Introduction

Let us turn to Joshua Chapter 21. The concluding statement of Chapter 21 says that not a single word of the Lord's promise to bless the house of Israel failed; everything was fulfilled. This is a very beautiful statement, and it can become the most precious thing in our lives.

Why do I say this? If the Bible said that only 80% of the Lord's promises to the house of Israel were fulfilled, that would be problematic. Why problematic? Because we might think, We are the 20%.

What the Bible says is very interesting: all who came to Jesus were healed. Later, when the apostle Peter established the church, all who came to the church seeking healing were also healed.

Upon hearing this, it sounds quite absolute, and absolute things are good! Absolute things have the characteristic of truth. For example, if we manufacture a car and it is good, its engine will definitely start.

If a car sometimes starts and sometimes doesn't, if you step on the gas and it sometimes moves and sometimes doesn't, then it is a bad car. Therefore, we must establish the concept that not a single word of the Lord's promise to bless us will fail.

The Story of the Levites Receiving Their Inheritance

What does Joshua Chapter 21 illustrate? It illustrates an interesting point: the words God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all fulfilled by this time; none of them failed.

What happened before Chapter 21? Everyone was dividing and receiving land. In Chapter 21, to whom was the land being allocated? It was being allocated to the Levites. The allocation of land to the Levites was done last. And how does it begin? Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, 'The Lord commanded through Moses that we should be given cities to dwell in, with their common lands for our livestock.' So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance these cities with their common lands, according to the command of the Lord.

This story is quite interesting. Actually, the Levites were not anxious at all. What does the Bible say? When the other tribes were dividing their cities, the Lord was the inheritance of the Levites. This sounds very interesting, doesn't it? Oh, God is our inheritance! Does that mean they would starve? No. What does it mean that the Lord is our inheritance?

Those among us who serve God know that the Lord God is our inheritance. But does having the Lord as our inheritance mean we have nothing? No. The Lord is our inheritance. Let everyone carry this thought and question as we continue to ponder. After the Levites finished dividing, not a single word of the Lord's promise to bless Israel failed; everything was fulfilled. This is very interesting. The Levites' inheritance is God, but at this time, they also had the Israelites give them something. Weren't all the tribes already divided?

All the tribes were divided, and then the tribe of Levi was left; they were not among those who were divided. As a result, each tribe had to take out a portion for the Levites. I ask you, how much did the Levites receive? If you do the math with me, it should be clear. Why? Because it is like this: there are 12 tribes in total. Removing the Levites leaves 11 tribes. After the 11 tribes divided, each tribe took out 1/10 for the Levites.

If each person takes out 1/10 for the Levites, how many portions do the Levites have? The Levites have 11 portions in their hands. If the other tribes are calculated, each tribe has 9 portions. Dividing it into 10 portions and taking out 1 portion for the Levites, did the Levites receive more or less? The Levites definitely received more.

We must begin to know that not a single word of God's promise to bless the house of Israel failed; everything was fulfilled. Those who serve God gain more; those who serve God are not poor, but gain more. All the tribes of Israel gained. But the question is, did they build those cities? No. Did they cultivate those lands? No. Did they plant those crops? No. These things were all built by the local people. Later, they went in, drove those people out, and then took possession of the land.

Taking possession of the land seems a bit cruel, but it is God's promise. The world is always like this: if you gain, others will lose. When the Israelites gained, the Canaanites lost. Aren't all things in the world under God's control?

Establishing a Concept of Service

Since all things in the world are under God's control, if we establish this concept, we will recognize that serving God is extremely wonderful. In fact, among us, there are often some brothers and sisters who can serve God when everything is going well, but when work gets busy, they put serving God aside first. As long as anything gets busy, they put serving God aside first.

I have a characteristic that is definitely advantageous. I do not refrain from serving because I am busy, nor do I only serve when I am not busy. Regardless of whether I am busy or not, I serve. And I often put my work down to serve.

When I used to work for others, it was very difficult. Sometimes, the work really could not be finished. Why did I develop the habit of staying up late? It was because the work could not be finished. Why couldn't it be finished? Because I often had to serve.

For example, one day at noon, someone came over: Quick, help me, I can't go on! I said, What should I do if someone can't go on? Come, take them to the meeting room and pray! After praying, they would be fine. After serving, I would come back and do my work, often until two or three in the morning. Then, in the evening, this person would come again, in that half-dead state. Could you not serve them?

Thank God, I don't often encounter this. If I encountered this every day, I really couldn't handle it! But even if I encountered such things every day, I would still do it, do you believe it? The accumulated work, I would do it when I got home, doing it until 3-4 AM. The next day, I would get up and go to work. I was so tired. Sometimes, it was really hard.

Once, I received a person who was actually a pastor. I spent the day with this pastor, after all, I was receiving him; I couldn't just leave him there. In the evening, this pastor said: Can you pray for my wife's ear? No problem! I said: Dial her number, and I will lead her in prayer. His wife's ear had been hurting for a long time. After one prayer, she was healed.

But I hadn't done my work yet. Think about it, writing so many books, doing so many things, and my output is so high. After he left, he went back to sleep, and I started working, working until four in the morning. I thought, I should go to sleep, I'm tired, and I have to take him to the airport tomorrow. So I went to sleep. At six o'clock, my phone rang. I had only been asleep for two hours. It was hard, but I answered the phone. It was his wife calling me.

What was wrong? His wife got angry and threw the phone at the child's eye. The child's eye immediately turned blue and swelled. She was frightened, and the child was crying. I took the phone and said, Give the phone to the child. Child, let me lead you in prayer for a moment, and your pain will disappear. After praying for a moment, the child really stopped crying, and the eye really got better. By this time, it was already 7:30 in the morning. I cleaned up, and we didn't sleep anymore. Was I tired? Yes, really tired. Sometimes, my eyes just wanted to close.

But thank God it is not always like this. If it were always like this, it wouldn't matter. People become more prosperous as they live. What I am saying is, should you put down your work? If it were me, I would definitely put down my work. Are there times when I don't put it down? Sometimes, I will arrange for a co-worker to handle things. What I am saying is that the Lord God is our inheritance, and I highly value my God.

If you ask me if I have gained a lot, think about it, I serve like this, how could I not gain a lot? It is impossible to gain less. Every time I serve, I see the fulfillment of God's promises! I firmly believe that all the promises the Lord gave to the house of Israel have been fulfilled.

Some people put down their service when they get busy with work. But I understand them. If that's what they think, we'll just go along with it: You don't have to serve, it's okay, it's okay, just work hard, do a good job. That's what we say, but what is in our hearts? Is God's promise 100% faithful? Will God's promise be 100% fulfilled?

If God's promise is the foundation of our lives, if we live by God's promise, not by the environment, not by the boss, not by money, not by our business, can't all of this be resolved?

Do you know that there are too many things we need to clean out of our hearts? To put it bluntly, there is too much rubbish. At crucial moments, we don't believe that God's promise to bless us will be fulfilled. At crucial moments, we start to believe in ourselves, believe in the environment, and just don't believe in God's promise.

What is the difference between me and everyone else? Why are demons so afraid of me? Demons are afraid of me because of one very simple thing: I don't look at the environment, and I don't look at myself. I believe that God's promise will never fail.

Extending the Vision of Promise

Writing up to Joshua Chapter 21, not a single word of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob failed; everything was fulfilled. Actually, at this time, we should be very moved. Several hundred years ago, God said to Abraham, I will give this land to you and your descendants. Did Abraham receive it? No, but he believed he would receive it.

He passed this covenant on to Isaac. Isaac lived in this land as a sojourner. Did he receive this land? No. He dug a well and it was taken away. He dug another well and it was taken away again. He dodged here and there, and finally dodged to a place where no one would take his well. But Isaac still believed. Not to mention Jacob, Jacob also believed, but did he receive it? No, they received it in faith. When did they actually receive it? In Joshua Chapter 21.

Not a single word of God's promise to the house of Israel failed; everything was fulfilled! Ah, these words are good! Sometimes I will tell everyone, What I pray for, God will accomplish. Even if it is not accomplished while I am alive, it will be accomplished after I die! God's promise to Abraham was not fulfilled until almost five hundred years later. You might think, What is Abraham doing? He has turned to ashes after 500 years! Has he really turned to ashes? People like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had very strong faith. Even in Joshua 21, they still saw God's words being fulfilled here.

For what we speak of, it is the spirit that gives life. The spirits of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can still see the fulfillment of God's promises. What they cared about was not this life, but eternal life. How are they different from people like us? Of course, it would be best if we were like them, but they have a huge difference from normal people, which is that they live in eternity.

During the time of Abraham, he saw thousands upon thousands of years through spiritual eyes. They believed that no matter how many years later, these things would be accomplished, and they would see them with their own eyes. You ask me, did they really see them? I believe they really saw them. They are still alive in faith. Then it's our turn. It is very meaningful whether we believe this statement. I hope this sentence is deeply imprinted in your mind.

In fact, I often repeat such words. Think about it, let's go back to a new logic. God created the universe and all things. Until today, God upholds the universe with His mighty hand. Since God upholds the universe, would there be a problem with the small matter of our living, your project, your work, your money? No problem, no need to worry or be afraid.

Even if we encounter any situation, God's promise will surely stand firm. These words sound easy, but believing them is not easy. We often like to look at the environment, don't we? At this time, the Israelites obtained the promised land, so today, whether people believe or not is in this sentence. So today, if we have experienced that God's promise has not been fulfilled, how do you interpret it? I will tell you how I would interpret it: God's words are forever established in heaven, and not a single one of God's promises will fail; they will surely be fulfilled! But some people don't believe this, so they often see God's promises not being fulfilled, because the difference between belief and unbelief is too great.

When I pray for someone, I first believe that God will surely heal them. Before praying, I am determined to choose to believe that not a single word of God will fail; it will surely be accomplished. This is true. Seeing that a person's prayer is not effective, what is the reason? The faith inside a person will surely be expressed. Those who believe will have signs and wonders following them. This belief means that not a single word of God will fail.

But in my ministry, or in the circles of pastors, I often see some people whose belief is very interesting. Some believe 50%, some believe 80%, and some believe 20%. But in my heart, God's words will be 100% fulfilled. So why does my prayer work? It is here. Why is my ministry effective? It is here. Why do I enjoy what I do? It is in the faith. Did this group of Israelites feel that they were good enough to receive the promise, or is it that God's attribute is that none of His words fail?

Because the words God promised to the Israelites, the words promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were not easy to fulfill at that time! Because the first group of people all died in the wilderness, and this later group of people were all born and raised in the wilderness. Are these people worthy of this? Actually, they are also unworthy. It is not whether we are worthy or unworthy, but rather that God's attribute is that not a single word of what He has promised fails. So I encourage everyone to start having faith in this sentence, to start believing that all who come before God will be healed, and that not a single word of God will fail.

For a while, I was reading the Book of Samuel, and there was one sentence that was particularly good. How did this sentence say it? God did not let a single word of Samuel's words fail. This is very interesting! We can understand that not a single word of God's promise to the house of Israel failed, but God did not let a single word of what Samuel said fail. This is said in reverse, and this is even better than the current statement, isn't it? How good would it be if not a single word I said failed!

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. (1 Samuel 3:19)

Once, a businessman came to me. He should have been busy with his project, but the project was in a mess. So he came to me. I told him: God will surely bless you, and everything you do will prosper, and your performance will surely improve! As a result, after he went back, he failed to win the bid and did not get the project. His faith completely collapsed in those two days. Did what I said fail, or did it not fail? In fact, what I said did not fail.

If we live long enough, we will see that not a single word of God has failed. The problem is, what time frame are we using to look at this matter? If we look at it with a time frame of ten or twenty years, then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not receive the promise; but looking at it hundreds of years later, they really did receive this promise!

But we ordinary people generally only have a vision of seventy or eighty years. If you don't see far enough, you won't even live these seventy or eighty years well. Do you believe my words? If you only stay within a vision of seventy or eighty years, you won't even be able to live these seventy or eighty years well.

Determined to Obtain the Crown of Glory

So what is our goal as Christians today? Our goal is to return to God and receive the crown of glory. If we believe that we will receive God's crown of glory, then we will strive to run this heavenly road on earth. In our lifetime, those things that have not been accomplished don't matter much, because in eternity, God will surely accomplish them for us.

So what do you say will happen to that businessman in the future? That depends on the person's destiny. The difference between belief and unbelief is too great. If you believe in God's promises, then not a single one of God's promises will fail. If you don't believe in God's promises, then that's a problem. Actually, God's promises will not fail, but they just haven't failed on you. You haven't received them. But if you are a believer, then none of God's promises will fail.

So today, let's think carefully about what kind of person you want to be. Do you want to be the Israelites who obtained the promised land, or do you want to be the forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who enabled them to obtain the promised land? If you ask me, I would rather be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because God remembers the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and therefore blessed their descendants.

Although Abraham and Jacob did not obtain it while they were alive, they had already obtained it in their faith. We want to be like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and become a blessing to many people. We become a blessing to our descendants. How good are these words! Not a single word of the Lord's promise to the house of Israel has failed. If we obtain cities and towns and their fields, but in the end forsake God, then what is the benefit?

I often encourage everyone to be a person with Mingding Destiny. What does this mean? Because God will remember the covenant He made with us, and God's promises will also be fulfilled in our descendants. What does this mean clearly? God hopes that this group of Israelites will see the fulfillment of God's promises, and then remember the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then let the Israelites desire to become Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Today, you come among us to be healed because there was previously a group of people who built God's glorious church. When you see such things accomplished, what should you choose? Do you want to choose to build God's glorious church together with them, and then also be like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Only by becoming like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can God's promises be fulfilled, because God remembers His covenant with them. If your eyes only see obtaining benefits, then that is a very troublesome matter. If your eyes see the God behind obtaining benefits, and then become a person who makes a covenant with God, then God will bless many people through you.

I am very moved that many people like to be the kind of people who obtain the promised land in their lives, and do not like to be the kind of people who inherit the covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We must know that the source of these Israelites obtaining this land today is because of the covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is God's promise.

It was not easy for God's promise to be fulfilled on this day. The road to entering the promised land was full of corpses. Of all the previous generation of Israelites, only Joshua and Caleb entered the promised land. Everyone else died.

So today we must know one thing: we need to fight and overcome to draw on God's promises. Why don't we want to be a person who makes a covenant with God? Isn't it better for us to be like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Although Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not obtain that land in their lifetime, these people obtained it because of them 500 years later.

Today, we must be determined to be a blessing to our family, not because we want to obtain something, but to give ourselves completely. When we are willing to give ourselves completely, when we are willing to be a blessing to our family, we begin to have the Tao when we speak, because we do not seek our own benefit, but only seek the benefit of others. This is the glorious image of our God.

In the past, when I was doing leadership training, I asked them, what does it mean to walk with God? What is God's most important attribute? God's most important attribute is to give Himself completely, without seeking any return. God loves the world so much that He gave us His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Today, Jesus Christ has already borne our sins and taken on our sorrows. Today, we are drawing on the promises that Jesus Christ has accomplished for us. These words are too good!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

So what kind of people do we want to be today? The Levites, the Levites obtained the most because they served God. Do we look at them obtaining a lot and then serve God, or do we obtain a lot because we serve God? Of course, we obtain the most by serving God. If you serve God in order to obtain a lot, then you will not be able to serve God.

The covenant that God made with Abraham is a covenant to be a priest of the eternal God. We want to be God's royal priests, this is our Mingding Destiny! We want to be a blessing to many people, this is our Mingding Destiny! If this is the case, then not a single word of God will fail in us.

May God bless everyone!