Promise 11: No Man Will Stand Before You

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5 NKJV).

Beloved, is the Lord asking you to step out in faith?

Is He leading you into new territory? If so, you can pray the same promise that God gave to Joshua when He led the Israelites into the Promised Land. And the same way God gave Joshua victory, God will give you victory–and no man will stand before you, or be able to hinder what GOD is doing.

Friend, in order to really understand the depths of the promise of God on this topic, first read the whole passage from Joshua 1:1-9:

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying:

‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.

From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go’” (Joshua 1:1-9 NKJV).

In this passage, God is sending Joshua and the Israelites into unknown territory.

The old season was over; the new season had come. The Israelites had wandered long enough:

• They had finally learned their lessons;
• They had learned to trust God;
• They had purified themselves from their sins;
• As a group, in general (although Achan was an outlier who wasn’t obedient, but that’s another story for another day), they were walking in obedience to God.

And God had decided that their time to advance had come. So, He spoke to Joshua. He told Joshua that the time of mourning for the old thing (Moses) was over, and it was time to cross over to the other side.

It was time to go into the new thing; to enter into the new season; and to take all the territory that God had assigned to them.

It was time to change the world.

Joshua might have felt scared about moving into new territory.

As a new leader, I can only imagine that he did. And God knew what was in Joshua’s heart, so He (God) decided to reassure Joshua. And the promises God gave Joshua are amazing. He said:

• “to the land which I am giving to them” – meaning, God Himself was going to deliver the Promised Land into the Israelites’ hands.
• “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.”
• God specified the exact territory He was going to give to Joshua. He provided the exact map and dimensions of what he (Joshua) was to receive.
• “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life” – meaning, no one would be able to stand in his way, hinder him, or prevent him from receiving. When people saw Joshua coming for his inheritance, they were either going to get out of the way voluntarily, or else be moved out of the way by God Himself.
• “… as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” Remember that Moses was the man with whom God spoke face to face, as a man speaks to a friend. (See Exodus 33:11.) So, God was promising Joshua that He would also not only help Joshua to lead the people and take the land, but He was also promising Joshua His precious presence and friendship.
• “I will not leave you nor forsake you.” God promised Joshua that He Himself would go with Joshua, and that Joshua would never be left alone in this new territory.
• He even promised that, if the Book of the Law (God’s Word) did not depart out of his mouth, and if he meditated on it day and night, “then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” So, God promised that Joshua’s efforts would make a difference, and he and the Israelites would prosper.

Well, beloved, I have good news for you today:

God is no respecter of persons. What He did for Joshua, He will do for you.

Romans 2:11 tells us that God treats people equally:

“For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11 NKJV).

This means that, if one person meets God’s conditions for His promises, He will do the thing He promised. And if another person also meets those conditions, He will do the same thing for them.

God treats everyone alike, in accordance with their own choices–plus more goodness that people did not choose. Jesus told us that God even makes His sun to shine on the just and on the unjust! He is good to the evil and the righteous alike. As Jesus spoke in Matthew 5:

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45 NKJV).

So, beloved, if God will bless even the wicked ones with glimpses of His goodness …

… all in an effort to draw them to Himself, for it is the goodness of God that brings men to repentance (Romans 2:4) …

… then yes, you can be assured that whatever He did for one righteous person, He will do for another.

When you are in Christ and you meet His conditions for receiving His promises, He will do for you what He promised–even if the promise originally was spoken to somebody else. ALL Scripture is profitable for you, even the promises made to someone else:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV).

So, let’s look at how this applies to you:

Are you stepping out to take new territory? Is God leading you to go somewhere you’ve never gone, or to do something you’ve never done, all by faith?

If so, His promises to Joshua apply to you too, if you will obey the mandates He gave to Joshua:

• God Himself will deliver the Promised Land into your hands.
• He will give you every place upon which the sole of your foot treads.
• Whatever the length and height and breadth and depth of the territory God has promised you, He is fully capable of delivering it into your hands.
• “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life ….” Nothing and no one in Heaven or on earth will be able to prevent you from taking the territory God has assigned to you. And even if haters, doubters, and mockers arise, they won’t be able to hinder you. YOU will walk into the assignment God has for you in your new land, and everyone in your way will have to get out of your way.
• God will walk you into your land in face-to-face relationship with Himself. He will commune with you in the quiet hours. He will personally appear to you and dwell in relationship with you. This is your portion and inheritance in Jesus Christ!
• God will never leave you nor forsake you, even as you walk into the new land and new territory that He has promised you.
• If you’ll do what He asked you to do, meditating on His Word day and night and being careful to obey Him, you will make your way prosperous, and you will have good success.

Friend, no man will be able to stand before you as you take your new territory.

This doesn’t mean we are entitled to have mean or spiteful attitudes toward people who may stand in our way. We are to love people–even our enemies–and never walk in mean or spiteful attitudes toward them.

However, even if hindrances and obstacles arise, God has promised you that no man will be able to stand before you. Nothing and no one can get in your way and stay in your way.

Haters and doubters may rise up; hindrances and obstacles may present themselves. And yes, they may try to interfere with what God is doing in your life.

But, even if they arise, they will fall before the Holy One of Israel. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life! And, God can even remove those hindrances and obstacles in one day, as it says in Isaiah 10:17:

“So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day” (Isaiah 10:17 NKJV).

Friend, that is good news today.

Because if you’re stepping out on faith …

If your foot is in the air, about to come down on you-don’t-know-what …

You can still move forward with confidence, grounding your actions and your faith on the Word of God.

No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.

Haters may hate. Doubters may doubt. Mockers may mock. But ultimately, no man will be able to stand before you. The territory God has for you is sure and secure, as long as you step out in obedience to take it.

So, beloved …

Take your territory. Go forth and conquer.

Know that the Captain and Commander of the armies of Heaven is on your side, and that He is fighting for you. You just abide in Him, dwelling in face-to-face relationship with Him as a man speaks to his friend. Stay hidden in Him and go forth when He tells you, knowing that you WILL make your way prosperous, and you WILL have good success.

Beloved, does this word encourage you today? If so, leave a comment below!