Dwelling Place

Guest (Male): He’s not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. He says do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Afraid to be literally terrified, dismayed to be beaten down and shattered. That's where the devil wants you living, but it’s not where God has called us. It’s not where he called Joshua, it’s not where he called us.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to The Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman of Al Pittman Ministries. The purpose of this radio program is to encourage you, strengthen your walk with the Lord, and grow.

To support this ministry financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That’s alpittmanministries.com. Your donations keep this radio ministry going. Thank you for partnering with us. Now here’s Pastor Al.

Al Pittman: I put it to you this way that the trials we face today are fashioning us for the faith we will exercise tomorrow. God is preparing you for something. The trials we face today are fashioning us to exercise the faith we will live out tomorrow. What Joshua was going through in the wilderness was preparing him for this very moment.

I look at my life and I think of the things how God molded my mind even before I came to Christ. How God enabled me through my father's career, who was in the army. We moved around a lot and I was used to being in different situations, being around all types of ethnicities and different people.

I believe he was preparing me to pastor this church. I didn't know it at the time because some people who walk into a room of other people that are not their color are intimidated. Even in church sometimes, it goes both ways. You have a black person walk into an all-white church, everybody turns and looks at them. What are they doing here? Or a white person walks into an all-black church, what is he here for?

Amen, come on, you know what I'm talking about. You know how we do. All right. But the Lord has blessed me to be able to be around all manner of ethnicities and different people. I fully expected God to do what he has done because he had prepared me for this very moment.

Then all the trials and the tribulations in your life, you're going, "God, where were you and I don't know why this is happening." Now as I look back, I can see God was preparing and molding me for this very time. Thank God for his faithfulness. Amen, give him praise and glory.

We give God glory, but give God glory in your own life. The things that you've gone through have made you the person you are today so that God might use you in situations that he can't use maybe somebody else. So he prepared Joshua for this very moment. God allows trials in my life. I don't like it. I don't know anybody who says they love trials. Of course, James said he did, but it's James. Anyway.

But anytime you see anybody, trials are like exercise. Just like physically we don't want to exercise, trials can be like exercise. It's something you just don't want to do, but you know you have to do it if you're going to get stronger.

You see anybody on television that's smiling and they're working out, they're lying to you. If you're really working out, man, this is grueling. I remember I used to jog with a good friend of mine. He's in heaven now, but he'd be talking to me the whole time we're jogging, and I just want to stop and slap him.

Because dude, I can't answer you, I'm trying to breathe. I'm having trouble breathing, trying to think about what you're saying and trying to give you an answer. I just couldn't do that. Amen. So it's grueling sometimes, but God sends testing and trials in our lives many times to strengthen our spiritual abs, our spiritual biceps and triceps. Amen.

He strengthens us that we might benefit. What is he strengthening us for? That he might deliver us, that we might be overcomers when it comes to the fear of man. He makes you strong in him so that we will serve him rather than serve out of the fear of men.

So in the first part of verse five, the Lord talks about the fact that no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just be strong in me and of good courage. Proverbs 29 tells us that the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

We can't enter into the promises of God, we can't possess the land, we can't be what God has called us to be if we fear people. You can't serve the fear of man and walk in the fear of God. There's just no way you can please both.

If you try to please everybody, you're going to not please anybody. Please God. Joshua could not take the land by himself. He surely couldn't take the land if he feared men. What was waiting for Joshua in the land? Well, we know that the rich and the powerful, the affluent, the strong in stature occupied the land, and there's no way Joshua was going to be able to take the land in his own strength. He didn't match up.

But he could through the power of God. Why? Because God was his personal strength coach. Amen, they have strength coaches on football teams and other sports and they teach you how to get strong. God is our personal strength coach. Joshua, you can take this but be strong in me and not in yourself. And so he was and he did prevail.

We know Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Christ is my strength coach. He's strengthening us. What you're going through right now, he is strengthening you so that you can be strong in the Lord and of good courage in our Lord and Savior for his glory.

So the Lord exhorts Joshua and says, "I was with Moses and I will also be with you." And as he remembered Moses, Joshua remembered God's power. When God parted the Red Sea and the children of Israel went across, the Bible says, on dry land. When he remembered Moses, he remembered that God is faithful to guide him. God provided the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that led the children of Israel.

God is a God who will lead me and guide me. As he remembered Moses, he remembered God as a provider. God's provision. God rained down manna from heaven that the children of Israel might have something to eat. As he remembered Moses, he remembered God's presence on top of Mount Sinai when Moses went to receive the law from the Lord and Sinai was full of fire and smoke representing the awesome presence of God.

God told Joshua to remember Moses because all the things I did for Moses I will do the same thing for you. God's power will do the same thing for you. God will give you power and strength. The Bible says to those who have no strength, God gives them strength. Amen. He will be a guidance to you. His word is a lamp to your feet, a light to your path.

He will be the God who provides for you. He's Jehovah Jireh. He'll meet our needs above and beyond even what we can ask or think, amen. He's the God of presence. In the spirit of the Lord in your presence, Lord, is the fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

This is the God who is calling you to be strong and of good courage. For as he was with Moses, he was with Joshua. As he was with Joshua, he is with you. Do you believe that? Oh, he did it for Moses and Joshua but not for me. No, he'll do it for you too, amen. Give him praise and glory.

The remembrance, the legacy of God's faithfulness to Moses caused Joshua to have an attitude adjustment. Be strong and of good courage. When we remember the faithfulness of God, it should change or alter our attitude. I know what I'm facing but the God of Moses and Joshua is with me and he promised he would never leave me or forsake me.

God is with us. God is with you. And because I'm strong in the Lord, I can have good courage today. What does that phrase good courage mean? In the Hebrew, the Hebrew word for the phrase good courage means to be alert, to have mental courage.

Think of it this way, and it's so true, when I'm strong in the Lord, I'm in my right mind. My mind is right when I'm strong in the Lord. The foolishness of the world and the lies and deceit of the world have no place when I'm strong in the Lord.

One of the benefits of working out when I was a gym rat, amen. I was always at the gym when I was a young man, not anymore. One of the benefits after I worked out for almost a couple of hours was when you hit the showers and oh man, you felt just great. Your mind was sharper and all that. Same thing spiritually.

When you're strong in the Lord, you've worked out, amen. You're walking with God. Your mind is right. You think clear. There's just more resolve. You have mental clarity. You have good courage.

When I'm walking with good courage, the darts of the enemy that are always flying about cannot penetrate my heart as it could in times when I wasn't walking with the Lord, when I wasn't strong in the Lord but I was strong in my flesh. Those darts of the enemy can sink down deep into my mind and my heart and ruin your whole day.

But when you're strong in the Lord, those darts of the enemy can be quenched. Why? Because I've got the breastplate of righteousness, the righteousness of Christ and the shield of faith in God's word, amen. I'm in my right mind and the helmet of salvation, part of the armor of God.

When I have good courage, I have the courage to forgive offenses. I have the courage to allow the love and the grace and the mercy of God to flow through my life to other people. It takes courage to love. It takes courage to forgive. A lot of Christians do not have the courage to do that because they're not strong first in the Lord.

This is good courage, courage that magnifies and glorifies the Lord and not our flesh. And because Joshua had good courage, God could entrust to him great things. So therefore in verse six he says, "It's up to you Joshua to divide the land as an inheritance among the children of Israel." God gave him that responsibility. God gives great responsibility to those who have good courage, those who are strong in him, amen.

Sin, however, has an opposite effect on our minds and our hearts. The opposite effect of good courage. Sin promotes instability, it promotes cowardice in our lives. James tells us in James chapter four, "Draw near to God and God will draw near to you." The Lord is not resisting you. Draw near to God and God will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinner, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

What's he talking about there? He's talking about the fact that the thing that divides us or causes us to have this double-mindedness and to not really believe God fully is the fact that we are walking in sin. So repent of those things so that you might draw near to God and God draws near to you. Do not have a double mind. Sin gives us a divided mind.

But good courage, mental clarity is evidence of a godly mind. A mind ready and set to please the Lord. And this is the case with Joshua. Now we move on to verses seven and eight where in Joshua chapter one the Bible says the Lord says to Joshua, "Only be strong and very courageous," emphasis on very courageous, "that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you."

"Do not turn to the right or to the left that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law, that is God's word, shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous and then you will have good success."

Let's unpack this a little bit. What is the Lord saying here to Joshua? Be strong in the Lord but be very courageous in his word. Be strong in the Lord and of good courage. Be strong in the Lord and be very. Why the emphasis on very courageous? Because he's talking about his word. It takes great courage today to live according to the word of God.

It's not just a little courage, but it takes great courage. Be very courageous. I believe in every generation God has a remnant and I believe God is raising up even in the younger generation young people who are very courageous about keeping the word of God. They don't get the press and all that but they're out there.

They're very courageous about serving the Lord. That word very in Hebrew, it means mighty, it means force, it means abundance. To be forceful, you have to be aggressive to keep God's word today. With so many lies out there in the world, it's easy to be deceived unless we keep the word of God. Hold fast to his word, to his truth.

We have here within our text four ways given here by which we can be very courageous. I call them four focus factors because I watch the commercials, amen. Focus factor helps your clarity of mind and all that. I think I need a whole bottle some days.

But there are four focus factors I want to draw your attention to for us that how can we live today in this present age in a very courageous way in relationship to the word of God? Here are four things that the Lord God has given to Joshua.

The first factor is this, do not turn to the right or to the left. He tells him that there in verse seven, do not turn to the right or to the left. I would say in today's modern-day vernacular, do not turn to the right wing or the left wing, amen.

Politics on the right side or left side. Now there's nothing wrong in your political affiliation, that's your own choice. But don't let that become the very thing you depend upon. Make sure your focus is on the Lord. Do not turn to the right or to the left but keep your eyes on Jesus who is the author and the finisher of your faith.

Hebrews chapter 12 verses one and two, "Wherefore seeing we are encompassed about by great cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sins that do so easily beset us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising his shame and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Keep your eye on the prize, amen. Keep your eye on Jesus. Don't turn to the left or to the right if you want to keep the word of God.

Then of course he said the second factor is keep God's word in your mouth, amen. So important. Don't let this word leave your mouth. Keep that word in your mouth. It's so important because what's in our mouth is evidence of what's in our heart.

The Bible tells us as Jesus said actually, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Out of the abundance of our heart we speak and so we see things come our mouth we go, "Oh, I didn't mean that." But if it's in your mouth then it must have been in your heart. Guard your heart, keep the word of God in your mouth, speaking the word of God one to another.

The third factor, if you will, to be very courageous is let your mind meditate upon the word. Here's another adage to go along with that, what we think about is what we will soon act out. That which you meditate upon all the time, you'll soon act that out. If you're meditating on some other illicit relationship in your marriage, you keep meditating on that, you'll soon act that out.

Therefore, meditate upon the word. The Bible tells us in Colossians chapter 3 verse 16, "Let the word of God dwell within you richly." And then of course the Lord tells Joshua dwell and meditate upon the word day and night, amen.

A great habit for us as believers is read the word of God in the morning, and read it at night too. Meditate upon God's word, let God's word have dominion in the day and in the night. Colossians 3:16, let his word dwell within you richly.

Here's the fourth focus factor to live a life that's very courageous in the word, that is to observe to do the word. He tells him that there in verse eight, do the word. Make sure you observe, not just know the word, but also do the word of God.

James chapter 1 verse 22, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves," amen. Truly that's what we do, we deceive ourselves when we just know the word but won't do the word. I was talking to a gentleman the other day, his wife and he had been separated for a long time and he's trying to reconcile. Reality is she won't seek any type of reconciliation.

Again, I'm not going into details, I don't need to know all the details, but I've seen Christian couples do this. The wife or husband will move out and they're just kind of living their own life. They may not be involved with anybody they think, "Well I'm righteous because I haven't been with anybody."

I'm righteous because I'm not really dragging my spouse into court. But if you know the word which says the two shall become one flesh, if you know the word that our relationship with our spouse should be as the relationship of Jesus and the church, amen.

If you know that and you don't do that then you're kind of creating your own righteousness. You're making up your own standard for righteousness and think, "Well I'm at least I'm not doing this and that." No, God wants you to obey all of his word. Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord and do not do the things I ask?"

We can't use that as an excuse. You know what to do right and of course, scripture says, he who knows to do right and who doesn't do it, to him it is sin. If you know you're supposed to be with your spouse, you know you're supposed to be reconciling, if you know you're supposed to be as one and your marriage to glorify the Lord and you resist that, I don't care if you are living celibate or whatever, you're not home. Oh, it got quiet. That's all right. Be doers of the word. You don't know the word until you do the word.

Guest (Male): Learn more about Pastor Al and his ministry by visiting alpittmanministries.com. Also consider supporting us financially. You can send a check to Al Pittman Ministries at PO Box 50584, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80949 or visit us online.

Thank you for your prayers and your support. Your generosity keeps this radio ministry going. Lastly, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing info@alpittmanministries.com. That’s info@alpittmanministries.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for joining us and we’ll see you next time on The Dwelling Place. God bless.

Guest (Male): Have you been wanting to hear Pastor Al teach live? Well now's your chance. Your sanctification is under the Father's authority. How God's going to provide for you is under his authority. How God is going to strengthen you and all, it's under his authority. Faith is trusting God for his part while doing my part.

Join Pastor Al at Legacy of Faith Church in Denver, Colorado on Palm Sunday, March 29th. There Pastor Al will be teaching a dynamic Palm Sunday message that you don't want to miss. Doors open at 9:15 AM, service begins at 10:30 AM. Head to legacyoffaithchurch.com to get directions or get more information. That's legacyoffaithchurch.com. We'll see you there.