“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).
TEXT — Joshua 1:1-10
Message
An old sailor repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it. The next time, he took the compass but as usual, he was unable to find land. He was rescued by his friends who asked, “Why didn’t you use the compass?” The sailor responded, “I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept on pointing southeast.” He was so certain he knew which way was north that he tossed the compass aside as worthless and failed to benefit from the guidance it offered.
Moses, Israel’s leader, had just died and Joshua was appointed the new leader to lead the nation of Israel into Canaan. The Lord then spoke to him about His promise to give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel and instructed him to mobilise the people for the journey. To succeed as Israel’s leader, he was encouraged to be courageous and adhere strictly to the compass of God’s word. His success was thus hinged on his attitude to the law of God. So, he must confess, meditate and practise the Word daily.
Joshua was one of the most experienced Israelite in his day, having been preserved alongside Caleb from perishing with others in his generation who died in the wilderness as a result of their sin and rebellion. Yet, he did not rely on his personal experience in leading God’s people. We cannot use secular knowledge in spiritual work. So, we must pray and depend on Him always.
Some people today want to succeed without paying attention to God’s word. We cannot find our way through life without the compass of His word. We should follow the compass of His word as we navigate through this sinful world.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
I am richly blessed