THE WORD OF FAITH Podcast Ps. Alex Korsah

Joshua has received instructions from God - be strong and of good courage. His first instruction to the children of Israel is this - prepare yourselves for in three days we are passing over this Jordan to take the promise land. The first city to be taken was going to be Jericho. During this time also the river Jordan has overflowed its banks. How are the children of Israel going to cross this river? Never forget this - the greatest challenge to any great endeavour lies at the beginning and at the end. The first step and the last step is the most challenging. At the beginning, one has to contend with the sweet influences of procrastination but also fear at times. The fear of drowning if you start this project, this endeavour. Israel took three days to prepare. Never start a project without waiting on the Lord for divine intelligence. Joshua got to know how to cross the Jordan at the end of the three days. Let the priests with the ark of covenant move in first and as soon as their feet touches the waters it will part a way for you. Easy! Nothing can and nothing should stand between you and your promise land. They Ason realised that the first city to contend with was Jericho. What did Joshua do? He sent spies to gather military intelligence. People of God, whatever you want to do after praying research about it. Find out more what others have done in that same project, what was their challenge, etc. By intelligence Joshua soon learnt that the walls of Jericho are not ordinary. 12 horses can race on the wall. How are they going to bring this wall down? But you know what? If God has delivered a thing or a people into your hand no matter what you will take it. Joshua and Israel soon learnt that the people of Jericho are afraid even though their walls are thick. His also raised for them an insider to help them. Rahab, an harlot, who no one regarded is the one Jehovah raised as an insider for victory. Precious One this message is for you.

Joshua has now taken over from Moses. The first command God gives to him is this - Be strong and of good courage. Three times God repeats this instruction to Joshua the son of Nun. What does it mean to be strong and courageous? How can one be strong and courageous? Why is it needful for him to be strong and courageous? Remember this - God had assured him expressly that wherever the sole of his feet will tread He (God) has given it to him. Similarly as Christians today to who Hod has given all things that Perrin to life and godliness. If God has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness why do so many Christians suffer? Exactly the same question I would have asked if I was Joshua the son of Nun. Lord, if wherever the sole of my feet would tread you have given unto me why the need to be strong and courage’s? Yes, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Because you are going to do the division of the promise land. Be strong in the Lord and be of good courage because there will be many voices trying to seduce you to turn away from the word of God just as Adam and Eve turned from Him and disobeyed God. They eventually lost everything. Be strong in the Lord and be of good courage because you will have opposition like Daniel did. Precious one, this message is for you and you can’t afford to miss it. Remained blessed and keep shinning.

The children of Israel are now at the border of the promise Land. The spies complained - the land is truly a land of milk and honey though, but the cities are walled and the giants are there. They chose to return back to Egypt. For their unbelief God promised them that they will not enter the promise land. Hence that generation wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until they all died except Joshua and Caleb. Because of walled cities and the giants the children of Israel feared to contend for what God had spoken of or given them. But two things: first the walls of Jericho were walls no one could have comprehended that it can come down. Yet by the word of God it came down without a dynamite. Secondly, when God spoke to the children of Israel after 40 years of wandering to break camp and advance. However, the first warning God gave to the children Israel was concerning the land of Ammon. God said to them, do not contend with the Ammonites for their land because I will not give you their land. It was the land for the Zamzummims (a people great, many and tall) like the Anakims but the Lord gave it to the children of Ammon. Who destroyed the giants and succeeded them. The second warning - the land of the children of Esau don’t contend for it. The giants, Horims were there but they contended for it and the Lord God delivered the giants into their hands. People have contended with giants and have prevailed. Why should you think your giants are a match. No one is a match but he who has God on his side. If God be for you, your giants are no match. This is a message for you.

There are times in life we lose opportunities or fail to cease an advantage. Such that we continue to look back thinking - if there was a, way to turn or go back in time, we'll go back and make some good changes. This was the case of Eve when Cain killed his brother Abel. Abel was a great guy, full of life and the fear of God. He's been raised by his parents with hope. And suddenly his own brother would slay him. It was sad losing Abel but scripture says, after they had mourned they moved past that lose. Eve and the husband kept going. What happened? Adam knew his wife and she conceived and brought forth a son and called his name Seth. For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of (or in place of) Abel, whom Cain slew. I want to admonish you today - God will do it again for you. This message will bless you more.

It is good and acceptable I’m the sight of God our Savior if we pray for all men. Especially kings and those who are in authority. The reason being that if leaders lead well it will make our Christian life easier and our Great Commission work smoother. A typical example is how the church struggles through the Cold War in Russia under a pitiless atheistic leadership. It was a crime to possess a Bible. A crime that could land you in prison, killed or tortured. Yet in fear underground churches sprang up. Bibles were smuggled from other European countries to Russia through car tyres. May our country never get to this state. May we have the liberty at all times to serve our God. But it will require that we pray for all men. This message will bless you.

There are time God deliver us from suffering and challenges that comes our way but there are other times He does not. Not because we are wrong but because suffering for righteousness is part of the Christian life equation. Job was a perfect man and eschew evil yet he suffered for his faith and confidence in God. Precious One. Jesus said,”Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Our generation of Christians have been made to believe that suffering is out of a Christian life. This is not true. However, it pleases God any time we confidently stand for righteousness, suffer for it so that righteousness prevails. At the work place should not God and righteousness reign there? Are you afraid that you will lose friends, face and ease with your career progression so you are silent on speaking out the truth. Like Esau so are many Christians, who for a mosel of bread sold his birthright. Today, you can find many Christians doing the wrong things - living in fornication, adultery, equally yoked with unbelievers, accepted the person of the unrighteous. etc. Others are offended, murmuring and chiding for their suffering of righteousness, But how can the gospel go far without suffering or leaving our comfort zones to reach the unreached? How can others believe our report of the gospel is we cannot suffer for what we believe. It is the will of God that we pick our cross daily and come after Him. God bless you.