Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I challenge you today, act on this word (Doers of the word). It takes divine courage to “grow up” and be who you are called to be. That gift that has been deposited in you must not be allowed to remain dormant (buried). When in faithfulness and obedience you move toward His higher purpose then strength and courage will be your portion. This requires spiritual focus (thinking in your heart). This middle ground (heart) between your spirit and soul is the mechanism of change. When you have stepped down (bowed) and the Lord is enthroned in this place then you are free to live and move (grow up) in Him. This is the “BE attitude” that releases His life. Everything in the world is designed to oppose this life in the spirit. If our thoughts and intents are formed outside of this union (oneness) then our progress stops. How easily are you distracted and diverted (defeated) from what the Lord wants? Can a phone call or an urgent need in the natural pull you away from time with and for the Lord? Can words spoken about you necessitate action and reaction on your part? Can choices about with whom and how you spend your time rob you of the Lords presence and purpose? A cross is formed (vertical and horizontal relationship) many times each day during these events (choices). If you choose for the Lord (vertical) then you are lifted into His higher purpose. If you react to the things taking place in your soul, body and surroundings then you remain on a natural plain (horizontal). If you choose for the Lord (deny yourself) then you grow in grace and knowledge. As you grow you more easily see the devices of the enemy that lead to your defeat in days past and you learn to war against them in the spirit. It is then that you become an able minister of the New Covenant (relationship) having overcome this world by a more perfect union with His life. It is then that you begin to move out into the fields of need that are ripe for harvest and bring others by the cross into this new creation life. The land of promise is first within and then without.