Hit The Ground Running - Joshua

Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Joshua 1:10-11

In the early years of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln became so angered at Union commander George McClellan’s inactivity that he wrote the general this one-sentence letter: “If you don’t want to use the army, I should like to borrow it for a while. Respectfully, A. Lincoln.”

Historians remember McClellan as a talented organizer and strong leader, but they also remember his military operations as a frustrating series of missed opportunities.

Joshua was a strong leader who made the most of his opportunities. After Moses’ death, God gave Joshua his marching orders: He would lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua didn’t hesitate for a moment in following those orders.

In our time, nearly every move people make seems to require planning, risk assessment, and cost analysis. It may seem unthinkable—and even reckless—for a leader to receive orders and move on them immediately. But Joshua knew that God, the operation’s real Commander in Chief, had orchestrated all the necessary events. The people of Israel had only to pack up and move out.

“In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you,” Joshua confidently told Israel’s top leaders. And that’s exactly what happened because Joshua didn’t hesitate but immediately obeyed God’s commands.

Though there are times in the life of faith to wait quietly and patiently, there is also a time to move out immediately. We remember Joshua as a great man of faith because he believed God completely and acted without delay on his directives and promises.

When you believe God and know that he will keep all his promises, you won’t wait when God says, “Go now!” Instead, you’ll move out and conquer the land he’s given you. If God is for you, who can ever be against you? (see Romans 8:31).