Joshua 3:5-6(NKJV)
5And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
We are looking at the things that had to be in place for Israel to be ready to cross into the promised land. This was the only place where they could fulfill the purpose God had for them. In the same way we must prepare our hearts to position ourselves to fulfill our destiny.
The first thing Israel needed to do was remember that the presence of God, represented to them by the Ark of the covenant, would go before them into the promised land. We must remember that whatever God asks us to do, his presence is there before us and with us to get help us. We are not alone.
They also had to leave a space of about ½ mile between them and the Ark. The purpose for this was so that they could see both the goal and the presence of God. For us this means we must not forget the goal God has set before us, but we must also remember that this goal can only be accomplished by walking in and with the presence of God. Some would focus only on the presence of God and forget the work he has for us to do. Others sacrifice the presence of God by compromising with the world in order to try and reach the world. Neither will work.
Today I want to look at the next two verses in Joshua chapter 3. Joshua tells Israel that they must sanctify themselves before they can cross over the Jordan. We have already talked about the need for sanctification in this space. We cannot fulfill God’s purpose for our lives if we do not live according to Godly principles. Sin robs us of our destiny.
I won’t take more space to say the same things, but I do want to point out something about sanctification and fulfilling our purpose in the Lord. Every time we come to a new level of Christian experience it will require that we examine ourselves and be sure we are confronting any of the things that may hold us back. We can never assume we have arrived. Each level of power and anointing requires another level of dedication.
In the bible we often see that when people are called to some form of service such as the priesthood, prophetic ministry or some special work for the Lord, they are always given higher standards of holiness to fulfill. We are no different. If we want to be all that God has called us to be we will have to progressively grow in our commitment to sanctification.
The second thing I want to mention today is that Joshua told the priests that they had to go first. When they put their feet into the flooded river the waters would part. This time there would be no rod raised to part the waters. It would be up to the spiritual leaders of the people to lead the way. Only then would the miracle happen.
I believe God is telling us the same thing. If we want to see God move mightily in our day, the leaders in the body of Christ are going to have to lead the way. This certainly speaks to anyone in church leadership. We cannot expect the people we lead to do what we will not. We must lead in sanctification, love, faith and every other virtue.
However I also believe that this is speaking to the church as a whole. The bible says that we are all “priests unto a holy God.” Jesus said we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. That means that what we do affects the world. We must be willing to lead whether we have a position or not. We are all leading someone. It may be family, fellow workers, fellow students, or just the people of our community. It is up to us to step into our Jordan and cause the waters to part. If the miraculous power of God is going to flow in our world it must come through us.
One other aspect of our priestly leadership is the fact that God always has someone who understands what he is doing before he does it. In the case of the coming of the Messiah, there were two elderly people who were in the temple on the day of Jesus dedication. They both knew who Jesus was when no one else did.
I believe there are many in the body of Christ today who have been looking for this new move of God. There will be many who come to this knowledge after the doorway to revival has been opened by others. I want to be one who opens the door. For those who do, we will have to step into the Jordan by faith. Even though the river may be at flood stage and it may seem impossible for anything to change, we must lead the way in faith and commitment.
As you and I step into our Jordan rivers, we will see the waters part and many will be able to enter into the land of God’s promises. It’s up to us. Are you ready? Let’s go!
Leave a Reply