Doing the Impossible – Part 1

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days
of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you.  Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper
wherever you go.”  

Joshua 1:5 – 7 [AMP]

In this passage, God is speaking to Joshua about entering into a promise land, a land of milk and honey, a land that He had given to them 40 years before.  Yet of the 3 million or so people, that God granted this gift to, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones (who were over twenty) that received the benefits of this promise.

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  As  I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you.  Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”  

Joshua 1:5 – 7 [AMP]

WHY?

“Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.  But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are stronger than we are. So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants.  And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.  There we saw Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”  

Numbers 13:30 – 33 [AMP]

FEAR OF THE GIANTS WAS MORE SIGNIFICANT TO THEM THAN THE 

GOD WHO GAVE THE PROMISE AND THE BENEFITS FOUND IN THAT PROMISE.

WHERE DO YOU FIND THE  STRENGTH, THE POWER, THE COURAGE TO FACE THE VERY THING THAT YOU FEAR? 

I think that the answer to this question starts with understanding what courage actually is, Macmillian’s dictionary defines courage as, “the ability to do something that you know is right or good, even though it is dangerous, frightening, or very difficult.”

In other words,

TO DO WHAT YOU NEED or WANT TO DO EVEN IF YOU ARE AFRAID.

Here’s the problem, for many, if not most, of us,

We spend more time trying to get past the things that we fear instead of moving toward the goal that we have set.

The unspoken dilemma of intellectualizing fear is in trying to wrap your mind around something that taps into a part of you that reaches beyond your ability to think.

 The “know how” or “what to do” is found in our thinking but the energy and/or desire to do it comes from our emotions, our attitude, and our mental state of mind.

One reason that it’s not always a good thing to know what the battle will bring or the obstacles that one might face in a conflict or even in trying to reach a goal is that this knowledge, real or imagined, gives the spirit of fear a potential handle to manipulate you.

Many times with too much “thinking” comes a shift, a change of focus.

The focus is taken off what we want and subtly placed on a pain or difficulty found in the struggle to reach our goal or objective.  The gain or benefit of future goal loses out to present moment safety and comfort.  We put a greater significance on losing what we have versus what we will gain from moving forward.   I want to be very clear here, I am not saying that you should not be prepared for what you may have to face.

I’m saying that a key foundational deception of Satan is in tricking us into making safety and comfort more important than growth.

We make the struggle more vital than the benefits to be gained.

I believe that the promises and benefits that God extended to the Israelites are still available to us in our present time.  While theirs was a promise of a “physical land”, our land of promise is the dream(s) that is in our heart.  And that dream being FROM GOD,

IS FOR BOTH OUR ENJOYMENT AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF GOD’S KINGDOM AND THAT OF HIS WILL.

It is only by stepping out in faith that you discover that there has always been a power and strength ready to serve you as you fulfill your God given destiny.  It is only by tapping into the dream that God placed in your heart that you realize and discover that no man can stand against, because of the GREATER ONE, Who is in you, is more dominant, stronger than any opponent or hindrance or seemingly impossible obstacle that you might face.  (1 John 4:4)

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOUR DREAM IS FROM GOD?

Well, this is where the significance of a personal relationship with God comes in,

“Receive my instruction in preference to [striving for] silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, For Skillful and godly Wisdom is better than rubies or pearls, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.  I, Wisdom [from God], find out knowledge and discretion.  The reverent fear and worshipful awe of the LORD [includes] the hatred of evil; pride, arrogance, and evil way, and perverted and twisted speech I hate.  I have counsel and sound knowledge, I have understanding, I have might and power.”  

Proverbs 8:10 – 14 [AMPC]

DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE, TO START LIVING THAT DREAM THAT LINES UP WITH GOD’S WILL

AND HIS DESIRE FOR YOUR LIFE

STARTS WITH SPENDING QUALITY TIME IN HIS PRESENCE

Remember:

• We are not meant to be led by our emotions, but to use the information that they provide.  Your emotions – energy in motion – have valuable information for you to use. (more on this in a future blog)
• Satan’s desire is to “shift” your focus, to where comfort becomes more important than growth or any change for the better.
• That every promise from God IS AVAILABLE TO YOU RIGHT NOW.
• That the benefits of doing the impossible outweigh the comfort found in wandering in a wilderness of your own making.

In part 2 of “Doing the Impossible,” we will touch on why and how the benefits of fearing God prevail over fearing your situation no matter how dark it may seem.  And how to take practical steps that tap into the strength, the power, and the courage needed to do the thing(s) that you fear.