Have courage to cross your river Jordan

Every new leader is scheduled to lead the people to a new place, a place they have never seen before.

People are not given new leadership so that they can remain in the same place or revert to the former place.  

God called Joshua to the place of leadership.

Moses did well; he did what he was scheduled or born to do.

Moses had successfully led the people out of Egyptian bondage and into a freedom walk.

Challenge

That was Moses’ area of specialty. The challenge for Moses was to lead the children of Israel through the wilderness.

Delivering a people out of their own wilderness is vastly different to delivering them out of the land of their enemies. What a challenge.

Moses never took the people out of the wilderness and into The Promised Land.

No, it was time for a new leader to complete the new mission.

Joshua was chosen by God for the job. He had been a faithful servant to Moses and hence faithful to God.

He proved that he understood the weight of serving God’s people.

No doubt, Joshua had witnessed some of Moses’ most frustrating moments as a leader.

As soon as God established Joshua as the new leader, God gave Joshua instructions.

Joshua 1:6-8

6. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

8.  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Joshua had work to do and he had to be both strong and courageous.

There is a difference.

A notable difference indeed.

You see, you can be strong and do absolutely nothing with your strength.

On the other hand, if you have courage then you will use your strength to get something done.  

Joshua was commanded to have good courage.  

In other words, God demanded of Joshua that whatever he was to do that it would be undergirded by a good courage or a desire to do only that which God would approve.

Joshua would have to take the people where Moses could not.  

That is, Joshua would have to take the people across the river Jordan.

What God had for His people was across the river Jordan.

That is very symbolic of life.

When you have a next place to get to, it will involve you going through your own Jordan river.

You will have to experience the cold and almost deadly waters of the Jordan. Yet, you must cross over.

Therefore, you must be strong and of good courage.

In order to possess your promise, you must step into your own Jordan river and trust God to cause the cold waters to subside, so that you get to the other side.

Joshua had his Jordan and you have yours.

Stay focused on what God has called you to do.

Do not allow people or circumstances to deter you.

There are those who need you to be successful and take them across to experience their next place of destiny.

Respice finem.

Dr Maria A Seaman is the pastor of Shekinah Worship Centre, Hamilton Parish.