How can we trust God's promises like Ephraim and Manasseh did? The Setting: Joshua 16:4 “So the descendants of Joseph—Manasseh and Ephraim—received their inheritance.” What Ephraim and Manasseh Teach Us About Trusting God • They counted on a promise spoken generations earlier (Genesis 48:3-22). • They waited through slavery in Egypt, wilderness wandering, and warfare in Canaan before seeing the land for themselves. • They accepted their allotted borders even while enemies still lived there (Joshua 17:12-13), evidencing faith that God would finish what He started. Why God’s Promises Are Rock-Solid • God’s character: “God is not a man, that He should lie… Has He said, and will He not do it?” (Numbers 23:19) • God’s track record: From Abraham (Genesis 12) to the cross and empty tomb (John 19-20), every promise fulfilled affirms the next. • God’s guarantee in Christ: “For all the promises of God are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:20) Five Simple Ways to Trust Like Ephraim and Manasseh 1. Revisit the promise often. Keep Scripture in front of your eyes; write it down, speak it aloud (Joshua 1:8). 2. Remember the covenant history. Rehearse moments where God has already come through—both in the Bible and in your life. 3. Refuse to let obstacles cancel faith. Giant-filled hills didn’t negate the inheritance (Joshua 17:16-18). 4. Respond in obedience today. Faith shows up in steps—staking a tent peg in land not fully conquered yet. 5. Rely on God’s faithfulness, not your feelings. “Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) Promises Worth Clinging To Right Now • Presence: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) • Provision: “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) • Peace: “You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3) • Power for obedience: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3) • Future hope: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” (Philippians 1:6) Living It Out This Week • Choose one promise above and memorize it. • Write a brief timeline of God’s past faithfulness in your life. • Tackle one “Canaanite stronghold” (a lingering sin or fear) with practical obedience, trusting God to drive it out in His timing. • Share a testimony of God’s reliability with a family member, passing the story on just as Jacob did to Joseph’s sons. |
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