2012 TIME TO TAKE YOUR PLACE AND SHINE

TAKING OUR PLACE, BUILDING AND SHINING

2012 is a time to take our place, to build and shine.

In Josh 18 there were 7 tribes who although they were in the promised land, they had not yet taken their place in the nation.

Joshua encouraged these nations to survey their land and take what was rightfully theirs. 

These 12 tribes then built a nation and from the moment they arrived, they continued and even unto this day continue to attract the attention of other nations.  Throughout their journey they brought us the first 5 books of the bible and upon this nation the entire Old Testament would be built.   The bible says the Jewish people brought us the Word of God.

Romans 3:1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 

They started with 12 tribes and in the New Testament, we started with 12 apostles.  In the New Testament, we as the body of Christ are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. As we take our place in the body, a nation of believers is built!

Ephesians 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone

Just as they began laying foundations and building a nation, when we come into our assignments and take our place in the body, we are laying foundations for future generations.  These Israelites may have not realized the significance and the importance of coming into their inheritance and taking their place.  The Messiah himself would come to the world through this nation. The entire Word of God would be brought to the world through this nation. Today we continue to learn doctrine, reproof, correction and encouragement from the foundations laid through these original Israelites.

Our Assignment is to Shine

In the same way the Israelites would become a nation that would attract the attention of the world around them as time after time God would bring them victory as long as they walked in his ways, so we are to be an example to the nations. As Christians take their place, leaving all others behind and live a life consecrated to the Lord, so he will shine through us and show forth his glory in us.

We are led out of darkness & we know the way out!

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

The glory of the Lord is seen upon us causing others to come:

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; For your light has come!  And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,  And deep darkness the people;  But the LORD will arise over you,  And His glory will be seen upon you.   3 The Gentiles shall come to your light,  And kings to the brightness of your rising. 

May this be a year that we as a body take our place, laying foundations that are much farther reaching that just our own lives.  We truly are building a city on a hill, a shining light for all the world to see.  It's time for the body of Christ to leave complacency behind, take our place and build!  It's time for the Lord to shine through us! You are the light of the world, so take your place and shine! Amen!

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neglecting or Possessing- A Little Umph for Your Get Up and Go!

NEGLECTING OR POSSESSING

a little "umph" for your "get up and go"

Joshua18:2 But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. 3 Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you? 4 Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven parts.

IF A STEP IS REQUIRED,  THEN A STEP YOU MUST TAKE

What has God promised you, that he has also revealed to you, that the time to receive that promise is now?

Sometimes we are not actively pursuing what we know we've been promised and what we know God has said it is time for now!

Go is a word of action. It means to take steps. Joshua said go and possess. Before you can possess, you first have to go. Some people just need to take a step and watch God move on their behalf.

We all have heard how Peter walked on water but he never would have done that if he hadn't taken a step.

We've all heard of how Abraham left his homeland to come into the new land God was showing him but that never would have happened if he hadn't taken a step.

Even Joshua would have never led the children of Israel into the promised land if he had refused the leadership role and refused to move forward.

We could go on with example after example of those that took steps in order to receive their promises.  I won't take time to tell the stories of Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, Nehemiah, Ezra, David and many many more! How about the wise men, the shepherds, and even Mary and Joseph?  Each had to take a step of obedience.

One thing is for certain- if a step is required, then a step you must take! 

Joshua had led the children of Israel into the promised land.  They were in the land and had defeated many kings and enemies through the help of God! 

In Joshua 18:2 it says, though that seven tribes had "not yet" received their inheritance.  This is in spite of the fact the possession was right in front of them- right under their nose!

Is there something you know you should have possessed already that you haven't?  Is there something God has promised that he has told you is available now? 

SOME UMPH FOR YOUR GET UP AND GO

Joshua had to confront these seven tribes and inject a  little "umph"  into their "get up and go!"

These Israelites were complacent where they were. They were not taking the steps necessary to inherit what was right under their nose! Joshua asked them why they were neglecting to do what was clearly time to do. Here Joshua told them to go and survey the land, pick out what they wanted, and come back to him and they would divide it!

Maybe some people need to just start moving forward in their plans, survey their land and watch God perform a miracle on thier behalf!

If God spoke the promise to you, then he will surely fulfill it but if he has said the time is now, then it's time to take a step.  Don't get this far, to your appointed time and abandon the promise now!

Go ahead, get up and go, take a step, survey the land and possess your inheritance!  Amen!

PURSUIT FOR MORE

  

Joshua 17: 17-18 Joshua said to the family of Joseph (to Ephraim and Manasseh): "Yes, there are a lot of you, and you are very strong. One lot is not enough for you. You also get the hill country. It's nothing but trees now, but you will clear the land and make it your own from one end to the other. The powerful Canaanites, even with their iron chariots, won't stand a chance against you."

Joshua was the leader of the children of Israel that brought them into the land that had been promised them.  God had made the original promise to Abraham and Moses had led them through the wilderness but Joshua led them into the land.  Joshua then distributed inheritance to each tribe.  The part given to Joseph was actually not enough since Joseph was divided into two tribes because he had twins Ephraim and Manasseh.  The need was for more than what Ephraim and Manasseh had inherited thus far!  They needed more and Joshua told them they could have more!

THE ENEMY CAN'T STAND BEFORE YOU

To the family of Joseph Joshua said, "The powerful Canaanites, even with their iron chariots won't be able to stand against you!"

Today, our Joshua, (Jesus-Yeshua) is leading us and says, "The powerful enemies that stand in your way will not be able to stand against you."

Now if he has to say to us that our enemies won't be able to stand, then that means there will be enemies to fight.  The fact that we have been given the blood of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and all the precious promises in God's word doesn't mean we'll never have battles. This promise is for those that understand there are some things you have to fight for and you will only get those things if you pursue the promise rather than accepting your lot in life!  He said to them, "The lot you've been given is not enough."  What he was saying is, "If you will believe that the enemy won't be able to stand against you, then you can pursue more and you can have it!"

There will come a day when all enemies have been defeated, all tears are wiped away and there are no more battles to fight but until then we pursue and we believe the words of Yeshua which say, "Your enemy will not be able to stand against you!" 

What enemies stand in the way of inheriting all we have been promised!  Let's know for certain they will not stand and pursue our promises with relentless faith!  Amen!

YOUR TERRITORY- YOUR SECTION-YOUR SPHERE

YOUR TERRITORY­-YOUR SECTION- YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

Caleb Contrasted With The Tribe of Judah

Caleb was of the Tribe of Judah.  He along with Joshua was one of the only two adults from a previous generation to come into the promised land God had promised Abraham.  All others were under the age of 20 when Israel came close to the promised land and Moses sent 12 spies into the land. 

Ten spies came back with an evil report of giants in the land that caused the heart of the people to melt in fear.  Only Joshua and Caleb out of all of the adults believed.  This unbelief caused the nation of Israel to wander around in the desert until that evil generation died.  Then after Moses died and God made Joshua the new leader, they came into the promised land.

• Caleb was in the tribe of Judah and was given the land he chose.  He had to drive out enemies from that land in order to come into his full inheritance. 

• Caleb was over 80 years old and still had the same strength he had when he was a young man. 

• Caleb never gave up and he came into his full reward.

The rest of the tribe of Judah came into some of their inheritance but they never fully drove out all of the enemy!

Joshua 15:63 The people of Judah couldn't get rid of the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites stayed put, living alongside the people of Judah. They are still living there in Jerusalem. (The Message)

What territory of our heart and life have we ceded? What have we accepted as our lot in life that is not all God envisioned for us?

What mountain have we been promised would move is still standing in our way? It's time to come into ALL the promises of God and to drive out every enemy in the power and authority God has given us! God is not the problem.

This passage doesn't say God couldn't defeat the enemy. No! It says the tribe of Judah couldn't! Apparently they didn't keep trying and relying! Apparently they settled for less! 

YOUR SECTION

Each person is responsible for their own heart and their own SECTION of territory! Caleb took care of ALL the enemies in his section even though he was in the tribe of Judah!

God gives each of us a dream, a vision, promises and plans! It's our responsibility to stay in the fight and keep pressing in for everything he's promised- even if 40 years go by!

If we have that steadfastness and determination we'll come into everything. Even if we stumble along the way like Joshua did in Chapter 7 of the book of Joshua, we are to get back up and keep moving. The plan hasn't changed as long as we keep looking forward.

Let's not look back- even if we fail!  Let's keep moving forward- Let's stay in the fight and let's drive out each and every enemy until we are able to say with Caleb that our children can have the upper AND lower streams of all God has given us! Amen!

Josh 15:13-19  Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a section among the people of Judah, according to God's command. He gave him Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. Arba was the ancestor of Anak.

14-15 Caleb drove out three Anakim from Hebron: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, all descendants of Anak. He marched up from there against the people of Debir. Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.

16-17 Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I'll give my daughter Acsah to him as his wife." Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it; so Caleb gave him his daughter Acsah as his wife.
18-19 When she arrived she got him to ask for farmland from her father. As she dismounted from her donkey Caleb asked her, "What would you like?" She said, "Give me a marriage gift. You've given me desert land; Now give me pools of water!" And he gave her the upper and the lower pools. (The Message)

What's your section?  Have you seen everything God has promised you come to pass?  If not, keep pressing in! Keep believing! Keep fighting!  There will come a day when you'll look around and say, "This is what the Lord promised me!"  Not only that, you'll have something to give to those that come after you- maybe natural children, and maybe those you influence!  Whichever the case, you'll pass on a story of faith and a substance of all you believed for! Amen!

If my children (both natural and those I influence) can come to me and say, "Give me fertile ground, with streams of living water, then I've run my race and stayed my course well!" 

May we stay on course and run our race! The Lord is with us! Amen!

YOU CAN HAVE YOUR LOT IN LIFE OR YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR MOUNTAIN

When the Israelites reached the promised land, the inheritance was divided by lot.

Joshua 14:1 These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them. ² Their inheritance was by lot, as the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses

While millions of Israelites accepted their lot in life, the inheritance given them simply because of the tribe they were born into, Caleb by faith chose his mountain by faith.

Joshua 14:13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance, 14- Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

Caleb was able to do this because years earlier he chose to believe God rather than man.  

God had promised to give them the promised land and Moses sent in 12 men to spy out the land; of which Caleb & Joshua were two.  Caleb and Joshua, along with the ten other spies saw how large and strong the people were.  The other ten returned to Moses and told about the impossibility of the situation, causing the hearts of millions of people to melt and causing a delay in entering the land because of unbelief.   Caleb and Joshua chose to believe and were the only two of the previous generation to receive the promise.  

Caleb had been promised to receive not just what was his by lot but wherever the soul of his foot treaded.  

You know there's a scripture that says the devil is under our feet and another that says we have been given power to tread on serpents and scorpions and power over all the power of the enemy.  

It's not how strong an enemy or a situation is that determines whether you when but it's whether or not you choose to believe even if for the long run!  

Caleb and Joshua chose to believe and 40 years later Caleb said, "Give me this mountain!"  He could have accepted his lot in life which probably would have been good but he went to Joshua and reminded him of the promise and said, "Give me this mountain!" 

Caleb chose his mountain, which was more than his lot in life! Praise God!

Let's choose our mountain by wholly believing and following the Lord and then by saying to the Lord, "Give me this mountain- the one you promised me!" 

The Lord is surely a re-warder of those that diligently seek him and those that wholly follow.  

Here's just a few characteristics of Caleb that qualified him as wholly following:

• CALEB BELIEVED GOD
• CALEB OBEYED GOD
• CALEB DID NOT AGREE WITH THE COMPLAINERS AND GRIPERS
• CALEB DID NOT SPEAK WORDS OF DOUBT AND UNBELIEF
• CALEB WAS AN EXAMPLE TO A YOUNGER GENERATION
• CALEB STOOD THE TEST OF TIME
• CALEB ATTRIBUTED HIS STRENGTH TO GOD
• CALEB DID NOT ACCEPT HIS LOT IN LIFE
• CALEB REMINDED JOSHUA OF THE PROMISE MOSES MADE
• CALEB BELIEVED TO THE END AND COLLECTED ON HIS REWARD

May we all learn to wholly follow the Lord!