Joshua 1:1
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
Moses died, and now it was someone else’s turn to lead Israel. Yes, it seemed like big shoes to fill, but the next generation was not filling his shoes; they were simply following the same God that He followed to see what God could do through them. Joshua was that man who was chosen by God to lead Israel into the Promised Land. It was his turn to lead after forty years of following. What I love about Joshua is that he did not squander his opportunity when it was his turn, but he took it up and made the most of it, and God worked through him as mightily as He worked through Moses.
Every generation has an opportunity to do something great for God; it’s what we do with what the previous generation taught us that determines what God will do. I have had the opportunity to be under some great men of God. For twenty-eight years, I traveled as an evangelist, and God certainly did great things during these years. However, at forty-eight years of age is when God led me to take the pastorate at Maranatha Baptist Church. At this writing, I have only pastored the church for a little over four years, but these have been the greatest years of my ministry. All I have done is taken what I learned from the previous generation and applied those lessons when it was my turn. What you do with what you learned from the previous generation will determine what God will do through you. Let me share four things you must remember about your turn.
SPECIAL RELEASE PRICE
First, your turn will come. I don't know when your turn will come, but you must learn everything you can from those whom God is using while you can. Many have sat under the same great men that I sat under, but I’m afraid they didn't learn what I learned from these men. Don't waste your time with those great men of God in your life. Learn everything you can from them so that you can apply what you learned to your ministry when your time comes.
Second, God can work in this generation as He did in the past generation. Never let the magnitude of what is ahead of you cause you to shrink in the time of opportunity. God can do through you what He has done through others. When it is your turn, step up and remember that God can work through you as He has worked in past generations.
Third, what was right for the past generation is still right for this generation. Don't change the working formula. Soul winning, bus ministry, Sunday school, and holy living have all worked for the previous generation, and it will still work for this generation if we do them. What the previous generation preached is still right for us today.
Fourth, embracing the past generation and what they did is what helps you to step up when it is your turn. My friend, don't try to belittle what the previous generation did; rather, let it be the catalyst in your heart to attempt something great for God. Don’t let what God did through the previous generation intimidate you, but let it challenge you to attempt something great for God. An old preacher told me when I became pastor, “Bro. Domelle, you know what to do. Trust what you have learned.” I challenge you today to trust what you have learned, don't change it, but apply it, and God will work through you as He did in the previous generation.
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