hello dear friends this is Dr conrad
Vine and I want to share a word of
encouragement for you today based on my
own walk with the Lord Jesus Christ back
in
1997 almost 30 years ago I was preparing
to head out to the country of
Azabaijan i hadn’t been much overseas
before that time i was entering a
country but they spoke a different
language there was a strange set of
customs there was a kind of a cold war
going on with a neighboring country at
the same time and I was worried how
would it go would I find any friends
there because of the fighting would I
even come back
alive well on the day that I was flying
out of London towards Aabaijan I was
reading through my Bible that year as I
always do every year and that morning I
came to Joshua chapter 1 and that was my
chapter to read for that morning and as
I read the chapter the first uh 10
verses are where God is speaking to
Joshua who is about to cross over the
river Jordan to enter the promised land
into
Canaan like myself Joshua was entering
into a a strange country they spoke a
strange language where they had a very
strange culture where they worshiped
other gods and where there would be
fighting and so I saw in the story of
Joshua my own story on that very morning
as I read through Joshua 1:es 1-9 I
realized that God had certain promises
and commands just for me we find the
first of these in Joshua 1 and verse two
it says there “My servant Moses is dead
now proceed to cross the Jordan and all
this you and all this people into the
land that I am giving you to the
Israelites every place that the sole of
your foot will tread upon I have given
you as I promised to Moses so the first
command that God gave Joshua and he was
giving me on that morning was step out
in faith that was the command and the
corresponding promise was this i will
bless you all of the promises that I
gave to Moses I will make to you as well
all of the promises I gave to Moses will
come true for you Joshua as you step out
in faith i realized in that moment that
God was giving me the same command
Conrad step out in faith and the promise
was that all the promises of scripture
would come true for me the second
command we find in verse 8 and N of this
chapter it says in verse 8 this is the
command it says “This book of the law
shall not depart out of your mouth you
shall meditate on it day and night so
that you may be careful to act in
accordance with all that is written
therein for then you shall make your way
prosperous and then you shall be
successful.” So the second command was
this i want you to meditate on my word
and the word for meditate used in the
Hebrew haga it means to chew some chew
over something in your mouth to turn
something over in your mouth maybe the
best illustration is when you chew
chewing gum if you put chewing gum into
your mouth every between every bite you
move the chewing gum round with your
tongue so that when you bite down it
releases fresh flavor and so the word to
meditate means that we’re turning over
the word of God in our mind all through
the day as we turn over a verse in our
minds throughout the day God releases
fresh insights fresh understanding fresh
truth to us as we chew on that word of
God so the command here was meditate on
my word night and day this wasn’t just a
5-minute thing in the morning but
meditate on my word throughout your
working life and your personal life and
the corresponding promise that goes with
it was that I will guide you so the
first command was this step out in faith
and I will bless you the second command
and promise is this meditate on my word
and I will guide you and the third
command and promise is found at the end
of verse 9 we read there it says I
hereby command you be strong and
courageous do not be frightened or
dismayed for the Lord your God is with
you wherever you go
so the command here is be strong be
courageous have a boldness for God in
your ministry today don’t be afraid of
what’s on the other side of that river
don’t be afraid of the strange people
with a strange language with strange
customs with strange habits and strange
languages and where there may be
fighting don’t be afraid says God why
because I will be with you jesus
promised us in Matthew 28 in the gospel
commission says “Lo I am with you always
even to the ends of the earth.” So the
promise that God gave to Joshua is the
promise that he gave me on that day
almost 30 years ago and it’s the promise
that God gives you as well today as I’ve
gone through my life almost 30 years of
living and working around the world
Joshua chapter 1:es 1-9 have become my
personal covenant with my Lord and
Savior Jesus
Christ in this chapter God gives me
commands step out in faith meditate on
my
word then finally follow my leading and
be courageous and bold
there are three corresponding promises i
will bless you i will guide you and I
will be with you my testimony today
after 30 years of serving all around the
world is that all of God’s promises have
come true not one of them has failed
this is what Joshua said to the people
of Israel in Joshua 24 he reminded them
of all these promises of God then he
said “You yourselves know that not one
of all the good things that God has
promised has failed to come
true.” So I want to encourage you today
dear brothers and sisters if you are
facing challenges if you are facing a
daunting work challenge if you are
facing a new people with a new language
maybe a place of strange customs maybe a
place of
conflict maybe many maybe enter into the
same covenant with God today as did
Joshua
step out in faith and I will bless you
meditate on my word and I will guide you
be strong and courageous and bold and I
will be with you god’s promises came
true for Joshua they’ve come true for me
in every aspect of my life and I know
that if you enter into the same covenant
with the Lord Jesus Christ today his
promises will come true for you in a
beautiful and a powerful way may God
bless you walk with the Lord and see
what he can do for you today