To possess your destiny, you must courageously step out in faith. As you do, you can trust that God is with you, he keeps his promises, and he has commanded you to move forward. Join Pastor Rick as he explains why, even though you may not know what challenges are ahead, you can trust that God will be with you every step of the way.
Hey, everyone. Welcome to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. We’re so glad you’re here. Today, Rick continues in a series called Preparing for Your Future, where he shares how God’s destiny for your life is good and how you get to choose much of your destiny. Okay, let’s join Rick right now with the final part of a message called Processing My Destiny.
SPEAKER 02 :
If you wanna possess your destiny, first you have to make a plan. You gotta prepare a plan, you gotta get ready, and you gotta be specific. We’re gonna spend the next four weeks doing that before we begin Decade of Destiny. And here’s the second thing you have to do if you’re gonna live the destiny that God has planned for you. Number two, I must build my life completely on God’s word. I must build my life completely on God’s word. I’m not just talking about the foundation. It’s gotta be the structure. It’s gotta be the roof. It’s gotta be the door. It’s gotta be the restroom and the kitchen and everything else. I build my life completely in, around, through, and with the word of God. I become a man or woman of the word. Now, this is the second promise of success. And God says, if you’re going to be successful in the destiny I’ve planned for you, you’ve got to get into the word and not just study it. Notice what he says here, Joshua chapter one, verses seven and eight. Here’s the second advice for possessing the promised land. But God says to Joshua, be careful to obey God. Not some, but all the law my servant Moses gave you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left. That you may be successful, circle that word, that you may be successful wherever you go. Wouldn’t you like to do that? Be successful wherever you go? He says, study this book of the law continually. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will, not might, you will be prosperous and successful. Now, friends, the scripture is the key to success. It’s all right here. And I want you to write this down. God’s will is in God’s word. God’s will is in God’s word. You want to know God’s will for your life in the next 10 years? God’s will is in God’s word. And the more your life is filled with scripture, the more your life will be successful the way God intended for it to be. Now, I want you to circle in this verse all the ways to input the word. First he says, be careful to obey. Circle the word obey. And then he says, study this book. Circle the word study. And then he says, meditate. That means to think seriously about it. Meditate on it day and night. And then he says, be careful to do, circle the word do. You know, when I’m out on the road, I like to look at people and the Bibles they’re carrying and see if like it’s never used or if it’s like falling apart because I discovered that a person who has a Bible that’s falling apart usually isn’t falling apart themselves. Falling apart Bible, you’re not falling apart. In fact, I have to get a new Bible every 10 years. This is my fifth Bible. In 50 years, I’ve had five different Bibles because at the end of the decade, my Bible is so ratty and so torn apart from all my use of it that I have to get a new one. God says, build my life completely on the word of God. Now he also says there, don’t turn from the right or the left that you may be successful. What does that mean? He’s saying, don’t get sidetracked. Do what the Bible says. Don’t do what your friend says. Don’t do what popularity says. Do what the Bible says so that you may be successful. Look at this verse on the screen. Those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. Did you know there’s verses in the Bible? God says you will lack no good thing if you seek the Lord. Well, how come I’m lacking some stuff in my life? Because you’re not seeking the Lord. as your primary seeking source. He’s saying, don’t seek fame. Don’t seek wealth. Don’t seek success. Don’t seek prosperity. Don’t seek peace. Don’t seek comfort. He says, you seek the Lord. And when you do that, God says, I’m gonna look down there. Oh, there’s a guy who’s seeking the Lord. That person is seeking the Lord. And the Bible says, seek first his kingdom and all these other things will be added unto you. If you seek anything besides the Lord, there is no guarantee of success in your life in God’s word. But he says, if you seek first his kingdom, all these other things will be added to you. So stop seeking everything else and make your goal for the next 10 years, I’m gonna seek the Lord. And you know what? He says, I’ll take care of everything else in your life. Look at this verse up here on the screen. Psalm 14, two, the Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, in other words, what life’s all about, and if any are seeking the Lord. God’s looking down on the earth and goes, I’m gonna find somebody who really seeks me. Is there anybody down there who really understands what life’s all about, who really understands I have a destiny for their life? Is there anybody who’s actually spending their entire life seeking me? I don’t know about you, but I intend to be one of those persons. I intend to be a person when God looks down and goes, oh, look at that Warren guy. He is really seeking me. I want you to be the kind of person that when you wake up in the morning, Satan goes, oh, crud, that guy’s up. That woman’s up. I hate it when they’re up because they do me damage. I want to be that kind of person. So you prepare a plan. And then the second thing God tells Joshua to do is build your life completely around the word of God. Not just, oh, I go to a Bible study. Everything I do is based on the word of God. Then he says, you’ll be successful in your destiny. Third thing, this is very important. This one’s the hardest of all. To possess your destiny, I must courageously step out in faith. Courageously step out in faith. Now, it’s interesting that three times in this chapter, Joshua 1, they’re getting ready to go into the promised land. They’re gonna cross the Jordan River. Three times God says this phrase, be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. God says it to him in verse six, in verse seven, and in verse nine. Now, why did God have to repeat this three times for Joshua as he’s getting ready to possess his future? Why did he need to be told to be strong and courageous? Well, there are a couple reasons. Number one, Joshua was intimidated by his predecessor. How’d you like to succeed Moses? You’re the next CEO of Israel Inc. after Moses. I don’t think so. Okay, I mean, he’s got big shoes to fill. And so he’s a little scared. And God says, look, Moses is dead, but I’m not. I’m the same God who did the miracles through Moses, and I can do them through you if you will courageously step out in faith. That’s one reason he said it. The other reason he tells them to do this is because you’re always gonna have to fight for your destiny. As I said, it’s not a cakewalk. In fact, the life that God has planned for you includes two things. You write this down, battles and blessings. And you’re gonna have them both. In the next 10 years, you’re gonna have battles and blessings, battles and blessings, battles and blessings, battles and blessings. Why? Because God is preparing you for a greater destiny than just this earth. He’s preparing you for the eternal destiny in heaven. And those battles get you ready. Those battles teach you. They prepare you. So you’re always gonna have to fight for your destiny. Now let me give you a little background here. Joshua knows that in the nation of, or not a nation of Israel, but the land that Israel’s gonna take, it’s called Canaan at the time, that right now living in that place that he’s supposed to possess, the promised land, are seven nations. Every single one of them is larger than Israel. Every single one of them is stronger than Israel. And every single one of them has a trained army. Israel has no army at all. So he’s a little frightened here. And Moses, I mean, Joshua knows that the moment he crosses the Jordan River into Canaan, it’s gonna be considered an act of war by all seven of those nations. Seven larger, better equipped, more military, it’s gonna be considered an act of war and he’s gonna spend his life in battles the rest of his life. And he did. He did. You’re gonna have battles and blessings in your life, but there are three reasons why you should be bold going after God’s destiny for your life and being successful at what he wants you to be, doing what he wants you to do, and having what he wants you to have. Three reasons you need to be bold. I want you to write these down. They’re right here in verse five, six, and verse nine. First, God is with me. God says, I will be with you. In verse five, no one will be able to defeat you all your life, God tells Joshua. Nobody’s gonna be able to defeat you. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave or abandon you. So I know in the next 10 years, God’s gonna be with me. I don’t know what I’m gonna go through, but I know God’s gonna be with me. Number two, God keeps his promises. That gives me boldness, that gives me confidence. And in verse six he says, be determined and confident for you will lead these people to possess the land I promised. Circle the word promise. I promised to the previous generation. First generation had all died in the desert and now second generation is going into the promised land. He said, I promised it to the previous generation and I keep my promises. Third reason, God has told me to do it. God has told you to go after your destiny. God has told you to possess the destiny he has for you. And in verse nine, he says, Joshua, have I not commanded you to do this? Don’t you understand what he’s saying? He’s saying, if I tell you to do it, And I’m gonna be with you and I keep my promise. What are you worried about? What in the world are you worried about? Have I not commanded you to do this? So be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. I’m gonna be with you, I keep my promises and I’ve commanded you to go after your destiny. This was my idea in the first place, to give you this land. Now I want you to circle the words in verse nine, afraid and discouraged. Because you need to be aware that those are the two enemies that are gonna keep you from fulfilling your destiny. They’re the two things that will cause you to miss your destiny, fear and discouragement. Why? Because fear keeps you from starting and discouragement keeps you from finishing. That’s true in your life. Fear keeps you from starting on the path God has for you, and discouragement keeps you from finishing and possessing the land. Now, when this was all happening, it’s springtime in Israel. And at springtime, the Jordan River floods. It becomes a mighty river, very deep. Most of the year, the Jordan River really isn’t that impressive. In America, we would call the Jordan River a creek. In some areas, I mean, in many places, you could throw a rock across it. It’s just not that big a river. I’ve been there, I’ve seen it. But in the spring, when it floods, because the water comes out of the Sea of Galilee in the north, comes through the Jordan River and goes into the Dead Sea at the bottom of Israel, It’s pretty, pretty scary. And he’s now got to move a million people across this river. Now, they were always having water problems in the Exodus. First, there was too much water at the Red Sea, so God parts the river. Then out in the desert, there wasn’t enough water, so God has to strike the rock with Moses and water comes out. And now they come up to the Jordan River. They got a problem again. Now, they’re probably expecting God to part the Jordan River, but God never does it the same way twice. God loves variety. Have you figured that out? Look down your row. There’s nobody else like you. God never does it the same way twice. And so all of the miracles, for instance, that God did at Saddleback in the first 30 years, he’s not gonna do them that way in the next 10. He’s got some new miracles planned. He’s got some new ways that he’s gonna use you and me in miraculous ways that nobody’s ever heard of or thought of, and it’s gonna be really cool. And he says, here’s the way I want you to do it. At the Red Sea, you stood there and waited. The sea parted and you walked through. This time, I want you to start walking through it before it parts. It’s a river. So start walking through it and then I’ll stop it. So Joshua says, okay, let’s put the priest out front. We’ll sacrifice these guys, okay? So the pastors are out in the front and I can imagine these guys walking into the water, goes up to their ankles and then up to their knees and then up to their thighs and then up to their waist. And the guys are going, anytime Lord, anytime you can do a miracle. And it says, when they got into the water, that God stopped the river, somehow miraculously, 17 miles up, and the waters began to recede. Now, here’s the point of that story. I want you to write this down. The first step is always the scariest. Because you don’t have any assurance of from experience that there’s gonna be a miracle. It’s just God has said, I’m gonna be with you, I’m gonna help you, I’m gonna do it, and I’ve commanded you to do it, so I’ve promised. So all you’re relying on is those things, not experience. The first step is always the scariest. Now let me ask you a very personal question. What’s your Jordan? What’s your Jordan River? What’s the big thing you’ve got to cross, that big barrier, that big hurdle that you’ve got to get to in order to reach your destiny? The destiny God has planned for you that wants you to succeed at being what you should be, doing what you should do, and having what he wants you to have. What’s the Jordan River in your life? It’s a good question. What is it that’s gonna require you to take a step of faith? What’s keeping you in the desert? There’s some principle in God’s word. God says, I want you to do this, and you’ve been afraid to do it. You have been afraid to do it, and God’s waiting for you to step out. I wanna read you some names, and let me see if you recognize any of these Bible names. Shaphat, Palti, Gadiel, Amiel. Anybody know these names? All right, how about Sether, Nahabi, Geuel, Igal. I’m sure some of you named your sons that, Igal. Yeah, now nobody knows. Anybody know this? Gadai, Shamuah. Oh yeah, he’s at SeaWorld. Shamuah. How about Joshua? Anybody know that one? Okay, how about Caleb? Anybody know that one? Yeah, these are the names of the 12 spies that were sent in. 10 came back with a negative report, said we can’t do it. Nobody remembers the guys who said it can’t be done. Nobody remembers the guys who said it can’t be done. Only Joshua and Caleb came back and said, God’s with us, God’s promised, he’s told us to do it, let’s go after our destiny. We only remember the guys who trust God. We can do it. And they were the only two that were allowed to live long enough to go into the promised land. And for the decade of destiny, we’re gonna need men like Caleb and Joshua. Not men like Igal and Palti and Amiel and Sathur and Nabi said, we can’t do it. It takes too much time. It takes too much money. It takes too much energy. We can’t do it. Who do we think we are? It’s not who we think we are. It’s who we think God is. Decade of destiny, we need Caleb’s, we need Joshua’s who can do this. And let me just, by the way, give a word to those of you who are older members, and I’m talking about guys my age. I’m saying to you, God wants to use you in the next decade. We’re moving to reach a new generation, but that doesn’t mean the time’s up for you. I wanna remind you that when God gave this word to Joshua, he was 80 years old. 80 years old, and at 80 years of age, God called him to do his greatest work. Everything else in his life had been preparation for this moment. So the point is, it’s never too late to say yes to God. Never too late. Now, just like Israel, going into the promised land, you got a choice. God says, I set before you life and death. I set before you blessing and curse. I set before you prosperity or want. I set before you, you get to choose. I have a destiny for you, it’s good. It’s for hope. I don’t care how bad the past has been in your life, how bad the pain’s been in your life. This is not the end. And I’ve set this before you. And you’ve got a choice. And my question to you today is real simple. Which side of the Jordan are you gonna live on? which side of the Jordan, on the desert side or on the promised land side? I’m telling you, in the next decade, I’m living on the promised land side. And this church is gonna live on the promised land side. And you gotta decide, am I gonna be on the desert side or am I going with my church family and I’m gonna live in the promised land side? Now, I want to pray for you, and I want to pray that God will guide you, and you will take the risk, and here’s my prayer, that you’re going to step in the water, step in the river today. Let’s bow our heads. Father, I wanna thank you for what you’ve done in our church. Thank you for all the miracles. Thank you that you’ve grown it to be one of the great influential churches literally in the world. And for all the hundreds of thousands of other churches that have been influenced by this. But Father, we believe that your mercies are new every morning. You wanna do new things in new ways. in the next 10 years, in the decade of destiny, where we help people discover and be and fulfill and have what you want them to be and discover and build and have in their own lives. And what you want us to do together as a church family, Lord, help us to take that step and to jump into the river to get to the promised land. Now you pray. Say, dear God, I’m scared, but I want to take these three steps. I want to during decade of destiny to prepare a plan. I’ve planned so many other things in my life, but I’ve never really even planned my life. And I don’t want to waste the next 10 years. And Father, I want to be used by you. And I want to build my life on the word of God and be all you want me to be. I want to fill my mind and build my entire life and my family and my business on your word. And I’m gonna claim those promises of success. And God, I want to step out in faith, in courage. Maybe that step of faith is to start tithing or the step of faith is to lead a small group, host a small group or at work or in a home or whatever. Lord, I’m just telling you, I’m scared to death, but I’m willing. I’m willing to be used by you anyway, anyhow. And I want you to take over my life, Jesus, that I might fulfill the destiny that I was created for. In your name I pray, amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey, did you know that experts have discovered that gratitude is the healthiest human emotion? Yeah, it makes you more resistant to stress and increases your overall happiness and satisfaction. And in fact, studies show that the more grateful a person is, the happier they are. That’s the power of gratitude. You know, the Bible tells us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. So it’s really very clear that God wants us to develop an attitude of gratitude. But we all know that it’s not always easy to feel grateful. So Pastor Rick developed a Bible study called The Power of Gratitude. This innovative study is filled with scripture, teaching, exercises, quotes, prayers, and journal pages. And as you go through this study, you’ll discover the many and often unique things that you have to be grateful for every day. You’ll develop the lifelong habit of expressing gratitude to God, a habit that leads to true happiness and satisfaction. And we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s Power of Gratitude Bible Study to say thanks when you give a gift to help Daily Hope take the Word of God to people around the world. Just go to PastorRick.com to get your copy of this great resource. That’s PastorRick.com. Or you can just text the word HOPE to 70309. And again, that’s the word HOPE to 70309. And we thank you so much for your support. Your gift to Daily Hope helps us share the hope of Christ with people all around the world. Please join us next time as we look into God’s Word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope and your generous financial support.
