. . . Trust in the Cosmic Real Estate Developer?

Dr. Michael Youssef: How can I get more of God? How can I be more for God? How can I do more for God? Jesus gives us the answer. Here's what he said: "Those who are faithful with little are going to be faithful with much."
Guest (Male): Welcome to Leading The Way with international Bible teacher and the author of more than 50 books, Dr. Michael Youssef. In a moment, Dr. Youssef familiarizes you with Caleb, a man who lived a life of faithfulness, and he became a shining example of loyal service to God for all generations to see. So if your situation allows it, join Dr. Michael Youssef in Joshua chapter 13 as he continues his series called, "You want me to do what?"
Dr. Michael Youssef: I had the privilege of speaking at a very large breakfast of folks who are professional in the real estate world. I think it was called the Urban Land Institute, if I remember correctly. They asked me to just say a few words and then lead in prayer. Back in the good old days when not many people knew who I was, I got up and I said, "My name is Michael Youssef and I work for the very largest real estate owner and developer in the whole universe. And I talk to him at times to give you some of you, at least, part of the action, at least the ones I know." And then you could hear a pin drop. I mean, I'm sure they were saying, "Who in the world is this guy here?" Then I led in prayer. Well, the vast majority got the point. But there were about two or three, at least two or three who came back to me afterward at the end of the breakfast and handed me their card and said, in effect, "If we can do business with your man, please call me." I took their cards and I foolishly did not call them. I should have. I'm sure they would be shocked. But that is the absolute truth. God is the largest real estate owner and developer in the whole universe. And in this series of messages entitled "You want me to do what?", the answer today is: Trust in the cosmic real estate developer. Joshua chapter 13 all the way to 17, when you go home, read it. We have seen the people of God crossing over the river of their impossibilities. Then we see them penetrating the impenetrable wall of Jericho. And then we saw them in the last message having complete victory, just as God told them to. And here, in these few chapters, we see how God is dividing the land among the tribes of Israel, the land of promise that he promised Abraham 400 years before they got into it. Because God told them not only to conquer the land but also to distribute the land. It is God who gives us the territories in which we operate. It is God who gives us all the blessings. It is God who gives us all the opportunities that we have. The Bible said that every good and perfect gift comes from the hand of God. The Bible said that when Jesus Christ was ascended on high, he gave gifts to people. The Bible said that God wants us to discover our gifts. God wants his children to use their gifts. God wants his children to invest his gifts. God wants his children to put his gifts into use. And so you may ask, well, how does God divide among his children today? We know this is a piece of land, we know how God divided, but how does God today divide the territories? How does God today divide the opportunities? How does God today bless his people? How does God today work in the lives of his children? Well, the first thing you need to know is that God does not arbitrarily divide the territories. He does not do that. He distributes them on the basis of your faithfulness to God. For example, the Old Testament teaches that the older boy must receive a double portion of the inheritance. But you look here in the book of Joshua and you see Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, did not get a double portion. In fact, he didn't get much at all. You would say, "Why is that?" Ah, because Reuben sinned against his father, Israel, and therefore, his unfaithfulness determined the territories that he's supposed to get. The Levites, the tribe of the Levites, didn't get anything. They didn't get a piece of the action. Why? Because they were the priests and they were to minister across boundaries and across borders. Therefore, they did not have a land. But in the book of Joshua, chapter 14, Caleb gets singled out to get the best part of all, the greatest and the best part of the territory. I'm going to come to Caleb in a minute. In fact, I'm going to focus on Caleb. But before I get to this, I want to press a point. I want to press a point because if you get one thing today, just one thing, I hope you'll get that point. Because you have to ask yourself, what's going on? Is God an unfair God? Is God an unjust God? Does God understand that this inequality of dividing of the territory and the land among his children is going to create jealousy, is going to create bitterness, is going to create division? Does God understand that? And the answer is, yes, he does. And he's not unfair and he's not unjust. But because God sees the beginning and the end all together, we don't. Because God knows the secrets of your heart and mine, we don't. Because God knows everyone's motive, we don't. Because God knows the future better than we even know our past. And therefore, he gives us our territories based on our measure of faith, based on our faithfulness to him. He gives us opportunities based on his omniscience. He sets our boundaries based on his perfect knowledge, not based on an imperfect, selfish, subjective decision. But I'm sure probably some still saying, well, but how can I get more of God? How can I be more for God? How can I do more for God? Jesus gives us the answer. Here's what he said: "Those who are faithful with little are going to be faithful with much. Those who are faithful with small things are going to be faithful with the big things." This is how it works. God gives us a small blessing. He gives us a small territory. He gives us small opportunities. And then he watches from heaven. And he watches and he sees. What are we doing with the small blessing? What are we doing with that opportunity? What are we doing with the small territory? Why? Why is he watching you? Because your future blessings, your future territories, your future opportunities, your future use by God are dependent on how you handle the small one. Amen belongs here. Jesus told the parable and we call it the Parable of the Talents. But it's really a very simple parable. There were three guys. Imagine an investor, three money managers. He gives the first one 10 talents to invest, gives the second one five, and he gives the third one one talent. And then he sends them on their way. Was God unfair? No. Why? He knew the heart. He knew how each of them is going to react. He knew how each of them is going to respond. The man with the 10 talents went and worked hard and brought 10 more, handed him 20. The man with the five went out and worked hard and brought five more, and he gave him 10. They both doubled the investments. But the master commended them both equally. He didn't say to the one who brought 10, "You did a great job. You're much better than the one who brought five." No way. He commended them exactly in the same words. He never expected the one with the five to go out and make 10 and bring 15. He did not expect that because he's a fair and just God. But what about the one who got that one talent? You know what he did? He walked out and held a pity party. He did. It's not in the Bible but you know what I mean. He said, "Oh, poor me. I didn't have as much as they did and I feel slighted, I feel insulted, I feel distrusted. I didn't get as much as those guys. Poor me." That's what he did. "What can I do with that lonely talent? It's not worth my effort, it's not worth my energy, it's not even worth me waking up in the morning. Why couldn't I get five, 10 or even more than that? I am being unfairly treated. I am being unjustly treated." And he went on and on and on. Don't you hate it when people hold pity parties? So he bundled that one talent, dug a hole and buried it. He said, "At least I keep it safe." Question: Would this man have reacted differently if he was given 10 or even 20 talents? No. You got it. You see, the amount is not the issue. The amount is not the issue. And that is why Jesus said, the one who is going to be faithful with the small blessing, with the small opportunity, with the small territory is going to be faithful with the big one. And therefore, he can be entrusted with big things. Not just in this life, but in the life to come. How many of you know that we're going to reign and rule the universe with Christ? Amen. Amen. We're going to reign and rule. How are we going to reign and rule when we've got some lazy people around? Amen. I'll say it for you. And the question here in Joshua chapter 14: Why did Caleb get more than the others? Why was he singled out for a special honor in the division of the land? Ah, let me tell you about Caleb. Do you want to hear about Caleb? This man is incredible. Caleb and Joshua were two of the 12 people that when they were in the wilderness, when the people of God came out of slavery, got into the wilderness, Moses sent 12 people to spy the land, the Promised Land. Moses was very democratic. He believed in representative government. So he told each tribe, he said, "Look, select a guy, select one person, and we'll send 12 of all the 12 tribes of Israel and let them go and spy the land and come back and tell us what's going on." So they go in there and they look around, they spy the land, they search it, they're looking at the people, they're looking at their activities, they're looking at all that's going on, the economy, everything that's going on. They see everything and then they come back and they bring two reports. There was a majority report and there was a minority report. The vote was basically 10 to two. Very democratic. Isn't it amazing? I'm so glad God overrules all that. And so the report was from the majority, 10 people said the land is full of giants, they will eat our lunch, we could never go in there, we can't take them on. Then they began to feel miserable and said, "We'll die in the wilderness, go back to Egypt, what's going to happen to us?" Doom and gloom and doom and gloom. And then comes Caleb and Joshua. And Caleb says, "Nonsense." Now, the Bible didn't say that, I'm saying that, but basically, that's what they would have said if they spoke English. "Nonsense. What are they afraid of? What do they think they're giants? They are not giants at all. And furthermore, we have God's own promise that he's going to be with us, that he's going to give us the victory, that he will never leave us nor forsake us. We can take them on. Let's go." Beloved, listen to me. You do not have to have a seminary degree to know that God loves faith, that God loves optimism, that God loves those who trust in his promises, that God loves risk-taking faith, that God is honored by a childlike faith. And even here in Joshua 14:12—now, can you do a little bit of mental gymnastics with your math? All this I told you about Caleb, that happened 45 years prior to Joshua 14:12. Okay, 45 years earlier when they went to spy the land and Caleb came back and said, "We'll take them on." That was 45 years later that we come here now in this passage, Joshua chapter 14, verse 12. 45 years later after the census, Caleb says to Joshua, he said, "Give me that mountain that is filled with giants. I'm going to take them on. I may be near 90, but I'm as strong as I was in my 40s." Let me have a word with those who think they want to retire from the work of God. I want you to go home and read Joshua 14:12 every single day. If you think you want to take it easy in the work of God, here's what you need to remember every single day: "Now, give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself, Joshua, heard then that the Anakites (these are the giants) were there and their cities were large and fortified, but the Lord helping me, I'll drive them out." Isn't that great? Just as he said. Because he put his trust in God. Just as God said, I'll drive them out. Now listen to me. I don't want you to miss what I'm going to tell you, please. Caleb's unshakeable faith was willing to wait for 45 years. Listen to me, there's some believers who can't wait before God for 45 minutes. This man was willing to wait for 45 years and he never gave up on the promises of God. He never wavered in his faith in God. He never let up of his trust in God. He never stopped working and waiting for God. In fact, Caleb reminds me of the story of a shoe company. This is many years ago and they wanted to start a business in a foreign land. They sent a guy who was like those 10 people, obviously. And he goes in there, he comes back and he said, "Forget it. Don't waste your money, don't waste your time. Nobody wears shoes in that country." So they sent another guy who was like Caleb. He cabled within a week. He said, "Manufacture all the shoes that you can get your hands on. There is plenty of people here who need to wear shoes." Caleb was hitting 90, but he was ready for one more fight. Caleb might be hitting 90, but he was ready to take the Anakites, he was ready to take on the giants that all the other 10 were terrified of. He was ready to take the hill for God. Do you want to know how to increase your territories? Do you want to know how to be blessed of God? Do you want to know how to enlarge your opportunities for witnessing and serving and being useful for the kingdom of God? Listen to me. If you want to know that, remember the words of Jesus: "Be faithful with the small things and don't be surprised when he gives you the big things." Don't despise the day of small things. Listen, Caleb could have said, "Joshua, my old buddy, we've been through wars together. We've been through tough times together. We have exercised our faith together 45 years ago. Oh, but Joshua, you look at me, I'm about 90 years old. Please give me this valley so I can spend the rest of my years in peace." He could have said, "Oh, Joshua, give me that lush land so that I can spend the rest of my years in comfort." He could have said to him, "For all time's sake, Joshua, I worked hard all of my life and now I need some well-earned rest." Read my lips. No way. Caleb said, "Give me that rugged mountain. Give me the tough assignment. Give me what nobody else wants to take. Give me that mountain." Somebody said that you can tell a man's size by the size of the challenge that he undertakes. And Caleb chose the ominous challenge, not because of arrogance, not because he trusted in his own abilities. No, read what he said: "Because he promised." You see, because he trusted in the power of his God, because he had confidence in the promises of his God. Beloved, I'm going to get ready to close. And I want to plead with you. There are plenty of territories that are unoccupied right now. There are blessings in heaven that are going unclaimed. They are in the stores of heaven because God's people would not be faithful with the little they were given. Will you say with Caleb, "Give me this mountain"? Or will you say, "Give me that valley"? Father, I thank you for these men of God of old, the women of God. We thank you that you have preserved your word so today here we are 3,600 years later we can be blessed and challenged by your servant Caleb. Lord, I pray that the spirit of Caleb would penetrate every heart that is listening to me right now in the name of Jesus. That that spirit will come and dominate and rule and strengthen that we will put our faith in you, that we put our trust in you, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Guest (Male): An invitation to trust in the power and promises of God. Thank you for making Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef part of your day. Listen to this and many other messages from Dr. Youssef on the radio, online and with the Leading The Way mobile app, or by subscribing to the Leading The Way podcast. Details at ltw.org. Leading The Way is strategically reaching people where they are. In the Western world, in the Middle East and other places, Leading The Way can reach people truly anywhere in the world with the gospel message through these open doors that technology allows. So Leading The Way is allowing that opportunity for people in all walks of life. And that's something that's important to me. It really is an encouragement the truly international reach that the ministry has, from the open door initiatives and campaigns to the Navigators, to Kingdom SAT, and the Awake America rallies. Leading The Way is a witness. It's taking a gospel message and sharing that to people that maybe haven't heard what the true gospel looks like. I sat for about six months in jail. One of the girls felt pity for me and she slid that tablet underneath the door. I found Michael Youssef and Leading The Way ministries, and everything was available in that app. It taught me things I had never even heard of before. I started to understand who God was. God has opened up so many doors in my life that I really never thought were ever going to happen for me. By listening to Dr. Michael Youssef, my faith began to grow. And when I found out that Dr. Youssef and the rest of the team were coming to D.C., I was so excited. I just knew that I had to be there to hear Dr. Youssef proclaim the gospel and to be in prayer along with my brothers and sisters in Christ. It was such an amazing event. The Lord used Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef in my life to help me greatly. We decided to partner with Leading The Way because of all the magnificent tools they have reaching the earth. And then Dr. Youssef's teachings on tithing and that everything we have, everything we are, everything is from God, and to give back. It means so much to us that we can be a part of helping Dr. Youssef bring souls to Christ. Leading The Way ministry has been a godsend for us and we are so thankful for it. It's making the world a better place. Partner with Leading The Way today and become a Frontline Mission Partner. Through your regular giving and prayer support, lives will be touched, souls will be saved, and the gospel will be heard in the remote villages of our world. Get the details on how to become a Frontline Mission Partner, including all of the special benefits, from a ministry representative at 866-626-4356 and online at ltw.org. This program is brought to you by Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform.