How to Move Forward with Faith and Purpose
3: Move On with Purpose from the Past
Honoring the past is essential, but it’s equally important not to get stuck there. Joshua 1:1-7 captures this tension beautifully:
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 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—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 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. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 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.’” – Joshua 1:1-7 (NIV):
God’s first words to Joshua as a leader are fascinating,
“Moses my servant is dead. Now then…”
It’s as if God is saying yes, you need to lean on the past, and learn from the past, and build on the past, but sometimes you just need to move on from the past. Like a relay race when one person passes a baton to another. You can be thankful for the ones who came before you because without them you wouldn’t be where you are, but now that the baton has come to you, receive it, turn and face forward, put our head down, and RUN!
Think about Joshua’s position here. His mentor, Moses, was one of the most influential heroes of the Bible. He led the Israelites in a major relocation effort. Right when Moses gets them to the edge of the Promised Land, he goes up on the mountain for his quiet time with God and he dies. How do you know if God is not done with you? You’re not dead. That’s how you know.
God had been with Moses for some 30 years and now Joshua is the new leader. Joshua is the one who is going to take God’s people to the next level. But Joshua was tight with Moses. This was his mentor. Many of us have a person like this. A person who is older than us, who we look up to, who has invested in us, passed on life lessons and leadership lessons and maybe even faith to us. Many have had a mentor like this. If that person were to suddenly die, especially right before a critical moment, it would be heart-wrenching. You’re going to mourn and feel bad and alone and maybe even lost. you’re going to need some time to recover and re-orient yourself.
God must not have read a lot of leadership blogs or books on how to minister to people when they’re grieving. He’s not familiar with the positivity sandwich. If you’re going to give someone bad news, first start with the positive, tell them how awesome they are, how special they are, give them a hug and lollipop. God missed that memo. God wants to talk to Joshua, so Joshua has his journal out – he’s ready to be inspired by the Lord. God’s going to speak to me today – God what are you going to say…? Words of comfort? ‘It’s going to be OK – Moses is in a better place…?’ God comes right out with, “Moses is dead, now then…”
God says take all of that stuff you learned from Moses and let’s go in to the Promised Land. The baton has come to you, it’s time to move. Some of you are at a crossroads right now and the reason that you’re not finding your way forward is because you are stuck in the past. What happened in another church is affecting you in this church. What happened in another relationship is affecting you in this relationship. What happened in another job is affecting you in this job. Your childhood, your financial decisions from the past, the way you raised your kids, a sin back there that keeps coming back and you wonder if you’ll ever get free.
It’s not just the negative stuff- sometimes people are stuck in the past because of good stuff. The song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year. It comes from an old Scotch tune; “Auld Lang Syne” literally means “old long ago,” or simply, “the good old days.”
So many people get stuck longing for the good old days and trying to recreate the magic of those days. What was so good about the good old days, anyway? Why do we relish any opportunity to reflect on the past? Some people dream about the good old days so they don’t have to deal with the pain of the present. They remember relationships before they were broken. They remember what life was like before the loss of a loved one. They remember when things were free and easy, but now the money is tight and the bills are due.
The problem of getting stuck in the past is you’ll miss the present. Too many church leaders are fighting for the good old days, and they are missing the fight for the future which is happening right now and where their efforts need to be directed.
Paul says it this way,
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14
Joshua was stepping into the shoes of one of Israel’s greatest leaders, yet God made it clear that Joshua’s role would be different. He wasn’t called to repeat Moses’ exact journey but to carry the work forward in a new way.
Practical Tip for Leaders: Reflect on where you might be stuck in the past—whether it’s a success, failure, or fear. Pray for courage to embrace the opportunities God is calling you to in the present. Consider how your leadership can honor the past while boldly stepping into the future.
