The requirements for prosperity

CALL TO PRAYER

Date: 31/07/2021

By: Owusu Clifford S. 

Title – The requirements for prosperity 

Joshua 1:8 (ESV) – This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

After the death of Moses, someone had to lead the children of Israel to the Promised Land and God chose Joshua for the task. To be able to accomplish this task, God gave Joshua three things he must do to prosper and be successful. In today’s message, we will elaborate on the three requirements for prosperity and success.

1. Proclaiming the word at all times

God instructed Joshua to have the Book of the Law (the Word) on his lips at all times. This meant that Joshua needed to proclaim the word at all times: in battle, in prayer, in trials, in difficulties, in abundance, in judgement, in decisions, etc. The reality however is that you cannot give what you do not have, and you cannot proclaim what you do not know. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). Hence, Joshua had to be filled with the Word before he can proclaim it. It was no coincidence that he was able to speak the Word to hold the Sun and moon in its place for a whole day (Joshua 10:13-14).

2. Meditate on the word day and night

The next requirement for prosperity that was given to Joshua was to meditate on the Word day and night. Often, when we hear day and night, people interpret it as doing something once during the day and once during the night, but this is not the case. Each day is made up of two periods/times, the day-time and the night-time. So, when we are instructed to do something day and night, it means it must be done at all times. Now, the definition for meditation is “to focus one’s mind on something for a period of time or to think deeply about something”. This means that there is a deeper meaning of the law/Word that God wanted Joshua to know. As children of God, we must be determined to seek the deeper meaning of the Word of God through the help, teaching, and direction of the Holy Spirit. It is by so doing that we can know the mind of God in all situations.

3. Careful to do all that is written

Being able to complete the first two processes is not an end in itself. There is a third one which is equally important. Knowing the deep insights of the Word, being filled with the Word, and proclaiming the Word is different from living out the Word in our daily lives. Why the need to be careful? God knew that there will be times in the life of Joshua that there will be a tendency to drift away. Sometimes, choosing the path of the world may seem easy and pleasing, and it is in those moments that we should be careful. Also, there will be times that the direction of God may not make complete sense to the human mind (the destruction of the walls of Jericho – Joshua 6), but in all those moments, Joshua ought to be careful not to go against the Word and direction of God. He must do everything that he has been told, all that is written, not just some.

It was no coincidence that Joshua was prosperous in leading Israel. He knew the principles, and he followed them. May the Spirit of God grant us the understanding to apply these principles so that we can make our ways prosperous. God bless you all!

Prayer: Let us take some time and pray and thank God for His word today. Let us also pray for the grace to apply the Word of God in the way the Spirit directs us so that our days on earth will be prosperous.