Grasp the Topic When Reading the Bible

When we read the Bible, it is vital to grasp the theme. One of the habits I have, when I lead you to read the Bible, is to always push you to find the main topic. This is a way of thinking. If you can master this thinking, no matter what version of the Bible you read, and what deviation, you should not be far off topic. So, what is a topic? It's the central idea that connects this chapter together.

If we make the topic of this chapter, "Be careful to do all the words of God, your way will be prosperous, and all things will go well. So how do you put the rest together? It's actually a little difficult. There are many options for the topic of this chapter, but not all of them can connect the whole chapter together. I tried several topics and found that this was the right one. It’s called “You will lead these people to inherit the Promised Land,” the land God swore to their ancestors to give them.

The way we're going to run through this is, first, the land was promised, and if Joshua was going to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land, he needed to be strong and courageous, because he was going to lead the people to inherit the Promised Land, and that was Joshua's destiny.

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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 afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7-9 NIV)

The second thing that Joshua needed to do is to fully obey. If he could do it, his way will be prosperous, and all things will go well.

Then Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, "This is my destiny and is also the destiny of you, Israelites until all of us can inherit the land, and you can return to the east of the Jordan, which God has assigned to you as a possession.

Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:16-18 NIV)

God not only said to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous," but God also told him through his subordinates, the Israelites, to be strong and courageous. Joshua had to be strong and courageous in order for the people to inherit the Promised Land. I think it's an interesting attempt to choose this topic, and of course, you may have a better choice, but let's try to stick to this topic, and see how we can actually think about this.

God calls the people with destiny

<After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD , the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. (Joshua 1:1-3 NIV)

One thing we need to know is that God's promises are faithful. No matter how rebellious the Israelites were, God would choose a person or a group of people to inherit the land as a possession, and that man was Joshua. God chose him, and that was Joshua's destiny.

I start to relate to myself when I read this. This is not just written for Joshua but also for people who are willing to take on the destiny and lead the people of God to inherit the Promised Land, and those people are able to tightly grab onto the promise of God. Aren't we a group of people who have been called and chosen by God? Isn’t this our destiny to lead more people to inherit the Promised Land? I can feel a call that God is saying, "Arise, cross the Jordan River with all the people to the land I am giving to Israel.” God will give us every place where we set our feet, as God promised. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As God was with Moses, so God will be with people like Joshua; God will never leave us nor forsake us. So be strong and courageous.

I saw clearly God is with us, and many people came to us and experienced God’s wonderful promises. God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. So, read Bible for yourself. If we want to be someone like Joshua, these promises are for us. Be careful to obey all the laws. Then we will be prosperous and successful.

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life

This is a spiritual phrase because we have God’s destiny, so God will be with us. If God is with us, then no one will be able to stand against us. So, we should be strong and courageous. This is very straightforward.

Recently, we have battled with the devil round after round and experienced God's presence in every battle. Some time ago, a co-worker who served God with me, had a breakdown, and she wanted to die and is in a terrible state just like mental illness.

My faith was dying, but when I remembered God's presence with us and the signs and wonders God had done, I thought, I am a man of destiny, I must lead my brothers and sisters into the Promised Land so that every brother and sister can experience God's promises!

I began to gather up my faith, even though my heart was still heavy and hard. I discussed with other brothers and sisters how to minister to this co-worker. After ministering for three days, the situation was still very bad, but I was convinced in my heart that God would be with me, and that God would make me victorious. I told her, “Do you know? We all very love you.” She was filled with uncertainty. She was trapped in the lie that she thinks we keep her on our team because she is useful, and we will kick her out when she is useless, she wouldn’t be sure we love her.

So, I told her, “That's not true. Our destiny is to lead people into the promised land, not because they are good enough, but because Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, and here the love of God is revealed.”

Maybe many of you have some misunderstandings, and I would like to share with you that no matter who you are or if you have any power if you want to have destiny, we will use all our strength to lead you into the Promised Land. Not because you are useful, is because you are willing to move forward with us. God will not leave any of us behind, and I will not leave any of God's people behind. God says I will never leave you nor forsake you. Many times, it is men who have forsaken God, not God who has forsaken us.

God loves us so much that in the Old Testament Bible, God says, “Return to me, and I will return to you.” God is so great. He is full of mercy and grace; he did not destroy me because I made many outrageous mistakes. So, I’m going to pass God’s mercy and grace, and lead the people of God to inherit and take the land as a possession. Then give out the unconditional love which we are given unconditionally from God.

In a short time, a miracle happened. This co-worker was released from the lie! God, you are so great! I think this is unconditional love, and this is God’s great power. If you experience the promises of God among us, it’s because of a group of people who are willing to take on destiny.

Some people say the key thing in a person’s life is who you know and who you don’t, or who you are with. If you are with Korah, you probably are deep in the earth. But if you follow Joshua and Caleb, you will be on their side and go into the Promised Land together. In my past days of ministry, I found this quote wonderful:

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. (Joshua 1:5-6 NIV)

When our faith is collapsing, we really need to be strong and courageous, and God’s presence, so that nothing is able to stand before us. People with destiny are so powerful. It’s a glorious destiny to lead the people of God into the Promised Land.

I encourage all brothers and sisters. You may not have been here long and don’t have a clear understanding of what destiny is. But I tell you, this is what the Bible says: No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.

If you want to be this kind of person, you will lead the people in and take possession of the land. You might be wondering if I’m worthy. It’s not about whether you are worthy or not, it’s about whether you are willing because this place only talks about what kind of people you want to be.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV)

Being strong and courageous is a response to faith. When people are afraid, they will cry out to God. Joshua was not strong by nature, he was weak. But because Joshua had to take over the burden from Moses after Moses passed away, where he had to manage millions of Israelites, he was extremely fearful. So, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous.

Remember, brothers and sisters, that God’s response to us is what we ask Him for. If we say to God, "O God, you make me strong and courageous.” Then you will be strong and courageous. There is nothing better in the world than being with God. God is with those who have a destiny, and our destiny is to lead our brothers and sisters into the Promised Land.

For When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

My co-worker was freed, not because I was strong, but because I was weak, and God made me strong. On the day I ministered to my co-worker, I almost collapsed, and I was lying on the couch as if I was going to die. I could not wait to leave this world, but I knew that God had a destiny for me. I gathered myself up after laying there for a few hours and stood up strong again, and I said to God, “God, I'm really weak.” Then I remembered what Paul said:

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV)

When this sister was freed from this state, I understood that I was weak, but God made me strong, and God is my strength. It was not because Joshua was strong, but because Joshua was weak, that God said again and again and again:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)

Such words are very comforting. God’s presence is visible, and you will see spiritual victory in battle after battle, devils are defeated, and people are freed.Sometime ago was the hardest time for me. Many of my co-workers had entered the hidden recognition of good and evil, and one after another seemed to be on the verge of collapse, but I thank God that He is faithful. After they were released, I saw that the whole team is more united and stronger than before. Why? Because we are a group of people who with destiny.

Your destiny is to lead the people of God to inherit the Promised Land. Why no matter where you go you are successful? Why God is with you? Why did God tell you to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid? Why did God say He will never leave you nor forsake you? It’s all because of destiny, and this is a very fundamental element of the Doctrine of Destiny.

##We live to build the glorious church of God
We are not living for ourselves, family, work or for the healing of our sickness, but for God’s church, and for the body of Jesus Christ. We live to fulfill God's great plan in this world, and we are to be vessels in God's hands to manifest his glory.

Many Christians didn’t see the fulfillment of God’s promises because they don’t have destiny. I’m telling you, no matter how small or humble you are, be a person with destiny. There are no blessings and God’s promises outside the destiny, and this destiny is serving the people of God, leading the people to inherit the Promised Land and be a fighting men.

You say, "But I'm weak.” In fact, Joshua was also weak, and sometimes Jesus was also weak. Our weakness is the strength of God. When we trust in God, we will be strong; when we trust in God, we will trample on devils; when we trust in God, not relying on our abilities, we will see brothers and sisters freed from the hands of the devils. During this past time, I prayed with tears, and I said, "God, who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” These are the words of Paul in his epistle. God helped me, and I finally understood what Paul meant by his words, that the strength of God is manifested in us who are weak.

How fortunate I am to have a God who does not blame me for my weakness, but shows His strength because of my weakness, and because my foolishness shows God's wisdom. I become less dependent on my abilities, and more and more I feel trust in God is such a wonderful thing. So be careful to obey God’s words; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, and you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.

We need to build God's glorious church according to God's word, I thank God, God has given me a rigorous way of thinking, I read God's word and ponder, especially in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul, he explained clearly on how to build God's church and God's salvation. I thank God for giving me a rigorous heart so that I can build according to God’s words. Although I made a lot of mistakes along the way, God is a gracious and merciful God. He guided me to build his glorious church until I saw his glory being manifested.

Building God's Glorious Church Requires Rigorous Attitude

Every brother and sister need a rigorous attitude, to carefully obey God's words. We still deviate from God's word when we meditate on it day and night, then what about being sloppy? Can we see the glory of God if we are sloppy? Building the temple of God is a matter of heaven. If we cannot be rigorous to work on earth, how can we be rigorous to the work in heaven? Whether it is Moses, David, or Solomon, they are all rigorous people.

Therefore, we must be rigorous. No matter what kind of Christian you are, today you really need to repent and be a rigorous person and have a trembling heart for the words of God. So that everything you do will be prosperous and successful.

Building God's glorious church and leading the people of God into the Promised Land is not something that is done easily. Whatever God's word says, we should implement it. If we want to boast, boast about what God has done in our midst.

If you see what God has done in you, you need to know that it is not because of you, is because of a group of people before you, who had paid a heavy price for you. But are you willing to have a rigorous heart to receive the word of God?

If you do, you will surely receive what God said, “No one will be able to stand before you in the days of your life. Then you will be prosperous and successful, and God shall be with you. This is what God has promised to all those who have destiny, to all those who take on the burden.

So, we need to start thinking about the words, are you a person with destiny? Would God have said that to Joshua if he was a man without a destiny? Would God give him such a promise if he was just a man who lives for his life and for himself and destiny, the kingdom of God, the glory of God has nothing to do with him, and he just wanted to eat well, drink well, and play well?

One can live with destiny and live for God and the result is that God will be with us, and we can trample on the devils. Do you want God to be with you? As God is with Moses. If you are willing, be like Joshua, and you will see the presence of God.

Recently, a co-worker fell off a ladder while he was working and sprained his hip bone, which hurt so much that he seems to be unable to stand up. I grabbed his hipbone, and I commanded in the name of Jesus Christ to free his hipbone, and within a minute, he was back to normal. Why? Because God will be with people with destiny, and this is the pursuit of my life. So, serve God with a rigorous heart and a trembling heart. There is no point in watching TikToc, it only takes away the presence of God. If God is with us, our God will bring glory to the people of God, and our God will make all the words that come out of our mouths come true. What a wonderful thing

Conclusion

In the past, people’s life is all about an acre of land, two oxen, their wives and children and living a simple and good life. But is there the glory of God? No. Brothers and sisters who are torn between destiny and their lives only have one answer, and that’s to have destiny. Lay down your life won’t hurt. This may sound a bit stressful, but that’s the key to solving our problems.

Without the presence of God, there will be the presence of the devils, and everything you do will not be successful, but with the presence of God, everything will be prosperous and successful, and the choice is in our hands. As for me and my co-workers, we will lead the people of God to inherit the Promised Land no matter how hard it is, how cruel the battle is, and how often the devil comes, we don't care. For God will be with us, and it is nothing to pay the price, for this is our destiny, and for this, we will put on our lives, and this is a good choice!

May the LORD bless you！