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Joshua 3:4  Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.” The Israelites are now ready to cross over into the Jordan.  This was a very Big Day for them.  It was one that they had to prepare for - 40 years in fact.  There is a lesson here you may not want to learn.  Don't cross over, don't start a new business, don't change the direction of your life until you have prepared to do so.  But what does that mean? Does it mean that your processes eliminate all the risks?  Never!  But your processes should negate all unnecessary risks.  Does it mean that the Big Day will go off without a hitch?  You hope so, but be prepared to make changes on the fly.  Does it mean that you will not be challenged in the future?  Absolutely not.  In fact you will be, without a doubt.  The goal of the Big Day is to get you off on the right foot.  

Joshua 3:1 - 3  Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim  and went to the Jordan,  where they camped before crossing over.   2  After three days  the officers  went throughout the camp,   3  giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the  Lord  your God, and the priests,  who are Levites,  carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.   The key word here is "follow it".  Something that the Israelites were not fond of doing 40 years earlier.  Sure, they followed Moses out of Egypt but as soon as they got to the Red Sea all they were thinking about was going back.   In fact, they thought about it alot!  Until . . . ... they had to wander out in the desert for 40 years.  Why? The people who left Egypt were slaves.  They had a slave mentality and they couldn't do anything else but be slaves.  They were free - they had God's full trust and backing.  They had everything that they needed.

Joshua 2:24    They said to Joshua, “The  Lord  has surely given the whole land into our hands;  all the people are melting in fear  because of us.” The spies had been to Jericho and they had seen their enemy - and it was GOOD!  Their report, which was a good report, helped Joshua discover that their military campaign was going to be successful.  Remember, they had been wandering in the desert for 40 years.   I don't know about you, but I have trouble remembering what happened last week, much less 40 years ago.  But God didn't allow the enemy to forget what He did for His people 40 years ago.  They were very much aware of what was coming and they were scared.   What does this mean for you today? #1 - Who is your enemy?  I could be talking to a mom, a small business owner, a CEO or a pastor.  Regardless of who you are - you have the same enemy.  Satan.  1 Peter 5:8 describes him as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.    John 10:10 says that he looks to

We are getting ready for tomorrows festival out at Wilson Park in Palm City.  We expect to meet and greet thousands of people, give away hundreds of animal balloons, give free neck massages and sign up people for upcoming events.   It's going to be a great day!  Come on out and enjoy the fun and hang out at the booth with us.  It's going to be a great day! 

Keeping your word in those days was a lot more important than it is today.  Even contracts, with signatures don't mean anything now.  But in the days of Joshua, your word was everything.  Here we see two spies striking a deal with Rahab on behalf of the nation of Israel.  On the face of this, it may not seem much - but watch.  #1 - The spies could speak on behalf of a nation.  They didn't have to go back to Joshua and ask if this was ok.  They knew that it was the right thing to do and they did it.   This is indicative of two things.  First of all Joshua wasn't a micro manager.  He trusted these men to act in his and the nations best interests.   Secondly, these men didn't live in fear of their leadership or their enemies.   #2 - A mans word was his bond.  In Joshs day, if you broke your word it could cost you your life!  Therefore, you didn't make a lot of promises - it could end up being a very costly mistake.   In the past few months I have witnessed

Joshua 2: 2 - 12  You have enemies.  They are out there are you know it.  Some of them you can name.  Some of them are personal.  Some of them are spiritual.  Some of them you have no idea about.  But they are there.   As a leader you have to understand something.  Someone or something is always going to be working against you.  Resistance is to be expected.  Why?  Because your enemies want to do everything in their power to stop your processes of success.  They want to derail your projects, stop forward momentum and discourage any kind of creative or new thought for the future.   In the  case of these 2  spies, their lives might have been required of them if they had been captured.   First of all, what would happen to you if your enemies were to get their way?  Strike a note of fear in your heart?  It probably should.  However, most people don't deal with this fear properly.  If your motive is to defeat your enemies, then you are a warrior.  Warriors all have one thing in c

Joshua 2:1  Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies  from Shittim.  “Go, look over  the land,” he said, “especially Jericho. ” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab  and stayed there. Joshua knew that this wasn't going to be easy.  Remember he was one of the original 12 spies from 40 years earlier.  But before he ventured into the land, he wanted to know what he was going to be up against.   But how was he going to do this without experiencing the same disaster that had happened 40 years earlier?   Moses had appointed one leader from each tribe to go out and bring back a report.  Now on the face of this, it doesn't seem to be a bad idea.  But as you might know, 10 of the 12 brought back a bad report.  Joshua wasn't about to make the same mistake.   #1 - Joshua limited the number of spies from 12 to 2.  Moses had to make sure that every tribe was "represented".  That way there would be no jealously among the tribes.  Then

Joshua 1: 18 . . . . Only be strong and courageous! ” What do people expect of their leaders?  What do people expect of you?   When Joshua said, "Hey, this is what I need you guys to do!"  They responded with their full support AS LONG AS you are strong and courageous.   People want to follow good leadership that has clear vision and a well defined purpose.  They also want to know that leaders: Appreciate Them - People will work hard for you, if they know that you appreciate what they are doing.  One of the biggest complaints that I hear from people today is the lack of support their employers given them.  They feel like that they are being treated as sheep being herded to the slaughter.  Praise Them - People will work hard for you, if you will tell them how much you appreciate them, need them and want them working for you.  Actually, people would rather hear praises from their leadership before getting a pay raise.  Really! Will Tell the Truth - People want

Joshua 1      12  But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh,  Joshua said,   13  “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the  Lord  gave you: ‘The  Lord  your God is giving you rest  and has granted you this land.’   14  Your wives,  your children and your livestock may stay in the land  that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed,  must cross over ahead of your brothers.  You are to help your brothers   15  until the  Lord  gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the  Lord  your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the  Lord  gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise.” Every leader has experienced it at one time or another.  "If you do 'this' for me, 'then' I'll do that for you."  The Reubenites, Gadites and 1/2 of of the tribe of Manasseh had asked for an

Joshua 1: 10 - 11  So Joshua ordered the officers of the people:     “Go through the camp  and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies  ready. Three days  from now you will cross the Jordan  here to go in and take possession  of the land the  Lord  your God is giving you for your own.’” If you are leading you better tell people where you are going.   John Maxwell said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” So how did Joshua do this? #1 - He put a time limit on A goal.  Not THE goal.   In three days we will cross the Jordan.  But he didn't say how long it was going to take to possess the land.  It isn't necessary to tell everyone that in 1 year or 5 years we are going to be at a particular goal.  Quite honestly, you are setting you self up for failure.  But you can say that in the next 90 days or some other frame of time you are going to achieve the next step in the process.   #2 - He told the people what they were going to d

If there are two things we don't want to have anything to do with it's fear and discouragement.  If there are two things that we will have to deal with it's fear and discouragement. There are some within Christianity that would chastise anyone for experiencing fear or discouragement.    That one has a lack of faith and that if they would simply "grow up" they would be afraid.  That's junk theology.  Follow along. God just told Josh and the people to be strong and courageous.  He knew that they would experience fear and that there would be opportunity for discouragement.  But God didn't punish them for experiencing those feelings.  What God was encouraging them to do was to make a choice.  Instead of being afraid, be strong.  Instead of being discouraged, be courageous. Choices make a big difference in our life.  But you and I live in a culture that doesn't want to make decisions anymore.  Either they have given up, because being strong and cour