God’s Instruction vs Your Mindset: Do You Understand the Assignment?

The Promise Land

In Genesis 17:3-8 God established the everlasting covenant with Abraham. God promised Abraham a great nation of descendants and the land of Cannan. They would need to submit to him as the Father and remain obedient.

The Israelites were instructed to “drive out” the Canananites who were practicing idolatry and immoral behaviors. The phrase “driving out” was used in the text to highlight what God wanted the Israelites to do in order to destroy a nation of practices that were ungodly and to recognize God as the one true God (Exodus 23:30-33). Joshua was installed as a leader of God’s people to carry out this task.

The Promise

Understanding the Assignment

Oftentimes Christians are faced with difficulty when learning about the book of Joshua because it is hard to understand how God teaches us to love our enemy yet in this book there is word use of "destroy." The command was to “drive out” the enemy. However, it is important to understand that God is loving, forgiving, and patient with us. It is not his desire to "destroy" us. He wants us to submit to his authority and embrace the peace he asks us to accept and live humbly. So, in Joshua, it must be understood that “driving out” is about the mindset and behaviors that were ungodly not about warfare (Numbers 14:8-9; Numbers 14:18-23).

When the Israelites received their assignment to take up the land God promised they received a message from the spies and realized what they were called to do—they were afraid (Numbers 13:31-32). They felt like they were brought out of slavery in Egypt just to endure a harsher situation that did not seem promising (Numbers 14:3-4). But were they deceived, or did they have a different mindset about the journey? They heard the promise, but they neglected the work they were called to do.

Reflections: Joshua

The Lesson for Today

Sometimes life feels like a battle to conquer, it seems as though we are constantly pushing through one destination to arrive at the next. We feel burdened with what God calls us to do and we don’t want to be there we want to go back to a different space and time where things felt more tolerable. You are frustrated with what you are going through and you want to barrel through it or maybe you want to succumb to it, but either way you have no desire to sit in it and follow the command. But if you do that and you do not follow the instructions you will find yourself being set back like the Israelites who wondered for 40 years. You may feel like as a Christian you should not have to go through certain things and that you are deserving of “less trials” but in reality because you are a Christian you will go through things for the building of your faith and character. Becoming a Christian did not mean you would just enjoy the land of “milk and honey,” yes you are promised an inheritance of everlasting life but on the journey you must follow the instructions. Is it that God deceived you about becoming a child a God? Or is it that your mindset believed it would be an easy task?

Whatever you are going through right now ask yourself what is the lesson? What does the Father need me to learn? When I conquer this land, what is my next assignment? You see as a Christian your assignments will always come until God calls you home. So how can you be obedient and take on the tasks with humility, love, and forgiveness?

Prayer Father in Heaven, I thank you for being merciful with me. Forgive me for being disgruntled and wanting to go back to a time in my life when I thought things were not as tough. I understand that you must build me up in faith and character so that I may live according to your word. Help me Father receive my assignments and learn. When the assignment becomes challenging, and I want to quit or barrel through help me to remember there are lessons in the process that you are teaching me for my benefit and your glory. Change my mindset and my heart that I may understand just because I am a child of God does not mean life will not be heavy at times. Help me remember that Christianity is not about a promise to never be hurt, angry, or tired it is a covenant that I must work at daily and honor so that my resting place will be with you. ~ Amen