WHEN YOUR JOSHUA DIES

At every point in life we have people who matter or are very important in our lives, families, organizations and communities. But sometimes we lose them either because they chose to leave us or they died. I want to show you how to handle such lose so it doesn’t constitute a cong in the wheel of your progress.

The way life works is that when God wants to answer many of our prayers He sends us a human being. A case in point is Mosses who was sent to Egypt as a deliverer to the Israelite as a manifestation of God’s answers to their prayers of deliverance (Exodus 3:8-10). He also sends to our lives, businesses people who will help us achieve the vision He gave us for our businesses, ministries and NGOs.

However, there are times such persons become functionally dead to us and our organizations. A person is functionally dead means that he is no longer useful to you either because he dies or simply refuse to be useful to you.

“Your Joshua” as I use it in this article typifies a man who God has been using to take you, your family, community or business to the place He has destined for you. He is an epitome of your deliverer and sometimes your only human hope of survival. We have such people in our lives, country, family and business organizations. They are said to be dead when they die biological death, resign from your business or cease from helping you as they have done in the past.

Many times, when this kind of people die in our lives, we think that our case has become hopeless. We instinctively think that life can’t get better without them. Unconsciously, we lose hope in getting to our destination in life, family, community or achieving our company visions because such people are dead to our organization or nation.

That is not correct! The truth is that without those people you will still get to your destination provided you are with God. How does it work? He by Himself raises someone else that will take the place of your dead Joshua. How do I know? Let’s look at the Israelite when they were in a similar condition.

This is what people of Israel did when their Joshua died: “After Joshua died, the Israelite asked the Lord, ‘Which tribe should attack the Canaanites first?’”(Judged 6:1). The lesson for us here is that when we lose important people in our lives, we should not lose hope in making progress especially in the areas they have been useful to us, our family, organization or country. Instead, we should look up to God and ask Him, “Now that this my father, uncle or brother that pays my school fees or mentors me is dead, who shall take over from Him in providing my school fees and giving me mentoring?” He will come with an answer to you.

God gave the Israelites an answer: “The Lord answered, ‘Judea, for I have given them victory over the land.’” (Judges 6:2). God did not tell them that there is no hope for them again; instead, he pointed them to the next instrument He had prepared for them. That is why I know that you, a child of God, is not hopeless because you lost a person that is very important in your life or they choose to leave you.

Whatever they have been doing for you, turn to God and ask Him to take over from where they stopped and in answer to that prayer, He will send you your own Judea whom He has empowered to do what you need  them to get done for you.

Let me point this out: whoever God is sending into your life to help you have been empowered to help you adequately, his outlook notwithstanding. So, be careful not to despise him or lose faith in his ability to deliver the help God has packaged in him for you. Please notice that when God told them that Judea is the person that should attack the enemies, he went further to explain: “for I have given him victory…” Each time, God sends you a new Joshua, He empowers him with what he needs to carry out the necessary assignment in your life, family and organization.

That is why I beseech you to stop mourning over that uncle that suddenly refused to sponsor you or a father that says that because of your Christian faith you are no longer her daughter. Move away from depression because one of your best employees or partner in your NGO or ministry woke up one day and for no fault of yours, decided to resign. Stop worrying. When God sends you another Joshua, you will be glad the person left.

See, if you are in business or started that NGO or ministry on a God-given mission, He will supply you with every resources you need to fulfill the mission. If anybody leaves, ask God, who is the replacement. Believe me, He will direct you to the next person or explain to you that you don’t really need more people.

My friend listen: if someone who have been of help to you wake up one day with a demand that you cannot meet because of your belief and commitment to walk with God, don’t be afraid to tell him you can’t meet his demand. If he leaves you, God will send you another and better helper. Don’t be afraid of powerful people in your life, community or organization that will be offended by your Christian convictions because they may leave you or stop helping you. God is your father and He is your helper. He only uses people.

Please let it sink in your subconscious that the helps you need are sent by God to you and not gotten by your labours. So when you need help, look up to God and not anybody. Even when you have them, still understand that they are God in human flesh. That way, you won’t fall into the temptation of worshiping anybody who tries to make himself  God.

The man of God, Charles Spurgeon captures the right way to look at help and helpers in this statement credited to him: “When you have no helper, see your helper in God. When you have many helpers, see God in all your helpers. When you have nothing but God, see all in God. When you have everything, see God in everything. Under all conditions, stay they heart only on the Lord.”

What have I said in all this? Most times, God’s answer to our prayers is the gift of human beings. But sometimes we lose them or they simply refuse to help us as they use to. When we lose important people in our lives, we instinctively think that life can’t get better without them. Unconsciously, we lose hope in getting to our destination in life, family, community or achieving our company visions because such people are dead to our organization or nation. That is not correct. The truth is that without those people you will still get to your destination provided you are with God. How does it work? Just ask Him for a replacement for the person that left you and He by Himself will raises someone else that will take the place of the person you lost. That’s what the Israelite did when they lost their Joshua and they got Judea as a replacement.