jordan where the church of Christ needs to dive to make God's promises their own if they are obedient to the Word. The church advances when it decides to cross its Jordan in obedience trusting that, as the body of Christ, it will not be abandoned, but encouraged in the Spirit. The Jordan where misfocused priorities die, false doctrines, the embers of humanism that tries to seep in to confuse and divide the body of Christ. The Jordan where we renounce our own tactics and strategies, our sufficiencies. The Jordan from where we emerge with the fragrance of holiness to a new life in Christ, obedient, strengthened, filled with the Spirit.

You will have to be brave and make an effort. The church of Christ requires courage to confront everything that interferes with God's plans for the advancement of the Kingdom and his people. He must strive trusting in his Word because although God has promised him a new earth and new heavens, the church has the privilege of conquering for His glory. Conquest of lost souls, conquest of the shattered hearts of men and women captive to sin.

The true motivation for the church comes from the Word of God. The success of the church depends on its obedience. While the world - and some perverted churches - thinks of another kind of prosperity, God promises to make his children prosper if we take care to do everything that is written in his Word. (Joshua 1.8). His presence in the midst of his people is the guarantee of certain victory, despite the false prophets of these times and despite the Jordanians who will have to cross.

God bless your word!

Suggested Reading: Joshua 1