. . . Step Up?

Guest (Female): God called on Joshua to step up and assume the challenging leadership position of Moses. What has God called you to do? Here is Dr. Michael Youssef.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Every single one of us, like Joshua, we are all standing at the threshold of a great work. And the work that God did in the Old Testament, he did through the prophets and the priests. But in the New Testament, because all the believers are prophets and priests according to the word of God, therefore, it is the call of God upon your life to do what only you can do.
Guest (Female): In preparation for the death of Moses, God enlisted Joshua to assume Moses' role as Israel's leader. It was a huge step of faith for Joshua. Even though God had taken Joshua through a long season of preparation before this difficult time. Hello, welcome to Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. As Dr. Youssef begins today, looking at the story of Joshua, keep in mind that this is also the story of you. God has called you for a special purpose. And like Joshua, what you may be saying to God right now is something like, you want me to do what? In this episode, Dr. Youssef takes you into Joshua chapter one and Joshua's call to stand in leadership. And it's also a challenge for you to step up. Take on what God has ahead for your life, no matter what that may be. So let's listen together as Dr. Youssef begins today's Leading The Way.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Today, I'm beginning a new series of messages entitled, you want me to do what? And that series of messages come from the book of Joshua. Some of you know this, some of you don't. When I begin a new series of messages, I always go to my colleagues when we meet on Wednesdays. And I say, this is what I'm thinking, here's what God's laying on my heart, and I invite them to help me come up with a title. Those guys are extremely creative. They really are. And so we were doing the same thing about this series of messages. I told them how and what God is laying on my heart and so many ideas were coming up for a title until one of our colleagues, who shall remain nameless, he came up with this title. He said, you want me to do what? I said, that's it. That is exactly it. For I am convinced that that's exactly how Joshua reacted when God said to him, I want you to take the Israelites and cross the Jordan into Jericho and beyond. And heaven knows how many times I looked up to heaven and I said to the Lord, you want me to do what? And I'm convinced that when you get challenged and thinking of your position in Christ and your call, the call of God upon your life, I'm sure some of you are going to say, you want me to do what? Well, the first thing that God wants you to do is to step up. That's the first thing he wants you to do. Listen to me, every single one of us, like Joshua, we are all standing at the threshold of a great work. And the work that God did in the Old Testament, he did through the prophets and the priests. But in the New Testament, because all the believers are prophets and priests according to the word of God, therefore, it is the call of God upon your life to do what only you can do. Every single person here is called of God and no one can say, that's not me. That's not me. Because Joshua's task is your task. Joshua's call is your call. Joshua's leadership is your leadership. But listen, whenever God calls you to work, which he is calling you today, he will always, always, always, always will give you encouragement along the way, all the encouragement that you need from the word of God. You will see here three times in just few verses, three times. God encouraged Joshua. We say, why is that? Well, imagine Joshua facing this fortified city, this fortified town, and realizing that it's an impossibility. And for you, you might not be standing in front of a fortified city wall, but you may be standing before a colleague who has no time for Christ or even interested in salvation. It may be a person who has a hard heart. It may be a person who is crusty on the outside, but absolutely desperate on the inside. It may be a person who may be self-sufficient on the outside, but on the inside, he or she is fearful, and they desperately in need of somebody to give them hope. And Joshua was facing a fortified city. And we may be facing varieties of Jericho's in every office, in every factory, in every environment you live in. In fact, when Joshua was to step up and do the work that God called him to do, it was a time of crisis. It was a time of opposition. It was a time of indifference. It was a time of confusion and upheaval. It was a time of a powerful enemy from the outside, and there was moral decline on the inside. And if you do not believe that we live in one of those times, you must be living in another planet. On the outside, there are terrorists who are committed on the destruction of Western economic system. There are terrorists who are convinced themselves of the rightness of their cause, and they love death more than we love life. We have terrorists who are constantly plotting and planning and believing that sooner or later, they will bring us to our knees. That's on the outside. And on the inside, we have more and more people who, living in a culture that loves ease and comfort, more and more people who have opted for easy believism. More and more people who are turning away from the truth. More and more people who have exchanged intellectual rigor and thinking for shallow emotions. We have more and more people who prefer to live by what they feel is right than what is right. Listen to what one of our cultural analysts have said about the 21st century Western culture. He said, they have graduated from enlightenment ideology, and are more peer driven, feeling driven, and right brained than their forebears. They are increasingly new barbarians. They lack refinement or class, and their lives are often out of control. They are increasingly exploring worldview options from astrology to Zen, and they are often looking in the wrong places to make sense of their lives and find their soul's true home. And we have a culture that is filled with desperate people. And in the midst of this, the world is crying for few who are committed. Few who are courageous. Few who know the power of their eternal inheritance. Few who are ready to give hope to those who are in despair. Few who love God and his word more than their comfort. And those few are found in this church today. That is all of you. All of you. The book of Joshua opens with the following words, very interesting. Moses is dead. Moses is dead, and now it's time for Joshua to step up. And I thought about it, and I thought about it, and I said, in many ways, I can truthfully say to you that the day in which the clergy and the evangelists and the ministers have done the work of evangelizing is gone. That the day in which people would listen to evangelists and clergy and preachers have gone. And that the only difference that's going to be made in the world today is going to be made by you, and you, and you, wherever you may be. Whether you're a school teacher, whether you're a homemaker, whether you're a student, whether you're a health care giver, whether you're a lawyer, whether you're an engineer. Whether you are in the real estate business, whether you're in a computer business, whether you're an office worker, whether you're in neighborhood clubs, wherever you might be, whether police officers, or firemen, or factory worker, wherever you are. The old days are dead, and this is a new day. Let me stop here. Some of you said, well, I feel inadequate and this is not for me. I can't do this. Some of you are saying, you want me to what? Someone said, man, I just come to church, I want my needs met. I don't want to be challenged to be a minister in my office and in my work, whatever in my workplace. I just want to be, let me tell you something. When Jesus uttered those holy sacred word and said, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. He was telling every one of us that when you turn your heart toward his call on your life, when you turn your heart toward what is dear to his heart, he's going to meet all of your needs. You give him yourself and he will meet all of your needs in his riches in Christ Jesus. So listen to me. Being a witness for Christ at work, telling of how Christ saved you, telling about how Christ forgave your sins, in whatever environment you find yourself, is the key to discovering that all of your needs are already met and you just haven't seen it yet. I'm convinced that Joshua's heart probably skipped few beats when God said, okay, Moses is dead. Now you're turn. And that is why, as I said to you, three times in few verses, God had to say it three times. I am personally convinced that Joshua was very contented and very satisfied to live under the shadow of Moses. I really do. And many of you are contented with the fact that the ministry staff will do the work of the ministry, and that's not for you. That the ministry staff are going to do the work of the Lord. But here's the reality, my friend. The work of the Lord will not be accomplished until every one of you see yourself as Joshua and you begin by doing what? Stepping up. Hear me right on this one. You have been and you will continue to be equipped. You have been and you will continue to be encouraged. You have been and you will continue to be ministered to and served in every way by all the equippers, the staff members. You have been and you will continue to be grounded in the word of God. That's never going to change. To those of you who still feel inadequate, those of you who feel like Joshua, looking at the fortified city and said, I haven't even told my coworkers that I'm a Christian yet. Man, I have got that fortified city. I haven't even witnessed to Christ yet. I haven't even told people I got to church yet. And you're looking at that fortified city that you're facing. Those of you who are like Joshua looking at the river, and they say, how am I going to go across the waters? I can imagine what went through his mind at the time. Honestly, I can just imagine here they are, a young nation. They've just been out of slavery, been living in the desert, and they're facing this mighty, ancient civilization with a great army, giants as they called them when they spied the land. I can imagine here they are tent dwellers and then they're looking up at these walls of Jericho, fortified stone walls with mighty gates. I can only imagine how their heart was pounding at the call of God. But just as Joshua had God's provision, so will you. All he's asking you to do is what? Step up. I was thinking about this and I remember this story about Henry Moorhouse. Henry Moorhouse had a daughter who was paralyzed from the waist down, and that always weighed very heavy on him. And one day he came home and he came into the house and he saw his daughter. And he kissed her and he said, honey, where's mom? I have a parcel for her. And the little girl said, well, mom's upstairs. Oh, but daddy, can I give her the parcel? And he thought for a minute and he said, Minnie, you can't even carry yourself upstairs. How are you going to carry the parcel? With a smile on her face, she said, daddy, I'll carry the parcel, but you'll carry me. Beloved, I want to tell you something. That's exactly what God will do when you step up. He's going to carry you. Look at Joshua's situation. God promised him the land. That's why I called it the promised land, because God promised it to Abraham. God is going to carry Israel across the river. God was going to carry them across the wall, but as it turned out, the wall collapsed. But God carried them anyway. God was going to carry them all the way to the end of that land. But they had to show up. They had to be prepared to fight. They had to be prepared to win. They had to be prepared for victory. They had to be prepared to obey God's instructions. All they needed to do was what? Step up. You want me to do what? Step up. That's what God wants you to do. And that is why there's a threefold courage announcements by God and I want you to think about these very, very carefully. I want to tell you this, whenever you get into the enemy's territories, whenever you get into Satan's territories, he is not a very happy camper, and we're going to see that in the next message. But remember this, God never, never gives a command without a provision. He never gives a command without a promise. Listen to verse five. Joshua chapter one. God is saying, I'll not drop you or abandon you. I will never leave you in the lurch. How do you like that modern translation? In fact, God said, he said it three times. Why three times? Because I am convinced that even after the second time, Joshua was still terrified. His knees were still knocking. He's he want me to do what? Here's encouragement number one. Encouragement number one was in the promise of God. Encouragement number two was in the word of God. Encouragement number three was in the presence of God. Look at the encouragement number one and the promises of God, verse six. When you are serving God's purpose, beloved, listen to me. When you are sharing God's message of salvation, when you are witnessing on behalf of God, you can do it with courage. Why? Because God promised it and God will never fail. He said, I gave my word to Abraham. Any of you who understand a little bit of history would say, wait a minute. He said, that was 400 years ago before Joshua. God promised Abraham. Oh yeah, listen to me. When God promises you, he's going to keep you until you're 100 years old in order to fulfill his promise. That's the way God works. He promised Abraham, he ain't going to go back in his word. And he never forgets. And when you know God's promises and trust in God's promises, you will have confidence. You will not be worried about rejection. You will not be worried about results. You will not be worried about perception by others. You will not be worried about critics. Why? Because you are trusting in the promises of God. Secondly, encouragement number two, it was in the word of God, verses seven and eight. My word has power in it. You obey it and experience its power firsthand. That's what God is saying here. There is power in my word. You obey it and experience that power firsthand. Oh, you might get some setbacks. You might get some snickering, you might get some mocking, you might get some joke or two. You might get some stiff opposition, but you hold on your ground and you will be amazed how quickly the other will crumble. God said to Joshua, that true prosperity and true success will come from you holding tenaciously onto the word of God. Thirdly, the encouragement number three, it was in the presence of God. Verse nine. Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Don't be terrified, in other words, don't be intimidated, literally. Don't be discouraged. Why? For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. I can imagine poor old Joshua he had to hear the encouragement number one and encouragement number two, and he's still shaking in his knees. To be sure, yeah, I got the promise of God. Yes, I got the word of God, but I still what good would they do me when I'm in the heat of the battle? What good would that do me when I'm facing these giants with big spears? And God says, okay, I am giving you my presence, and that must and should be the greatest encouragement of all. That is, I'm going to go ahead of you. I'm going to go beside you, and I'm going to go behind you. I'm going to be closer to you than your own skin. And Joshua said, okay. I'll step up based on these three things. Listen, there's no secret for victory. It's revealed here. You have intimacy with God on a daily basis. You listen to God, not to yourself or your ego. Listen to God. Not to what you want. Listen to God. What he says on a daily basis. Then trust in the presence of God moment by moment and you will have the victory. Father, we are so grateful to you that whenever you call us, you do not call us to failure, but you call us to fruit in the kingdom who loves you and knows you to be a minister of the Gospel in whatever they may be. And so, Father, I pray that those words would not be forgotten. Father, let your Holy Spirit imprint those words on the cortex of our brains and our hearts. And Father, remind us that Jesus said, don't be gazers, but occupy till I come. And Father, for those who still have shaky knees, give them strength today. For those who still don't know, give them courage today. And for those who are hesitant, I pray, let your threefold promise of encouragement be with them today. For I pray this in that mighty name that's above every name, Jesus.
Guest (Female): God goes out before you. He stands beside you and comes in behind you as you step up and answer God's call. Thank you for listening to Dr. Michael Youssef on this episode of Leading The Way Audio. How about stepping out into a life of faith? Began by speaking with a Leading The Way pastor or a counselor. Just fill out a contact form at LT.org/Jesus. This is just the beginning for Joshua. God does many amazing things as he leads Joshua and Israel right into the Promised Land. And as you watch him faithfully follow God, you're sure to grow in your own faith and your life of promise. And that's why we not only encourage you to listen to this radio station each day, but also to connect with us online and connect with us through the Leading The Way app. You can search through Dr. Youssef's online message archive at LT.org. You can search by topic and category. That'll help you grow through all you're facing. Just click the listen link, scroll down a little and use the filter and search features. And while you're there, look for the link to learn about Leading The Way's app for your mobile devices. That's where you can also watch, listen and connect further. You can also find the app in your device's app store in addition to the link at LT.org. Your call to live out the truth of Christ, to grow in your faith and spread the good news of God's love. With Leading The Way's website, we're leveraging cutting edge digital technologies to help you. That means more ways for you to access biblical teaching and share the gospel with the world. At LT.org, dive into powerful biblical teachings while reading or listening to the scripture, all from the same screen. Enhancing both study and application. Need prayer or guidance? Our pastoral team is just a click away, ensuring you're never walking this journey alone. Since the launch of the new site, we've seen a dramatic increase in visitors from all over the world seeking truth and peace. Visit LT.org today, bringing the uncompromising truth of God's word to a world in need and walking boldly through every open door God provides. Check it out and share our website with a friend today. Get further information at LT.org. Now, if you want to order a product or stand with Dr. Youssef in generosity, call a Leading The Way representative at 866-626-4356. They're so happy to help. At 866-626-4356. And you need to know that we love it when we hear from you through the postal service as well. You can write to us at Leading The Way, Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30325. Once again, that's Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30325.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Some of you, I know, probably are miserable in your work and you're saying, I know God doesn't want me here. But I got news for you. If God doesn't want you there, he's going to move you from there. But you stay there until God moves you. All right? He has a purpose for you being there. Even the difficulty and the difficult circumstances and the difficult people that you're dealing with, they are part of God's overall plan to bless you and bless them.
Guest (Female): That was just a preview of what Dr. Youssef will be teaching next time on Leading The Way. Make plans to join him for this powerful message when he digs further into this thought. Today's program is furnished by Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.