12/26/2023 – The Power of a Godly Decision
Joshua 24: 11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’ 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
One of the defining qualities that elevate people above the rest of worldly creation is the power to decide. Decisions are powerful. They can not only change our lives, but they impact everyone around us.
But the most amazing blessing is the power to make godly decisions. God has given you the power to decide what He wants, and when you do…the devil trembles! When you make a godly decision, you conquer, you open doors, you plant seeds of victory. You change the world.
Every blessing in your life can be traced back to a godly decision. We can trace every human victory, every human blessing to a godly decision- sometimes by a single person.
When you make a godly decision, you need to be prepared to start alone. One thing is for sure: you will be in the minority. But that is ok, because the impact of your decision will be a blessing to many. Joshua learned this when it was his turn to make a godly decision. He experienced the power of a godly decision when the people of Israel first arrived at the gates of the promised land. He was one of twelve spies sent to explore the promised land. Ten of the spies decided against the promise of God. It is called the promised land for a reason: God promised to give this land to them.
When you have faith, godly decisions are easy. When you do not have faith, they are exceedingly difficult. Ten spies saw the giants, calculated the numbers, measured human strength, and came to the conclusion that it would be impossible to achieve what God had promised. But Joshua decided to believe God! He saw the same evidence and came to a different conclusion!
Joshua experienced the consequences of a godly decision. God called his name and promised that even though the ten spies and the rest of the people would perish in the desert, Joshua and Caleb would receive the promise. As he nears the end of his life, Joshua asks the people to make a decision to serve God. Let us make that decision today.