Joshua chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Understanding Yah’s Timing: Keys To Unlocking Your Shift
Deuteronomy 28:2
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake H5381 thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
OVERTAKE
Today we look to the word-OVERTAKE- H5381 nasag--to reach, overtake, take hold upon, attain to, cause to reach, to be able to secure, have enough, overtake
The Torah testifies...............
Deuteronomy 28:45
Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake H5381 thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
The prophets proclaim..................
1 Samuel 30:8
And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake H5381 them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely H5381 overtake H5381 them, and without fail recover all.
The writings bear witness...........................
Psalm 18:37
I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken H5381 them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
Keys to Unlocking the Shift
In this section of our study, we will look at nine keys from the first chapter of Joshua that will help us successfully make the divine shift with Yah from chronos to kairos and on to fullness. The Israelites were about to go through one of the greatest shifts in history. If we can remember the strategies Yah gave them, during our own transition times, that knowledge will greatly assist us in our pursuit of fullness.
Key #1
We Must Accept Responsibility to Do Our Part
Yah will do what only He can do; we must also do what He expects and requires of us during the time of transition. Don’t make the mistake of overemphasizing the sovereignty of Yah. In other words, it is dangerous to believe that Yah will make sure we get to fullness, no matter what we do. The generation of Israelites who perished in the wilderness is proof that fullness is not automatically guaranteed.
Chapter 1 of Joshua marks the transition of Israel moving into their kairos season. Ultimately, if they followed the Lord completely, they would move on into fullness. Joshua 1:2 states: “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”
In saying this, Yah was doing more than just telling Joshua that Moses was dead. Yes, Moses had gone away by himself, and Yah took him on to heaven without anyone being around to witness it. But Yah was also announcing to Joshua, “It’s your time now. You can no longer look to the man who mentored you and made the decisions for the nation. You have been trained and equipped; now you are the one, Joshua. It’s your turn. Accept the responsibility! You must rise up to your place of leadership and lead this people.”
The fact that we have responsibilities in this process is also implied by the use of the word “giving” in the above verse. It is translated from the Hebrew word nathan, which means more than to give (in the sense of bestowing something upon another). Nathan means to give in the sense of an assignment. Yah’s gifts are also His assignments. He is going to gift us with the fruitful stage. He will bring us into fullness. Though His gifts are coming, they are also assignments. There will be a part for us to play.
When Yah “gave” the land to Abraham and his descendants, He was saying more than, “I am giving you the land.” He was also saying, “I am ‘assigning’ this land to you.” They would have to go in and possess it, fulfilling the assignment of the Lord, in order for Yah to do through them what He wanted to do.
The same will be true for us. We will have to be faithful to do our part in the transition time, fulfilling the assignments of the Lord. We must act responsibly, walking in truth and wisdom. If we do, we’ll reach fullness.
Key #2:
We Will Have to Move in Great Faith
During the Transition Times This is especially true as we approach fullness. Sometimes more faith is required to move into this stage than was needed in the chronos season.
In Joshua 1:2 Yah said to Joshua, “Cross this Jordan,” He was making the important distinction that it was not the Jordan of several months earlier or of a few months later. but this one that was in flood stage (see Joshua 3:15. It was probably a mile wide and very deep and, as far as these Israelites were concerned, impassable.
But Yah told Joshua that he was going to take these people men, women, children, animals, possessions across this Jordan. What an incredible faith it took to receive this word from the Lord! We, too, will face impossible situations and insurmountable odds at times when we are moving in the kairos stage toward fullness. It will require much faith. We will have to believe that Yah is going to come through and do His part – the impossible – in order to get us to where we need to be.
The seasons of maintaining do require patience but may not necessitate a great amount of faith. But when Yah says it’s time to move forward, there will be steps of faith required on our part. We must be ready to move in faith.
Key #3:
We Must Be Very Flexible
Joshua 1:11 states: “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your Yah is giving you, to possess it ‘ “. After the Israelites had waited 40 years in the wilderness for the promise of Yah to be fulfilled, you would think He could have given them more than three days notice to pack up all their possessions and prepare to move on.
Anyone who has ever moved knows how difficult it is to pack and uproot. But Yah said, “In three days, you are to cross.” The shifts of Yah can come suddenly. He has reasons for doing this. Sometimes He lust doesn’t want us to have a lot of time to think about it, because we would probably mess things up somehow. He wants us to move quickly without the paralysis of analysis an often overused but accurate statement.
Unexpected events will also require flexibility. I can assure you that when the transition begins, especially when we are walking through kairos the strategic, opportune stage there will be unexpected opportunities and challenges. Yah brill do things in ways we really didn’t anticipate. We have probably envisioned how things should happen. Yah will most likely do it differently, however, and we must be very flexible.
Key #4:
We Must Remember the Basics
When Joshua was about to lead this generation of Israelites into their fullness, Yah put great emphasis on His Word. Joshua 1:7-8 states: Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Yah was bringing to Joshua’s attention the vital importance of His Word. “Don’t neglect the Word, Joshua. Keep it before you. Keep speaking it. Keep meditating on it. Then you will be successful.” When we are going through difficult times and transition is certainly that it is not the great, deep revelations of truth that keep us. It isn’t our eschatology. It isn’t our ability to exegete the Scriptures. It is the basics that keep us during times of transition. Remember to focus on the Word. Remember to spend time with the Lord. Remember to fellowship regularly with other believers. Keep yourself in prayer. Do the basics!
Key #5:
We Need to Hold Fast to Past Promises
Joshua 1:6 states: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore (promised) to their fathers to give them”. Yah called Joshua back to the promise He had made to Abraham and other forefathers. When we go through times of transition, it is imperative that we remember what Yah has spoken to us in the past. This will give us comfort, direction and something to which we can anchor.
Paul told Timothy to wage a good warfare through the prophecies that had been spoken over him (see 1 Timothy 1:18. In other words, during the difficult time Timothy was experiencing, Paul told him to go back and recall what had been spoken over him and to use those words as a weapon with which to fight. He was challenged to let the past affirmations sustain his faith.
“When Yah takes us to new levels or begins to shift us to levels of favour or success, we are often very short-sighted about it.We think it is simply to bless and reward our faithfulness, when in reality it is often because of, and to bless, others and generations to come.
This also served to bring Joshua an important perspective: What was about to happen wasn’t only about them, but it was also about Abraham and others before them. And though not mentioned in this passage, it was about generations to come. When Yah takes us to new levels or begins to shift us to levels of favour or success, we are often very short-sighted about it. We think it is simply to bless us or reward our faithfulness, when in reality it is often because of, and to bless, others. In Joshua’s day Yah wasn’t only rewarding this generation of Israel, He was furthering the redemptive purposes of history. Remember that others will be impacted by your successful shifting.
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