Taking Ground | Week 1
Day 4
“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates… No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Joshua 1:3–5
There are some passages in Scripture that feel like God placing His hand on your shoulder and reminding you, “You aren’t stepping into this alone.” Joshua 1:3–5 is one of those moments.
Israel is camped at the edge of the Jordan River, looking across at a land filled with fortified cities and intimidating armies. They know the stories… giants, warriors, battles. They also know their own history: forty years of wandering, fear, hesitation, and missed opportunities.
And then God speaks directly to Joshua’s heart. It’s almost like He says, “Before you take one step, let Me tell you what I’ve already settled.”
“I will give you every place where you set your foot…”
That is such a powerful phrase. God didn’t say, “If you get there, I’ll figure something out.” He said, “Wherever you step, I’ve already gone ahead of you.”
Taking ground always begins with remembering that God takes the first step. You are not walking into uncharted territory, you're walking into prepared ground.
What God describes next must have overwhelmed Joshua. The boundaries are huge, stretching from deserts to mountains to a river so wide it represented the edge of the known world. God wasn’t offering Joshua a sliver of land. He was offering him abundance, expansion, and influence far beyond what Joshua had ever known.
This ties back beautifully to the heartbeat of Sunday’s message: “God is giving them permission, and you and I permission, to take ground in 2026.”
God was not calling Joshua to think small. He was calling him to see the size of His promise.
And the same is true for you. God’s plan for your life is always larger than what fear whispers. There is more peace available than you’ve known. More purpose than you’ve imagined. More healing than you’ve experienced. More growth than you’ve allowed yourself to expect.
But none of that happens until you decide to move your foot forward, one ordinary step at a time.
Then God says something that must have hit Joshua right in the places he felt insecure:
“No one will be able to stand against you…”
Not because Joshua was impressive. Not because Israel was strong. But because God Himself was committed to the outcome.
It’s like God was saying, “Joshua, you may feel the pressure, but you’re not carrying the victory.”
The children of Israel were tired of wandering, tired of hand-to-mouth living, tired of barely surviving. They were ready for more. They wanted houses, land, and the promises Moses spoke about. They wanted to take ground.
But wanting to take ground is very different from knowing how to take ground. Joshua needed more than courage, he needed confidence in God’s presence.
So God gives him the anchor of the entire passage:
“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Joshua had watched Moses face impossible situations: plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea, rebellious crowds, armies that should have crushed them. And in all of it, God never abandoned Moses.
Now God says, “Joshua, that same faithfulness is following you too.”
And this is where the message turns towards us today:
The same God who was with Moses, the same God who was with Joshua, the same God who led His people through deserts and rivers and battles… is the same God who stands with you in 2026.
Taking ground isn’t about hype or willpower or loud declarations. It’s about confidence, confidence in the God who never takes His hand off your life.
Maybe today, taking ground feels small. Maybe it’s just showing up. Maybe it’s choosing consistency. Maybe it’s opening your Bible. Maybe it’s being honest with God about where you are. Maybe it’s stepping out of an old mindset and into a new one.
Whatever step you take, remember this:
God goes before you.
God stands beside you.
God covers behind you.
And every step you take in obedience becomes ground that God turns into promise.
