Dwelling Place

Al Pittman: We are not consumed this morning in Christ because God does not change. He's never stopped loving you. He never stopped caring for you. Amen. God changes not. Men change, hairstyles change. Thank God fashions change from the 70s. Amen. Things change, people change. They like you one day, they hate you the next. But God never changes. Aren't you glad about that today?

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 program financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That's alpittmanministries.com. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here is Pastor Al.

Al Pittman: 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. 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 means mighty, to be, 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 and hold fast to his word, to his truth.

We have here within our text, we just read it, four ways given here by which we can be very courageous. I call them four focus factors, because I watch the commercials. Focus Factor is that drug you're supposed to take, that pill that 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. How can we live today in this present age with 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. Politics on the right side or the left side. 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 also are compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and 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 the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Keep your eye on the prize. 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. 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. What's in your mouth is evidence of what's in your heart.

The Bible tells us, as Jesus said, actually, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Out of the abundance of our heart, we speak. Sometimes things come out of our mouth and 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 live a life that's very courageous is: let your mind meditate on the word. Meditate upon the word. Here's another adage to go along with that: what we think about is what we will soon act out. What we think about 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. What you meditate on, what you think about, you will soon act out.

Therefore, meditate upon the word. The Bible tells us in Colossians chapter three, verse 16, let the word of God dwell within you richly. Then, of course, the Lord tells Joshua to dwell or meditate upon the word day and night. Amen. A great habit for us as believers is, yes, read the word of God in the morning, read it at night too. That's a great habit to have. 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, and 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 one, verse 22: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." 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. He and his wife have been separated for a long time and he's trying to reconcile. She is not involved with somebody or whatever, but the 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 will move out or the husband, and they're just living their own life. They may not be involved with anybody and they think, "Well, I'm righteous because I haven't been with anybody. I'm righteous because I'm not taking that person, 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. "Well, at least I'm not doing this, that, and the other." 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's right. In the course of scripture, it says, "He who knows to do right and 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 is to glorify the Lord and you resist that, I don't care if you are living celibate or whatever. You're not home.

Be doers of the word. You don't know the word until you do the word. Anybody can preach the word, but it takes someone very courageous to do the word, to do what the Lord has asked. Amen.

Now in verses seven and eight, being very courageous, living according to God's word yields great benefits. There the Lord says, "Then you will prosper, then you will have good success." You want to be prosperous in life as a believer? Keep the word of God. There's a promise that goes along with it.

We'll stop there at verse nine. Verse nine, actually, I'm using as a conclusion to the matter. Here in Joshua chapter one, verse nine, the word of God says, and this is what the Lord is saying to Joshua, and take these words to your own heart, to yourself today. The Lord says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

David said, "If I make my bed in hell, Lord, you're there." Where can I go from the presence of the Lord? Where can we run? You can run but you can't hide. Amen. God is with us wherever we are. That's a great promise that wherever I am, you may have lived in one state before, now you're here and maybe having a tough time or whatever, God is here with you. Wherever we go, whatever job you go to or what have you, the Lord promises to be there. I will never leave you and I will never forsake you. What a glorious promise we have.

So he exhorts Joshua. He says, "Have I not commanded you?" I think that many times in my life, if I can use myself as an example, there are times I've been kind of wrestling with the Lord and arguing with the Lord and it's like the Lord saying, "Have I not commanded you?" That's where it should end, right? Sometimes we continue to kind of push back on what the Lord has said, but we can't win. As the old saying goes, you can't box with God, your arms are too short. I mean, he can reach out and tag you all the way from glory. Amen. His arms are just that long.

Have I not commanded you? Do not be afraid. What has he commanded him? Do not be afraid, do not be dismayed. I know we're all tempted with fear. We live in a culture of fear today. But a warrior's mentality, someone who is strong in the Lord, does not succumb to a culture of fear. I've had to say many times to this congregation and to myself, especially during this whole pandemic thing, that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but that of power and of love and of a sound mind. Amen.

Yet we find many believers afraid, living in fear. The devil's not afraid. I read about the Church of Satan having a conference they're putting on down in Scottsdale, Arizona, in February. It's called SatanCon. That's the name of it, SatanCon. The devil's so brash, his followers aren't afraid. What do we have to fear? Amen. It's time for us to rise up as believers and to be strong in the Lord and of good courage.

The devil's always up to his antics. Who cares? He's already defeated. But some believers have succumbed to an atmosphere, a society of fear. Not witnessing, not fellowshiping, walking in fear. Who gave you that spirit? Not the God who said, "Have I not commanded you?" He's not given us a spirit of fear, but that 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, not where he called Joshua, it's not where he called us.

This week we will be celebrating the life of a man to me who had a warrior mentality, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He went through a lot. Amen. Praise the Lord. I believe he had a warrior mentality. It cost him his life, but it brought liberty and freedom, exposed the injustice in America against all people, those impoverished. He was for all the people. But he was a warrior. He had to have a warrior mentality to have a dream.

We need to be warriors as well for Christ, not just in the church but in the community. We have the promise of God that as we take up the banner of the gospel, as we take on the mentality of a warrior in trust in God and the things that he has commanded us, God promises that he would be for us, that he would help us, that he would strengthen us.

I love what it says in Isaiah chapter 43, verses one to three. Isaiah 43, verses one to three: "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob." He's speaking to Israel, but put your name in there. Who has created you and he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name." God knows your name. Isn't that rich? "You are mine."

God makes a declaration there. You are mine. You don't belong to yourself, you don't belong to the world, you don't belong to the devil, you don't belong to the opinions of men. You belong to me. You are mine. And he said, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God."

Amen, I love that. It's personal. God takes it personally. Whatever you are going through, it's personal to him. He says, "I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Put your hope in that. Put your trust in that. Understand the Lord is for me. He is my God, he has redeemed me, I belong to him. You are mine, says the Lord.

He knows exactly what you're going through and where you are. All he wants you to do is have faith to believe him. Listen, faith is of us. We have to have faith, to put our faith in God. But the ability is of God. He wants to see our faith. Here God is asking Joshua and encouraging Joshua: show me your faith. Put your faith in me. Be strong and of good courage. Be strong and very courageous in my word and I'll do the rest.

As we go through the book of Joshua, we'll see indeed the Lord God did. A warrior's mentality, like that of Joshua and even that of Dr. King, it inspired a whole nation. Joshua's warrior mentality inspired Israel to cross over, and Dr. King's warrior mentality, if you will, his trust in God, it inspired a nation, our nation.

The strength of a warrior's mentality of faith, because that's what it is, it's really a mentality of faith, the strength of that mentality is found in God's faithfulness and his legacy is what we lean upon. That's where we draw our strength from, what the Lord has done. This is exactly where Joshua got his strength, by remembering the faithfulness of God.

Some of us may feel like, "Well, I'm too weak, Pastor." But faith in his ability will bring healing to your life. Listen to what the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12, verses 12 and 13: "Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed." Amen.

God will heal the weaknesses and the things. You know, our hands, some believers' hands are hanging down. They don't think God loves them anymore. Their knees are feeble with doubt and fear. Their paths are crooked because they're so back and forth, they're not following the Lord. How do we strengthen our hands? How do we strengthen our knees and make our paths straight? By returning to our first love, by admitting to God, "I can't do it." Joshua wasn't pulling himself up by his bootstraps, but by putting his faith in what God had commanded. Amen. If we will do that, my friend, we can be strong and of good courage.

Father, we thank you for your word today. Help us, Lord, in our lives, to not just cross over, but to cross over with the right attitude, our faith fully in who you are, faith fully in your legacy, not our own.

There may be someone here today that you do not know Jesus Christ, you're watching online, you've never given your life to Jesus Christ. You say, "Well, why do I need to? Why is it so important?" Well, because one out of one person dies. Each one of us, I don't care who you are, how great you are, your mouth one day will be silent and you will stand in the presence of God.

The question is, where will you stand? Will you stand in a place of condemnation because of your sins, or will you stand in a place of no condemnation because you've received Christ and you put your faith in what he has done for you on the cross? What did he do for you on the cross? He died, he took your punishment upon himself, so that you might be free from all condemnation and stand in the presence of God forgiven and have everlasting life.

Pastor Al, I want to know God's forgiveness. I want to know that my sins are forgiven. I want to know I'm on my way to heaven. If that's your heart's desire, you're watching online or you're here today, simply bow your head. Wherever you are at home or watching or here in this auditorium, upstairs in the overflow, would you just bow your head right now and repeat this prayer after me? Simply say:

Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you died for my sins, all of them. And I believe that you're risen from the dead. Forgive me for my sins. Come into my life and change me. I receive you today as my Lord and as my Savior. In Jesus' name, amen.

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 P.O. 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 will see you next time on the Dwelling Place. God bless.

Al Pittman: 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 in all is under his authority. Faith is trusting God for his part while doing my part.

Guest (Male): 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. See you there.