YOU WON’T BE HERE LONG | Joshua 1:7–11 | Chris Durso

was so rich. And what was so encouraging is that if you were a part of our journey and if not, that's okay. But for the year of 2024, we were in the book of Joshua every month that's a whole Bible study. In fact, one of our one of our attendees, one of our members of the church, I don't know if we use that terminology yet, but reached out to me and said, Pastor Chris, the first Bible study I ever came to, you were preaching on Joshua 1, and it just felt like a full circle moment. And to be honest with you, I couldn't stop thinking about it when Pastor Mike got up last week, because even though we had talked, I didn't talk to him about what he was going to preach on. He didn't know what we had been talking about. And even more so, he preached last Sunday, the Monday before that. I was sitting in my chair praying that Monday morning, and I felt something to tell me to start rereading Joshua again. And I'm saying all that because they all serve as indicators of what not only God is doing in our church, and he's doing something significant in our church, but he's doing something significant in our lives. I believe that the overflow of blessing that comes from hearing the Word of God is going to spill out into your life. It's going to spill out into your families. It's going to spill out into your businesses. It's going to spill out into your singleness. It's going to spill out into your marriage. It's going to spill out into your parenting. It's going to spill out regardless of the season of life you find yourself in. So today, I want to draw your attention right back to Joshua 1. And I'm going to pick up where Pastor Mike left off. He ended last week on Joshua 1, verse 7. I'm going to pick up on Joshua 1, verse 7, and I'm going to read us through verse 11. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the law of my servant Moses that gave you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go. Let's just pause right there. That one line is such a word for each and every one of us. Do not turn to the left and do not turn to the right. And the promises is that you may be successful wherever you go. You will be successful wherever you go if you keep your eye on the prize and you stop playing games. Looking to the left and looking to the right. Now, let's also understand that I am reading to you an Old Testament verse. We believe that Jesus fulfilled the law of the Old Testament. And now we have the grace of God through his salvation and through his resurrection that in the New Testament, we are New Covenant believers. That's what that means because

we are on the other side of the resurrection of Jesus. We are New Covenant believers, which means he's not going to treat us as our sins deserve, which also speaks to this idea that when you look to the left and when you look to the right, you could still be successful in God. However, just because you have the grace of God to make it to where it is that he's leading you doesn't mean that looking to the left and the right still won't serve as a distraction as you get there. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go. Look at verse 8. "Keep this book of the law always on your lips. 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. Say then." Come on loud and proud. Say then. "Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. I think to myself, why is it that God finds the need to repeat himself? He already said be strong and courageous. Then a few verses later he says, then I already remind you, be strong and courageous. Could it be that he wasn't just giving a good speech to Joshua, but he was speaking to the humanity of Joshua? Maybe Joshua's emotions were being seen by God. You're wearing your heart on your sleeves so to say? Because just because you tell someone to do something doesn't mean that they do it. You ever told someone to calm down? It doesn't work. Here's what we know. That each and every one of us have the ability to calm down when we feel like we don't want to, no matter what you tell yourself. This is the conversation that God is having with Joshua. I know you're overwhelmed. I know you're scared. I know Moses is gone. You loved him. You looked up to him. Now this is the part I want to emphasize on look at verse 10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people go through the camp and tell the people Get your provisions ready Get your provisions ready Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land The Lord your God is giving to you for your own He says you got three days to get your provisions ready, and then we are crossing You know what else he's saying?

You're not gonna stay here long That's the title of my message if you're taking notes right that down You are not gonna stay here long, and this is what I want to emphasize as God is not only speaking to Joshua But as we lean into the Holy Spirit as to what he is saying to us not only as a people But as a community as a church as good company. Here's what he's saying I'm so proud of you will celebrate a year look at all your progress look at all the great things you've done and We're not staying here We're not gonna stay here for that much longer in fact through the word he gives a time limit where we got three days Get your provisions ready because what are we gonna do? We're about to cross the Jordan. Let's start with the Jordan He says you will cross the Jordan Not do you want to cross the Jordan? Not how do you feel about the Jordan? When you're thinking of a destination and all the places you'd like to go How does it how does the Jordan sound to you? That is not the conversation the conversation is this get ready? Because the destination has already been determined. I Want to tell you as a church our destination has already been determined by God What God wants to do in this house the destination has already been determined what God wants to do in your life The destination has already been determined the next season has been determined the next chapter has already Been written the days of your life have already been marked out by God. It has already been determined So the question today is not are you gonna get there the question that we have to answer today is how are you going to arrive? How are you going to show up? Are you gonna step into the promised land with praise and with joy or are you stepping in with sorrow? Are you stepping in with frustration? Are you stepping in with anger because nobody considered you first? He did not ask for your opinion He just told you the destination and he was not asking to hear what you thought about where you were going He just said get your stuff together because we got somewhere to go and here's what I want you to know I know you want to be offended by it. I know you want to be frustrated by it I know you want to be overwhelmed by it, but be strong and be courageous. In other words grow up You ever go somewhere as a group This is where we're going to dinner as a dad we deal with it all the time My wife and I decide here's where we're going and my kids they're perfect, but at one point not so much

They would have their own thoughts about what we should be eating and I'm thinking to myself. You're getting to eat tonight Be grateful, you know, I Just find it that in 2026 we're living in a society where everybody is entitled to be included on what God wants to do in their own lives Where God is calling you to needs to be accepted Without your opinion Without your commentary So the word is not let me hear what you really think about Jordan the word is be strong and courageous be strong and courageous be be Be Notice God doesn't say to Joshua Joshua. I'm calling you to the Jordan and because I'm calling you to the Jordan I am gracing you with strength and courage. That's not what he says He says be be suggest that the strength and the courage is already on the inside of Joshua He's not saying I'm about to give you courage and I'm gonna give you strength He's saying I've already equipped you with the strength and I've already equipped you with the courage even though you're not behaving like it You are behaving scared, you're behaving overworked. but what I am telling you is that you are to look back inwardly and you're to speak to yourself and say get up get your Stuff together be strong and be courageous because we got landed to take we have Jordan's to cross We have prosperity in front of us And I know it scares you and I know you're hoping that somebody else is gonna come along and put their arm around you But with all due respect to someone else coming along is not the God of the universe Enough and what I'm saying to you good company church is that he is speaking and it should be we would be wise of us to lean in and say Yes, Lord. Your servant is listening. I Don't need another word. I don't need another confirmation. I just need to accept the word I already got what did God say about the next season? What did God say about the marriage? What did God say about your future? What did he say about the business? What did he say about the finances? Stop wrestling with it and accept it and become what he's called you to become because many of you Are are operating in weakness because you're hoping somebody else comes up and lifts up your arms

You don't need anyone to lift up your arms. It's on the inside of you Be strong Be courageous be be sure stop crying be strong Stop second guessing be be strong stop looking for everyone else to to agree with what it is that God gave you be strong Be strong is it's time to realize what was put on the inside of you be strong because here's the sad part Many of you are waiting for someone else to show up and the truth is you need to show up The strong version of you the mighty version of you the version of you that God put on the inside of you I know you're feeling weak right now. I know you're feeling scared right now Joshua But be strong and courageous get in I know you want to hide in that wine press I know you don't want to move forward, but here's what I know rise up almighty warrior There's a mighty warrior on the inside of you. I know you don't feel like you right now I know you want to give up right now, but how about instead of allowing your emotions to dictate what you do You start speaking back and say I am a child of God and I was created for such a time as this and because God is with me I could go forward and I could do everything it is that he's called me to do Is there anybody in the room under the sound of my voice that says I am willing to receive? Everything it is that God has for me. I'm not sitting out anymore. I'm not crying anymore I'm gonna be the man of God that he created me to be if that is you take about 30 seconds Lift up your hands open up your mouths and with everything on the inside of you. Give him your best shout Be strong Be strong I'm with you and I'm for you be strong. I'm with you and I'm for you be strong be be strong I called you to it be strong. I Know that season almost took you out, but it didn't be strong I know we're trying to rob your voice, but be strong I know it told you that there was a ministry in front of you But be strong and courageous because the enemy wants you to die right here But guess what here has an expiration date. We're not staying here that much longer So if you're gonna enter in to the next season do it with strength and do it with courage be strong good company The reason why this is so necessary is because next season is happening ready or not Prosperity is coming ready or not new land is coming new territories coming new buildings are coming more finances are coming

It's coming. How are you gonna show up because here's the thing some of you will turn a blessing into a burden If you do not allow the Holy Spirit to shift what's on the inside of you Here's what I'm really saying God could shift everything around you, but if you don't shift what's inside of you You're gonna show up to a blessing complaining because you can't even see it for what it is And now the next relationship ends up like the last relationship Because you can't see it for the blessing that it is the new job looks like the old job because you can't see it for What it is you want to shift to happen on the earth praise God. Let's make sure one first happens in your mind Be strong and courageous be strong and Courageous when I stay in here that much longer Get your provisions ready Get your provisions ready get your provisions ready Get your provisions ready. Get your provisions ready. Here's another way of saying it. What you thought you needed here, you won't need there. Get your provisions ready. What you thought you needed here, you will not need there. Get your provisions ready. Notice he says provision, not preference. Get your provision ready. Get your provisions ready. Get your provisions ready. Not your preferences, not your comfortability, not what you like. Get your provisions ready. There is a great difference between provision and preference. And here's what I know. Everybody wants comfort.

He did not say, get comfortable so that you could be prepared for the trip. He said, get ready to prepare what it is that you actually need for where we're going. Well, where are we going? It's a promised land. What does it look like? I'm not sure. No eye is seen it. No ear is heard it. No human mind has understood it before, but that's what God has for those that love them. But we're gonna cross the Jordan. We're gonna cross the Jordan. How are we gonna cross? I'm not sure. We might swim. We might take a boat or maybe, just maybe, he splits the Jordan the same way he did the Red Sea. He's God. He does what he wants, when he wants to do it. But here's what I know. It is not up to me. It is not up to me to understand how it's gonna happen, but it is up to me to provide for it when it happens. Get your provisions ready. Stop playing games. What's provision? To supply with needed materials. Somebody say needed.

Say allowed or say needed. To supply with needed materials. Doesn't say preferred. Says needed. See, provision is whatever is necessary for where God is taking me. But a preference, a preference is a greater liking for one alternative over another. Here's another way of saying it. Provision deals with necessity. Preference deals with choice. If you are gonna go into the next season, what you do not need is what you consider a choice. What you need is a necessity. What you need is what God has for you so that you could be able to steward it when he gives it a hand. If you do not prepare, you're gonna show up to the blessing and be ill-equipped to steward what's actually supposed to be a blessing to you and those around you. And sadly, there exists a stigma in the church that if I just pray hard enough, but my brothers and my sisters prayer without preparation is simply wishful thinking. You have to learn how to prepare for the very prayers that you're praying for. And God is saying what you think you need over there, I've already inserted on the inside of you.

You know what I know about the Jordan? The Jordan did not make Joshua strong and courageous. The Jordan just put on display, the strength and the courage that was already on the inside of him. Because he finds himself in that position. He found himself able to do everything it is that God was telling him to step into. I feel the Holy Spirit encouraging me to challenge you all to start figuring out what is necessary in this next season and what you've just become comfortable with. Your friend group, the language that you use, the things that you're watching, the behaviors that you've just become so accustomed to, the drinking, the smoking, the gambling, the partying, whatever it might be, he's saying, what got you here? And what you considered comfort here, but I'm telling you, I do not want you to take it there. I want you only to pack your provisions. I've learned, I've learned that when I go into the next season without trying to over pack, what I thought I needed, I find the better version of on the other side of it. There's a better version waiting for you. The relationship that you thought you were finding in him or her, the truth is, my brother, my sister, you were only settling. You were settling and you were trying to romanticize it

and you were trying to find a good man in him, but he really wasn't treating you well. You were trying to find a good woman in her, but she really wasn't treating you well. You just got so accustomed to him or her and you got used to being around him or her that now you're scared to move into what's next and what God is saying, honey, what I have for you is so much better than what you're holding on to. I need you to let go of it. I want you to prepare your provisions. I want you to prepare your provisions Can you put that chart up for me? This is all about what you need for where you're going. What you need for where you're going. You want comfort. You don't need comfort. You want courage. You want control. You need trust. Whereas all my control people at. Well, I don't know if that's a really good woo to, (audience laughs) to let out, but hey, thank you for your honesty. We applaud that. You want control, what do you need? Come on, let's say it again. Do you want control, what do you need? You want certainty, but what do you need? You want certainty, you want,

you want to know that everything is going to play out, but can I tell you this is the best part? It's not going to play out the way you want it to play out. It's actually going to play out better than you wanted it to play out. And if God gave you what you wanted, he would actually be robbing you of the blessings that he has. This is where you have to relinquish control and stop saying, God, I want you to show me what's going to happen. I just want you to make sure, I want to make sure that before I say yes, to showing up over there that I get everything I wanted. And he's saying, son daughter, I'm going to give you something better than what you wanted. I'm going to exceed your wildest imagination because you thought you were only good enough for this. But what I have for you is far beyond it. You want certainty, you need faith. You want convenience, you need discipline. Well, we need discipline, good company. You need discipline if we're really outgrowing this space, and I believe that we are. If we're walking into a new season and this room isn't going to be able to handle us by Easter, and that's the fact, you know, we need we need discipline. We need to make up our minds. We need to fixate our attention. We need to get our provisions together. Stop negotiating. And accept the will of God that's over your life.

You want approval, you need conviction. Give me somebody with conviction any day. Somebody with conviction is not going to succumb to peer pressure. You could do what you want. You could say what you'd like. I have so much conviction that I'm not even paying attention to what you're offering me. You ever go out to eat with somebody? That's on a strict diet? And it doesn't matter what you say to them, you're not going to convince them. You order the extra appetizer. Why? Because misery loves company. You want them to eat like you're eating. But there are people that are completely unbothered. In fact, Pastor Tim Ross, this is Pastor Tim Ross to the tea. He was just in town, just the other day. And me and Jairus took him out to eat. Like, where do you want to go? He was like, I want Cuban food. I'm like, Cuban, let's go. I love Cuban food. We take him to this Cuban restaurant. We sit down. I'm thinking he wants Cuban food. Let's order all the food. We order all these appetizers that we wouldn't normally eat. But I'm trying to honor the man of God. And then the appetizer show, he's like, all right, I'm eating that.

I'm like, why? He's like, I just decided I'm going to become a Pescatarian. I'm like, right now? He's like, yeah. I'm like, how about we start afterwards? Because we just drove all the way over here. I was like, no, it's OK, you eat it. [LAUGHTER] There was nothing I could say or do to sway him. Jairus kept offering him these different sauces. She's like, oh, no, but you got to try this. And he was like, oh, no. I don't even know what that face is. I just-- you eat it. Because when you have-- when you have conviction, you're not looking to appease the people that are seated around you. By the way, if someone's really for you, they're not going to ask you to compromise your convictions. If he's really from God, if she's really from God, they're not going to ask you to compromise your convictions. If you tell them that you're serving God, and they ask you to sleep over, allow that to become the biggest red flag for you to walk away. If you tell them that you're living for Jesus, and they say, hey, don't worry about church. Let's just go on over here. Allow that to serve as a red flag. I do not believe that if you miss a service, you're going to hell.

But I do believe that if somebody really loves you, they're going to call you higher, not pull you away. [APPLAUSE] Too many of you want an explanation. What you need is obedience. They never got to talk with God and agree with him about where they were going. They just had to obey the direction, obey where he's leading you, even if you don't fully understand it. You want people who always agree with you. You need people who tell you the truth. You need a church. You need a pastor. You need a friend. You need a spouse. You need a boyfriend. You need a girlfriend. You need a manager that tells you, I love you. But it's time to grow up. I love you, you play it too safe. I love you, you're always looking for everyone to roll out the red car before you. I love you, but it is time to get up and go. 'Cause here's what I know. Here has an expiration date. We're moving, we're headed somewhere. We're going to exactly where it is that God has for us. And here's the thing, he's telling you to pack,

pack your provisions. Stop trying to leave space in your back to take something that he didn't ask you to bring. Because I promise you, even if you make space for it, you're going to realize that you won't need it when you get there. A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I, my daughter Chloe, went to Florida to visit my son. And at the end of that trip, they were headed home back to New York and I was headed on to Houston to preach at a conference. Now, when it comes to traveling, it doesn't matter if I'm gone two days, five days, or eight days, I'm going to do everything in a carry-on. I believe that if you check in a bag and you're not going in an international, there's something wrong with you. If you ever travel with me and you have to check in a bag, you're operating in sin. (audience laughing) So because I knew where we were going and what I had to get done, I made sure that I packed every outfit accordingly. What I was going to work out in, what I was going to hang out in, what I was going to preach in, and I had it all done perfectly so that I could be prepared for my trip.

Well, when we were at Orlando International, I said goodbye to my wife and daughter and they flew home and I flew on over to Houston. The issue is, is that I took Jairus' bag and she took mine. How does this happen? Well, we thought it'd be cute to get matching luggage. So not only did we get the same brand, but we got the same exact model in the same exact color, why? Because it looks good on the gram, you know what I mean? (audience laughing) I love that that got the clap. Amen, amen. When I made it to my hotel room, 1 a.m. the next morning, is when I realized it. I opened up the bag and here's the thing, it was packed perfectly. I thought I could pack or I could pack. Everything was pretty. It was laid out and the truth is it was appropriate for her. It was nothing I needed. There was nothing wrong with what she packed, but what she packed wasn't necessary for me. The Holy Spirit is saying, pack your provisions. Pack what you need for the next season.

What you need for the next season looks like prayer. What you need for the next season looks like character. What you need for the next season may look like singleness. What you need for the next season looks like peace of mind. What you need for the next season is exactly what it is that God has for you. There are certain things in your life. They're not necessarily sin, but you shouldn't be taking them with you where you're going. And here's what I know. What he has for you is beautiful. What he has for you is incredible and he is calling you to step out and to step into it. But if you're going to step into it, you want to make sure that you step into the promise accordingly and appropriately. And in his grace and his mercy, he gives us the time just enough that we could hear before we move, but he will not allow us to remain where we are for too much longer. Here has an expiration date. I love here. For being honest, I prayed for here. I prayed for us to get here as a church. I prayed for the room to be full. I prayed for the Gramacy Theater. I prayed for a worship team.

I prayed for incredible musicians. I love here. I love everything that God is doing. And yet I just can't fight the fact that there is more in front of us. And here's what I know. I want all of us to go together. I want all of us to be in one accord in one mind and understanding what God is doing. It's going to be absolutely beautiful. And what I know there will not look like here. So if we're going to get there, then we need to pack accordingly not the preferred land. Your preferred land will cheapen your promised land. Your preferred land will cheapen your promised land. I know you thought ministry would look different in 2027. I know you thought church life would look different in 2027. I know you thought finances and family and friends will look different in 2027 but here's the thing he's not giving you what you preferred. He's giving you what he promised and what he promises already set in stone and it's everything it is that you could ever imagine and hope for and bigger and beyond and he's looking for people that don't feel the need to compromise so that they can get with them what it is that they want. Another thought I had using that same illustration is that you could pack perfectly and still carry the wrong thing. I packed perfectly and I still had the wrong bag. You have no idea what life is going to throw your way. Instead of trying to hold on, can I encourage you to learn how to let go? Look at this verse in Hebrews. Can you put that verse in Hebrews for me? Look at Hebrews chapter 12. It says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us." You notice the language? We, us, us, we, us. Here's what I know. The race is personal, but it's not isolated. The race is personal, but it's not isolated. So if I challenge you and if I encourage you, I would hate for you to look at me and say, "Who do you think you are?"

Because according to the Word of God, we're supposed to go together. We're supposed to challenge one another. I mean, my goodness, our name is good company. If we're going to go forward as good company, we have to challenge one another and say, "I don't think you should be doing that. I don't think you should be living like that. I don't think you should be hanging out like that. I'm not talking about legalism. I'm talking about love." And there was a fine line. I'm not looking for us to be legalistic. I'm not looking for us only to hang out with ourselves. I want us to go out into the world. I want us to love people. I want us to reach people. What I am talking about is growth. What I am talking about is maturity. What I am talking about is finding yourself surrounded by people that are going to look at you and say, "It's time for us to get our stuff together and go together and let go of everything it is that we have holding us down," which is so funny is that this beautiful New Testament verse that I just read to you literally shows up in the Old Testament that I'm preaching to you. Joshua tells the officers to go tell the community. The officers have to go tell the community. The community didn't hear it directly from Joshua. Why? Because there was so much trust within their community that delegation was able to happen. Well, if I don't hear it directly from Pastor Chris, I'm not going to do it. That's silly. That's not the right mindset. I see the trains on social media. If your pastor can't text you, he's not your pastor. That's dumb. It's not biblical. On one side of it, if I did text someone, someone could say that's inappropriate. It's invasive. Paul wrote to churches, Ephesians, Colossians, you're telling me he knew all the names of the hundreds of thousands of people? Tell me all those people could text them? Well, they didn't have a phone. You missed the point. You need to surround yourself with people that can encourage you to pack accordingly. Get your provisions ready. You need a word. Get your provisions ready. Stop tempering. Stop playing. Stop procrastinating. Get your provisions ready. The next season isn't going to look like this season. Get your provisions ready. What's in front of you is so much greater than what you've currently experienced. Get your provisions ready because I would hate for you to show up unprepared. - Here has a deadline. We're only gonna be here for so long. Are we talking about a physical building? No, we're not talking about a building.

We're talking about next. We're talking about growth. We're talking about a new season. Get your provisions ready. We got three days. Three literal days? No, but I'll tell you what, three is pretty symbolic, biblically. You can do a whole lot in three days, can't you? A perfect savior can go to a crooked cross and die a death that he wasn't worthy of. He who knew no sin became sin, died that death buried in the tomb, but then three days later, death was conquered and life was ours. Here's what the word of God is saying. There's a Jordan in front of you. There's a dying to self that is in front of you. And unless you die to the old you, the old you is gonna come with you into the new season. And if the old you comes with you into a new season, the new season is gonna feel too much like the old one. It is better that you walk away from it now and you pack accordingly now instead of trying to bring everything with you to where it is that he is calling you. Pack your provisions, good company. Get ready for what he has for you. I know you have a preferred land. This is not that, this is promise.

This is beauty, this is splendor. This is everything that you could never imagine, but everything that you prayed for and hoped for. Would you stand? Here's what we're gonna do. Where we're going has already been determined. What he has for you, it's already laid out. What you have to, what you have to hold on to right now is not your will but his. How did Jesus start day one of those three days? Not my will, but thy will be done. Not my will, but thy will be done. Not my preferences, but your provision. You show me what you want me to take and that's what I'm taking. And inadvertently, I'm not taking what I wanna take because I'm only taking what you've asked for. If you have the second guess it, it's 'cause he didn't ask for it. If you have to go back to him about that relationship that he hasn't given you confirmation on, maybe you just leave it behind you. Pack your provisions. We were singing that song Yahweh before. And what's the next line take over? ♪ I will wait with my faith ♪ ♪ It's not over, it's not over ♪ ♪ I want you to lift up your hands ♪ And as we begin to sing this and we invite the Holy Spirit to take over

and we ask him to sweep over our hearts and minds. If you need to get up to this altar, I want you to step out of your seat right now if you're in the very top of the balcony and you're in the middle, I want you to tell the person next to you to excuse you because this is the moment, this is the moment where you learn how to allow your preferences to fall to the side, your comfort to fall to the side and say, "Holy Spirit, I am following you." I'm not trying to bring with me what it is that I want. I want what you have and I'm throwing it to the wayside. I'm not gonna chalk it up to an enneagram. I'm not gonna chalk it up to a behavior. I'm not gonna chalk it up to a personality type. What I am saying is that I am submitted to your will. I am submitted to your way. I want what you have. I'm accepting what it is that you wanna do. The rest of you lift up your hands. The others of you that are fighting in your seat, get on up here, stop playing games. I need our team to come and start praying out. Jairus, Mike, team, come on, nana. Just go on ahead and lay hands on people. Come on, team, go on ahead, lay hands on people. All of you that are at the front, lift up your hands. Let's sing it with everything we got. ♪ Shut the days ♪