The Torah Network

2 yrs

POSSESSING YOUR FUTURE – PART 1

Jeanne Calment was the oldest living human whose age can be verified. On her 120th birthday, she was asked to describe her vision for the future. [Very brief,] she said. We can understand Mrs. Calment’s view of the future; she is in a unique situation and knows that there is not much time left for her on earth. But what about the rest of us? What is our vision of the future? What does the future hold ourselves, for our families and for our church, gatherings, prayer groups or social media? If I were to ask you about your future, your plans, goals and dreams, what would you be able to share with me about it? The fact is that most people just accept whatever is handed to them and do not really have any focus toward possessing their future at all. Let us look at someone that stands as an example of how to possess your future, his name is Joshua. Joshua was the man chosen by YHVH to lead His people into the Promised Land. They had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years but now they are ready to cross the Jordan River and possess the land. YHVH had told Joshua something along these lines: [Joshua, you have got a tremendous future ahead of you. I am going to do great things in your life. But there is a dynamic at work here: I’ll give you everything I've promised and more. But it is going to be a fight. I am going to fulfil My promise, but you have to be willing to possess it.] I think that YHVH says something very similar to us. He says: [I have great things I want to do in your life, things you have not even dreamed of. All your past is prologue; all your best days are ahead of you. But it is going to be a battle. You must possess your future.] How do we do that? How do we possess our future? By doing the same three things that YHVH told Joshua to do in possessing his future. In Joshua 1, YHVH gives Joshua a talk. He says: [I know you are going to be in battles for the next 20 years so I want to encourage you. I want you to do 3 things and these 3 things will bring success to your life.] It is YHVH’s strategy for success, His strategy for possessing the future.

1 – Set Up A Plan:
You need a plan for your future because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life. [Now that My servant Moses is dead, you must lead My people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: `Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you.] -- Joshua 1:2-3. What is Joshua's response? [Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days, you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land Adonai your YHVH has given you.] -- Joshua 1:11. Joshua had a plan; he is ready to act on YHVH’s promise. The future belongs to the person who prepares for it. While we do not have all the details, Joshua had been preparing all of his life for the leadership position YHVH had placed him in. This was not something that was given to him in a [spur of the moment] kind of fashion; Joshua had a plan for leadership. You have got to have a plan! A national survey found that 27% of all people have given no thought at all to their future, 60% have given some thought to the future {usually only in the area of finances}, 10% have a fairly good idea of where they are headed, and only 3% of our population have written down goals. This is interesting because the same survey also revealed that 27% of our population are welfare recipients, 60% of our population are barely making ends meet, 10% of the population is well off and 3% of the population is highly successful. The exact same numbers! What is interesting to me is that the only discernable difference in this survey that they could find was that those that were highly successful had written down their plans and goals. They were out achieving the others 10 to 1. The point is that successful people plan for the future. Do you do that? Are you making plans? Have you given any thought of what's going to happen next year in your spiritual life, family life or career? Or do you just drift through life. If you want to be successful you have to have a plan.

2 – Stay In The Word:
YHVH says to Joshua, [You are going to be in the battles for the next 25 years, you are going to be fighting.] The Bible is your instruction manual for conflict. It is the manual for the battles of life. [Be strong and courageous, for you will lead My people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors. Be strong and very courageous. OBEY all the LAWS Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do.] -- Joshua 1:6-7. [Don’t turn away from the Law I have written]. He is saying do not get side-tracked. Have you noticed how easy it is to get side-tracked today, as a believer? To get off into other things that just are not important? I see so many people getting excited for Adonai, give their lives to Moshiach, start out great and then they get side-tracked, sometimes by very good things. All of a sudden, they get side-tracked by their career and that takes on more importance. Or they get side-tracked by sports, a hobby, a financial difficulty, an illness, having more children or whatever. And somehow in the process they lose their focus on the Word of YHVH. One of the greatest promises in the Bible is: [Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.] -- Joshua 1:8. In verses 7 and 8, success is promised twice. YHVH says: [Do not turn away from the Law. Stay with the Law and you will be successful]. Here He says: [Keep your mind saturated with the Word of YHVH and you will be successful.] The point is this: YHVH's promise of success has absolutely nothing to do with your ability. YHVH's promise of success in your life has everything to do with your commitment to His Word. How do you stay in the Word? Three ways:

A -- Study it: [Study this Book of the Law continually] -- verse 8a
B -- Think it: [Meditate on it day and night] -- verse 8b
C -- Live it: [Obey all that is written in it] -- verse 8c.

What does it mean to stay in the Word? It means I study it; I think it and I live it. If I do those things, YHVH says, blank check, [you will succeed.] YHVH says, [You obey the premise, I will fulfil the promise.] Study the Word, think about the Word, live the Word and watch YHVH bless your life. This applies not just to Joshua; it applies to you too. [All Scripture is inspired by YHVH and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is YHVH's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing YHVH wants us to do.] -- 2 Timothy 3:16-17. YHVH's Word [straightens us out], it shows us the path to walk on and how to walk on it. It warns us when we get off the path and it shows us how to get back on the path. It is good for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness that the man of YHVH may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. The Bible says that YHVH's Word is your soul food. You need to set up a plan and you need to stay in the Word if you are going to possess your future. You know, I imagine Joshua was a pretty busy man. He is the leader of an entire nation and he does not have a whole lot of extra time on his hands. But he made time to read the Bible and to pray. Evaluate yourself on this one: Write this down, estimate the amount of time you spend reading and studying the Bible each day. Now compare that to how much time you spend every day watching television. If you want to be successful, if you want to possess your future, you have to set up a plan and you have to stay in the Word.

3 – Step Out In Faith:
I like the words [step out] because faith is an action. A lot of people think faith is just something you believe, but faith is much more than mental assent. I can believe a plane will fly but it does not mean anything until I get on board. Until I take the step of faith and get on board it means nothing. People say: [I believe in Yeshua.] So what? So does the devil. Faith means to commit yourself to what you believe in. You must step out in faith because faith is an action. Three times in this passage there is a phrase, [be strong and courageous], -- verses 6, 7 and 9. Why is it necessary for YHVH to tell him that three times? Because YHVH knows that there are going to be a lot of things in Joshua’s life that will distract him, discourage him and depress him, but he can be strong and courageous because YHVH will be with him every step of the way. Now it is up to him and us to step out in faith!

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Hayley Webster-temple