Where To Begin

Joshua 1:6–9

"Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

These are the words that God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses. Joshua had a daunting task ahead of him. Leading the children of Israel was a challenge to Moses—and he had done it for years. Joshua was a greenhorn leader, and his task was to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. He was going to lead them in the campaign to take possession of the land. Joshua had to have felt overwhelmed—yeah, maybe a little bit.

The LORD emphasized Joshua’s obedience to His Word. This was the key to Joshua’s success. Had he sat down and tried to draw up a plan to accomplish his mission he probably would not have known where to start. God said, “Here is where you start: get well acquainted with My Word, and obey it.” Obedience to God’s Word is the key to success in anything we do… everything we do.

So where do we start today? Start with God’s Word. Start by getting well acquainted with it. Read it. Study it. Review it. Exercise some mental energy absorbing it. Then begin today to obey it. Do what it says. Look for a command to obey. Look for a principle to apply. Look for a sin to avoid. Put it into practice today. That’s it: a day at a time. Don’t think about tomorrow. Simply focus on obeying God today. Then you will begin to notice a series of victories. Just stick with it. But start now.