Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 278 | How to Be Successful in the Battle of Life

Transcript

278 | How to Be Successful in the Battle of Life · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

• 0:00
  Music.
• 0:07
  Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries,
• 0:11
  where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus like the woman at the
• 0:16
  well in John chapter four.
• 0:18
  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
• 0:21
  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
• 0:25
  or on our website at watwm.org,
• 0:28
  we invite you to sit down with us as we look to the scriptures to learn more
• 0:33
  about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
• 0:38
  Living her life for Christ, she's a happy girl.
• 0:38
  Music.
• 0:48
  She's a happy girl.
• 1:02
  The book of Joshua is rich in lessons to be learned regarding how to be successful
• 1:07
  in this battle we call life.
• 1:08
  As Joshua begins to grow into his role as the new leader for the Israelites,
• 1:13
  he has to learn to trust God, to truly know Him, and to follow His every command.
• 1:18
  We, too, must learn to place God as the King of our life and Lord of our heart.
• 1:24
  Join Kim Miller in this podcast of Women at the Well Ministries as she takes
• 1:28
  us on a journey through the scriptures, making the lessons necessary for this
• 1:32
  life as found in the book of Joshua come alive.
• 1:36
  Our kind and most gracious to Heavenly Father, Lord, I just would ask that you
• 1:39
  would just remove me from the message.
• 1:42
  I pray that you would prepare every heart and every mind, Lord,
• 1:46
  to receive the specific, personal message that you have for each of us in the book of Joshua.
• 1:53
  Lord, I want to say thank you for leaving this love letter to each of us,
• 2:00
  the greatest love letter ever written that teaches us how we can navigate through life,
• 2:05
  how we can learn the lessons that you would have us to learn,
• 2:09
  that we might have the abundant life that you have promised us.
• 2:12
  Lord, I pray that you would be with this message. I pray that you would
• 2:16
  help me to see and understand and to articulate all that you have given me.
• 2:21
  And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• 2:25
  The book of Joshua is written, most people think, by Joshua himself.
• 2:33
  And the book of Joshua is one that we learn many, many rich lessons.
• 2:41
  As Joshua begins to unfold, the scriptures begin to tell us how we can live
• 2:50
  a successful life in this battle we face each and every day.
• 2:56
  If you are familiar with the scriptures, you are no doubt familiar with Ephesians
• 3:02
  chapter 6, which tells us about the armor of God.
• 3:05
  And there we are given this piece of information that is so valuable for us
• 3:11
  to hang on to each and every day so that we are able to fight the battles that we have to fight.
• 3:19
  Because what we we learn in Ephesians chapter 6 is that he says that the battle
• 3:24
  is not with flesh and blood, but we wrestle with principalities and darkness of this world.
• 3:30
  So that gives us the advantage of knowing that we as mere mortals can't fight our battles.
• 3:36
  And David in 1 Samuel chapter 17, verse 47, explains to us that the battle's
• 3:43
  not ours, it belongs to the Lord.
• 3:45
  And so Joshua, in the book of Joshua is explaining to us exactly how to live
• 3:52
  our lives under those boundaries.
• 3:55
  The boundaries of understanding that our battles belong to the Lord,
• 3:59
  and he's never lost a battle, and he's not going to begin by losing yours.
• 4:03
  And we learn that our life is just a battlefield and that we are to turn our lives over to the Lord.
• 4:11
  We are to submit ourselves to the Lord and allow him to fight our battles.
• 4:16
  And what we see unfolds in chapter one is here sits Joshua with this daunting task.
• 4:23
  He has got to grow into the role of being the leader of the Israelites.
• 4:31
  Moses has just passed away and no doubt he is scared senseless.
• 4:38
  He has got to learn how to trust God, how to truly know God,
• 4:43
  and how to follow his every command.
• 4:47
  This is imperative for Joshua to be successful in the battle that lies before him.
• 4:56
  What we understand here is that Joshua really is no different than each of us. His task is daunting.
• 5:05
  We read in Joshua chapter 1 that he is now the new leader of the Israelites.
• 5:11
  That's a huge nation. It's gone through a lot. It's God's chosen people.
• 5:16
  He's got a huge task. But each one of us have been given a divine purpose in
• 5:23
  this world that we must fulfill.
• 5:25
  Steal and that we must do in order to live the abundant life that God promises
• 5:32
  through his son, Jesus Christ, in John chapter 10, verse 10.
• 5:36
  He says that he came to give us life and that we might have it more abundantly.
• 5:41
  And he counterbalances that with saying that the devil has come to steal, kill, and destroy.
• 5:47
  And so here we sit in Joshua, where this young man has got huge footsteps to,
• 6:00
  follow, an amazing legacy to live into and to carry out.
• 6:07
  And we have that same promise in us, is that he who has begun a good work in
• 6:14
  us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
• 6:19
  And so we know God has planted in us a seed to do something.
• 6:25
  So let's learn these rich lessons from the book of Joshua so that just as Joshua
• 6:32
  could be successful and follow God's commands plans,
• 6:37
  so that he accomplished that which he set out to do,
• 6:41
  you and me can do the same thing.
• 6:44
  And maybe you're thinking, well, Kim, I don't know what my purpose is.
• 6:48
  I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
• 6:51
  Well, you have got off to a great start.
• 6:55
  Because seeking God and being in his word is what's going to allow you to be
• 7:02
  able to fully understand who God is and what he wants you to do.
• 7:07
  And so when we look at the book of Joshua, we know that the main topic in the
• 7:12
  book of Joshua is the conquest and division of the land of Canaan.
• 7:16
  It's all about the land of Canaan. And we know that the land of Canaan is the
• 7:20
  promised land. And the key thought throughout this entire book of Joshua is
• 7:25
  how to be successful in this battle we call life.
• 7:31
  And what we learn is this amazing lesson of the certainty of the fulfillment of the divine purpose.
• 7:40
  And it unfolds in many ways in Joshua.
• 7:43
  But one is that in the judgments that are coming upon the Canaanites because of their awful sins.
• 8:00
  We also see the fulfillment of the divine purposes in the descendants of Abraham,
• 8:08
  which were given possession of the land according to God's promise in Genesis 12, 7,
• 8:15
  which says this, and the Lord appeared unto Abram and said unto thy seed will
• 8:20
  I give this land and there builded he an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto
• 8:26
  him so if we went no further than just the outline,
• 8:30
  this brief outline of the book of Joshua we see that God is faithful God is
• 8:36
  true and God fulfills promises.
• 8:40
  That should give each and every one of us amazing hope.
• 8:44
  But I want to start in Joshua chapter 1, and I believe the key verse in this
• 8:50
  entire book that was given to Joshua is found in Joshua 1 verse 9.
• 8:57
  And this is God speaking to Joshua, and he says this.
• 9:18
  I want you to just think about that verse for just a moment and what it reveals
• 9:23
  to each and every one of us.
• 9:26
  Don't be afraid. Be of good courage. Be strong and courageous.
• 9:33
  Be confident. Walk in the authority that God has given you.
• 9:38
  And don't get disgruntled and frustrated when things don't work out the way
• 9:43
  you think they should, or things aren't working at the speed or the schedule
• 9:47
  that you would have them.
• 9:48
  Because the Lord says here to Joshua, and we know that he's no respecter of
• 9:52
  persons, what he did for Joshua, he'll do for you and me.
• 9:56
  And what we begin to see in Joshua chapter one is this, is that the Lord goes
• 10:01
  with you wherever you are.
• 10:03
  And if he goes with you, he's bringing his power. He's bringing his grace.
• 10:08
  He's bringing his mercy. He's bringing his love. He's bringing his protection.
• 10:14
  He's supplying your every need. You have everything when you have God in your life.
• 10:24
  But I wonder if we don't often live below those privileges.
• 10:29
  We don't allow our heart and our mind to be in sync with the knowledge and the
• 10:35
  feeling of God's omnipotent power protecting us.
• 10:40
  In fact, if we look at Ephesians 3:20, he says that he is able to exceeding
• 10:46
  abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us. The power is God.
• 10:52
  And in Joshua 1.9, we are told it goes with us everywhere we we are.
• 10:57
  But the ticket is we don't allow the power to work at its full capacity.
• 11:03
  Some of us are running with just halfway plugged in.
• 11:09
  So we're not really receiving all of the power.
• 11:13
  We're not really receiving all the things that we have or all the things that
• 11:19
  we need because we are not choosing to receive it.
• 11:25
  It's not that it isn't there. It's that we don't trust it or we're not connected to it.
• 11:32
  Jesus loves me, this I know. And he's with me wherever I go.
• 11:38
  This was imperative for Joshua to understand because in Joshua's case,
• 11:45
  he is standing right there
• 11:48
  understanding now that everything that
• 11:52
  happens from here on out he is the leader, and it all falls upon him and the
• 11:58
  promises that god promised the Israelites through Moses are now going to be
• 12:04
  carried out through him and he understands that he can't do this on his own.
• 12:10
  He understands that the only way that he can live up to the task before him
• 12:18
  is to literally give it up and allow it to be God who controls it, who manages it,
• 12:27
  who distributes it, who worries about it, because then nobody's worrying about
• 12:32
  it, and who makes it happen.
• 12:35
  Joshua is learning here in Joshua 1 that in order for him to succeed,
• 12:42
  he must fully depend on God.
• 12:46
  He's just been appointed the leader of the Israelites because Moses has died.
• 12:51
  And God promises Joshua that everywhere his feet touch will be his land.
• 12:57
  And as God had promised Moses, according to Joshua 1:3,
• 13:02
  God gives Joshua this vast area of land and says it will be his as long as he
• 13:10
  lives and that God will be with him and will not forsake him or fail him.
• 13:17
  This is what he says in Joshua 1:5. and it culminates in Joshua 1:19 where he
• 13:25
  tells him, don't be afraid, be strong and courageous.
• 13:30
  Don't be frustrated for thy God.
• 13:33
  I think we overlook how personal God is and we overlook how important that is
• 13:40
  in our lives. He's my God.
• 13:43
  He knows me personally. The scriptures tell me that he even knows the number
• 13:47
  of hairs that are on my head.
• 13:50
  The scripture says he knows my goings and my comings. The scripture says he
• 13:56
  never sleeps nor slumbers.
• 13:58
  I'm important to him. I personally believe that if there was a refrigerator
• 14:02
  in heaven, my picture would be on it and so would yours because you're his children.
• 14:08
  And he died for the right to be your father, your king, your Lord.
• 14:14
  And the only way that you're going to be successful is if you do as Joshua did
• 14:18
  and you simply submit to him and allow him to flow through you and work through
• 14:24
  you. You're just the conduit.
• 14:27
  That he chooses to work through. And no doubt, Joshua is scared and he's worried
• 14:34
  about his ability to undertake this task.
• 14:38
  And just look how gracious God is, because he feels the weight of walking in
• 14:45
  Moses' footsteps, and he must have thought that was nearly impossible.
• 14:50
  But God knows exactly what Joshua needs in order to be able to fulfill feel
• 14:55
  what he's called him to do.
• 14:58
  See, he says in Philippians 4.19, but my God, again, personal,
• 15:03
  my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory.
• 15:09
  He knows the need you have before you even ask, and he's not only prepared to supply them, he will.
• 15:18
  He also tells us in in Philippians 4:13, that we can do all things through Christ, which strengthens us.
• 15:27
  As a result of that, we should never worry about whether or not we can do the
• 15:34
  task that is before us, because who God calls, he qualifies.
• 15:40
  He never calls you to a task because you can bring the most to the table.
• 15:45
  He calls you to a task because you will receive the most from him to do the task.
• 15:52
  He's not asking you for your opinion. He's not asking you for your skill set and your glory.
• 15:59
  He's asking you for your submission to use your skill set that he gave you for
• 16:06
  his honor, your good and his glory.
• 16:09
  It is important that you get that into your head because that's when you're
• 16:14
  going to really realize the security blanket it is that he goes with us wherever we are.
• 16:21
  That's when you're going to be so excited that Jesus said to you,
• 16:25
  I'll never leave you nor forsake you.
• 16:28
  That's when you're going to really care about the fact that he says, I love you.
• 16:33
  And that his love endures forever. And that in Romans 8, 38 and 39,
• 16:38
  he tells us that nothing shall separate us from the love of God.
• 16:43
  See, here sits Joshua in Joshua 1 with this task before him. And he knows what to do.
• 16:52
  See, he understands without ever having read what we've read,
• 16:56
  which is Mark 9:23 that says if thou
• 16:58
  can't believe all things are possible to him that believes the question is is
• 17:06
  do you believe because it's your belief in Jesus Christ and what he can do and
• 17:11
  what he has said to you that he will do through you that unlocks the power that
• 17:16
  we we talked about in Ephesians 3:20,
• 17:18
  that produces the miracles,
• 17:21
  the results, the goodness.
• 17:25
  And the greatness of his power and his glory in your life.
• 17:31
  See, what I believe we learn from Joshua is this.
• 17:35
  In Proverbs 3, 5, and 7, King Solomon put it like this.
• 17:40
  He said, trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.
• 17:46
  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
• 17:52
  Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
• 18:00
  God instructs Joshua in verse 7 like this.
• 18:05
  He says, Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to
• 18:12
  do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee.
• 18:17
  Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper
• 18:23
  whithersoever thou goest.
• 18:26
  God instructs Joshua to be strong and very courageous and to observe and do according to the law.
• 18:39
  God has explained to each of us the same thing.
• 18:44
  And he has given us the greatest love letter ever written from Genesis to Revelations.
• 18:51
  And he has said to us, study to show thyself approved unto God.
• 18:56
  A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth in 2 Timothy 2:15.
• 19:05
  He continues to explain that we are to meditate day and night on the book of
• 19:12
  the law and not let it depart from him.
• 19:14
  And then you you will prosper, according to verse 8.
• 19:18
  He says it this way, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth,
• 19:23
  but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
• 19:28
  according to all that is written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous.
• 19:34
  And then thou shalt have good success.
• 19:38
  What is the key to success in life?
• 19:42
  How do we win this battle against the devil? We submit to God and do exactly what he says.
• 19:49
  We don't let it get away from our heart and our mind. We don't let it be apart
• 19:55
  from our conversations.
• 19:56
  But it's the foundation of what we say.
• 19:59
  It is the foundation of what we believe.
• 20:02
  It is the way we live our lives. It is the boundaries we put in place.
• 20:08
  It is the law of our order.
• 20:11
  It is what we believe and what we delight in. He said, if we delight ourselves
• 20:16
  in the Lord, he will give you the desires of our heart.
• 20:20
  Here in Joshua 1, he's unveiling to us that if you meditate and study on the
• 20:25
  word of God, that you'll be prosperous and have good success.
• 20:31
  In 1 Peter 3.15, he says, but sanctify the Lord God in your heart and be ready
• 20:38
  always to give an an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
• 20:44
  that is in you with meekness and fear.
• 20:47
  Friend, he's telling us to meditate.
• 20:50
  That's how we're going to be strong and courageous.
• 20:54
  That's how we're going to make the right decisions. That's how we're going to
• 20:58
  be fair to the ones we need to be fair.
• 21:01
  That's how we're going to have enough love and grace and mercy mercy to show
• 21:06
  a lost and dying world that sin is sin and that darkness has no power over lights
• 21:14
  and that sin has no more dominion in our lives.
• 21:18
  It's understanding that he's with us wherever we go and that's what gives us
• 21:23
  strength. That's what supplies our every need.
• 21:26
  We must be successful. He says, don't let it depart from your mouth.
• 21:30
  Don't let your conversations be idle and with filthy talk and meaninglessness.
• 21:36
  But let every word that comes out of your mouth lift and edify those around
• 21:41
  you. Point others to Jesus Christ.
• 21:45
  Use your mouth as an instrument of peace and love and mercy, of truth and of power.
• 21:52
  If you want to be successful, then you must let God be Lord of your life and King of your heart.
• 22:05
  Joshua was in a place where he's at the crossroads. He needs to know how to be successful.
• 22:12
  And in the blessed word of God, we read what it was that made him successful.
• 22:18
  He submitted himself to the Lord.
• 22:22
  And when you see what happens in verse 10, he says, then Joshua commanded the
• 22:26
  officers of the people saying,
• 22:29
  and he brings them all together and he tells them what God has told him and
• 22:33
  he explains to them how it is they're going to move forward.
• 22:38
  And Joshua commits in his heart to follow God.
• 22:43
  Joshua didn't have the blessings that we have of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside
• 22:50
  of him until Jesus went away on the cross and sent the comforter back to dwell in every believer.
• 22:57
  He didn't have that. And the Holy Spirit would light on people for periods of time,
• 23:02
  but we have no excuse because the Holy Spirit is inside of us 24 hours a day,
• 23:08
  seven days a week, 365 days a year of our life, teaching us and comforting us
• 23:13
  and leading us and guiding us and directing us.
• 23:16
  We just have to listen. He says, ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall
• 23:23
  find, knock and it shall be open unto you in Matthew 7:7.
• 23:28
  He even goes as far as to tell us how to equip ourselves for the battle in Ephesians 6, 10 through 18.
• 23:37
  He says to us to put on the whole armor of God,
• 23:40
  the helmet of salvation to cover us and to cover our minds, the shield of faith
• 23:48
  to protect us and to fight off the enemy,
• 23:53
  the sword of the spirit to teach us and to divide truth from false,
• 24:01
  to defeat everything the devil has that comes against you, the belt of truth
• 24:07
  so So you know what truth is.
• 24:08
  Jesus is the truth. He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
• 24:12
  And no man comes unto the Father but by me.
• 24:14
  In John chapter 14, verse 6.
• 24:17
  And he tells us to put on the gospel of peace wherever we go.
• 24:24
  That, my friend, is exactly what Joshua is telling us.
• 24:28
  That God has said to him when he says to us.
• 24:33
  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage.
• 24:37
  Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
• 24:44
  In John chapter 14:27, he says, By peace I give unto you,
• 24:49
  not as the world gives to you, but I give it to you.
• 24:52
  So the world didn't give it to you, so the world can't take it away.
• 24:55
  And so in these crossroads, just as Joshua in And Joshua 1 is facing,
• 25:01
  how do I do this awesome task?
• 25:04
  How do I do this huge ask of me?
• 25:08
  Regardless of what he's asking of you, whether you think it's monumental or
• 25:13
  minuscule, you must submit to the Lord and allow him to work through you.
• 25:18
  You must come to him and allow his power to be what's directing you.
• 25:24
  Joshua is a living testimony of how to be successful in this world.
• 25:30
  You submit, you believe and be strong and courageous in the power of God,
• 25:35
  and you meditate day and night on the book of the law, and you don't let it depart from you.
• 25:44
  This was the key to Joshua's success and prosperity.
• 25:49
  Listen to what Moses said in Deuteronomy 6, verses 1 through 9.
• 25:54
  He said this, Now these are the commandments, the statutes and the judgments,
• 26:00
  which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the
• 26:05
  land whither you go to possess it.
• 26:07
  That thou mightest fear the Lord thy
• 26:09
  God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee.
• 26:15
  Thou and thy son and thy son's son, all the days of thy life,
• 26:21
  and that thy days may be prolonged. longed.
• 26:23
  Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with thee,
• 26:29
  and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised
• 26:34
  thee in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
• 26:37
  Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy
• 26:43
  God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
• 26:48
  And these words which I I command thee this day shall
• 26:51
  be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them
• 26:54
  diligently unto thy children and shall talk of.
• 26:57
  Them when thou sittest in thy house and when thou walkest by the way and when
• 27:01
  thou liest down and when thou risest up and thou shalt bind them for a sign
• 27:06
  upon thine hand and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes and they shall
• 27:11
  write them upon the post of the house and on thy gates.
• 27:14
  What he's saying is the same thing that God said to Joshua in Joshua 1.8.
• 27:20
  He's telling him that you must not let the word of God fall out of your life.
• 27:27
  You must cling to it. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
• 27:32
  with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.
• 27:35
  He must be your all in all.
• 27:38
  And when he becomes your all in all, you will submit fully in him and trustfully in him.
• 27:44
  And then you will have a successful life.
• 27:47
  Then you will live the abundant life he promises you in John 10,
• 27:51
  10. And Joshua is a book full of the richest lessons of God.
• 27:58
  It tells us how to be successful in this world.
• 28:02
  And he shows us through the Word of God how submitting to him raises us to our
• 28:10
  greatest victory. victory.
• 28:12
  Music.
• 28:20
  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
• 28:25
  quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
• 28:28
  We pray today has been a blessing and we encourage you to reach out to us through
• 28:32
  our app, our website, or our Facebook page.
• 28:35
  You can find our app by searching for woman at the well ministries in your
• 28:39
  app store or through our website at watwm.org.
• 28:43
  We're on Facebook at facebook.com slash watwm.
• 28:47
  If you visit our website, you'll be able to subscribe to Bible Bits,
• 28:51
  a daily devotion written by Kim and delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
• 28:56
  Woman at the Well Ministries is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving
• 29:00
  our Heavenly Father, and it is through your loving and generous support that
• 29:04
  our ministry continues to bless others.
• 29:07
  To learn how to partner with Woman at the Well Ministries, please visit our website.
• 29:11
  Thank you to the gospel group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song, Happy Girl.
• 29:17
  We greatly appreciate your prayers. We are praying daily for our listeners.
• 29:21
  Remember that God loves you.
• 29:23
  Music.