When Moses died, the people of Israel were paralyzed for thirty days. Moses was their leader, their pastor, and most importantly, their contact with God. When they wanted to say something to God, they said it to Moses, and he represented them before God. When God wanted to speak to the people, He sent the message through Moses. Even in his own lifetime, Moses was already a legend. Deuteronomy 34:10-12 says that there had never been another prophet like Moses, and there never has been since, and when he died, the people were in shock.

With this monumental loss, the people needed a leader, and God raised up Joshua for the task. Friend, we can learn a lot about spiritual promotion from Joshua’s life, so I just want to take you through the first few verses of the Book of Joshua, and I want to show you what it takes to receive the spiritual power and promotion that God desires for you in your calling.

Be Faithful in your Current Position

The first thing we see in Joshua’s life is that before he was ever promoted to any kind of position of power, he was faithful. Deuteronomy 34:9 says, “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.”

When we look at Joshua 1:1, we start to see a pattern:

Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,

Notice that both these verses say “Joshua the son of Nun.” When Moses died, Joshua was already a pretty old man, yet he was still called, “The son of Nun,” and this is not very common in the Old Testament. The uniqueness of this repeated title gives us insight into the relationship that Joshua had with his father. It tells us that he respected his father, loved him, and submitted to him, so much so that he was still known as the son of his father. In his own home, God was watching, and He saw that Joshua was faithful in his position as a son. His conduct in this area was so pleasing to God that when the time came and Moses needed a minister, out of all of the candidates, God chose Joshua, the son of Nun.

In his new position as Moses’ minister, Joshua continued to be faithful, and it was certainly not an easy calling. His primary responsibility in life wasn’t to speak to the people or preach or build his own ministry or anything glorious like that — his primary responsibility was to be a minister to Moses. That was his whole job, and in fact, the word here translated as “minister” can also be translated “slave.”

When you are an assistant to a man of God or a president or the head of a company, it comes with great privileges. You get to go places other people don’t go. You get to see things other people don’t see. You get to hear things other people don’t hear. You get to live in the glory of your leader and have a bit of personal fame just because of your position next to him, but there are also times when you are tempted to feel that you’re nothing but a slave. If Joshua was like any of the rest of us, that is probably how he felt at times!

Whatever Moses wanted, he called Joshua for. We can see all through Moses’ life, he was God’s chosen prophet, but he could also be a very difficult man, and Joshua’s promotion meant that he was having to deal with Moses all the time. It would have been like having that boss who is always texting and calling and needing things done, and Joshua must have had moments when he just felt like that man’s slave.

But Joshua stayed in that position, and as a result, he got to soak in the power and glory and anointing that Moses had, and he served faithfully in that position for years. Finally, when this legendary man of God died, God promoted Joshua to a new position of leadership.

Friend, this is the most important step to spiritual promotion that you can take. If you’re trying to reach the next level in your calling, you need to realize that God is watching you right now to see how you will do with the current level. Joshua was faithful as the son of his father, so God promoted him to being Moses’ minister. He was faithful as Moses’ minister, so God promoted him to being the leader of Israel. Before God gives you a greater position, He will watch to see how you respond right now, and why would He promote you if you can’t even submit to the leader or pastor or employer that you work for right now? God is always watching, observing, and looking at our hearts, and when He sees that you are ready, He will promote you.

Claim Your Spot

The second thing I want to show you here is that when God promotes you to a certain position or calls you to a certain place, He will provide whatever you need, but you need to be taking the steps to move forward in His plan.

In Joshua 1:2, the Lord makes a very gracious promise to Joshua and all the people He will lead, but in verse 3, He qualifies that promise:

“…now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

—Joshua 1:2-3

There is a very clear responsibility here. Verse 2 says, “I’m going to give you the land,” but then verse 3 — “You’ve got to put your foot on it to make it yours.” Friend, God says, “I’ll give you all the land. That’s My reward to you, but I’m not just going to lay it out in front of you. You’ve got to put your feet on it. You’ve got to take it and make it your own.”

Most people think that God just comes and touches you, and bam, everything changes. But God knows that the rewards of our callings shouldn’t come to us like that. If God had given the Israelites the whole land immediately, they wouldn’t have known what was there. They wouldn’t have known the resources, the geography, the challenges, the blessings, or the curses. They would’ve had a great big piece of land that they knew nothing about and had no ability to manage. 

If you were to receive a million dollars or were suddenly promoted to being the head of a major corporation right this moment, you probably wouldn’t know what to do with it, but God knows that. He blesses you step by step so that as you take more territory, your knowledge grows, and your ability grows so you can manage what He gives you. I encourage you, be patient where you are, be faithful in your current position, but when the time comes for promotion, you need to take that step, do the work that God has set before you, because He is setting you up to have all the skills and knowledge you will need to fulfill His plan for your life.

Stick to Your Territory

The last thing I want to show you today is that, in Joshua’s life, he was given a blessing over everything he did, but he had to make sure he was staying in the territory God had blessed him with.

Verses 4-5 say, “From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:4-5).

Friend, God did not say, “You get the whole earth, Joshua! In the whole world, I will not fail thee nor forsake thee, so just go wherever you want.” He gave Joshua a very specific territory and said, “There shall not any man stand before thee.” As long as he stayed in his place, he had a guarantee that he would be protected, that no man would be able to stand before him, that prosperity would always be with him, and that God would not fail him — all he had to do was stay within the boundaries of the blessing.

Friend, nobody’s big enough for the whole world. Sometimes I hear preachers say, “I’m going to take the whole world for Jesus,” and that just makes me think, “Don’t be silly, pastor. You’re a man, and you’re not big enough for the whole world.” God will give you part of the world. He might give you a household or a city. He might even give you a nation, but when God gives a vision, it always has boundaries. Some people are anointed for bigger territories or easier territories. Don’t be jealous of that. God knows what you were made for, and He wants you to be as effective in your work for Him as possible.

The apostles Paul and Peter are a great example of this. Paul stated that his apostleship was to the Gentiles, and Peter was the apostle to the Jews. The Gospel was for all — the same Gospel for the Jews as for the Gentiles — but Peter’s anointing was specifically for the Jews. That was his territory, his calling. He was never called to minister to Gentiles.

On the other hand, Paul was anointed for the Gentiles. He didn’t want that territory — he wanted to preach to Jews, but every time he tried, they stoned him, beat him, left him for dead, arrested him, and persecuted him. But every time he preached to the Gentiles, they got saved, they were filled with the Spirit, and they wanted to hear more. As long as Paul was in his territory, no man was able to stand against him.

Now all of us have a temptation to do more than we’re called to do, so let me remind you, you are not personally the Messiah of the world. You have a specific anointing for a specific thing. Don’t do a bunch of things that don’t contribute to your main calling. Minimize distractions, focus on your own business, and stay there. God will be with you there, blessing you.

Friend, no matter what level of your calling you are at, one of the greatest keys to success is knowing your place and staying in it. When you follow Joshua’s example, you will be faithful, confident, and blessed in every position you are placed in, and that will prepare you for the spiritual promotion that God is just waiting to give you.