Crossover: A Series on Transitions & Growth

Scripture

Joshua 1:1–9 NASB95

1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Background

Moses has just died at the end of Deuteronomy, it is between the 39th and 40th year of the Israelites being in the wilderness, and it is now time for Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. The Book of Joshua begins with God telling Joshua that Moses is dead and it is time for them to obtain the land in which God had promised them.

Many of us waste time wandering around in the wilderness of uncertainty, doubt, fear and hopelessness, when God has a Promised Land waiting for us in our careers, relationships, marriages, and in our everyday lives. In this series “Crossover” we will discuss some of the things it will take in order to crossover from wherever you are to where God wants you to be in life. Are you ready for the Crossover?

1. You must state the reality before you can move forward (vs. 1-2).

The Book of Joshua begins with God telling Joshua “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.” Notice how the statement “Moses My servant is dead” is followed by an action forward (“now therefore arise, cross this Jordan”). A statement of reality is followed by an action forward. Before Joshua and the Israelites can move forward, they must first embrace the reality that Moses is dead. You can’t crossover or move forward if you are still stuck on something in the past that is dead. That past relationship is dead. Move forward! That decision you regret making is dead. Move forward! That leader you admired and keep comparing your current leader to is no longer your leader. Move forward! You must embrace the reality of your situation before you can move forward.

Question: What reality do you need to embrace right now in order to crossover and move forward?

2. Listen for God’s Vision (vs. 2-4).

In verses 2-4, God gives Joshua the vision or the plan to move forward. If we are going to move forward towards what God has for us, we must submit all of our plans to Him and listen for His vision. However, what trips us up is that most of know we should listen for His vision, but we have a hard time in discerning what exactly HIS vision is. When we are praying, how can we tell the difference between God’s voice, our voice and other people’s voice?

Read .

Vs. 1-8 - Notice how many times Paul mentions the word wisdom. Paul says that the wisdom of God is a hidden wisdom and wasn’t even understood by the rulers at that time. We must remember that no matter how smart we are or how many degrees we hold, human wisdom is still not God’s wisdom.

Vs. 9 - The passage says no eye has seen and no ear has heard and nothing has entered into the heart (or thoughts) of people the things in which God has prepared for those who love Him. When we rely on our own understanding and wisdom instead of God’s wisdom we can have a narrow look towards life and end up limiting what God wants to do in, with and through our lives.

Vs. 9 - The passage says no eye has seen and no ear has heard and nothing has entered into the heart (or thoughts) of people the things in which God has prepared for those who love Him. When we rely on our own understanding and wisdom instead of God’s wisdom we can have a narrow look towards life and end up limiting what God wants to do in, with and through our lives.

Vs. 10-16 - We as mere human beings can’t discern the thoughts of God. Only the Spirit of God can discern the thoughts of God. As verse 14 points out, because our flesh can’t discern the things of God our flesh is prone to reject the things of God because it sounds like foolishness to our flesh. If we want to be able to discern the will of God in our lives, then we must have the Spirit of God living in us.

Question: Have your human wisdom ever caused you to struggle with something you felt God was trying to tell you to do? Have you ever limited God’s power in your life because you trusted your human wisdom more than God’s wisdom? How so? What is one area in your life right now that you need to fully trust God and be open to other ways He might want to move?

Note: It is important to understand that as you seek to discern God’s will, prayer is of most importance. However, prayer is not just words, but more often than not it requires a certain level of action on our part. Much of Scripture shows that God will not reveal His entire plan or even the next step until we have made a step. So if you are waiting for a long time for God to give you an answer, maybe God is waiting on you to make a step. Sometimes we get stuck in this mental paralysis because we want God to yell out the answer or write it on the wall. We want clarity. But sometimes, it is in the uncertainty of life where God can do His best work in us. And sometimes God is not concerned about whether or not you step left or step right, but sometimes God is just concerned about how you make the step. Do you step with faith and with the purpose of glorifying Him, or do you step with doubt because you trust your human wisdom more than you do God? Even though it may not ultimately be where you end up, take a step. Each step you take plays apart of the discerning process. (See , , for examples and further reflection).

Human wisdom vs. God’s wisdom

Romans 12:1–2 NASB95

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

God wants everything to spiritual worship and the way we transform everything into worship is by transforming the way we think.

Prayer and discerning God’s will is not just a waiting game, but it also includes action. Some people won’t move until they hear God speak, but sometimes God won’t speak until you make a move. (Exodus 14)

3. Be strong and courageous (vs. 6-7, 9).

God makes it a point to tell Joshua that he and the Israelites need to be strong and courageous three times in three different verses. That means it’s important. But why is this so important and why is God saying this?

Maybe it is because the Israelites have been here before. Thirty-eight years ago, the Israelites were at the door of God’s promise, but were to scared to take hold of it ( Read ). Thirty-eight years ago God told them they could possess the Promised Land (they had already been in the wilderness for two years), but they were too scared to take hold of it. For when they sent spies to spy out the Promised Land and they came back, ten out of the twelve spies were scared of the giants in the land because it made them seem like grasshoppers. They were not strong and they were not courageous. It is because of their lack of trust in God that led to them wandering around in the wilderness for an additional thirty-eight years. They had missed their opportunity, and now about thirty-eight years later, God is giving them the opportunity to possess the Promised Land again.

You can’t transition, grow or take the next step towards God’s vision without courage.

Question: What is courage? What opportunities have you missed in life because you didn’t have enough courage to seize the moment? What opportunities may be in front of you right now that you need God to give you more courage for? What drives your fear?

Question: What does the second opportunity that God gave the Israelites to possess the Promised Land say about God? What does the amount of time between the first time God told the Israelites they could possess the land and the second time (38 years later) say about opportunities that God offers?

Has God ever

In our series passage God tells Joshua the following:

The land had already been given to them - vs. 3

No man would be able to stand before him and that He (God) would not fail him or forsake him (against) him - vs. 5

That he (Joshua) would give the Israelites possession of the land as promised to their ancestors - vs. 6

God tells Joshua all of this, but not without making sure he is strong and courageous.

Question: How do you think the three statements above relate to the strength and courage Joshua was to have? How can these statements inform, encourage or invoke strength and courage in your life?

My dog Grace & security illustration

Thirty-eight years ago Fear is the enemy of courage and faith is the

Our faith is the fuel of our courage. We can have faith

Follow the Word playbook. (vs. 8)