Walking in Power - Pick Up Your Sword!

Joshua 1: 8-9 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

The enemy realizes that once saved, he has lost the battle for your soul. His focus will then shift to making you impotent in the kingdom of God. Making you ineffectual for what God has called you for. Remember that God has saved you and called you for a purpose. You were not pulled up from the depths to sit in a pew until Jesus comes. Far too many Christians today are crawling with the Lord instead of walking. They spend their Christian lives barely treading water or circling the same mountain over and over again; wandering in their wilderness. That is not the will of God for your life. Paul expresses how your walk was intended:

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:10-13

A life worthy of the Lord includes bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, and being strengthened with all power! We are meant to walk in His power every day. The promise from Christ Himself is:

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:19

The enemy should have no power over your life! You have been given the authority overcome all of the power of the enemy. Nothing is supposed to harm you! Yet there we stand sometimes, abdicating that power and allowing the enemy a foothold in our lives. It might be through sin or refusing to let go of past hurts or disappointments. We can get ourselves so bogged down that we go from walking in power to walking in impotence, searching for the power of God that already resides within us. Sometimes it can seem like we don't even know where to start to get out from under the weight of our past failures or current sin. How can we begin that path to power and turn those failures into success and prosperity? As with all questions, we have already been given the answers. They are in His word!

In the opening chapter of Joshua we see God speaking directly to Joshua after the death of Moses. Surely Joshua must have had some worries as he was taking over for Moses! Yet here was God reminding him what he needed to do in order to be prosperous and successful. Working backwards in verse eight, we see God telling us that we are to be careful to do everything written in His word. We are not to employ salad bar theology, picking the parts we like and ignoring the parts that make us uncomfortable. Why must we follow all of His word?

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2Timothy 3:16-17

Because all of it comes directly from God and thoroughly equips us for the good works God has called us to! Continuing in the verse from Joshua, we see that we must meditate on it day and night. Unfortunately, we have many Christians who only touch the bible on Sundays when they go to church. They raise their hands and feel the power of God for two hours on Sunday and then wonder why they cannot walk in His power on Wednesdays! Sometimes we simply ignore the word but other times we fill our lives with "Christianese" activities to make us feel as if we are spending time with God. Perhaps we have a favorite preacher and we never miss their show. Perhaps we receive regular devotionals and we count that as our bible reading activity for the day. Now, devotionals or watching a preaching session are also important. They can highlight things in scripture you had not considered. They can illuminate an important point you had not realized. Hopefully, a good devotional or preaching will inspire you to want to learn more by reading the bible yourself and further exploring the context of the verses brought to you. These activities however, were not meant to replace your own reading. Why? Because the devotional and preaching is ultimately God speaking to someone else and that person telling you what God spoke to them. Can God speak to you through them? Sure. But ultimately, He is seeking a more personal relationship with you as well. He wants to speak to you also! Many Christians lament that they do not "hear from God" or that they do not see the confirmations that others speak about. A vital way however, which God speaks and confirms to us is through His word!

Finishing the verse from Joshua we see God imploring him to not let the word depart out of what? His brain? His memory? No, his mouth. We not only need to read the bible so God can talk to us but so that we can speak His word into our lives. Remember, He is the God that calls things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17)! We can walk in that power too! When the enemy comes whispering into your ear about your sin or your past you need to be equipped to respond in power. You are a child of God, an heir, a friend of God, a saint, chosen, holy, blameless, a new creation, seated with Christ in heavenly realms! Yet we seemingly can be cowered so easily. We look upon our circumstances only within our own power even though we can do nothing without God. You need the word to not depart out of your mouth so you know what He as promised you. When you know what He has promised you, then you can conquer that mountain and rise above the floodwaters of your life. You can speak power into your circumstances.

What does God promise Joshua that is the same promise for you today? Verse nine tells us that God is saying to you today to not be terrified! Do not be discouraged! Fear is one of the greatest weapons the enemy will use against you. When we lean upon our own understanding, our situations can seem daunting. When we only look at our past through our own eyes, it can seem overwhelming. It is easy to see why the human condition is often controlled by fear. The world has generated phobia after phobia to help us understand what we are afraid of but can do very little to actually help resolve fear. The word reminds us however who fear comes from:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

Your spirit of fear did not come from God; it came from the enemy! God has given you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Just as he told Joshua so long ago, He is telling you today, "do not be terrified."

Discouragement is another favorite weapon the enemy will use against us. We live in a me-centric microwave society. We want everything as we want it done, and when we want it done. The "when" is usually "now." God does not work like that though. As a Christian we must understand that everything is for HIS glory, not our convenience. We can have a word spoken to us, a promise from God that we hold to but still get discouraged by the timing. God of course sees all time and knows the outcomes, yet we sometimes feel as if we know better. We do not. We should take heart though in knowing how much He cares for us:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

You know you love Him! You know you have been called according to His purpose! Then you must also embrace the fact that He is working all things for your good! When the days pass by and seemingly the promises of God are not coming to pass, we need to reflect upon this verse to avoid discouragement. As Joshua was told by God, He also is telling us, "Do not be discouraged!"

Why should we not be terrified and discouraged? Because God has promised us that He will be with us, wherever we go! Has he not already commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Your bible has all of your answers. It has the answers to your past, your present and your future. It has the power you need to walk in. It is how God wants to speak to you. You should be meditating on it day and night. Your favorite preacher or devotional reading will only be more enhanced by your regular reading of God's word. The bible is called the sword of the spirit because it will separate the truth unto us. It will allow us a closer more intimate relationship with God Himself and prepare us for the attacks of the enemy, such as fear and discouragement. Don't leave your sword lying on the coffee table six out of seven days each week! Pick it up and walk in the power he has reserved for you!

Anthony Wade May 4, 2008