First things First

Josh 1:9,10 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua was getting ready to go in and take the land. God had promised Moses and the children of Israel that they were going to possess everything that they walked on, from the wilderness to the Euphrates to the Great Sea to the going down of the sun. How in the world were they going to do that? Meditate on God's word and obey it. How were they going to defeat the people that the spies saw in the land who were huge? Meditate on God's word and obey it.

I am sure that the temptation was to take their eye off the word of God and look at the massive task ahead of them. I am sure that they were tempted to not spend time in the word and just work. I mean, they had a ton of work ahead of them. They had enemies to defeat. They had land to take. They had houses and businesses to build. Meditate on the Book of the Law? Spend time chewing on God's word? Who has time for that? There is too much to do. Yet God's direct communication to Joshua was this: Meditate on the Law of God. Obey the Law of God. Get your priorities straight. "For then…". This is cause and effect. This is putting the cart before the horse. This is doing things right. Meditate on God's word. Muse over it. Concentrate on it. Think about it. Don't let it go. But beyond that, when you know what it says to do something, do it. Then the property will come. Then prosperity will come. The word for prosperous also means progress. You will see growth. You will see movement in people's lives. You will see God at work. And then you will have success. The word for success actually means "prudence, insight, wisdom". Just make sure you have your priorities straight…the Word of God first, then property…progress…wisdom.

And when that happens, you will not need to fear. Just be strong and courageous. Trust God. He will do it because He is with you.

So, how do I possess the land? How do I defeat my enemies? How do I help lead people? How do I gain wisdom? How do I raise a godly family? How do I educate my kids? "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."