Stop allowing yourself to get stuck
on how the door will open or if the door will open, Just Move
Your Faith Feet Towards It! You see, we,
of course, want to know how every door might open. We want to know how every
need will be met, every obstacle will be removed, and the Lord says, "Just
start walking." But meanwhile,
we just stand still waiting for the waters to part or until we've had a lot of
our questions answered, till it looks safe. And many people have lost God's
plan for their lives that way over and over again. The door
can’t wait to open for us, but we’re standing at a distance wondering, “will it
open, where does it lead, who’s on the other side, is it a wooden, glass or
iron door, does it have a handle, do I ring the bell, who will help me with
this baggage…” Stop Murmuring and Move!
God Is Asking You To Walk By Faith, Not By Sight. This Is Not About
What You See; It’s About What He Said! And He Said The Promise Is Yours, You
Just Have To Walk Towards It. So Move Your Feet of Faith! I know it’s risky, I
know it’s scary; I know it’s intimidating, I know it’s uncertain, unclear,
unfamiliar, uncommon, and even unconventional. And still I admonish you…Give
Your Faith Some Feet and Move Forward! Automatic doors don’t need handles, so
you don’t need your hands for this one. You’re not going to open it, fix it, or
figure it out. This time it’s not about your eyes, but your ears, not about
what you see, but what He said. This time it’s not about your hands, but your
feet, you don’t need to handle anything; you just need to move forward.
In Joshua 3 is where the Jews are about to cross into their Promise
Land. But they’re facing a flooded Jordan River and if they're anything like
me, they would be wondering how in the world are we ever going to get across
this! But let’s walk through the text from the beginning to dig out some
diamonds in the rough. Bear in mind, the first six verses are what happens Before the Lord ever says a word to Joshua. Listen:
Joshua 3:1-6, “Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set
out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing
over. After three
days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to
the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the
Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and
follow it. Then you
will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep
a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near
it.” Joshua told the people “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua
said to the priests, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass on ahead of the
people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.” (NIV)
Verse 1 key, this happened early in the morning! You cannot expect to get anywhere great by being lazy!
You can't get to the promise while procrastinating! The leaders and the people
all had to get up and out…Early in the Morning! Nutshell: No More
Excuses! If you want
it, get up and go get it! Just be mindful that the timing of God is often
inconvenient! So, your first lesson is that you have to be ready to rise with
the Son and the Sun!
Verses 2-5 key, the leaders give clear and concise orders for the people to follow. You
cannot expect to get anywhere great with unorganized leaders and uninformed
followers. The people
were told who to look out for, who to look to and where to go, even when to go.
They are taught obedience, (‘…move out from your positions and follow
it. Then you will know which way to go…") But they were also warned about following
directions to the letter, because, (‘…you have
never been this way before…’) How awesome
that not only you, but a whole group of people with you get the opportunity to
enter new territory, in which they’ve never been in before! And all they
need is obedience to get there. And so will
you. When you start
to believe God to open new doors, some of those doors will be uncommon,
unfamiliar and uncomfortable. What you did to get through old doors won’t
open new doors. So you have to
be prepared to have guidance, direction, focus, vision,
obedience, and courage to step into a new place,
new level and new territory. This next direction from God for your life
will be where you have never been before, hear clearly and heed without
compromise. Always have a keen sense of the presence of
the Lord with you.
Truth is, going into new territory, in a way you’ve never
been before, is a bit scary. And where there is fear there is the tendency to
stand still. But if you do, you’ll miss where God is taking you next. If you
want the doors to open, you have to move towards them by faith. God is with you
even when it feels awkward, when you’re uncertain, when you’re nervous and even
when unbelief desires to peek its little head in. God is with you. Let that be
your motivation to keep moving forward! If you get stuck here, you’ll stay
here, and the door that would’ve opened, will remain closed. Are you really
willing to risk your destiny?
Verses 6-7 key, make sure those
following you are uncontaminated! The word ‘contaminate’ is defined as ‘to make
impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance.
Listen: the last thing you need when you’re about to enter a new door, a new
season, a new level, is to be attached to people who will pollute you through
contact. “… Joshua told the people “Consecrate yourselves, for
tomorrow the Lord will do
amazing things among you.” The word
“consecrate” is defined as “to make or declare sacred; to dedicate, to set
aside, to set apart, to devote to sacred use.” In a nutshell: you don’t need people
attached to you that are living any kind of way. You don’t need to be polluted
by those who are wavering in their faith, them that are double-minded and
unstable in all of their ways. You don’t need to be polluted by those who are
functioning outside of the Will of God for their own lives. Make sure the
people you’re taking with you are consecrated, dedicated and devoted to being
holy!
There’s a lot at stake, (‘…Joshua told the people, “Consecrate
yourselves, FOR TOMORROW THE LORD WILL DO AMAZING THINGS AMONG YOU.”) Are you
willing to miss out on God’s promise because you’re in contact with polluted
people? He’s getting ready to do something in your life that’s absolutely
amazing, therefore, check the company you keep…in advance…and make all the
necessary adjustments Prior to the Promise! Now, once the people and leaders
have all done their part, then the Lord speaks:
First,
you always want to have a leader that tells you to listen to the Word of the
Lord (and not just to listen to him). Remember, it is God who will get you to
the promise, not man. (“...Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your
God...")
Secondly, God always has such a wonderful way of encouraging His people
to know that He’s always with them. Again, when you’re about to conquer something new,
amazing and unfamiliar, fear will creep in…make sure
your faith kicks it out! God Himself sends
them a reminder through reassurance that He is in fact with them. And no matter
what enemies they would face (‘…Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites,
Girgashites, Amorites, Jebusites…”) He would drive them out! God will
allow nothing and no one to hinder you from the Promise He made to you. That’s why
you should never allow fear to halt your feet of faith. In doesn’t
matter what or who you will encounter on your way to the promise, God has
already promised it will not over take you! So you need not worry if on your journey to the promise
you encounter your own ‘ites’ as the Israelites did, God will drive them out. And it
doesn’t matter if those ‘ites’ are (hypertension, diabetes, cancer, lumps,
tumors, unemployment, divorce, foreclosure, heart break, or financial disaster)
it will not impede you journey to the promise…God has already Promised! He
Never Breaks His Promise! Listen to my favorite Scripture in varying
translations, Jeremiah 1:12:
“…I am [actively] watching over My Word to fulfill it.” (AMP);
In other words, God Keeps His Word! He watches over it to make sure it
comes to pass, so no matter what obstacles you encounter along the journey to
your promise, keep moving your feet of faith forward, there is no foe that can
make you slip, trip, stumble, fall or in any way be deterred!
God says, “…And as
soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord – the Lord of all the earth –
set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand
up in the heap.” When God is
with you, and goes before you, and gives you an unbreakable promise, what’s
keeping your feet from moving forward in faith?
And what’s my favorite part? Well,
when did the water's part? It said, "...as
soon as their feet touched the water's edge..."
Today, allow this devotional to encourage, empower and inspire you, but
also allow it to challenge you to change from your normal, status quo comfort
zone, and get on course with God to your next promise. You’ve been standing
here staring at that door long enough. Move your feet of faith towards it, and
watch God open it and do amazing things just for you…Just As He Promised!
Blessings
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