"Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel."Joshua 1.2
Joshua was greatly affected by the death of Moses. This is when the Lord uplifted him by saying: Moses is dead. Until when will you keep mourning? Arise, NOW, and take hold of the promised land.
To live by faith is to leave the burdens of the past behind and move forward.
Forget the past, look ahead and firmly continue in the direction of achieving your goal.
"...but one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3.13-14
Paul was wise. He made sure to put the past behind him, in order to move forward towards the future. Intelligent faith requires us to do the same. On the other hand, emotional faith insists on remembering the past to counteract the faith of the Spirit of God.
Anyone who wants to obtain eternal salvation must forget about their past.
"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31.30
Being beautiful and valued by her husband, children and friends is what the woman of this world wants the most.
However, the woman of the Kingdom of God lives to serve her Lord. Her goal is not to receive honor, but to honor Him with her life.
"Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." Malachi 3.18
As promised, the difference between those who serve God must be visible, perceptible and real. These are the signs of His existence and glory in the contemporary world we live in.
However, the realization of such things is subject to sacrifice and unconditional surrender.
"If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; you will remove iniquity far from your tents. Then you will lay your gold in the dust and the gold of Ophir among stones of the brooks. Yes, the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver." Job 22.23-25
The kind of faith that pleases the Almighty and produces benefits is displeasing to the heart because it goes against it's will. On the other hand, it attracts the Glory of the Almighty to you.
Who is willing to pay the price?
"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4.4
This verse clearly defines who is who. The friends of God are enemies of the world and the friends of the world are enemies of God.
The enemies of God automatically become friends of the devil. The friends of God automatically become enemies of the devil.
"Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser. Teach a just man and he will increase in learning." Proverbs 9.9
A wise man thinks. A wise man is humble.
He is wise because he has invested his reason in wisdom. And above all, into God's divine wisdom.
He is humble because he listens to, learns and practices the Word of God.
