Let it Go

Let it go. Three words that were difficult for the hero to hear… but they were the words that saved his life.

For years, decades, his father chased the dream of finding the holy grail… the cup that held the blood of Christ.

They had found it and now it was at their finger tips… but it was just beyond his reach. Let it go or risk falling into the pit?

The choice was made, the chalice was left behind, but the relationship between father and son… had been restored.

Let it go… and no I will NOT be singing that song this morning! Let it go.

This can be especially difficult depending on what IT is that the person is having to let go of. And we have all been on places where we have had to make similar choices… maybe not while hanging on the edge of a cliff, but maybe in more dire circumstances and situations even than that.

Here’s the deal, we know that with change, there will come a point when we have to let go of what was in order for what will be to become our new normal.

We cannot live in what was and in what will be at the same time. This is the familiar pattern that comes with change…

Consider the events of Palm Sunday for a moment...

Jesus came to Jerusalem knowing that the road ahead meant giving His life as a ransom for many. Jesus knew He would have to let go… to let God.

Throughout His entire earthly ministry, Jesus was about the Father’s business. The Gospel of John records Jesus saying this numerous times. With each day and with each moment, Jesus followed His Father.

That reality continued all the way up to the cross. Jesus held onto God and let go of self… it was the only way that the price for our sin… could be paid in full.

And the enemy… he tried to get Jesus of course. Immediately following the baptism of Christ, the enemy worked to tempt Jesus to go the way of self instead of the Father. But Jesus was determined to follow God no matter what.

Letting God is the key… but letting Go is the precursor.

Joshua and the Israelites find themselves at a new place. This new place is within the promised land and there is much to do now that they are here. But before they can go any further, they find themselves having to let go of that which was holding them back.

They had arrived in the new normal… they had crossed the river and began to journey into the promised land. And much like us today, in the early stages of entering the new normal, we rarely need to add anything… but there is almost always something we hold on to that we need to subtract.

With familiarity comes comfort… like a favorite pair of shoes or a favorite chair to rest in. It’s not that we don’t like the new normal; sometimes people aren’t ready until we let go of a few things.

How many desire to experience ALL that God has for you? Not just today… but each and every day?

This is a LOADED desire because in order for us to walk in full fellowship with Him, we HAVE TO LET GO of anything that would jeopardize that fellowship.

We cannot claim to walk in the light and hold on to the darkness.

Some examples might be you want to walk fully with God but it seems impossible for you to relax without the buzz from just one more drink. So maybe tomorrow you will let go...

You desire for God to be the center of your marriage but you want to take just one more look. Tomorrow you’ll throw away the magazines or delete the apps.

You’re called to full-time ministry but the job you’re in takes care of the bills and then some. Your financial security is just too much to let go of in order to follow the call God has placed on your life. So when you have a little more in the bank, then you’ll let go and follow the call.

You know the relationships you are in are leading you down dark paths but you like the fun that comes with them and it’s hard to say no. So this summer you will focus on making new relationships that honor the Lord.

Here’s the reality, church. Personal comfort causes people to procrastinate… to keep holding on to what God has led us to let go of.

If you are waiting for the convenient time or the comfortable time to make the change, that time will never come. BUT… if you are interested in following GOD’S TIME, He will lead you accordingly. It may not be easy… but it will be necessary in order for you to experience the fulness of the new normal God has for you.

For the Israelites, well, it was neither easy or comfortable to do what needed to be done. Total obedience was needed in order for the people to continue on. There were some men… who had yet to follow God’s instruction… specifically, the instruction to be circumcised.

The men who had been born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. They were the sons of those who would not get to see the promised land for their disobedience to God.

Did you catch that? The disobedience of their fathers had kept them from entering the promised land. The sons, however, were now there… but before moving on, they needed to obey the Lord regarding this command. Joshua 5:2-3 is where we find this command given.

Joshua 5:2–3 NIV

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

Circumcision at 8 days old is one thing… but as a grown man? Yikes. Not a fun thing to experience for sure.

This was going to hurt. This was going to be uncomfortable. And with potential battles ahead, was the timing on this right? I mean do you really want the fighting men recovering from this kind of procedure?

These guys were familiar with the pain of wondering in the wilderness. These guys knew the difficulties of the old way of life… the way they left behind them on the other side of the Jordan.

So when God instructed Joshua in Joshua 5:2 that this needed to happen, they stopped and they made it happen.

If they desired to walk in the fullness of God’s promise, then they must be walking in full obedience to the Lord.

And when the work was done, the place was called Gilgal which means “a rolling away.” The past had now been rolled away and God’s future… was now.

This morning… it’s time to allow God to roll away the anchors that have been keeping us from moving. This morning,. it’s time to stop and let the Spirit of God work on us, to pour in new life and to set our course as we take our first few steps in the promises of God.

God is leading us somewhere in someway… and that is what I want to talk about. That someway is a path… and it leads to provision. The name of this path… is obedience.

The Path of Provision: Obedience

If we desire to experience the fullness God’s promises, we must be willing to fully obey the direction of the Lord. This requires a great deal of faith… and the ability to let go of what might be holding you back.

Notice again the name of this point… the PATH to provision.

Earlier I listed out several example scenarios of what might be holding a person back. God has something here, but you’re stuck over here for whatever reason.

God doesn’t transport us instantaneously from one place to the other… it is a journey, we FOLLOW God as He leads us to go.

That path leads to provision and promise but… OBEDIENCE COMES FIRST.

Rarely have I experienced or witnessed situations where the provision came BEFORE the obedience. I have almost always seen God provide as the believer walks faithfully step by step into His promises.

Often times, we are presented the the opportunity or need to let go of of something that feels vital to us, while note knowing whether God will provide on the other side of the situation.

This is way things like tithing are so important in our walk of faith. The tithe is the first 10% of your increase. What is the significance of the tithe being the first? Because we are not guaranteed what will come next. That’s where we must TRUST GOD to provide the rest! And in my experience, not only has He provided, but He has blessed the rest!

The obedience comes first, the blessing and provision comes next.

Maybe you’re sitting here today trying to figure out why you are stuck in the same pattern… holding in the same trials… and not experiencing breakthrough in spiritual matters.

Church, buckle your seat belts… the problem isn’t God… the issue in many cases is our lack of obedience. We have to let go… and let God.

And when excuses or personal timelines or personal pleasures or worldly gain or busy schedules get in the way of that… WE CHOOSE TO SETTLE for the wilderness and sin instead of the promises that God has ahead!

God RARELY sends what you need while you’re hanging on to something you do not need. This is especially true when sin is what a person is holding on to.

Hear me clearly - that sin will lead you to nothing but death. That sin will lead you to nowhere but Hell. That sin will not only cause you to perish on the other side, but will bring destruction and chaos to you now in the moment.

I want you to see this today: It is a fact: delayed obedience often complicates our lives and can result in painful circumstances our obedience would have avoided.

Remember what I said about circumcision earlier? At 8 days old, no big deal. At 28 years old… uh… Joshua… keep that flint knife away from me!

The delayed obedience caused these guys a lot more pain… They eventually got on the path of obedience that led to the promises of God… but they had to get realigned with the ways of the Lord before they moved any further.

If you are going to move into the new normal, this is a critical question: Is there something God has asked you to do that you have left undone? Is there something that you know God has wanted you to deal with, but you haven’t responded to what He has spoken to your heart?

Then in a moment, I’m going to invite you to get back on the path… the path of obedience… the path that leads to His provision and promise.

If we want to get where God is leading us to go… then we must be willing to go in the ways of the Lord. Disobedience separates us from experiencing all that God is offering us today. So as we get on the path, we must get to the place of separation.

The Place of Separation

Joshua and the Israelites had come to a place where… separation was needed.

Either they were going to separate themselves from the disobedience, or they risked separating themselves from what the Lord has in store.

Yes… what a person choose to hold on to might cause them to miss out on what God has ahead. The people had been wondering for forty years in the wilderness. They were now standing in the promised land and I’m sure it felt GOOD to be there. REALLY GOOD.

But as they camped where they were, God commanded them to get some things right before moving on and once things were made right, something remarkable took place.

Joshua 5:9 NIV

9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

God made a declaration… the reproach or the shame of Egypt had been “rolled away” from the people of God. As they now stood in obedience to Him, God cut off the shame of their past.

The people had separated themselves from disobedience by doing as the Lord instructed. In this place, now called Gilgal, what was important to God had become what was most important to them.

The place where God dealt with the long-standing disobedience of the people… is also the place where God dealt the shame of His people.

Shame… is a big deal. With sin comes shame, the shame of knowing we have disobeyed the Lord.

When sin first entered the world, Adam and Eve hid from the presence of God for fear and shame. They knew they had done wrong and the results of sin were fully realized.

The people of God had carried with them a heavy shame and in the moment the obeyed the Lord, that shame was “rolled back” or separated from them.

Today, with all our medical science and technology, we are just beginning to understand the affect that shame can have on us.

Shame takes a physical toll. It can be stored in the physical body and can be passed on through multiple generations. Our bodies… do not forget things.

The people of God were forced to confront their past… head on. That is not a fun things to do… but a necessary thing to do is we are going to walk the path of obedience.

In this moment, they were resetting the entire story. Yes, pain would be involved but note the that Gilgal was not named as a place of pain… but as the place where their shame was rolled away! Gilgal means to roll away!

God is not a monster who wants to see you suffer in the process of letting God. God IS absolutely committed to seeing you whole, complete, without shame,and not being sabotaged by your past.

That’s what Gilgal was all about. God allowed their past to catch up to them… not so they could be conquered by the shame of their past, but so that the people could confront their disobedience and make it right with God. It was time for the people to be separated from that which was separating them from God’s promises.

Church… some things we attach ourselves to… are not things that God can bless. And these things have no place in the land or promise God is calling you to.

Sin MUST be dealt with. Disobedience MUST be dealt with. We cannot expect God to bring breakthrough if we relentlessly hold on to that which has us bound.

It’s time to separate ourselves from that which is separating us from what God has for us.

Gilgal is NOT a place where you die… it is a place where your reproach dies… where your shame dies. As we return to the path of obedience, our shame is left dead in the past… no longer able to hold us back.

Today is a day of rolling back the shame. Today is a day of cutting off what is separating us from God. In a moment, we will have a time of prayer for whatever it is you may be holding on to.

Obedience leads us to separation. Separation makes way for...

A Time of Healing

The men did what the Lord required of them. They moved forward in obedience despite the discomfort they would experience.

They knew there was no moving forward without full and total obedience with God. But now… they were injured. Physically they were not ready for the road ahead. After they took the step of obedience, God did not ask them to charge ahead to the next fight - that’s how many of us end up in this kind of shape to begin with. We charge from one battle to the next without paying attention to the unhealed wounds, trauma, and unhealthy patterns.

So the people did something very important...

Joshua 5:8 NIV

8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

Gilgal was not only a place of separation… it was a place of healing. In was a place of restoration. It was a place where God made ready His people for what was to come!

In our culture today, everything is about efficiency and productivity. Get as much done in the least amount of time possible so we can move on to other things. And often times, we compromise for the sake of productivity.

God is not interested in productivity at all costs. That’s how the people lived as slaves in Egypt. That is NOT how the new normal would be for His people.

God isn’t interested in you getting anything done as much as He is interested in you getting healed… being made whole… and finding rest.

Gilgal’s message is that it’s worth it to stop long enough to take the time to get things right with God.

And when things were made right… the monotony of the way things were… came to an end.

Joshua 5:10–12 NIV

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

After all the years that God had provided manna and after the season of healing at Gilgal, the manna wasn’t there anymore. Why? Because they were now enjoying the new fruits… the milk and honey… that God promised with the new land. The provision… had come.

Our God provides for those who walk in obedience with Him. Our God has made the way where there seemed to be no way. But before we can experience HIS way, we must let go of our way. Before we let God, we must let go.

What are you holding on to that is holding you back? I imagine we don’t have to think long on this as we often know what our anchors are that keep us from sailing.

Jesus wants to deliver you of the things that keep you from enjoying what God has called you to do. God provided for us a Savior, but we must come to the realization of our need for a Savior.

Our ways will ALWAYS fall short. But God’s ways lead to something we cannot accomplish on our own. Jesus has come that we might have life more abundantly.

That which you think you cannot live without is keeping you from living at all in Him. It’s time… to let it go. It’s time to give it to Jesus.

PRAYER

Are you willing to do that today?

Are you ready to get back on the path of obedience? This might mean removing some things or relationships that are toxic to your walk with the Lord.

Are you ready to be separated from those things.... and from the shame that has come with the prolonged disobedience?

Are you ready… for a season of healing and restoration… for finding new strength in Jesus that will sustain you in the days, weeks, months, and years to come?

Then it’s time to give it all to Jesus.

Let it go, and let God.

Celebration of the new normal… give thanks to Jesus through communion.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.