dying to live

Joshua 1:6-9 (New International Version)
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Our leader, Dave, has been reading and encouraging reflection on these Joshua verses lately at church. Here's something I've been thinking about with these verses lately. This Scripture passage speaks so clearly to me about spiritual and missional growth in living.

We so often want to add things to our lives to help us grow spiritually, but we rarely consider what we may need to give up. I think the Joshua passage repeats the need to be very strong and courageous because the growth journey is largely a dying journey of my will to God's will. And it's hard to die. Back when I served on a spiritual growth team at church, we studied the most common barriers to spiritual growth. The list included-

1. The distraction/lure of popular culture. (seduction of worldliness, recreation, sports, fashion, tv, news, music, house standards, etc.)
2. Pace of life (busyness robs us of time and energy)
3. Materialism/consumerism (debt, greed, covetousness)
4. Control (do it yourself mentality, power, manipulating and possessing)
5. Quick fix mentality (instant gratification)
6. Inadequate view of God (God created in our image, Biblical illiteracy)
7. Easy believism (low expectations, low commitment, wading pool theology, avoidance of confrontation)
8. Legalism (worshiping religious activities, me-focused religion, obedience with wrong motive)
9. Laziness (slothfulness, avoidance of suffering)
10. Disobedience (sin, relative morality to no morality, addictions)
11. Relationship (pleasing others first rather than God)

Growth for me has often come through disciplines that help break the hold that these things above have on me. God has grown me most when I surrender and die and find that instead of losing freedom, I begin to find freedom and abundant life. But it's hard to die. And it's so daily. And I am far from having arrived. But, I agree with the passage in Joshua...it's a bit easier to keep my eyes straight on God when I am meditating on His Word and finding strength and courage from God within His Word.