Consecrated 2025

Consecrated

Joshua 3:5 ESV

5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

I love the new year.

I know it is just another day when the clock strikes midnight and the next day starts but it also is the close of one year and the start of a new year.

Every year when we wake up in the new year most set goals they desire to reach or something they long to change the following year.

Maybe weight

Maybe read more

Memorize more

Spend more time with family

Work out more

Then we carry that passion and the drive for about 4 weeks then life goes back to normal.

So I want to challenge you to set Priorities in 2024 that help you reach your Goals....

Goals are the broad vision. I want to be more Godly...

I want to be at a certain weight

A goal is a desired result or outcome that a person or organization aims to achieve. It represents a specific endpoint or accomplishment.

Whereas a Priority... helps individuals determine where to focus their time, energy, and resources based on their goals and objectives.

Goals provide a broader vision of what you want to achieve, while priorities help you determine the order and importance of tasks or objectives to reach those goals.

Goals give you victory.

Priorities help you achieve that victory.

Over the first few weeks of 2025, I want to challenge you to not just set goals but to prioritize the goals God has put on your heart to set.

Goals are great. They lead to Big visions and Big dreams.

The problem we do not prioritize our lives to reach our goals.

We long for things that we never set a balance in our life to do.

That is why we limit ourselves in our spiritual growth.

We long to be like Jesus.

Yet we have set no priorities to accomplish that goal.

We long to be more godly, but we never put the priorities in place to be more godly.

We long to go to church more often in 2025, but we do not put our priorities in place to go to church in 2025.

We long to read our Bible during the week but we do not set priorities in place to make it happen.

We long to heal from a pain that came in 2024, but we do not put priorities in place for that healing to take place.

We long to see God move like he's never moved in our lives before, in our families, in our kids, and the workplace

YET we do not put priorities in the order for any of that to take place.

So I want to spend the next couple of weeks on one word.

The word surrender. - Wave a White Flag

Surrender is a word of Freedom

The Challenge every day is to wake up every day with the mentality that I surrender myself.

As Paul said in Phil 1:21 [NIV] For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Jesus said in Luke 9:23 [NIV] Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Surrender is a call to die daily....

It is waking up every day asking...

1. Are my Priorities today in line with my faith?

2. Does this decision I am making display a Surrendered life?

3. Am I displaying the Love of Jesus through my response, attitude, decisions, or the way I am spending my time?

4. Do people see Jesus through me?

I want to look at one passage of Scripture today...

It is found in Joshua Chapter 3....

Let me remind you of the story....

God has told one generation they are going to miss out on the Promised Land...

Deut 32:48-52 48 [NIV] On that same day the Lord told Moses, 49 "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."

You are talking about the man God chose to free his people from Egypt

The one who stood before Pharaoh and called in the Plagues

The one listed in Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith

Deut 34 tells us God himself buried Mosses

Deut 34:10 and 12 says [NIV] 10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, [NIV] 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Yet because they.. did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.

They did not get to experience the blessing...

They did not CHOOSE HOLINESS DAILY.

Can I encourage you... A surrendered life chooses Holiness Daily.

It is a daily decision....

It is a moment-by-moment choice.

When your back is against the wall....

Frustration is at its highest...

Do you choose Holiness?

So many times we will cave to our environment and miss Holiness

So God calls the warrior Joshua to take the reigns of the Israelites...

When Joshua gets reigns God calls him to get them ready to go into the Promised Land.

So he moves them about 6-7 miles to a place called Shittim

Then in Joshua 3:5, it says... [NIV] 5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

The Lord is about to do something amazing... God is about to answer your prayers... God never breaks his promise...

So you better get ready....

How do you get ready for a move of God?

"Consecrate Yourself" - to set apart, to separate from the ordinary or profane, to be set aside for service

As an act of preparation before God people, priests and soldiers would consecrate themselves before special events or battles.

They would wash their bodies and clothes,

Washing symbolized putting aside sinful things and letting God call us again to His ways.

Let's be honest... Life has a way of getting us dirty. But do we ever prioritize cleaning up?

Spiritually some of us are like a middle school boy - we just cover it up with Axe Spray they would do sprinkling of blood, the sprinkling of blood speaks of asking for forgiveness and accepting forgiveness as we ask and receive the blood of Christ.

What they would do at the Ark of the Covenant

They would anoint with oil and abstain from normal pleasures such as food and marital rights to focus themselves and set themselves right before God.

The anointing oil speaks of the help and power of the Holy Spirit as we invite Him to work in our lives.

Abstaining from food and marital rights helps us focus and humble ourselves before the Lord - he gives grace to the humble. He is our most important relationship and His Word is what sustains us.

It is all about PREPARATION....

We see it all through the Old Testament as people would prepare for God to move...

They had no idea what would happen they just knew they had to get ready...

Daniel and his friends in Babylon - fasted and prayed as they asked God for the King's dream and the interpretation of it.

And what happened?

Daniel received the dream and interpretation - going on to be the chief advisor to the King

Esther and the Jews fasted and prayed as they faced destruction by the wicked Haman.

And What happens? Esther was granted favor and found a way to save her people from the consequences of an immutable evil law.

Nehemiah fasted and prayed as He sought the favor of the King for protection and provision to fulfill the promised rebuilding of Jerusalem.

And what happens? Nehemiah got what he needed to begin the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Paul and the church leaders fasted and prayed for direction to obey God's directive to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth in missions.

And what happens? The early church sent the right people to open continents to the gospel.

Even our Lord Jesus fasted and prayed as he got ready for his time of ministry and from that time He returned in the power of the Spirit!

A surrendered life Prepares:

Those who prepare are Ready!!!

What does a good football team do - Prepares

What does a runner do before a race - Prepare

What does a parent do before the baby is born - Prepare

Preparation Is a Key to Success.

Same for us spiritually... Those who don't prepare for a move of God will not be ready for the move!

Whatever God wants to do in your life starts with you getting ready today

So when it comes you are ready!!!

Joshua was doing this very thing with the Israelites... He told them to get ready...

At this point, he had no idea what God was about to do he just wanted the people to be ready!!!

Are you getting ready for whatever God wants to do?

Whatever TEST he wants to put you through

Whatever SUCCESS he wants you to achieve

Whatever BLESSING he wants to give to you

If you don't prepare yourself spiritually then your integrity and character will take the biggest hit!

Take seriously the process of Preparation daily so when the

TEST comes

When the SUCCESS comes

THE CHALLENGE comes

You are able to let your Holiness shine through

You are able to let your faith lead you

You are spiritually ready!!!

Can I encourage you... As we start the year... Start by getting spiritually ready for the year. HOW?

CONSECRATE YOURSELF...

A consecrated life starts by recognizing you got a little dirty and need to get cleaned up

A consecrated life starts with how you prioritize your day

Do you give your first few minutes to your phone

To the shower

To your God?

A consecrated life Repent of your Sins - Turn from them

What does repentance look like?

Recognize your sins,

Confess your sins

Receive forgiveness from your sins

Leave your sins behind

A consecrated life is seen in how you prioritize your spiritual journey:

Reading your Bible

Getting in a small group for community

Tithing

Serving

Sharing Jesus with Others

HERE IS THE TRUTH.... A consecrated life prepares you to live a surrendered life!

NOICE IT SAYS... Consecrate YOURSELVES,

A surrendered life is a personal decision.

The generation before them rebelled against it... Deut 32:51 because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.

What you prioritize, you do!

If it is a big enough deal to you then you will make a priority for your life!

THE QUESTION YOU HAVE TO ASK.... Is your relationship with Christ a big enough deal to you?

A surrendered life is a personal decision.

Yet, can I give you this... God rewards a Surrendered Life....

for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

Weekly we are seeing "Amazing things".

Or as the NASB translates it.. tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

If you ever asked me about my greatest fear as Pastor... I would say Messing up what God is doing.... Missing out on the Amazing Things the WONDERS of God because I allowed SIN in.

So daily I try to approach my day with the RIGHT PRIORITIES that lead to God fulfilling the Goals he has set before me.

THE TRUTH IS... Our goals will be achieved by God if we Prioritize God over our goals!

THE GREATEST REWARD IS HEAVEN!!!

When we surrender our life to Jesus the reward is HEAVEN...

Have you ever been rewarded for something you don't deserve?

Surrender life

Start Fresh

Start New

What step do you need to take today?