Successful or Faithful?

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” (Joshua 1:6-8 NLT)

These words of God to Joshua as he prepared to lead the children of Israel into their new Promised Land are words we would do well to take to heart. How so? How far have you gotten in your walk with the Lord by being weak and cowardly? Unless and until we’re able to look Satan in the face and tell him boldly to “Go back to hell where you belong!”, we’re going to be crawling our way to nowhere.

Learning to overcome sin in the powerful name of Jesus isn’t a walk in the park, but a battle to gain every inch. Crossing the Jordan for the Israelites wasn’t an invitation to a party, but the initiation of a war. That’s essentially what happens when we declare our allegiance to King Jesus. We’re declaring war on Satan and in the strength and courage only Jesus can give, fighting to win the ground the Lord has given us by His grace.

No, of course, we can’t pay the penalty for our own sin, it’s not about that. It’s about taking what’s rightfully ours as a child of God. It’s about walking in newness of life, which means living above sin, not continuing to live as a slave to it; reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word which is our instruction manual in being a warrior for the Lord; and it means obeying everything the Lord directs us to do.

Will we win every battle? Not likely! Will we obey perfectly every command? Probably not! Will Satan make us feel like a loser, causing us to want to tuck tail and run for cover? It’s a real possibility! Then why cross the river? Why confess faith in Jesus only to fail and be humiliated time and time again? Because success isn’t always in the winning, it’s in always getting up and continuing to be faithful.

Lain H. Murray said it well when he wrote: “It is not ‘Well done, good, and successful servant,’ but ‘well done, good, and faithful servant.’” Our success isn’t in never losing a battle, it’s never ceasing to continue the fight. How many times did Paul get stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, ridiculed, imprisoned, but he never quit until he was murdered for his strong faith in Jesus.

How many times was Jesus criticized, ignored, blasphemed, denied, and ultimately hung on a Cross, never to deny His Father or forsake those to whom He promised His allegiance. And to what end? He overcame sin, death, and the grave to forever free us from our bondage to those horrific enemies.

We’re not in this faith race to quit, but to keep getting up however many times we must, dusting ourselves off, and moving forward until our life is taken from us or the Lord calls us home. Our victory isn’t found in our successes, but in our faithfulness to our Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His voice alone we long to hear when He says to us: “Well done good and faithful servant!”

“Father, with all that is within us, grant us courage, wisdom, and strength to overcome by Your might, and to continue our fight of faith for as long as you give us breath. We love You and by Your grace we will not fail You. Thank You for holding us tightly, loving us without reservation, and enabling us to do what You’ve called us to do in Your strength and to Your eternal glory. Amen!”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊