WHAT IS NEEDED FOR NEW BEGINNINGS

(Joshua 1:1-9)
A Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 19th February 2000
    
The book of Joshua is a book of new beginnings for the people of God. And many believers today need a new beginning. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel claimed their inheritance and enjoyed the blessings of the land that God had prepared for them, “as the days of heaven upon the earth” (Deut. 11:21). That’s the kind of life God wants us to experience today.

FOUR INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR NEW BEGINNINGS

I.      THE NEED FOR BOLDNESS

“Do not fear”; “Fear not” is mentioned 365 times in the Bible, “fear not.” For every one day in your life, God has a “fear not.” See Ps. 27:3; Acts 28:31; Eph. 3:12; Heb. 10:35

1.  Boldness is confidence.

2.  Source of Boldness: His Presence
“Be not be afraid…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (:9) “as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you” (:5)

II.      THE NEED FOR STRENGTH

“Be strong” is mentioned 33 times in the Bible. See 2 Sam. 10:12; 1 Cor. 16:13? Eph. 6:10. The expression “Be strong” (:9) does not mean “be strong in body,” but “be strong in mind, in spirit.”

1.  Strength is the ability to bounce back whenever you fall.
“Quitters never win; winners never quit.”

2.  Secret of Strength: His Promise
“Be strong…for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to  their fathers to give them.” (:6). God never tells us to be strong without helping us to be strong. To encourage his servant to begin this vast work and dreadful war, God shows him  how all should end. “You shall divide the land.”

III.      THE NEED FOR COURAGE

Bible says – “Be of good courage” seventeen times. “Don’t be dismayed. Don’t lose courage.” Faint-heartedness in God’s leaders would be doubly a sin. Why is Courage so important? Primary ploy of devil – to discourage us. The reality is that many of us believers live lives of discouragement.

1.  Courage is the determination to do what is right; to take up a certain position in practical obedience to God’s command and will and say clearly, “I am here: I stand by  this.”
Mk. 15:43 “Joseph of Arimathea… Taking courage approached Pilate…”
But courage is not foolhardiness; it is to march only in the path of duty. “A valiant man, ought not to undergo or tempt a danger. But worthily, and by selected ways.”

2.  Secret of Courage: His Pupose
“Be of good courage…observe to do according to all the law..” (:7) God says to us all,  whatever worthy work we are entering upon, “Be of good courage!” Obey God, no matter what it costs.

IV.      THE NEED FOR WISDOM

Wisdom – different kinds: Mental logic/intelligence; practical skills/acumen; and spiritual/godly wisdom.
Source of Wisdom? By Walking in the Word. The entrance of the word gives wisdom. Longest distance – from head to heart.

Meditation – take a verse, read it, chew it, speak it, pray it. The Hebrew word translated “meditate” means “to mutter.” It was the practice of the Jews to read Scripture aloud (Acts 8:26-40) and talk about it to themselves and to one another (Dt. 6:6-9). This explains why God warned Joshua that the Book of the Law was not to depart out of his mouth. “If you don’t talk to your Bible, your Bible isn’t likely to talk to you.”