Stepping Up

“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.”

Joshua 1:2-5, NASB

The exact phrase from God was proclaimed by Moses previously, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you” (in his sermon from Deuteronomy 11:24). But the original promise went back four-hundred years from God to Abraham, “Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you” (Genesis 13:17).

But why walk at all? Isn’t the God of heaven and earth incapable of teleporting His people over the Jordan, beaming them through the wall of Jericho, and scattering them all over the land? If He could inflict deadly plagues on the Egyptians (and the Israelites later when they sin against Him); why then wouldn’t He do so for this Canaanite conquest?

Isn’t this the same miracle we hoping for in our modern days? Many of us came up this mountain seeking for an amazing encounter with God; the one encounter which would set us straight forever; the one where God would take away our ability to sin. The one which will be better than all of our mountaintop experiences in the past.

And we forgot that God is not only of the extraordinary, but also of the ordinary as well. He’s not just the Supreme Being over the entire universe, but he’s also the frail baby in the foul-smelling manger. The same Jesus walk on water was the same Jesus who could not carry his own cross.

“Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you.” Ordinary mean to achieve the extraordinary end. The natural works in order to receive supernatural inheritance.

Spiritual growth often not achieved by leaps and bounds, but through step-by-step, week in and week out. Revival preaching and camps might stir your soul a bit, but Bible reading and prayer will anchor your soul deep.

It might seem mundane but mundane walking will lead to ultimate experiences with God. Didn’t the Israelites experience the wondrous parting of the Jordan River just by walking straight down the river? Didn’t they see the walls of Jericho crumbled just by walking around the city? (Read chapters 3 and 6 for yourselves and see.)

And when not one, not ten, but ten of thousands people walk with God - simply step-by-step, week in and week out - the result will be miraculous: “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.”

If you will do the walking, God will do the conquering. So, the question is “How is your walk?” Spend the next few minutes in prayer or write a letter to God.

• Write down 3-5 small steps you could take regularly to be in the land God promised to you.
• Why God would wants to grow our spiritual life this way instead of miracle growth?
• What miracles have you experienced? What extraordinary things do you see God working in the ordinary living of your life?

Through out the rest of the day, find time to reflect on what God is addressing you here.