Taking Ground | Week 4
Day 1
“The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.” - Joshua 5:11–12
For forty years, Israel had lived on manna, God’s daily provision in the wilderness. Every morning, bread from heaven appeared like dew on the ground. It was miraculous, faithful, and constant. Yet even divine provision, when prolonged too long, can become a test of faith. What was meant to be temporary became forty years of routine because one generation refused to trust God for the next step.
The manna season represents survival. It’s the season where God keeps us alive—but not necessarily thriving. It’s where He teaches dependence and discipline, but He doesn’t intend for us to stay there. Israel’s wilderness diet wasn’t meant to be permanent; it was meant to stir up hunger for something greater. The promised land awaited—a place flowing with milk and honey, vineyards they didn’t plant, and cities they didn’t build. Yet the only way to reach that was through trust and obedience.
When Joshua led the new generation into Canaan, something powerful happened: the manna stopped. The next day, they ate from the produce of the land. God didn’t cut off provision; He changed the source of it. They had moved from miracles of maintenance to miracles of multiplication. The same God who sustained them in scarcity now invited them to steward abundance.
Many believers live spiritually, and financially, in the wilderness season longer than they should. God provides, but we cling to the manna instead of stepping into Canaan. The manna feels safe, predictable, even comfortable. But at some point, God asks us to put our foot in the Jordan and trust Him for the next thing.
This transition often happens in our finances. God tests our trust through what we do with what He gives. For years, Israel saw provision fall from heaven; now, God was saying, “I want to bless the work of your hands.” They would have to sow, harvest, and manage the resources of the land. Their obedience would determine whether they lived in famine or fruitfulness.
Taking ground financially begins with this same shift: from dependence to stewardship, from mere survival to spiritual maturity. God is not content with us just getting by. He desires that we walk in wisdom, faith, and fruitfulness—so that we can be a blessing to others.
The Israelites’ declaration could well be ours: “Lord, thank You for keeping me alive, but I want to thrive.” They had seen His faithfulness in the desert, but now they were ready to experience His fullness in the promise.
When we walk in obedience—especially in how we handle money—God knows He can trust us with more. Not because He wants us to become consumers, but because He wants us to become conduits. The same hand that once received manna now sowed and reaped harvest. The lesson is timeless: the moment we choose to trust and obey, God opens the door to more.
Taking ground in your finances isn’t about chasing wealth. It’s about walking into the maturity God always intended. It’s realizing that manna was mercy, but Canaan is destiny. God wants to move you from “just enough” to “more than enough”—not for your comfort, but for your calling.
And sometimes, the only way to receive what’s next is to let the manna stop.
