Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 
Synopsis 1.26.25

Joshua 1:1-8 NKJV 
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

I.          INTRODUCTION

1. Doesn’t take long to find out God is a god of His timing.
2. God deals with Kairos time not Chronos.
   1. Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV says 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born[a] of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.- God operates in his own time. It might take a while for God to manifest it, but He will do it in His own time.
   2. Old folk used to day, “He might not come when you want Him, but He’s always on time”.
3. There is a difference between seconds and time, seasons and moments. When you walk in a season, you will know it.
4. You can’t get frustrated over time. You have to trust God and know that there are seasons that He works in. Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV) says 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. – Remember it was Job that said he would wait until his change comes.
5. There is a moment that happens because of your season. The moment in this text was the death of Moses.
6. Moses has perished in this story, because he had served out his purpose. His purpose was to bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt.
7. Joshua’s purpose was to take them into the Promised Land. It wasn’t about stepping into the new place but instead stepping into a new promise.
8. A promise is bigger than your zip code. It deals with
9. You came in not to be a visitor but instead take it over.
10. God wants you to walk into a season, accept the promise, and have the mindset of
11. There is confidence that comes with this. If you have to be here, you want to be here the way God sent you. You are here, because God sent you here!
12. The enemy knows it won’t be long before you take over. This is why the enemy is angry when you show up.
    1. The people that hired you might soon be answering to you.
13. Joshua was Moses’
14. Things to know about Joshua:
    1. Joshua was a Military Leader- Exodus 17:8-16 says 8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became [a]heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, [b]The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because [c]the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
    2. Joshua was Moses Assistant – Exodus 24:13 says 13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
    3. Joshua was one of the twelve spies – Numbers 14:6-9 NKJV ⁶ But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ ⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they^[a] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
    4. Joshua was a successor to Moses – Deuteronomy 31:14-23 (NKJV) says 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that I may inaugurate him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. 15 Now the LORD appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.16 And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.19 “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. 23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

II.          PREPARATION FOR THE PROMISE

• You don’t always know you are in a season of preparation. When God is preparing you, sometimes He allows us to be in the subway awhile, before he gives us the promise. This is why people think you just popped up. They didn’t see your subway experience.
• Preparation season is important.
  • David went to the palace and worked before becoming king.
  • Ester before becoming queen. – She learned the politics of the palace and how to navigate that space, before becoming queen.
  • Joseph went through a pit and prison, before becoming second in command in Egypt – God was preparing him to be in command.
  • Paul before his missionary journeys – Galatians 1:17-18 NKJV says 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see [a]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. – Sometimes God needs to have us unlearn some things, before allowing us to step into our promise.
  • Nehemiah before rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah 1:11 NKJV says 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”For I was the king’s cupbearer.-
  • Even Jesus – Jesus died at 33. He prepared for 30 years for a 3 yr ministry.
• Nothing you go through will be lost. God will take every experience and use it to help you.

A.  Acknowledge The Past 

1. Moses is a person, but he represents a season. You need to acknowledge history before going into something new.
2. You have to respect the season of Moses. Never walk into an era without respecting what was.
3. You can celebrate the past, but don’t dwell there.
   1. If you aren’t careful, you will end up having an 8-track ministry in a download season. You can’t dwell on a Moses’ Egypt season, when you have entered Joshua’s Promised Land Season.

B.  Align With The Plan 

1. What is the plan of God? God told Abraham to go to a land where He would show him later. Abraham took Sarah and Lot with him.
   1. God will never give you vision by yourself. You need people to help you make it come to fruition.
2. God told Joshua to take these people with you. It’s never about you; it is about us.
3. When you recognize the attacks on your life, know that it ain’t about you, it is about others.
4. The enemy knows that if he gets you messed up, it will affect others. Your fight is for those coming up behind you.
5. Who shouldn’t you take? Sometimes we take the wrong people with us. Mc Hammer will even tell you that he took too many people with him in his rise to stardom. He should be a Billionaire now.
   1. You have to know exactly who to take with you. You have to take people who are aligned with you and who can grow with you. If you can’t grow with me, you can’t go with me!

III.          POSSESSION OF THE PLACE

• When you get there, you won’t be a tourist. God wants you to come there to possess it. This is about a season of
• God is about to give us:
  • Ownership – God is about to give you authority and stewardship over the land.
  • Influence – Community and culture around it is subject to your influence. You can’t have influence over what you don’t own.
  • Legacy – You are not only supposed to own and influence the land. You are supposed to pass it down to future generations. You must pass down generational blessings.

A.  Step Into New Territory 

1. You have to walk into this. When you get the word, you have to get up, and step into it. Faith without works is dead!
2. You can’t be troubled by what it looks like. Joshua was given a promise by God.
3. What was the problem? The land was already occupied by other people.
   1. God already knows it’s occupied, but He needs you to trust Him.
4. If He told you to walk into it, He will work out the details.

B.  Secure The Land 

1. Understand the power of security, when you walk into the land.
2. Territories are where demons hang out. Demons are assigned to territories.
3. When you go to certain cities, some things are more prevalent in certain cities. You have to go in with the attitude that I am casting out the spirits that have these territories on hold.
4. We have to drive out:
   1. Toxic relationships
   2. Complacency
   3. Sinful Habits
   4. Spiritual strongholds
5. We have to drive out everything that is not in line with God’s word!

IV.          PROTECTING THE LAND GOD HAS GIVEN US

• We have to pray for people.
• It’s about:
  • Prayerful Petition – We have to pray for God’s protection.
  • Purposeful Position – We have to put our foot down. We have show our presence.
  • Proactive Protection – God came that we might have life more abundantly. We came to protect the land.
• God defined what he was giving them. He explained that from the wilderness, to Lebanon, to the Euphrates River, to the Great Seas, would belong to them

• Wilderness – Produces strength. Got to go through it to get to the blessing.
• Struggle – You can’t gain strength without having the struggle.
• Strength – God is going supply you with all you need in abundance. This will support your strength.
• Supply – God will provide everything that you need.
• Scale – Look at the size of the Great Sea. God wanted to demonstrate the size his blessings and provisions could be.

A.  Power For The Purpose 

1. Imagine God saying he is going to give you this and that. It isn’t just for you; it is for everyone.
2. You are going to a land that is You start putting people out, but they ain’t going out without a fight. Don’t be afraid, because as God was with Moses, He will also be with you.

B.  Depend On Divine Strength 

1. Demonstrate Courage – God needs you to have courage. This is not the time to be afraid.

V.          PERSISTENCE IN THE PRINCIPLES

• What’s going to keep you?
• The challenge of walking in promise is sustainability. The blessing that God wants us to have is not a back in the day blessing. It is a right now blessing! It’s sustainable from generation to generation. You will never be a “once was”
• What is it that keeps us?
  • Story: Many Pastors around the world want to know how Mt Zion grew so big? How did they go from 175 members to over 30,000.? The answer is it was because of Bible Study.
  • You can tell how popular a church is on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular a Pastor is at by night service. You can tell how popular God is by Bible Study. People love Bible Study, because they are hungry for the word.

A.  Meditate On The Word 

1. We want the word. Keep this word and bound it around your neck. What’s going to keep you is God’s word.

B.    Manifest Success 

1. Manifest means I apply God’s word, activate faith through action, and believe God for the word.
2. The word says, “When you come into the land, yo shall be prosperous in all your ways”. This means that all that we touch, God is going to make prosperous.
3. The word says “You shall have good success”.
   1. Story – Bishop explains how he and his family were making homemade pizza. All the ingredients have been put together properly, and they now have
   2. Little Joseph gets anxious and wants to eat some of the items on the pizza, but he can’t. Bishop explained that he needed to give the pizza to his father, so that he couldn’t finish preparing what was started.
      1. In like manner, we have to take our success from school and give it to our father. For example, We’ve done well in school, but you want to hear our Father say, “Well done”!! Give it to your daddy!
   3. Getting back to the story, Bishop puts the pizza in the oven, but the kids kept peeping in the window and opening the oven door to see if the pizza is ready.
      1. We do the same thing. We keep asking, is it ready yet?
   4. God has us in the right environment.
      1. Like the pizza, we have to stay in the oven (environment) long enough. If we keep opening and closing the oven, we delay the process.
   5. The father has set the timer. There is a difference between seconds and seasons. Bishop reminded his kids that he had set a timer to let him know when the pizza is done. He told them that when they heard the buzzer, to let him know, because that would let them know that it is done.
      1. God has us at a place for an appointed time and He knows when the time is right. It is time to take over!