The Call to Claim Canaan

Day one hundred fifty-nine

I have to confess that as the day went on yesterday, and I wasn't feeling so well, I got grumpy.  I am normally a pretty happy person, but by last evening I could feel myself having less patience and I was ready to pounce on the next person that pushed my buttons. It just so happened that my oldest son took the brunt of my wrath.  Luckily, he is a pretty mellow young man and didn't take it personally and instead worked together with the other men in the house to lighten my mood and cheer me up.  By the time we were ready for family prayer they had succeeded in changing my attitude.  

I am so grateful for these wonderful men in my life.  They can drive me crazy at times, but they are also the source of much of my joy.  I included this story in my prayer this morning, I wanted the Lord to know that I realize that my behavior was less than stellar last night and that I recognize His hand in putting these 3 awesome people in my life to keep me in check.  I am so grateful for them and their willingness to love me in spite of all my little moments. I asked the Lord to give them some extra special blessings for putting up with me and to let them know that He loves them too.   

The Book of Joshua

There are times in our lives when we feel a little like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness,  hoping that soon the Lord will say that it is time to enter our own Canaan or Promised Land.  We keep trudging through the trials and obstacles put before us, waiting to claim our spiritual victories.  Today I want to share what I learned from chapter 1 in the Book of Joshua about what it takes to go from wandering in the wilderness waiting, to living in a land of victory.

As I was reading and studying it became apparent that there are 3 truths that the Lord gives that we need to understand:  The Call, The Challenge, The Commitment.  This post will focus on the topic of The Call.

The Call

(vv 1-4)  A Call To Claim The Land - In these verses, Joshua is reminded that the Lord has already given the land of Canaan to the children of Israel. Joshua is commanded to lead the people into Canaan to claim the land that they had been promised by the Lord (Gen 12:7).  The land was indeed their land! There was no need for them to continue their wandering around in the wilderness. They had a land, all they had to do was claim it!

There are Christians who are defeated, who struggle with sins, who, for all intents and purposes are wandering around in a spiritual wilderness. The great news is that it does not have to be that way! I believe with all my heart that God did not bring us here to see us defeated! Most of the time, we are defeated because we refuse to walk in victory! I believe there is a place of conquest for every child of God that we can claim for our own.

(vv5-6, 9) A Call to Have Confidence in the Lord - The next few verses tell us what we need to remember as we set out to claim our Canaan.  Joshua is reminded of some very precious promises in these verses. Notice what God promised him:

1. The promise of victory over every enemy. (v 5)
2. The promise of the presence and power of God. (v 5)
3. The promise of the faithfulness of God. (v 5)
4. The promise of absolute victory. (v 6)
5. The promise of God to keep His promises. (v 6)

What did Joshua have to do to make these things happen? Just one thing: Trust God! God was going to give Israel the victory. Joshua was merely the instrument that God had chosen to use to do it. These things were going to happen! For Joshua to be a part of it, all he had to do was have faith in God!

The same promises God made to Joshua are in force for you and me. We can still count on the Lord to do everything He promised Joshua He would do!

1. He still gives victory over all our enemies (1 John 5:4-5).
2. He is still ever-present (Heb. 13:5), and all powerful (Matt. 28:18).
3. He is still faithful (Matt. 28:20).
4. He still gives absolute victory (1 Cor. 15:57; Rev. 21:4, 27).
5. He still keeps His promises (Rom. 4:21).

What do we have to do to see these things come to pass in our lives? Just one thing: Trust God! When we learn to place our faith in God at all times in every situation, then we will walk in victory in our lives (Heb. 11:6). When everything else fails, faith will stand the test! We might let the Lord down, but He will never fail those who have faith in Him!

(v 7-8) A Call To Carry Out The Law - The Lord tells Joshua that if he is to lead the people of God to rest in Canaan, then he would need to heed the Law of God. Remembering the Law is an essential step to entering our Canaan as well. Notice what the Lord said to Joshua about the Law and how this applies to our lives today.

He was to keep the Law (v 7) - He was to do everything the Law said to do, not turning from it the least little bit.

He was to meditate on the Law (v 8) - Day and night, his mind was to be occupied with the Law. He was to love it and let it fill his heart and mind. This was in order that his life might be centered in the Law and therefore in the will of God!

He was to prosper by honoring the Law (v 7-8) - God's promise to Joshua was that if he lived his life around the Law of God, God would prosper him in everything he did and that God would make him very successful.

WE are to feast on the scriptures (2 Ne 32:3). 
WE are to live by the teachings of the scriptures (Psa. 37:31; Psa. 1:1-3).
WE will be blessed when these things are true in our lives (Psa. 1:1-3).

(v 6, 7, 9) A Call To Courage In Leadership - In the midst of all these things the Lord calls Joshua to be strong and courageous! These words carry the idea of "standing firm and strong in the face of opposition." Joshua would need great courage to face the enemies of Israel and to lead the people to victory in the promised land. God's challenge to Joshua is for him to take a stand!

There is just as great a need for people to stand for the Lord now as there was in the days of Joshua. All around us, we are bombarded by and pressured to conform to standards and beliefs that are not in agreement with the Lord's way. We need to have the courage to take a stand against these things and to let others know that we are steadfast and strong in our beliefs.

As I was preparing this post there was a scripture that popped into my head: "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work" (D&C 4:3).  Joshua definitely had the desire to serve God and so he was called to do some great work. He heeded the call from the Lord. What about me, do I share as great a desire to serve God?  What great work is He calling me to do?  I've got some great stuff to ponder on today as I try to heed the call to claim my own Canaan!