Joshua 5:14: "... but as Commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
This is your time to 'possess your inheritance'! Joshua chapters 6, 7, 8 are keys. It's a crucial time for 'your spirit to supersede your mind' (i.e. your spirit having the 'upperhand' over your mind), in order for you to hear with 'precision' from the Spirit. One way is by 'tithing' your everyday time to the Lord, especially in praying in the spirit and in the Word. This is also your time to receive your Commander's (Jesus') 'marching order' for your next move (Joshua 5:14).
Many of you may ask this question, "After 'crossing over' my 'River Jordan', then what now?" Just as in Joshua's time, you will receive new strategies from the Lord. You will receive 'new things' (& 'substances'). It's an important time to be in the 'house of prayer', and there's no other safer place than this! This 'house of prayer' can be just you and the Holy Spirit in your prayer closet! This way, you are being 'positioned' to receive His 'marching order' (i.e. specific instructions) as you 'march forth' to gain 'possession of your inheritance' in the new season! God did exactly this to Joshua. He gave His 'marching order' on how to possess Jericho (read Joshua 6) in an unprecedented way, and the whole Israel succeeded in gaining 'possession of their inheritance'! I pray you will too!
People of God, go forward only with the Lord's 'marching order'! Watch out against the 'pitfalls' of moving before His 'marching order'! Learn from Joshua's mistake (read Joshua 7). Right after a great victory at Jericho, Israel fell into humiliation, defeat and discouragement against a lesser enemy, Ai. This happened when Joshua moved forward without gaining the Commander's 'marching order' first. A lot of people preach that Israel's defeat at Ai was due to Achan's sin (of keeping accursed things). That is a valid point, but God showed me that's not the main point here. The main point was the leader, Joshua. As a leader, Joshua was supposed to be responsible for the success or failure of Israel. Why? He's the number 1! The question here is "Did he receive God's 'marching order' first before proceeding to battle Ai?" The answer is "No!" In fact, he acted upon men's opinions and suggestions (Joshua 7:2-3), and these 'ideas' were seemingly good ideas!
How many of you know that "men's good ideas may not be God's ideas for you (or for your church/ministry)"? As a consequence, Israel suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the enemy who seemed to be weaker than Jericho! Not just that, Joshua used the same old method by 'sending spies' (Joshua 7:2). Does that sound familiar? Just because you've been successful in your past 'move', it doesn't automatically mean you can use past revelations/instructions for your next move! In fact, every 'move' of yours should be led by the Spirit, as you hear anew, and not merely by men's suggestions (though these may be well-meaning, or with good intention) or out of sheer excitement! And once you've received your 'marching orders' from the Lord, even if you may be accused of being unreasonable or foolish (or whatever unkind words people may speak against you), stay with those 'marching orders'! And there are times you don't even need to explain and give reasons for your actions. The Lord will be your Defense and Vindicator!
We are in a time of acceleration in the spirit realm. It means even yesterday's methods or ideas can become redundant today! To be at the 'cutting edge' in the spirit, you've got to hear in the spirit anew, in every move and step. And that's exactly what Joshua did in chapter 8. The Commander of the Lord's army (Jesus) began speaking to Joshua again (Joshua 8:1-2), and a new strategy was given to battle against the very same Ai. Joshua followed the Commander's 'marching order' again, and this time, Israel 'gained further possession of their inheritance' in their Promised Land!
Beloved, if you have made a mistake (or made a wrong decision) before in past season, God is saying this to you right now, just as He did to Joshua, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed" (Joshua 8:1). It's time to start anew and get up again! (Joshua 7:10) You will receive a new strategy! You will receive a new 'marching order'! And you know what? This time, your 'Ai' will be soundly defeated! 'Ai' in Hebrew means 'overturned', and just as Joshua moved from being 'overturned' (in chapter 7) to 'overturning' (in chapter 8), you will be too! Look away from your past season's discouragement, defeat, or shame, and start looking to your Commander all over again! Your inheritance is waiting for you to possess!
