“And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?” Joshua 17:14
The children of Joseph came to Joshua with a complaint. They said, “We’re a great people! Why did we only get one portion of land?” But Joshua didn’t give them more—he reminded them they hadn’t used what they already had.
That hits home. How many times do we ask God for more, but we haven’t done anything with what He’s already given us?
Let’s walk through this passage and pull out five clear lessons that apply to us right now.
⸻
1. They had the land—but didn’t use it (Joshua 17:12-13)
“Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities…”
God had already given them the land. It was theirs. But they never drove out the Canaanites like they were supposed to. The blessing was sitting right in front of them—but they didn’t follow through.
We do the same thing today.
• We ask God to give us a better job, but we show up late, leave early, and halfway do the one we’ve got.
• We ask God to help our children walk with Him, but we haven’t prayed with them, corrected them, or led them by example.
• We ask God to bless our finances, but we don’t tithe, budget, or avoid debt.
• We ask God for a better marriage, but we haven’t said “I’m sorry” or served our spouse without expecting something back.
• We ask God to grow our ministry, but we haven’t reached out to a single soul all week.
God gives opportunity—but He expects us to take action. If we’re not using what we already have, why would He hand us more?
⸻
2. They complained instead of conquered (Joshua 17:14)
“Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people…”
They came to Joshua acting like victims. They said, “We’re important. We deserve more.” But the truth is, they weren’t even using what they had. They didn’t need more land—they needed more effort and more obedience.
We do the same. We ask God for a bigger platform, but we won’t be faithful in the small one He already gave us.
• We ask God to open new doors, but we’ve let the ones He already opened sit untouched.
• We complain that people don’t notice us or appreciate us, but we haven’t been a blessing to others.
If we’re not careful, our prayers start to sound like complaints. And God doesn’t bless complaining—He blesses obedience.
⸻
3. They saw problems, not promises (Joshua 17:16)
“The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land… have chariots of iron…”
Right after Joshua told them to work, they came back with fear. “But the Canaanites are strong. They’ve got iron chariots!” Instead of seeing what God could do, they focused on what man could do to them.
We’ve all been there.
• God stirs your heart to serve—but you think, “I’m not smart enough… I’m not bold enough.”
• You feel led to witness to someone, but you talk yourself out of it because it might be awkward.
• You know you should take the next step in your calling, but fear says, “You’re not ready.”
If you look at the size of the enemy instead of the strength of your God, you’ll always stay stuck.
God didn’t ask them to fight in their own power—He already promised victory. They just had to believe Him.
⸻
4. Joshua reminded them of their strength (Joshua 17:17-18)
“Thou art a great people, and hast great power… the mountain shall be thine… thou shalt drive out the Canaanites…”
Joshua looked at them and basically said, “You are strong. You can win. Now go act like it.” He reminded them of who they were—and what God had already made them capable of doing.
We forget that too quickly.
• You have the Holy Spirit living in you—don’t act like you’re powerless.
• You have God’s Word—so don’t act like you’re directionless.
• You have God’s promises—don’t walk around like you’ve been defeated.
• You have a church family, a calling, a purpose—stop shrinking back in fear.
The land was already theirs. But it didn’t become real until they stepped forward in faith and took it.
⸻
The children of Joseph weren’t denied a blessing—they just didn’t do anything with the one they already had. And if we’re honest, that’s often our problem too.
Before we ask God for more, we need to make sure we’re doing something with what He’s already given us.
So stop complaining—and start conquering.
