9. Step in…
This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go
Joshua 1:9
There’s a great story in Numbers 13-14 of the arrival of the Israelite people close to the promised land. A reconnaissance group of young men are selected to go into the promised land to spy out the land. Who’s living there, what’s the soil like. They bring back grapes, figs, and pomegranates reporting that it is a land flowing with milk and honey.
However, they also reported that the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak.
One of them, Caleb, stepped forward and encouraged the people to go and conquer the land God had promised them despite the possible threat of the current occupants. But the people were afraid to step into the promises of God and wanted to stay where they were in the desert crying out, if only we had died in Egypt or even here in the wilderness. Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?
Once again Caleb, and this time Joshua, step in:
The land we travelled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us… don’t be afraid of the people of the land… they have no protection, but the Lord is with us.
Numbers 14:8-9
But the people won’t be convinced and spend the next 40 or so years as nomads wandering the desert. So close and yet so far. There are so many other examples in the Bible of people stepping into the purposes God has for them. Hebrews 11 records many of these – have a read…
For years I have had the desire to be a writer. God gave me two big rocks to put in my dreams jar – overseas missions and writing. The missions I stepped into, and have been on short term trips to India and to Australia’s Kimberley region – amazing experiences of knowing I was fulfilling my destiny, God’s plan for me.
But, although I have written much over the years, I am not yet a writer. No-one has read what I have written. I haven’t stepped in and published what I write for the benefit of others. These notes are a part of that body of writing and meant to encourage and inspire others in their service to God. If you are now reading them, it means I have moved away from my fear of failure and rejection and stepped in…
What about you? Is there something you desire, your promised land? What is stopping you from stepping in, trusting God for victory knowing he is always with you? Are you with Caleb and Joshua seeing what is ahead and going for it or the rest of the people cowering in fear and wandering in the desert for years?
Prayer: Lord, you have so much planned for me, but I let life get in the way. I settle for the lesser because I am afraid of stepping into the greater. Forgive me and strengthen me to take those first steps into the promised land with you by my side.
Amen
Action: Take your first step, write down your dream and one thing you will do. Then do it…
Journal your thoughts:
