Joshua 1:2-3 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
After Moses’ death, God commissioned Joshua to lead Israel into Canaan—a real place that carried profound spiritual meaning. Canaan was not a picture of heaven, for it was filled with enemies, obstacles, and the ongoing need for faith and obedience. Instead, it symbolized the believer’s journey: a life marked by conflict and conquest, failure and faithfulness, struggle and surrender. Just as Joshua was told to rise and cross the Jordan, every follower of Christ is called to move beyond mere spiritual survival into a victorious, Spirit-empowered walk—a life that embraces the fullness of God’s promises with courage, rest, and purpose.
Joshua is the book of fulfillment—the moment the children of Israel realized that God’s promises were no longer just declared, but now had to be possessed. It reflects every believer’s journey: while some remain stuck in the wilderness of spiritual frustration and defeat, others move forward into the “Promised Land” of a Spirit-filled, surrendered life. The difference isn’t about salvation, but about how fully we yield to God’s call to go deeper.
Taking the land of Canaan first and foremost represents victory—not the absence of battle, but triumph in the midst of it. Yeshua (Jesus) offers more than just forgiveness; He promises authority over sin. “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” (Romans 6:10-14) By the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to live as overcomers. (1 John 5:4-5)
Taking the land also represents realization—when God’s promises move from abstract truth to lived experience. The Holy Spirit brings spiritual realities to life within the believer, making them deeply personal and powerfully real. Love, joy, strength, and intimate fellowship with God are not just concepts—they become felt, known, and tangible.
Entering and possessing the land symbolizes a life of power. Just as Jericho’s walls fell—not by human strength, but by God’s command—so the believer is given spiritual authority to walk in boldness, victory, and fruitfulness, it is not by might or by effort, but by the power of the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6; Luke 10:19; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5) that strongholds fall and the life of promise unfolds.
The call to enter the land is God’s invitation to every believer to move from wandering to walking, from surviving to thriving, from promise to possession. This is not a distant idea but a present reality for those willing to trust, surrender, and obey. The inheritance is before you—rich with victory, rest, power, and divine presence. But it must be seized by faith. Just as God told Joshua, He tells us: “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you.” Step forward. Cross your Jordan. Claim your inheritance. The fullness of God’s promises awaits the fully surrendered heart.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Traditionally in Jewish spirituality, these 40 days of prayer and repentance beginning the 1st of Elul to Yom Kippur parallel the 40 days that Moses spent on the mountain [Exodus 34:28] pleading God’s forgiveness for Israel’s sin of creating and worshiping the golden calf. Interestingly, Psalm 27 is read each day of the month of Elul, along with the shofar blast in preparation for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
As we continue our study for Elul, a month set apart for repentance in preparation for the fall feasts, we find a message hidden in the four Hebrew letters spelling the name of this special month. Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed form an “acronym” for a well-known passage in the Song of Solomon: Ani l-dodi v-dodi li or in English, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
I happened (on rare occasion) the other day to see a CNN headline, “Health Officials Brace for Three Major Viruses this Fall”. Immediately, I thought, “Not again!” Yet, scouring the headlines, it now appears that several colleges are instituting mask mandates even though there isn’t a case of illness yet. While the world is being prepared for an “outbreak” of disease, I’m hoping we may learn a lesson from history so that, perhaps, we’ll see an “outbreak” of revival!
As we enter this season of Teshuva (Repentance) during the month of Elul, we enter a unique season approaching the Fall Feasts. This month initiates a 40-day countdown to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and is traditionally known as the time the King would visit His people.
As we continue our study of the men who followed David, another characteristic was their ability to war.They learned how to battle with both the right hand and the left hand for hurling stones. If you have ever thrown a ball, you know that you can aim effectively with your dominant hand — but try it with the opposite hand — it’s far more difficult to throw accurately. But the men that followed David learned to throw with both arms effectively! It must have taken months of training to develop such skill.
When David was a fugitive from Saul, the men who followed him recognized his rightful place as King of Israel, and they developed a deep loyalty to him, this little band. As we read yesterday, these men were transformed from distress, debt, and discontentment [1 Sam. 22:1-2] into becoming mighty men of war. Having joined David, they quickly realized that they were joining a conflict.
Last night, Jewish people around the world will mourn Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar year. Some of you may know that a lot of bad things have happened to the Jewish people on this date, the first of which was when the spies returned with an evil report of Canaan, the Promised Land, recounted in Numbers 13 and 14. Both the first and the second Temple were destroyed on this exact date, hundreds of years apart. The Crusades began on this day in 1095. The Jews were expelled out of England on this day in 1290, and again were expelled from Spain and Portugal on Tisha B’Av in 1492. And there are many more examples of this infamous day in Jewish history!