“How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land…?” (Joshua 18:3).

One of the most important lessons we can learn as Christians is that delayed obedience is a form of disobedience. With that thought in mind, let me set the context of the verse cited above and make it practical for us in our day.

The first two verses of Joshua 18 make it clear that God had worked in the midst of his people to “subdue the land that was before them.” In other words, the land was ready for the Hebrew people to dwell in. Now I am not sure why they hesitated. All we know from the text is that Joshua gathered them and asked the question contained in verse three. He then went on to outline a plan they could follow, thereby enabling them to take possession of the land. We know that they followed his advice and subsequently dwelt in the land. 

Now with that narrative in mind, I can’t help but wonder if there are times when we “put off going…” I’m guessing that there times when we sense we are to act in one way or another, yet we put off doing what we know to be right. I know that applies to a variety of situations, and perhaps applies in some way for you right now. Let me give you some examples.

From time to time I hear someone say something like this; “I know I should talk to that person about God; I know I should apologize; I know I should not hold that grudge; I know I need to be more consistent; I know the way I talk can be offensive; I know God is asking me to submit; I know………” The list is endless.

I’m sure that the people in Joshua’s day knew they should enter the land. The text tells us that the “whole congregation of Israel assembled… the land lay subdued before them.” In other words, at the time they gathered, they knew the land was theirs. Yet they hesitated to enter it until Joshua challenged them and outlined a course of action for them to follow. As a result of following Joshua’s suggestion, they were blessed.

Can you see that the same principle applies for each of us? In God’s way of working, obedience results in blessing. God always honors obedience. That’s the consistent record of the Bible. When we obey, God acts for our good. When we disobey (delayed obedience), there are always consequences.

In that light, let me ask you if there is an area in your life in which you are guilty of delayed obedience. If so, my counsel to you is quite simple; obey. Don’t rationalize why you have not done so. I’m sure you can come up with a million excuses. Don’t! Just obey! Don’t put it off any longer. God will be glorified and you will be blessed as you do so.