A Joshua Step

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” Ephesians 1:3

It really is quite interesting to note that Paul mentions spiritual blessings over material blessings.  Why is that, you may wonder?  It’s simply because spiritual blessings last for all eternity, whereas all the blessings of this world will pass away.  Spiritual blessings are everlasting, life-changing, they change the way we see ourselves, give us security, and a sense of purpose.

Doesn’t this fly in the face of the belief that our blessings are on the earth, that we can name it and claim it, that we all deserve a Mercedes-Benz and an enormous house?  Our Abba Father is much more interested in your character than where you live.  C. S. Lewis puts it this way – “The Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have begun thinking less of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven, and you get earth thrown in; aim at earth, and you get neither.”

When we are focused on the LORD, when our eyes are fixed on Him, those spiritual blessings will overflow into your life, and God will provide for you every step of the way!  But we must seek The Giver and not the gift.

Joshua once had a promise given to him that was an extraordinary promise: “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.” Joshua 1:3. Just as the LORD had promised Moses, every single place where Joshua went, that the sole of his foot stepped on, was his!  It was already given to him.  Of course, there was a part Joshua had to play; he had to take a step, and then another one.  He had to put one foot in front of the other in order to claim the land.  In faith Joshua stepped out, and in faith we must step out too.

We must believe and trust the LORD when He says he will give us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. We must allow our faith to rise up and, in obedience, accept those gifts.  Let’s not leave our gifts sitting on the shelf, unused and unwrapped.  Step by step, let’s accept all His gifts, His life-changing promises!

Reflections

1. When you think of being blessed by the Father, what do you picture first—material blessings or spiritual riches?  Does that reveal to you what you’re seeking most, and how can you change that moving forward?
2. Is there a “spiritual blessing in Christ” that you most need to unwrap right now (forgiveness, peace, identity as God’s child, wisdom, strength, hope, joy, purpose)—and is there something that keeps you from accepting that gift from your Father?
3. Is God inviting you to take that next faithful step like Joshua?  In what specific area of your life is that step, and what is God saying to you?

Step-by-Step

Write down a spiritual blessing that God has promised you in Christ with a scripture to accompany it, and then take one concrete “Joshua step” today.