Stay Focused On God's Word

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Joshua 1:8

The Lord wants you to be blessed and prosper; He wants you to reach higher heights and measures of success that were thought to be unobtainable… The word of God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah this very thing… It is in the 29^th chapter and the 11^th verse that we find these words recorded, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In the time of Jeremiah the children of God had lose focus and were subject to captivity; however, even in the lowest position God reminds them that He desire for them to prosper; however, the key to their prosperity is their willingness to obey His will… Today, you may be in a place where it appears that you aren’t prospering, you may be at the end of your rope and feel like there is nothing that can be done or no words that can be said to change your circumstance; wherever you are today and whatever you are dealing with, know that you (through the obedience to God’s word) have the ability to transform your life and alter your direction… God speaks to Joshua in our focus verse today at a point in his life were he is called to lead the children of God… Moses has gone on top of the hill and passed away and the children of God are on the very doorstep of their destiny, but still have a stiffness and disobedient spirit in them… With all eyes on him and the pressure of leadership being upon his shoulders; God speaks the key to Joshua’s success in the first part of this text when the Lord says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth…” 

Being in leadership means that you have people who are following you… With leadership comes distractions and temptations; however, despite how much pressure Joshua may feel to please the crowd, God reminds Him that as long as he stands on faith and seeks to please the Father he will prosper… You may be in a position today where there are a lot of people who are trying to persuade you to please them; you may be battling in the mind about a decision that has to be made and you are worried that you will lose some friends of break some hearts in the process, the word of God challenges you today to stay focused on the will of God… This is why the Lord proceeds to tells Joshua, “but thou shalt meditate therein day and night…”When you are in the midst of a storm or a trial stay in the proximity of God… Keep Him closer than any other thing in your life and meditate on the word that He has given you… When you seek God, those who are not suppose to be there will be removed, but when you meditate God will provide a comfort and peace that will keep you through the entire process… God will never lead you to a particular point if you are not first equipped for the task at hand… The word of God goes on to say that when we keep the law of God in our mouths and meditate on it day and night we shall prosper and have good success… When you pray, make sure that you seek the approval of God in the direction that you are going… Make sure that you seek His guidance in your life knowing that this is the key to success and prosperity…  If we understand that Joshua was told these are the things that he had to do to prosper and be successful, I believe that we can apply these fundamental principles to our lives and come to the realization that we have the ability to prosper… 

The word of God is clear, when, you decide to put God first He will begin to take you place and transform your life… You have the ability to overcome, you have the ability to succeed; however, it is entirely up to you based on the decisions that you make when the pressures of life are at your doorstep… This is why Joshua goes on to say (after marching around the walls of Jericho and seeing the hand of God move), “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Understand today that there will be a time and point in your life where you will be called to lead… You may not sit on a throne or hold a certain title, but everyday of your life you can lead someone to Christ… As stated earlier,  Moses has now passed and the reigns have firmly been placed in the grasp of Joshua… He (as many leaders) became hesitate when contemplating the task before him (leading the Israelites into the promise land). God is speaking to Joshua, assuring him of a promised outcome IF he follows the will of God. He tells Joshua to not allow the book of the law to depart from his mouth, he tells him to meditate day and night, and to observer the teaching and writings of the law; then you shall prosper… God is waiting for you to take your eyes of the problem and focus on the solution (His word). He is waiting for you to have enough faith to believe that you shall not fall or fail… He is waiting for you to obtain your success and reach your goals through the empowerment and guidance of His word!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!