LESSONS OF FAITH FROM JOSHUA
Lesson 9 : Heirs of the Promise, Prisoners of Hope

---

9.3 The Challenge of the Land
Receiving Grace, Living Responsibly

---

Introduction

The story of Israel is a testimony that God’s gifts are not merely possessions, but callings. The Israelites did not receive the promised land because of their strength or achievements, but solely through God’s grace. Yet this gift also required responsibility, courage, and obedience.

The challenge was not only to receive the land, but to live within the divine promise.

Our salvation mirrors this: we are saved by grace — but true discipleship means growing in that grace, acting, and remaining faithful.

……………………………..       ……………………………..

Bible Study

Bible Text 1 – Joshua 13:1–7

“Joshua was old and advanced in years. The LORD said to him: You are old and advanced in years, and there remains very much land to be possessed.” (Joshua 13:1)

This passage shows that despite a long journey and many victories, Israel had still not taken possession of the entire promised land. God lists the territories that remain — a sign that the promise had been given, but not yet fully realized.

It was a call to further action in faith, even though Joshua was now old. Responsibility shifted to the people.

---

Bible Text 2 – Philippians 2:12

“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling; not only in my presence but now much more in my absence.”

Paul is not speaking about earning salvation, but about how the redeemed are to take their salvation seriously and live actively in faith. It is about participating in the process of sanctification — in humility and reverence before God.

---

Bible Text 3 – Hebrews 12:28

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

Here the emphasis is that received grace should not lead to passivity but to gratitude expressed in reverent service. The unshakable kingdom is a gift — but one to be lived out with dedication.

……………………………..       ……………………………..

Answers to the Questions

Question 1: What challenges were connected to possessing the land, even though Canaan was a gift from God? (Joshua 13:1–7)

The greatest challenge was that although the land was a divine gift, possessing it did not happen automatically or without effort. Israel had no military superiority. They were former slaves with no military tradition or experience. The fortified cities of Canaan — especially those of the Philistines — were considered unconquerable even by Egypt.

God Himself tells Joshua that “much land remains.”

The challenge, then, was to continue in faith despite age, exhaustion, and uncertainty. The people needed to learn that God’s promises become real only when they are acted upon in trust.

The message for us: grace does not replace our participation — it makes it possible.

---

Question 2: In what ways do Christians today face similar challenges regarding taking possession of the promised land? (Philippians 2:12; Hebrews 12:28)

Christians today also live in the tension between received promise and active realization. Through Christ we have already received an unshakable kingdom — salvation, a new identity, hope for the new earth.

But like Israel with the land, we must “take possession” of the new life.

This means shaping our daily life with God — through obedience, prayer, devotion, community, and sanctification. Faith must become concrete: in decisions, lifestyle choices, service, and perseverance.

Philippians 2:12 calls us to live out our salvation “with fear and trembling” — not in fear, but reverence.
Hebrews 12:28 reminds us that true gratitude expresses itself in active, reverent service.

Our challenge today is to stay spiritually awake, faithful, and purposeful in a world full of distraction and self-reliance.

……………………………..       ……………………………..

Spiritual Principles

1. God’s promises require human participation
   – Although the land was a gift, Israel still had to take it. Our spiritual life likewise requires active steps of faith.

2. Grace is not passive but activating
   – God gives the land, but we are responsible to steward it. Grace leads to dedication, not laziness.

3. God works despite human limitations
   – Joshua was old; Israel was inexperienced. Yet God’s power was enough. Our weaknesses do not disqualify us — they create room for God to work.

4. Not all at once — spiritual growth is a process
   – The land was taken little by little. Sanctification and spiritual maturity also unfold step by step.

5. Responsibility preserves the gift
   – Possessing the land depended on obedience. Spiritual blessings remain alive when we maintain them in faithfulness.

……………………………..       ……………………………..

Application for Daily Life

• Where is my “promised land”?
  Are there areas in which God has given promises, but I hesitate to “take possession”? Perhaps reconciliation, ministry, or a life change?

• Am I living actively in received grace?
  Faith is not only accepting — it is living. Obedience, patience, discipline: these are steps into the land.

• Do I trust God’s strength despite my weakness?
  Like Joshua in old age or Israel without an army, I may feel overwhelmed — but God seeks my trust, not perfection.

• What does my spiritual progress look like?
  Set goals: regular Bible study, prayer, serving others — these are steps into the promised land.

……………………………..       ……………………………..

Conclusion

Israel’s story is our story.
The promised land reminds us that grace is a gift that carries responsibility.

God calls us not only to receive — but to live in His will.

Israel’s challenge was not the strength of the enemies but trusting God.
Our challenge today is not conquering cities but following Jesus in a world full of distractions.

God’s promise remains — but obedience makes it visible in our lives.

……………………………..       ……………………………..

Thought of the Day

“God gives the land — but you must step into it.”
The promise alone changes nothing unless it is received in faith and lived in obedience.
Take one step today into the land God wants to show you.

…………………………….. ……………………………..

Illustration 

Between Ruins and Promise
A Path Back into the Light

---

Chapter 1: The Calling

Berlin. Concrete, glass, calendars packed with appointments. Lukas Berger, 38, architect, successful — at least on paper. Inside? Empty.
Everything works as planned, yet for months he feels a quiet, constant pressure: “There must be more.”

A letter interrupts his routine: a handwritten envelope from a notary.
The old house of his childhood in the Black Forest, abandoned for years, is scheduled for demolition.
“You are the sole heir. Please respond by the end of the month.”

At first he throws the letter aside.
That night he dreams of his mother’s psalms, the old pear tree in the yard — and a voice whispering: “Lukas, go back.”

✦ ─────────────── ✦ ─────────────── ✦

Chapter 2: Homecoming

A foggy morning. Lukas drives for hours in silence until he reaches the village he left in anger as a teenager.
The house is a shadow of its former self — damaged roof, cracked windows, weathered walls. He stands before it holding a rusty key.

Inside, everything is dusty yet familiar. A crooked family photo still hangs on the wall.
In the kitchen he finds a Bible — open at Joshua 13. The words hit him like lightning:
“There remains very much land to be possessed.”

✦ ─────────────── ✦ ─────────────── ✦

Chapter 3: The Inheritance

An old neighbor, Mr. Reuter, recognizes Lukas immediately.
“You look like your father. He was faithful — in everything he did.”

Lukas is silent. He feels like a traitor. He had mocked his family’s faith for years and rejected their values.

But Mr. Reuter says softly:
“Maybe God gave this back to you not to preserve it, but to build on it.”

That evening Lukas reads further. He comes across Philippians 2:12:
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
It’s not about fear — it’s about responsibility.

✦ ─────────────── ✦ ─────────────── ✦

Chapter 4: The Decision

That night he dreams of his father.
Standing in front of the house, smiling, waving.
Again he hears the voice: “You must step into it.”

The next morning he calls the notary: “I accept the inheritance.”
But not just that — he decides to renovate the house.
Not as a holiday home, but as a spiritual center.
A place for young people, for conversations about faith, identity, calling.

✦ ─────────────── ✦ ─────────────── ✦

Chapter 5: The First Wall

The renovation begins.
Lukas works with volunteers from the village — including struggling teenagers.
Every beam he replaces feels like inner restoration.
He battles setbacks, fatigue, self-doubt.

Yet each day he remembers:
“God gave it — but I must fill it with life.”

✦ ─────────────── ✦ ─────────────── ✦

Chapter 6: Promise in the Dust

Months later, the house stands again. The windows shine in the evening light.

At the small dedication service, Lukas reads Hebrews 12:28:
“Since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful…”

He looks at the cross on the wall and says:
“I thought I had to be strong to take the land.
But I only had to be willing to be sent.”

---

Message of the Story

God gives promises — but they become alive only when we step into them in faith.
Grace is not the finish line; it is the beginning of a journey.

Just as Lukas accepted and restored the old house, God calls you to step into the land before you — with trembling hands, but firm trust.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/9-heirs-of-the-promise-prisoners-of-hope-9-3-the-challenge-of-the-land-%f0%9f%97%ba%ef%b8%8f-lessons-of-faith-from-joshua-%f0%9f%8c%b1-living-faith/

25 November 2025

---

BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Daily Bible Reading

---

Judges 12 – When Words Divide – and God Still Writes History
Jephthah’s final conflict and the quiet judges who followed

---

Read online here

══════════════════════════

Introduction

Judges 12 leads us into a scene filled with tension, misunderstandings, and hurt pride.
The people of Israel—meant to be one united nation—fall once again into internal conflict.
The dispute between Ephraim and Jephthah escalates—and ends tragically.

Afterward, we read of three judges whose ministries are described only briefly, yet these short accounts hold important spiritual lessons.

This chapter is a mirror of human weakness—and of God’s faithfulness that continues nonetheless.

══════════════════════════

Commentary

The story begins with an unexpected confrontation:
The men of Ephraim march angrily northward. Their words are sharp, accusatory, and threatening:
“Why didn’t you call us? We will burn you and your house!”

It seems impulsive, thoughtless—perhaps an expression of wounded pride. Ephraim was a tribe that liked to see itself as a leading tribe.
Not being asked to join hurt their self-image.

Jephthah—himself a man with a painful past—answers openly:
He had called them.
No one came.
He had been abandoned when it mattered.
Between his words lie pain—but also honesty. He had fought because no one else would. God granted the victory.
Why the quarrel now?

But words alone cannot calm the situation.
The tension erupts.
The Gileadites defend themselves, and the Ephraimites provoke them.
Old contempt flares up again.
And escalation follows.

The narrative then presents one of the most striking scenes in the Bible: the “Shibboleth” test-word.
A simple word used to distinguish friend from enemy.
The Ephraimites could not pronounce the “sh” sound—and this small linguistic detail became a death sentence for thousands.

The number is shocking: 42,000 men died.
So much blood—among brothers.

After Jephthah’s death, the story seems to quiet down.
Three judges follow, their lives summarized in only a few verses:

• Ibzan, with his large household and many children.

• Elon, who judges for ten peaceful years.

• Abdon, whose sons and grandsons ride on seventy donkeys—a sign of stability and prosperity.

Their stories are brief, almost silent—standing in contrast to Jephthah’s dramatic life.
Perhaps they show that God also works through unspectacular years.
That stability can be holier than spectacle.
And that God does not abandon His people, despite all their conflicts.

══════════════════════════

Summary

Judges 12 shows us:

• a destructive conflict between the tribes of Ephraim and Gilead, fueled by pride and misunderstanding;

• the tragic “Shibboleth” incident, where a single word determined life or death;

• the conclusion of Jephthah’s judgeship;

• three short judge biographies symbolizing peace and continuity.

It is a chapter full of human weakness—yet also a chapter where God continues His work despite it all.

══════════════════════════

Message for Today

• Pride can destroy relationships. Ephraim’s wounded honor cost tens of thousands of lives.

• Unresolved conflicts escalate. What remains unhealed eventually breaks open.

• Words have power—to build or to destroy. “Shibboleth” became a dividing line; today, our words can also include or exclude.

• God works not only in dramatic times. The quiet judges show that peaceful years are also grace.

• God keeps writing the story. Despite human failure, God continues to lead His people.

══════════════════════════

Thought Prompt

Where have I created “Shibboleths” in my life—words, expectations, or standards that exclude rather than invite?
And how can I seek peace today, before a small spark becomes a great fire?

~~~~~ ~~~~~

23 – 26 November 2025

---

BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Weekly Reading – Spirit of Prophecy

---

Ellen White | Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 43
The Death of Moses | Justice, grace, and hope beyond the grave

---

Read online here

---

BLOG 3 – The Great Vision

When Heaven Opened – Moses’ Final Revelation
God shows Moses more than just Canaan

---

Introduction

On the summit of Nebo, Moses sees more than the land—he sees through time.
It is as if God Himself draws back the veil of history so that His old servant can behold what he lived for.

══════════════════════════

Commentary

There, where the silence of heaven touches the earth, Moses stands—and suddenly the world begins to change.
The land before him becomes bright, not with sunlight, but with the light of God.
Mountains, valleys, olive groves, grain fields, lakes and cities shine like a painting of paradise.
It is not the Canaan of the present—it is Canaan under God’s blessing.

But the vision is not limited to the landscape.
It becomes a river of history:

He sees Israel dwelling in the land—its victories and its apostasies, its captivity, its return, its struggles.

Then another image rises—a stable in Bethlehem.
A child. A star. Angel choirs.
And Moses understands: This is the promised star out of Jacob.

He sees Jesus teaching, healing, weeping, loving—and suffering.
He sees Gethsemane; he hears the cry from the cross.
He sees the risen Christ ascending to heaven and recognizes: This is the heart of all the promises.

The vision continues to unfold:
The disciples go out; the gospel spreads; light enters the nations.
Moses sees centuries of faithfulness—and centuries of apostasy.
He sees God’s law cherished—and despised.
He sees the final struggles of the world, the great conflict over truth and loyalty.

Then a final image rises:
Christ coming in glory.
The righteous rising.
The earth made new.
And Moses feels his heart flooded with the radiance of that future.

When the vision ends, he stands again on the mountain.
But something in him has changed.
Heaven is no longer far—he has seen it.

══════════════════════════

Summary

God gives Moses a tremendous vision: the land, the history of Israel, the life of Jesus, redemption, and the new earth.
His heart sees more than his eyes ever could.

══════════════════════════

Message for Today

Sometimes God does not show us the next step but the greater view—so that we understand our life is part of a far larger story.

══════════════════════════

Thought Prompt

What “greater perspective” might God show you today if you paused long enough to see it?

══════════════════════════

LuxVerbi | The light of the Word. The clarity of faith.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/25-11-2025-%e2%9a%96%ef%b8%8f-judges-chapter-12-when-words-divide-and-god-still-writes-history-%f0%9f%93%9c-believe-his-prophets/

November 25, 2025

---

Joseph – Faith That Carries You Through
Devotions from the Life of a Dreamer with Character

---

28. Not You Sent Me – But God
How God fulfills His plan beyond human guilt

---

Daily Bible Verse

“Not you sent me here, but God.”
Genesis 45:8a

────────────────────────────────

Introduction

There are moments in life when we know exactly who hurt us.
We know the names, the words, the decisions that changed everything.
A dismissal that was unfair.
A betrayal of trust that cut deep.
A word that still follows us today.

Our heart quickly says: “Because of you, I stand where I am today.”

Joseph could have said the same.
He could have looked his brothers in the eyes and said:
“You are the reason I suffered for years.”

But when he met them again after many years, he said something completely different:

“Not you sent me — but God.”

This is not naive suppression.
It is a new perspective on an old story:
God’s plan is greater than human intention.

────────────────────────────────

Devotion

Joseph stood in a room that represented everything he could never have achieved by human effort: the palace of Egypt. Marble pillars, servants, signs of power everywhere. And in the middle of that splendor, he suddenly saw faces he had known since his youth: his brothers.

These were the same men who had once thrown him into a pit and sold him.
But they no longer looked the same. They were older, worn by hunger and years of responsibility. They did not know who stood before them. To them, Joseph was a powerful governor. To him, they were the reminder of the most painful break in his life.

Joseph had come a long way.
He remembered being seventeen, sharing his dreams, and receiving only mockery and rejection.
He remembered the moment when his own brothers ignored his cries for help and sold him anyway.
He remembered the chains of slavery in Egypt, the years in Potiphar’s house, the false accusations that led him to prison.
He remembered the night he could have despaired—and the many days when God seemed silent.

And yet he was here now.
Not as a victim, but as a man with responsibility.
Not on the margins, but in the center of authority.

When Joseph tested his brothers, he was not only testing them—his own heart was being tested.
Did he want revenge?
Did he want them to feel what it means to be powerless?
Did he want to let old pain set the measure?

He observed how they spoke with one another, how they talked about guilt, how they protected Benjamin. He saw they were no longer the same. The brutal young men had become men who repented, who took responsibility, who were willing to stand up for each other.

When Joseph finally recognized the change in them, he could no longer stay distant.
He had everyone else leave the room.
It was a moment not meant for an audience, but protected by intimacy.

Then it broke out of him.
Tears.
Not controlled, not measured—but loud and honest.

He said:
“I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.”

He spoke the truth.
He did not pretend nothing had happened.
He named the pain—and then he set something above it, something greater than everything they had done:

“Not you sent me here, but God.”

He did not declare the injustice good.
But he made something clear:
Your actions were not the final word.
God has the final word.

Joseph had learned to read his life story not only through the lens of people, but through the lens of God.
People had sold him—but God had sent him.
People had diminished him—but God had prepared him.
People had planned evil—but God had turned it into good.

Because Joseph recognized this, he could deal with his past differently.
He was no longer trapped in the question, “Why did they do this to me?”
Instead, he asked, “What has God done through all of this?”

This perspective made him free.
Free to forgive his brothers.
Free to provide for them.
Free to be an instrument of salvation rather than a judge of the past.

Joseph stayed realistic:
He knew what had happened.
But he didn’t stay stuck in it.
He placed his story within the framework of God’s plan—and exactly through that, the wound became a channel of blessing.

────────────────────────────────

Thoughts for Your Heart

• Your story is not written by people alone—God writes with you.
• What others intended for harm, God can transform into something good.
• You don’t have to deny your past in order to entrust it to God.
• Freedom begins where you see God’s hand over your story—even in the difficult chapters.

────────────────────────────────

What We Can Learn from Joseph

• You are not only a victim of circumstances—you can be an instrument of God.
• True forgiveness becomes possible when you recognize that God is greater than the injustice.
• God’s guidance does not stop when people act wrongly.
• Our life paths can serve others—even when they were shaped by pain.

────────────────────────────────

Practical Steps

• Take time to lay your story before God—honestly, without beautifying anything.
• Name the people or situations that hurt you—and deliberately say: “Lord, I leave the judgment to You.”
• Ask God to show you where He has been at work despite everything.
• Pray specifically: “Use my story, even the painful parts, to bless others.”
• If possible, begin serving someone instead of focusing only on your pain.

────────────────────────────────

Questions for Reflection

• Which person or situation do I still associate with pain and injustice?
• Where have I focused only on what people have done to me—and not on what God could make of it?
• What would it mean for me to be able to say: “Not you sent me—but God”?
• In what area of my life do I long for a new perspective from God today?

────────────────────────────────

Prayer

Dear Father in heaven,
you know the situations in my life in which people have hurt me.
You know the names, the memories, the wounds.

Sometimes I see only what people have done—
and it is hard to believe that You still have a plan.

I ask You:
Give me Your perspective on my story.
Help me recognize where You have led me, even when it was hard.
Remove bitterness from my heart
and replace it with trust in You.

Teach me to be able to say, like Joseph:
“Not you sent me—but God.”
Not because the injustice is small,
but because You are greater than any injustice.

Use my past
to bring hope to others.
Free me so that I can be a blessing.

Amen.

────────────────────────────────

Key Thought of the Day

People can influence your path—
but God determines your calling.

────────────────────────────────

Blessing to Close

The God who led Joseph through betrayal, loss, and foreign lands
bless you also in your story.

May He give you eyes to recognize His hand,
even in chapters you would never have chosen.

May He free you from bitterness
and fill your heart with renewed trust.

May He use your past
to give others a future.

May the God who not only knows you
but also sends you
go with you.

Amen.

────────────────────────────────

LumenCorde | Daily light for a living soul.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/25-11-2025-%f0%9f%8c%bejoseph-faith-that-carries-you-through-28-not-you-sent-me-but-god-%e2%9a%93-heart-anchor-youth-devotional/