Change Your Address

CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS

My Address is Changed

Joshua 1:1-9

Turn the Page.

You need to be able to accept change in your life. You need to let go of the past. You must be willing to move forward, to start afresh, to take a new step when the time calls for it. Listen to the first words God speaks to Joshua…

(v. 2) “Moses my servant is dead.”

God said to Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead…it’s time now for you to move on.

Turn the page.” You need to ask yourself today, “What page in my life needs to be turned?

What part of the past am I hanging on to?

what ways do I allow yesterday to hold me back?”

What is in your past that is blocking your future?

Let go of it. Turn the page.

Stake your Claim.

God made a promise to the people of Israel.

(v. 3) “I will give you everyplace where you set your foot…”

God is making the same promise to you today. He wants to give you every place where you set your foot. Here’s what I mean.

God wants to give you ownership of every area of your life.

He wants to give you authority and power in every area of your life.

He wants to give you dominion in every area of your life, Spirit Soul & Body.

(Romans 8:37)

Paul said, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

God made you to win.

He made you to succeed.

He made you to thrive.

He wants you to walk in victory.

God wants you to thrive in the every area, natural and spiritual life.

Are you struggling in any area of your life, are you struggling with living in an emotional vacuum.

God has given you dominion in that area.

You can experience love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control.

Look at your life; look at every place you set your foot: home, work, church, ministry, your social life, your health, your finances, your extended family, and on and on.

Decide today to believe that God wants to give you dominion in each of these areas. And as he promised Joshua,

(v. 5) “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.”

Does that mean Joshua never lost a battle?

It does mean that he lived his life in victory, are you living your life in victory today?

Claim your promise.

It’s time to stake your claim

God said to Joshua,

(v. 5) “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

(Hebrews 13:5) (Matthew 28:20)

You are never out of God’s sight. He sees you all the time.

He’s with you all the time.

He watches over you all the time, accept it, and believe it, and claim the promise.

Say this to yourself, God is with me always.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish,
sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,
my child, is when I carried you.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

Footprints poem, Remember the part where there was only one set of footprints in the sand?

God said to Joshua and the people of Israel and he’s saying to you:

Every step you take, every place you go, I am with you.

In your victories and defeats, in your good times and your bad times, in your dark days and in your bright days, I am with you. You can count on me.”

If you want to make your move into the Promised Land, then claim the promise of God’s permanent residency in your life.

I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Acknowledge his presence. Expect it. Live in it.

Ezekiel 36:26-27

Where does the Holy Spirit Live

I Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”

There is something about that word “within.” “I will put My Spirit within you.” “His Spirit is within me!” Christ is in me by His Spirit today as surely as He was with the disciples. It is amazing to realize His Spirit lives within us and often we don’t pay any attention to Him at all.

It’s time for you to make your move.

Turn the page on the past: Look ahead to what God will do in your life today and tomorrow.

Stake your claim on your territory: Begin to expect God to give you dominion in every area of your life.

Claim the promise of his presence: You’re not in this alone, and you never will be. He is with you always.

CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS

(v. 18) Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

As we all know, the word dwell means to reside. Where you dwell is where you live.

Are you living in the past or the now?

God is saying through Isaiah, “Don’t live in the past.” He’s not saying “don’t remember the past”

in fact, a couple of chapters later God will say, “Remember the former things, those of long ago.

(Isaiah 46:9) So, he’s not saying “Don’t appreciate the past.” He’s saying, “Don’t live there.”

Don’t settle for second best, my best is yet to come.

Change your address and turn the page.

Some have difficulty letting go of the past because it was good. Others have difficulty letting go of the past because it was bad. Both are equally disabling.

Change your address. Change where you dwell. This means to change what you think on. It’s time to let go of them, the best is always yet to come.

God spoke through Isaiah, saying, “Do not dwell on the past,” because our God is not the God of yesterday. He’s the God of today.

Change your address from the past to the present & future

Examine your life, were you at, what address are you dwelling at.

You still getting junk mail from your past address.

Joshua was a very successful.

He was successful because he paid attention when at the very beginning  when God told him; “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it to the right or left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”  And that is exactly what Joshua did. As I see it there are four parts to the formula for success.

First, Joshua was to know God’s Word. Although not spelled out in so many words, every thing depended on Joshua knowing and studying the word of God. If law to be his guide in everything he did, and it was, then Joshua would have to know what the law said.

Secondly, Joshua was to talk about God’s Word.  The text says in verse 8, “this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, …”   Joshua is called upon to include the word of God in his daily conversation.

Third, Joshua was to mediate on God’s Word.

Joshua is told “…. but you shall meditate in it day and night.”  Mediation is the next step beyond just knowing about and talking about the word of God.  Mediation means to think about or contemplate how to apply the word in your life

Finally, Joshua was to Obey God’s Word In Its Entirety. This is the last element and is the most important.

Joshua is told that not only is he to know, speak about, and mediate on the word, he was to obey it.  God said,

“Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it to the right or left, .., that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

Christian breaks down.

Most Christians know a lot more of the Bible than they are applying.

It is not that we do not know what is right; it is that we do not do what is right.

God set the Pattern to Rule and have Dominion

Genesis 1:26-28

Jesus also set the pattern to Rule and have Dominion

(John 14:12)

You can do the miracles Jesus did and even greater.

Jesus gave us His power and authority; we simply have to look at what areas He showed dominion over.

Jesus showed dominion over:

Nature (see Mark 4:39)

Sickness and diseases (see Mark 2:10-12)

Evil spirits (see Mark 1:23-27)

Death (see Luke 7:12-15)

Poverty (see Matt 14:16-20)

Temptation (see Heb 4:15)

Sin (see Mark 2:10)

Pastor Rick