Observing Joshua's ministry, we see that one of his virtues was listening to the Lord. God gave him the instructions, and he followed them to the letter. Probably, there are servants who have not been attended to in this way and miss hearing the divine voice. Joshua always paid attention to it and, therefore, did the right thing. This success is available to the children of God, but do they follow the Word or despise the revelations from Heaven?

Joshua learned from Moses to listen to the Most High and to fulfill what was told to him. God created all things and maintains them to this day and will continue to do so until the return of Jesus to Earth (Hebrews 1:3; 2 Peter 3:10-12). God treated Moses and Joshua in the same way: And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses (Exodus 33:9).

Today, the Lord deals with us in a different way, as revealed in the letter to the Hebrews: God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1.1-2a). There are no last-minute orders, for all revelations are recorded in the Scriptures. Therefore, when a verse catches our eye, drawing our attention, we know what to do. Let yourself be guided by the Word and be victorious (Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 3:1-10).

The Lord was clear in telling the new commander of Israel that He would begin to exalt him in the eyes of the people under his command. God does the same with the shepherds He raises to guide His Church. Those who are unsubmissive to the leader become oppressed by the spirit of error, for they rise up against divine direction: A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment (Proverbs 18:1).

Many people are shouting: "Independence," surrendering to the spirit of division. They will never succeed. See what happened to Lucifer, who dreamed of being like God and paid dearly for his rebellion: For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:13-14).

This foolish angel, created for a task, aspired to something that would never happen: to equal the Lord. Well, people with far less brilliance than this bearer of light will be condemned to the lake of fire and brimstone if they do not convert in time. No one should let thoughts of self-sufficiency form within themselves. We are servants of the Lord, and that is enough for us. We will remain where He places us and we will live well!

God spoke clearly to Joshua that He would be with him as He had been with Moses. Jesus guarantees the same to those He calls to humbly fulfill their mission in the Church: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12). Be faithful to the Heavenly Father!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares