SERMON NOTES

Where Your Foot Lands

A new year is not simply a reset of the calendar—it is an invitation into new territory. This season is not about survival, maintenance, or waiting to see what happens. It is a dominion year.

Biblical dominion does not mean domination. It is God-given authority expressed through obedient people. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s desire has remained the same: a people who know who they are and live accordingly. The challenge has never been the strength of the enemy, but the hesitation of believers who remain standing on land God has already given them.

For this reason, the focus for the season is clear: taking ground is intentional, not automatic. God declares victory, but He invites participation. The message is simple—what you stand on determines what you possess.

What You Step On Is What You Own

Joshua 1:3 (ESV) says, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.”

This statement was not poetic language. It was divine instruction. In Scripture, the foot represents ownership, authority, and covenant claim. To place one’s foot on something was to formally declare dominion over it.

This is seen clearly in Joshua 10:24, where defeated kings had feet placed on their necks—not as humiliation, but as a declaration of transferred authority. Similarly, God instructed Abraham in Genesis 13:17 to walk through the land, because walking its boundaries was equivalent to claiming ownership.

Physical presence validated the promise. Throughout history, this principle has remained consistent. During the gold rush, miners did not simply discover gold and assume it was theirs. They staked the ground—marking boundaries and registering the claim. From that moment, the land was no longer available; it was occupied.

Promises work the same way. Gold does not belong to those who believe it exists, but to those who stake the claim. Many believers know God has placed potential in their marriage, calling, family, or future. They believe, pray, and hope—but never step. Unstaked promises eventually become contested territory.

Spiritually, staking ground looks like this:

• Returning to prayer with consistency
• Choosing obedience over comfort
• Establishing boundaries where compromise once lived
• Showing up faithfully, even when it feels costly

When your foot lands, heaven validates the claim.

Delay Creates Dispute

While stepping establishes authority, delay invites resistance. Numbers 14:2–4 describes Israel standing at the edge of the promised land—approved by God, yet paralysed by fear. God had already said yes, but hesitation opened the door for doubt and opposition. God did not revoke the promise, but possession was postponed.

Numbers 14:34 records the consequence: forty years of delay for forty days of hesitation. This principle is visible even in everyday life. Property that is legally owned but left unattended becomes vulnerable—occupied, vandalised, and contested. Spiritually, unused authority weakens confidence, and ignored callings distort identity. What is delayed will eventually be challenged.

Movement Creates Momentum

True dominion is not revealed by the biggest step taken, but by the next step of obedience.

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:13–14: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal…”

Seasons do not change simply because time passes. They change because obedience advances. Israel crossed the Jordan in a moment, but possessed the land step by step.

Scripture reminds us in Psalm 37:23 (NLT) that the Lord directs the steps of the godly—not their leaps or sprints. Direction follows movement. Just as navigation systems only reroute once motion begins, God guides moving faith, not frozen belief.

The Invitation to Step

This year stands before territory God has already declared yours. The question is not whether God is able, but whether you are willing to move. Some steps may look like leaving fear behind. Others may mean returning to prayer, obedience, or a calling once set aside. But every step matters. When your foot lands, heaven responds, resistance retreats, and territory shifts. This is a season to move with faith and intention—to take the ground God has already promised.