Taking Hold of the New

Have you ever had to let go of something old to take hold of
the new thing God had for you?

In Joshua 1, we find a conversation between God and Israel’s
new leader. Joshua had followed in Moses’s footsteps for years. Now, it was his
time to lead the nation. God begins by saying these words to Joshua in Joshua
1:2:

“Moses my servant is
dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into
the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.”

Notice the very first sentence. It’s not encouragement. It’s
not a marker of Joshua’s new identity. In fact, it’s not about Joshua at all.
God’s first words in this book are, “Moses my servant is dead.”

Why is this? I believe it’s because God knows that, before
we can take hold of the new things He has for us, we have to be trained to let
go of the old. Joshua couldn’t cling to the memory and legacy of Moses as
inspiration for his new role. He had to lead in his own way. After all, Moses’s
leadership had resulted in an extra 40 years of wandering for the people of
Israel. It was time for a new leadership to take the reins. So Joshua had to
let go of the old to embrace what God had next for the Israelites.

What “old” do you need to let go of? What memories,
legacies, or elements of your past have you not released? Are you coming out of
one season and into another? It’s so important to let go of the old in order to
take hold of the new.

If Joshua did it, so can we! God gives us the power, encouragement,
comfort, and peace to be able to let go of what’s behind us. Paul echoes this
truth in Philippians 3:13-14:

“Brothers, I do not
consider that I have made it my own. 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.”

Don’t be afraid to let go of the old. God’s got you! Release
what’s past, and take hold of the exciting future things He has in store for
you.