Priscilla Shirer: Acting in Obedience

you're ready for the word of God awesome why don't we stand to our feet how phenomenal was Priscilla last night oh good Lord 
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 amen well why don't we just put our hands together and just give her a beautiful beautiful color welcome 
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 amen 
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 good morning y'all so thrilled to be back with you this morning and to open up the word of God with you before you sit down again I want to take this opportunity because I think it is so important for us to honor all the people that the Lord has put into our lives I've had an opportunity to honor Miss Bobby last night but now Mr Brian is here Pastor Brian is here and listen I want you to know that we have had the privilege my husband and I of seeing them you know when no one else is around when the lights are not on when they are not on a platform and to be able to say that there is as much Integrity in their life when everybody is not looking is a rare thing they have a strong marriage they have parented their children in the fear of the Lord there is integrity and not only the power and the anointing of God upon their lives but they are servants who just long to see the body of Christ come into their full uh standing as uh the bride and so would you with me thank them for what it is that they are bringing to the body of Christ my husband and I are better off having having met you we're better off thank you very much you may take your seats and as you do as you do I must also just give a quick greeting to our friend my friend Christine Kane who really is the reason why I'm here I think it was five years ago or so that she and I met in the United States somewhere and she said you need to come to Australia and um so she made that connection between myself and the Houstons and so here I am and my husband and I are privileged to know you Christine and your husband Nick I love the word of God let me pray for us as we open it Lord Jesus thank you so much for your word thank you God that you speak to us clearly through your word so God I pray right now that every woman under the sound of my voice from the furthest reaches of the balcony all the way down to the front row will hear you speak personally to their heart Lord we're praying for more than just a general Revelation today we're praying for a Rhema word somebody say Rhema that is God that we want you to speak specifically to our heart about what matters to us in these moments in this particular season of our life we are sitting on the edge of our seat God because we cannot wait to hear what it is that you might say to us all God's people said amen it was about two years ago that I was sitting in the United States in Nashville Tennessee I was about to speak to a group of ladies that were gathering in the arena there my sister and I were in the hotel room getting dressed for the day and as we got ready we were just flipping channels and we came across CNN Headline News now I was captivated by the story because there was a gentleman that was being interviewed and he looked very interesting this man via split screen because the um anchor at CNN was on one side of the screen and this gentleman was probably in Los Angeles I believe on the other side of the screen so you could see both of them at the same time and the gentleman who was being interviewed was just a strange looking guy he had braids that were dyed jet black and they were hanging down all over his head he had on a little bit of makeup and you could see um some some tattoos peering out from underneath his uh tank top that he had on I mean they were everywhere he was just an interesting looking character I was just captivated I wonder what this was all about it turns out this man's name was Brian Welsh his nickname middle name or nickname was head his friends all called him head turns out he used to be the lead guitarist for a heavy metal rock band called corn k-o-r-n now I don't know if you could tell by looking at me or not but I'm not really a heavy metal music listening kind of sister I feel sorry for any of you who might be but it turns out that corn seems to be some type of you know really incredible band that lots of people are listening to in the states and abroad and so lots of folks knew this guy but he was no longer the lead guitarist of corn and this new story was to tell us why and so the news anchor via split screen says to him you know why are you no longer a part of the band and and Brian said you know the bottom line is one day I was just I realized I awakened to the fact that I was killing myself on the lifestyle that went along with that type of job that we would travel from City to city and we would indulge in drugs and alcohol and illicit relationships and he said one night after a night of all night binging I don't even know what city I was in he said I stumbled in the wee hours of the morning out of the room in the same sweat and caked on makeup and clothes that I had on during the concert the night before and I swaggered down the street and I saw a church building he said I stumbled into the church building there were people there who in in spite of the way I look put their arms around me sat them beside up sat me beside them in the sanctuary and that day they basically loved me right into the body of Christ he said that very day The Taste for drugs The Taste for alcohol The Taste for the lifestyle I'd been living supernaturally those tastes just left my mouth he said I was a different man you should have seen the face of the news anchor that day he said who are you saying did this for you oh he set Brian up Brian responded and said I'm telling you it was Jesus Christ my Lord point at that point my sister and I started doing the holy dance on the hotel bed does anybody know what I mean when I say holy dance we couldn't believe it the Gospel of Jesus Christ was basically being presented loud and clear right on Prime Time television in the states we were so excited about that a month later I got a call from a television show that tapes in Dallas I know Christine's been on that show um life today with the with James and Betty Robinson and they call me every time you know there's like a real guest who can't show up they call me because I live about 40 minutes down the street and they'll call and see if I can come over and so I came over on that occasion they told me they wanted to take two programs with me but they take four shows in one sitting and so I did not know who the other guest would be until I arrived and sat down for dinner and across the table from me with those same braids and a little bit of that same makeup and those same tattoos was Brian Head Welsh I never thought in my whole life I would be so excited to meet somebody in a heavy metal band I was taking pictures and getting autographs I just was so excited to meet him and when it was time for his interview I sat like a little school girl with my chin in my hands because I wanted to hear everything that he was going to say I loved the interview but the part that captured me was when he said what most people don't know is that when I accepted Jesus Christ as Savior we were as a group about to sign our fifth record deal it would have guaranteed me 20 million dollars somebody say 20 million dollars Lord have mercy and so he said signature was the only one missing on the contract but I just felt compelled there was something in me that wasn't allowing me releasing me to sign that contract that's what the Holy Spirit does so he said I told my boys guys I just got to go and think about this for a little while what he meant was going home and praying about it brand new Christian he didn't even know really how to open the word of God and study it and dive into it but he said he just prayed and said Lord would you give me direction and he said he happened upon a verse that said and they left everything to follow Jesus he said he had a clear word from the Lord and you better have one if you're going to leave 20 million dollars on the table he calls up his friends and he said I'm sorry but guys I'm leaving everything to follow Jesus and now this man because he was willing to be the unique one the one to stick out like a sore thumb the one to turn his back on the way he'd always been doing things and follow hard after the new direction that God had laid out in front of him even though it cost him because he was willing to do that he now has a Ministry to people that I could never reach that may never listen to someone who looks or sounds like me but he can stand before a crowd who've been involved in that kind of lifestyle and listen to that kind of music and are involved in all that is involved in that type of Industry he can stand before them and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and they listen and they fill up stadiums to hear what he has to say and now throngs of people are coming to know Jesus Christ as Lord because one person was willing to go on a different Journey with God and I don't know about you but I've gotten to a place in my relationship with God that live in a mediocre regular old Christian Life just ain't working for me anymore I don't want to just read a verse a day to keep the devil away I want to hear God speak through his word I want his power operating in my life I want to hear his voice in my ears I want to experience the abundance the fullness of everything he has for me anybody want to go with me on that Journey and so over the past few years God has allowed me to dig in deep to the journey of the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land because listen to this there were approximately two million Hebrew people two million Hebrew people that left Egypt with the opportunity to experience the fullness of God in the promised land two million and of the original two million adult pilgrims that left Egypt do you realize that only two of them ever stepped on Canaan soil that's one in a million here today is the body of Christ millions of us have been freed from Egypt we have placed faith in Jesus Christ we're on the journey with him we all have the opportunity according to John chapter 10 verse 10 to not just have life but have Abundant Life to have it to the full the problem is that there are millions of us who have the opportunity and yet only a handful actually walking on Canaan soil and if there's only going to be a few if there's only going to be a handful why not those people be us and so one of the two that made it into Canaan one of the one in a Millions I call them is Joshua if you have your Bible turn with me to the Book of Joshua if you don't have your Bible it's okay because the woman next to you can't wait for you to look over her shoulder to see what we're going to learn about Joshua from Joshua chapter 3 we'll also have these scriptures on the screen for you so don't despair there are some simple principles that I see in Joshua that I also saw in Brian Head Welsh these are the principles that seem to map out and seem to be true of people that are going to go all the way with God that are going to take him at his word that don't want to just go to church every now and then and read the Bible every now and then but they want the fullness of all that God has come to offer them and these characteristics that are true of Joshua if you and I can stamp them in our hearts and in our lives they will assist us as well into walking into the Abundant Life that God has for us even if it costs us something and so you know the story as you turn there let me just tell you the children of Israel at this point they've been traveling for 40 years 38 years of 38 years in one particular section of the Wilderness that's important for you to know that they traveled for 18 months out of Egypt and to the border of Canaan and do you realize that their wondering was on the border of Canaan for 38 years they were not in and around the entire Wilderness they were on the edge of the promised land for 38 years and so here finally Moses dies Joshua takes the Reigns of leadership and our boy Josh decided enough is enough I'm not wondering anymore in this wilderness I've had enough of all this Manna From Heaven I appreciated God but it has boring me to tears and so he looks at the people and he says that we've been given a word from God we can have this territory we can experience him in fullness his milk and his honey and Joshua says I want it all and so there are some characteristics that that are uh characteristic of him that you and I need to take note of and so God has given him instructions God has said to him you cross over this Jordan and you can enter into the promised land let's see what Joshua does Joshua chapter 3 verse 1 then Joshua Rose early in the morning let's just stop right there God gives Joshua some instructions he gives him a directive he gives him clear instructions as to what it is he's supposed to do and we find our boy Joshua rising up early in the morning to act immediately in obedience to God the first thing that I want to encourage you to do today if you and I are going to have a Joshua Spirit if we're going to be the one in a million to go all the way with God we got to be serious about acting immediately in obedience to God some of you felt a stirring in your heart yesterday to get on board with one of these projects as we go into all the world and make disciples and and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and you felt a stirring and you know God was telling you commissioning you to get involved listen would you act immediately in obedience to God maybe for some of you the call was a little more subtle it involves your own life that that you're just going back home to the chaos of that that is in your own fault Four Walls of your home and God has told you specifically what you are to do in obedience to him regardless of what you're going back to let me just encourage you would you act immediately in obedience to God whether it's you being the one to give the apology to your spouse whether it's persisting in that relationship whether you being the one to start the Bible study to start the ministry whether it feels like you're you're timid to do what it is that God has asked you to do would you and I have a Joshua spirit that encourages us to act immediately regardless of the way that we feel now this was so different than Moses do you remember that when Moses got the call in Exodus chapter 3 he had every excuse in the book God says you're going to leave my people Moses says well wait a minute who am I that I should do that and God says it don't matter who you are you tell them I am he said but what what what what if they don't believe me God said what's that in your hand I'll use what's in your hand Moses couldn't stop there he said don't you know God that I can't speak well God said oh mo I got that covered too excuse after excuse but Joshua when he got the commission from God to lead two million people across the Jordan he didn't waste time with excuses he just got busy acting immediately in obedience to God scriptures are replete with the marvelous activity of God in the morning do you remember that it was early in the morning that Abraham rose up with his son Isaac to go to Mount Moriah and and a sacrifice his son to the Lord it was early in the morning that Joshua's predecessor was commanded to stand before pharaoh and say Let My People Go it was early in the morning that young David left for the battlefield the day he defeated the Philistine giant named Goliath and it was early in the morning that the women went to the Tomb of Jesus and found that he had been risen from the dead there are some miraculous things that happen when you and I get on board early not just in the day but early in your decision-making process early in figuring out what your priorities will be just getting on board with what God has asked you to do first a lot of folks often email or ask me about the balance of our life because we have three small children and obviously we travel some my husband and I are in Ministry together and they ask how we prioritize and balance all those things and let me tell you that as a juggling act that Jerry and I are still trying to figure out prayerfully however one thing that an older woman in the face faith told me I'll never forget it her name is Jill Briscoe an incredible minister of God's word and I sat down at her feet one day we were in a hotel room and anytime I'm with someone who is more mature than I who's been married longer than I who's been mothering longer than I that sort of thing in Ministry longer than I listen if you ever find yourself in a situation like that my friends you camp yourself out at their feet and listen to what it is that they might share with you and I'll never forget what she said to me she said Priscilla most people think that a balanced life is if for instance you have 10 boxes that characterize the 10 things that are a part of your life and most people think of balanced life is if all of them are equally full she said that's not a balanced life that's chaos she said a balanced life is when you prayerfully consider which of these ten are most important to God in this season of my life right now you pull those to the front push everything to the back and then you allow those two or three to be full while the rest of them have just a small amount in them she said that's a balanced life balance is when you determine what is God's priority for you in this season and then you get busy acting immediately and pouring into those boxes and so you and I have to determine what it is that God has asked us to do right now and act immediately in obedience to God the second thing that we find out that Joshua did it says at the end of verse 1 that he and all the sons of Israel set out from shatim and came to the Jordan that was about a seven mile walk they lodged there before they crossed so they're on the edge of the Jordan and they're lodging there verse 2 tells us how long it came about at the end of three days let's just stop right there Joshua two million people his army officers they are all seated there at the edge of the Jordan they were probably there for three days for several reasons one of the reasons was probably that they needed to organize the way they were going to cross this body of water but their three days lodged at the edge of the Jordan allowed them the opportunity to see something you see this body of water the Jordan if you visit it now in Israel it is a very calm Placid body of water because it has been damned up now however when these people were crossing 3 500 years ago at this particular time it was April which means it was harvest season that means that a mountain that was to the north of the Jordan it was called Mount Hermon it was melting all of its winter snow and so all of the runoff from that melting was running into the Jordan River that means that the Jordan River was like the Colorado River at flood flood stage at this particular point it was 50 times wider than it would have normally been it was a violent rushing body of water and for three days they sat on the edge of the water looking at this seemingly impossible impassable dilemma that was in front of them and they had the opportunity to gather up fear and doubt that they would be able to cross this body of water but Joshua he was the leader now and he decided nothing is going to keep me out of the promised land I'm going in with or without you so Joshua gathered up his people and inspired them to move so we find that Joshua not only acted immediately in obedience to God but he acted fearlessly in the face of insurmountable odds again yesterday we got some very startling realities as to what is happening in the world around us and if we sit on the edge of that long enough and look at it long enough there is no doubt some doubt and some fear that's going to begin to creep its way into our hearts and Minds if we allow it to we'll be scared stiff to where we are paralyzed and not willing to do anything maybe it's what you're facing in your life as you look at it in front of you it feels like you'll never be able to get through or across the Dilemma that is in front of you can I just encourage you with the Joshua Spirit to not only act immediately in obedience to God but to act fearlessly and would you just think about how the priests must have felt because the priests are going to have to be the ones who stand with the ark and take that very first step into the body of water they're the ones who are going to have to get their feet wet they're the ones who are going to have to Trail Ablaze the trail for the rest of the people behind them and listen the priest had heard the story about the Red Sea and I wonder if they were thinking to themselves God you divided it first last time last time you performed a little bit of the miracle before we actually had to get into this thing but this time God you're telling us to move forward with the Fearless Faith even though the circumstances look like they're going to be a big problem this is what God is calling us to do he is calling us before he divides the Red Sea to step our feet into it he is calling you to go back home to the Dilemma that you are facing to go right into that body of water that is scaring you to death and to get your feet wet to step into that body of water and believe that he will perform the miracle before you've actually seen anything happen and you and I are called to be women of fearless Faith to believe that he can accomplish incredible things do you know that fear is created when the enemy perverts the most sensitive area of your life he takes the tender place and he seeks to attach a spirit of fear to it because this is what he knows he knows that your area of sensitivity my area of sensitivity and tenderness is probably the area where God wants us to experience the most Victory it is probably the area in our life where our deepest and best Ministry is going to come from so if he can attach a spirit of fear to it and get us to steer clear of it we never get around to live into our full calling and potential as Daughters of the most high King so I gotta tell you I went through years of being paralyzed by fear to speak in front of a group I mean paralyzed there are still some butterflies when I have to do this at least they're flying in formation now but they are still there but let me just tell you and my husband can attest to this I went through a season of life where I was mortified to stand on the platform I would stand in the back my palms would be sweating I would be in and out of the restroom because I just could not get it together I would try to make phone calls you remember this Jerry try to make phone calls to see if somebody could replace me um because I was not feeling well I mean I was mortified I could not sleep I could not eat it was the enemy now I see because an older person helped me with this is I called them to get clarity on what was happening they said Priscilla don't you dare back down because this is the enemy trying to attach a spirit of fear to that which is what God has called you to do and would you know that one of the ways one of the ways I'm able to determine God's calling in my life for um just his word and direction as we move on this journey one of the ways is when I have two options and the only reason I'm not going to choose one of them is because I'm afraid that's probably the option that God would have for me it's probably it because the enemy is going to attach fear to the one he's trying to keep me away from the enemy is do you understand this is not a playground that this is a Battlefield that he's after your soul that he's working overtime listen if you've already received Jesus Christ as Savior he knows that he cannot destroy you but he is going to spend the rest of your life and his trying to distract you trying to keep you from living to your full potential as a daughter of the most high King he's going to work his hardest and so if you've got some options in front of you and the only reason you're steering clear of one I'm talking about the only reason when you boy let down is that you are terrified and you just don't know if you can handle it and you feel ill-equipped and unworthy and you just don't know if you can go that far that's exactly where God wants you the enemy doesn't want you in a place where you actually have to depend on God he doesn't want you praying more and exhibiting more faith that's not what he's after but God puts us in a place where if we don't depend on him we won't be able to get the job done and when we're in that place when we have that kind of experience we can know that we can follow confidently God's leading in that place because when our power runs out when we are weak that is exactly when he is strong that's when his power kicks in and so you and I can do what Joshua did and not only act immediately in obedience to God we can act fearlessly in obedience to God look at the woman next to you and say stop being afraid girl all right let's see what it is that Joshua does next I love this it says it came about verse two at the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp verse three they commanded the people saying when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God with the levitical priest carrying it then and only then you shall set out from your place and go after this I love this Joshua basically says y'all we've been walking around this Wilderness for a long time he says the only way we're going to be able to get where we're trying to go we wait till we see the Ark of the Covenant the Ark of the Covenant was the representation of God's presence with the people he said when you see the Ark of the Covenant and only when you see the presence of God moving that's when I want you to move here's what I love about the spirit of Joshua Joshua did not say I'm the leader follow me Joshua said God's the leader we better all be following him and he gives us a clear reason why they are to follow God it's at the end of verse 4. he says here's the reason why we're going to follow the Ark of the Covenant for we have not passed this way before we we haven't been here before we don't know how to navigate these roads there's no way we can get across this impossible seemingly impassable circumstance unless we follow the god who's already gone before us uh my husband Jerry he is a um a technological guy he likes all these little Gadget thingies I don't really know I'm not really into all that stuff um he and and Joel have been walking around just comparing gadgets they just compare things you know you got this i got this well what do you have on that well what's on that I don't know what's on that take me to get that I'll go get that so he's got this little navigational system thing I think it's a garment or something I don't know what it is but this navigational system in the car with us so he we can figure out where we're going right but oftentimes this is what he does he not only has the navigational system that he travels with but then when we get a rental car they come with a navigational system if you ask for it so he'll ask for the navigational system that the car comes with so now he has two navigational systems you think we'd be able to discover where it is that we're supposed to be going so one day we're in Mississippi USA we fly into the airport we have an hour and a half drive to where it is that we're supposed to go we get into the rental car and he starts programming his Garmin and the navigational system that's in the car just because he likes to compare notes to see if this one's going to take him the way that this one's going to take I wonder if any wife other than me has ever just had to stare out of the passenger side window I mean it's just the restraining power of the Holy Ghost that keeps you from committing murder because I'm a symbol girl I'm thinking to myself you know you know Jerry there are some people who live where we're going they have been from the airport to where we're going before you know if it were me baby if it were me I would just call them and ask them how to get there but you know you try to be you know let them do their thing you know let them have their little moment the ride was supposed to be an hour and a half three hours later I am working hard to keep my mouth quiet but eventually the flesh went out and I said honey why don't we give him a call you know in that little voice where it's kind of like a question why don't we give them a call you know you have to make them think it's their idea Donna you have to make so he finally picks up the cell phone and he starts to call um the folks there and they said because the volume was turned up loud so I could hear her she said to my husband oh I wish that you had called us so long ago yeah she said I wish that you would have called us long ago because we live so far in the back woods of Mississippi that there are some new roads back here that have been paved the electronic gadgetry has not caught up with the New Roads that have been paid it pays to know somebody who has been that way before and you need to know my friend that where you're going what will what will Encompass the next 12 months of Our Lives until you gather again at this meeting he's already been there he's in your tomorrow waiting on you to show up you might as well go ahead and talk to him tune in to him and say Lord I'm gonna follow you and so when you see the presence of God moving will you drop everything you've gotten comfortable with on the borders of the Jordan River in the wilderness journey of your life will you drop that which has been comfortable and just decide I'm going all the way with God even if it means I'm going to have to get my feet wet to do it do you know what I love about Jesus while he was here on Earth not only that Jesus did the father's will Jesus did the father's will it's a good thing but here's the thing it's that Jesus did the father's will and nothing else see that's the kicker the kicker is that there were so many great opportunities presented to Jesus but oftentimes you see him saying that's good but my time has not yet come that's good but my father has called me over here at one point in Mark chapter 2 the disciples are saying him don't you know there are people waiting on you everybody's waiting on you to heal Jesus everybody's waiting you got a whole audience out there today can be the day that we show him you're the Messiah and Jesus says you know what Mark chapter 2 verse 35 I have gone out early in the morning to spend time with the father and since I have he's given me clear direction that it doesn't matter how many people are over here applauding me I'm off to Capernaum to do the father's will what I love about Jesus is that he not only did the father's will he only did the father's will and nothing else and so many of us get so depleted doing all the good stuff we have no energy left for the god stuff would you just look for the presence of God and follow hard after him and God often acts in a way God often acts in a way that is different and unique from what we are used to we have to be sitting on the edge of our seat to see what God's activity might be even if it is unique to what we have experienced in our denomination at our church in our own experience with God God is so much bigger than your experience yes there are truths that we stick to that we stand on there is a foundation of truth about the character of God that we can Bank our Bottom Dollar on but when our experience becomes the fullness of God that we're missing out on everything that he wants to be in our lives and so each and every one of us has for example a box that we carry around not a literal one but a hypothetical box that we carry around and in it we have placed our own experiences with God what we've learned to be true about God in our church or our denomination what others their testimonies what they've experienced about God we hear that and we put that all in our Box about God and this is the filter through which we determine what we will and what will not pray for what we will expect God to do and not do and listen there's nothing wrong with your box hopefully there's good stuff in your box I'm not going to tell you to throw your box away the problem is that you and I have the nerve to put a lid on our boxes we have the nerve to say that all that I've experienced and known to be true about God that must be it and so when God starts working over here we just assume that can't be God because that's not in my box do you know what boxes do boxes do not limit God they limit our awareness of God's activity so our eyes are closed to see what it is that God is doing in and around us just because it's a little bit different than what you're used to Joshua said would you just people acknowledge God's presence just look for where his spirit is moving and where he's acting and the direction he's going and then don't turn to the left or the right you just follow hard after him so you and I all have a box and I'm going to encourage you to hang on to that box but allow the Lord to use the foundation of your experience with him up until this point allow him to use that now as the the building block upon he can upon which he can build a structure of new experiences with him where he can now build a monument of relationship with himself that is outside of your original box but equally valid and important if you and I are going to be all that we can be in relationship with him and so Joshua says the Joshua spirit says not only am I going to act immediately not only am I going to act fearlessly but I'm going where God's going I'm going to acknowledge the presence of God my five-year-old little boy um at the time he was three it was Christmas time Jackson my oldest was five little Jerry Jr was three it was Christmas we're sitting around the uh Christmas tree and um Jerry tries to have a little spiritual moment with the boys before they dive into their gifts right so they're all excited about their gifts and you need to know at our house we buy them like two or three little gifts from the dollar store because they're too young to know that it ain't worth nothing so we're milking that for as long as we possibly can and the other reason we do that is because my kids have grandparents are there any grandmamas in the house any grandmamas here we want you to know we love you because around noon on Christmas Day we take my kids to Nani and Poppy's house that's my parents Nani and Poppy's house and that's where my kids get the goods yes Lord so here we are with our little two or three trinkets in front of them they can't wait to dive in and Jerry says hang on guys hang on hang on whose birthday is it really today he just wants them to get a little perspective whose birthday is this today the five-year-old Jackson says it's Jesus's birthday the three-year-old hears it's Jesus's birthday sees the gifts in front of him and says am I Jesus 
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 I hope you'll pray for my children the truth is that out of the mouths of babes sometimes you know the truth comes because we think we're God too if we didn't we wouldn't try to control circumstances the way we do if we didn't think we were Jesus I mean if we really thought there was someone Seated on the throne who could handle Our Lives we wouldn't be stressed out and frustrated in trying to follow our own decisions and opinions and ideas in our life we would follow hard after him knowing that he is God and I am not I want you to very carefully look at the person that is sitting next to you don't say anything just look at him now I want you to say to them you are not God and I mean just look at them aren't you glad they aren't God your opinions your ideas they might be good my friend but I would encourage you not to follow your own whims would you follow heart after God he's been this way before the final thing we see about Joshua is not only did he act immediately and act fearlessly and acknowledge the presence of God but then verse 5 says Joshua said to all the people consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you the final thing that Joshua did that this encompasses the Joshua spirit is that he anticipated the miracles of god he says listen before God has even done anything would you all start acting like he is who he says he is and will accomplish what he says that he will accomplish would you consecrate yourself that is set yourself apart purify yourself sanctify yourself consecrate yourself would you start acting right now like God is going to change your marriage like God is going to bring that wayward son back like God is going to reverse the doctor's report would you act like God can rescue the orphan that he can free the slave that he can bring that Wayward person back home would you today act like he is a great big God who can accomplish great big things the Joshua Spirit anticipates God's miracles in the face of adversity when your life is caving and all around you the Joshua spirit says I still know who I belong to and he's still Seated on the throne would you anticipate God Miracles and then two million people tired of wondering tired of feasting on the manna that God had graciously provided but after 38 years they were 40 years they were ready for something new under the leadership of someone who acted immediately who acted fearlessly who acknowledged God's presence and who anticipated God's miracles these millions stepped foot into the Jordan and finally won and all they crossed from a life of wandering into a life of fullness and abundance and freedom and my friends this afternoon when we disperse later on tonight when we disperse would you know that God has called you to be the one in a million he has called you not only for your own sake to be the one in a million but because when you go back home to your church to your family to your neighborhood to your workplace you're the one that has been commissioned in that dark place to be the light of God that caused people to follow you once and for all across the Jordan and into the promised land and I don't know about you but if there's only going to be a handful going I want to be one of them Lord Jesus thank you for your people thank you God that you've given us the opportunity to experience the best of what you have to offer Lord I commission each and every one of us in this room today under the sound of my boys and I ask Lord that today would be the day we stop wondering and that we step foot into the Jordan with confidence knowing you will carry us all the way over to the other side and when we get to that place Lord we'll be faithful to turn around to those who might be looking in our Direction and say it wasn't us it wasn't our ability it was because of our great big God who is Seated on the throne in Jesus name all God's people said thank you 
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