On a trip to Wisconsin I had an
amazing flight there and back. On the way out it was clear sailing all the
way, crisp and clear so that it was
a very enjoyable trip.. but on the way back it was a different story.
It was over cast and foggy so that when we took off we had to climb
into the clouds. While we were
going through the clouds I was very anxious about the trip, but the pilot took
us straight through the clouds until we were safely on the other side and
looking down on the cloud band we had just come through and we were safely
back in the promised land WV Hills....
What will happen when God is your
pilot or He is number one, the first love of your life and you are following
Him first?
Scripture Text:
Josh 3:1 Early in the
morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the
Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the
officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: "When
you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are
Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4
Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.
But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not
go near it." 5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for
tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." 6 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. 7 And the LORD said
to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so
they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who
carry the ark of the covenant: `When you reach the edge of the Jordan's
waters, go and stand in the river.'" 9 Joshua said to the Israelites,
"Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. 10 This is how
you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly
drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites,
Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the
Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then,
choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 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 a heap." 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the
Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15
Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the
priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the
water's edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a
heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,
while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was
completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The
priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry
ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole
nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
I
... First ,, hear the Lord's
promise and plan for your life... He wants
to take you to the Promised Land for your life and your family and your
church. He wants us to grow!
A.
Where is the Lord going in your life?
Will you follow? Will
you go with Him?
B.
He will lead you where you've never been. It is exciting to go to
the Lord's land in your life. God’s people are going to pass over the Jordan River into
the Promised Land they had waited for 40 years for this event to take place.
In his book Folk Psalms of Faith, Ray
Stedman tells a story of a woman who had been a schoolteacher for 25 years. When she heard about a job that would mean a promotion, she
applied for the position. However, someone who had been teaching for only one
year was hired instead. She went
to the principal and asked why. The
principal responded, "I'm sorry, but you haven't had 25 years of
experience as you claim; you've had only one year's experience 25 times."
During that whole time the teacher had not improved.
C.
He will go ahead, but stay back at least 1000 yards.
Be
careful to respect Him.
D.
He will do wonders/miracles among you so
that you will know that the Living God is among you. He will be with you
and magnify you so others may know "Him." He will speak and direct you so that others may know the way.
How ?? He will part the
Jordan River so you may cross over on the dry land. You won’t know until you get there.
II.
How Will We respond to what God is Planning to Do in our lives??
A.
Follow the Lord in your life by putting Him in the center of our lives.
Follow His direction in your lives.
B.
Respect and Reverence the Lord He is the Living God!
The people had to make
sure to come too close to the Ark.
C.
Sanctify ourselves.. Set ourselves apart
for Him...Wash our clothes. I Jn.1:9 Put
away the evil from among us to glorify Him..
D.
Hear the Words of the Lord. What is He
saying to us/you?
E.
Get your feet wet, and then pass clean over.
Step out into the water..
How long has it been since you have
taken the new steps of faith that the Lord has been directing you to take..
What holds you back?
F.
Consecrate yourselves to God in expectation of what He will do.