As our congregation has been praying for the past few months, we sense that the next several years are a time for the true church to regain the ground it has lost in culture and blessings. Now, more than in the past decade, the Spirit seems to be saying that it is a time of battle—not a defensive battle but an offensive battle and advance. It is a time for the presence and goodness of God to be manifest through the church to the world.
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In order to walk in these truths, we need to understand the Joshua generation, which was able to enter the promised land after circling the wilderness for a whole generation. Of course, Joshua was one of only two spies out of 12 (the other was Caleb) who believed God was well able to give the children of Israel the promised land despite the presence of enormous giants who opposed them (Num. 13). Joshua was the successor to Moses, who was commissioned by God to take the children into the land of promise (Deut. 31:14, 23; Josh. 1:1-9).
I write these seven principles because believers now have an incredible opportunity in the Spirit to advance. If we do not understand these principle that made the generation under Joshua’s leadership successful, we can miss this kairos moment in human history.
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7 Traits of the Joshua Generation
- The Joshua Generation honors the previous generation. Even though the previous generation wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, Joshua remained a faithful servant of his leader, Moses (Ex. 33:11). Joshua bided his time and faithfully served until Moses transitioned out. God commissioned him as the new leader. Young leaders who are impatient and want their mantle prematurely will find out that their gifts and abilities are not enough to take them into the promised land. Consequently, young leaders who are critical and dishonoring of the previous generation will not be trusted by God to lead this next season.
- The Joshua generation is a people of great faith. While most of the people questioned the command of God to conquer the land of Canaan, Joshua and Caleb stood out as the only ones who said God was well able to conquer the giants and give them the land (Num. 13-14). All believers will be tested regarding their faith in God. God is calling believers in this present time to stop circling the mountain with mere talk and aimless activity and to begin stepping into the land of their promise (Deut. 1:6, 2:4). God says wherever the people of the Joshua generation put the soles of their feet, He will give it to them (Josh. 1:3). This means we need to participate in the life of our city as citizens of the kingdom and of the earth. God is calling for His people to arise and shine and let the nations see the glory of the Lord during gross darkness (Isa. 60).
- The Joshua generation has a conquering assignment. Every generation will have its battles. For the past 30 to 40 years, believers have been engaged in defensive battles. I believe God is calling the present-day body of Christ to engage in spiritual battles that will recapture everything that was stolen by the enemy—both in the church and in culture.
- The Joshua generation is a people of the book. God told Joshua the key to his success would be that the book of the Law would not depart from his mouth but that he was to meditate upon it day and night so he would prosper and be successful (Josh. 1:8-9). I believe God is calling for a renewal of the Word of God as the focal point of every believer’s choice of study and meditation. While many these past few decades have been feasting on motivational and self-help books, only the Bible has the faith–filled words necessary to defeat every giant that opposes us.
- The Joshua generation doesn’t tolerate ungodliness in the camp. When Israel lost a battle, Joshua immediately sought the Lord and discovered that Achan brought sin into the camp, which compromised the whole nation (Josh. 7). This present-day Joshua generation will have a renewed call to holiness and a passion to walk in His presence. This renewed call to seek the Lord will result in more believers repudiating the ethical compromises that have weakened many in the evangelical church in recent years.
- The Joshua generation is a people of purpose. The Joshua generation will need more patience to circle the same mountain daily and get nowhere after years of journeying (Deut. 2:4). Today, God is calling for believers to embrace the divine vision of fulfilling the cultural mandates of Genesis 1:28 and Matthew 28:19. These mandates involve church-related ministry and equipping believers to serve in every aspect of culture for the renewal of all things. All creation is awaiting the manifestation of the mature sons of God to give hope to the created order (Rom. 8:19-23) as the salt and light of the world. When this happens, the whole world will be impacted, not just the body of Christ.
- The Joshua generation is a generation of accomplishment. The present move of God is about action and accomplishment—not mere talk and fantasizing. People are tired of the politicians and spiritual leaders who speak forth platitudes and promises they never intend to back up. Similar to the Joshua generation that followed the death of Moses (read the book of Joshua), God is raising in our midst those who will be outcome-based and results-orientated and walk out kingdom principles on earth as it is in heaven. This present move of God is not satisfied with keeping God’s presence, power and activities within the four walls of a church building for two hours on a Sunday. They will only be satisfied when the transforming glory of God is manifest from Monday to Saturday—as well as Sunday. They will only be happy when biblical principles are applied successfully in the marketplace. Finally, they will only be satisfied when they see biblical principles ascend again as the cultural ethos of the land.
Joshua generation, it’s time to arise!
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Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, consultant and theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence culture. He is the founding pastor of Resurrection Church and leads several organizations, including the U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and Christ Covenant Coalition.