God has a plan for your life. But how to you know what’s right? How do you know what the right move is and how do you know when to make it?
You’ve probably heard the story of Moses leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. After he and the people of Israel leave Egypt, they messed up, and because they messed up, they wandered through the desert for 40 years.
So, it comes time for Moses to die, but before he does, he appoints Joshua as their new leader, and Joshua is preparing to step into the land that God has promised them.
Joshua was a brilliant strategist and an outstanding leader. He was also boldly, committed to following God. As a result, God used Joshua in ways that he used no other man. Joshua sets an example for us to follow in order to make our move into the plan that God has for us. But you’re in order to do that, you’re going to need to do three things:
First: Let go of the past.
You’ve probably heard people say something like, “If I could just go back and (fill in the blank.)”
Well, you can’t. You have to let go of the past. It’s important to remember the past so you don’t make the same mistakes again, but you have to let go of it and move forward, start fresh and take a new step.
The people of Israel had to let go of Moses and embrace Joshua as their new leader. And you need to let go of the past and embrace the future.
Someone said it this way, “You can’t run to second base with your foot still on first. At some point, you’ve got to take your foot off and start running forward.”
Whatever there is in your past that’s blocking your future, let go of it in order to move into the future that God has planned for you.
Second: Boldly move forward.
You may have a great vehicle that has wonderful features and a full tank of gas, but you can’t go anywhere if you leave the car in park. God made a bold promise to the people of Israel that they would be able to conquer the land He had prepared for them. God told them to keep moving forward, and they did.
And God is saying to you and me, “Hey, keep moving forward. Don’t stop. I promised I’d be with you and I will be, so let’s keep moving.”
Believe it or not, God made you to win, to succeed, to thrive. He wants you to boldly move forward. Cars have shock absorbers, not to provide a smooth ride, but to keep the tires on the road when we hit bumps along the way.
God never promised there wouldn’t be bumps along the way — in fact, He promised that there would be — but His promise includes His presence with you through the journey. So decide now that you’re going to take the car out of park and get moving forward.
Third: Trust God’s promises
Everyone reading this has made promises that they weren’t able to keep. Everyone. But God has never done that. Maybe I should know this, but I don’t know exactly how many promises God has made to us, but I do know the promise God made to Joshua. Here’s what God said:
No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. (Joshua 1:5, NLT)
Here’s the thing about God’s promises: He always keep them. Never has God made a promise that He hasn’t kept. He told Joshua, “I will not fail you or abandon you,” and He didn’t. God won’t abandon you, either.
So forget the past and look ahead to the future God has for you. Boldly move forward and refuse to budge no matter what. And lean on God’s promises for every step of your journey.