Scriptures: Joshua 1:1-9, Matthew 6:34, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Hebrews 13:5-6, 1 Peter 4:11, John 14:21

In the Olympics of life, God's will for us is to win the gold medal of victory. His will is not bronze or silver but gold. The Book of Joshua is God's battle plan for victory. Normally, a battle plan is classified information, but God wants all His children to win their war over the world, flesh, and the devil. Understand that Joshua is not only a book of history; it is a book of prophecy. It is not just about what did happen, but what God wants to happen in the life of every Christian. In this message, Dr. Merritt tells the story of Joshua entering the Promised Land, and how we can realize God's best as we trust Him for the "battle plan" of life and our future.

"God does not want us to squeak by with anything last minute. It is His desire for us to be victorious consistently, continuously and completely by knockout. Canaan in the Bible does not represent heaven, Canaan represents victory. For forty years Israel had been wandering in the wilderness. Now was the time to cross over the Jordan and enter the land. Everything God had done for them in the past, the Passover, parting the Red Sea, manna in the wilderness was to get them ready to enter Canaan. He brought them out of Egypt in order for Him to bring them into the Promised Land, Canaan. What happened to them has happened to many Christians; they stopped in the wilderness, and settled for the bronze medal when they could have had the gold." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: Joshua, Canaan, Promised Land, wander, wilderness, Olympics, boxing, David Reid, Egypt, Red Sea, Moses, General Omar Bradley, George Mueller, Ben Hur, Charlton Heston ,Cecil B. DeMille