CONSECRATE: CROSSING OVER TO ALL THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU!
WEEK 2– Stepping Into The Impossible—A Study In The Book Of Joshua
Theme verse for 2025:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” —Romans 12:1
Series Declaration: “This year, I consecrate myself to God. I will prepare my heart for His work, step out in faith, walk in consistent obedience, pray with bold confidence, and commit each day to following Him. I trust Him to fulfill His perfect plan for my life.”
RECAP— Week 1
Memory Verse:
“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9
HOW TO STEP INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE
Memory Verse:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” —Hebrews 11:1
Text: Joshua 3:5-17; 4:1-7
5 Then Joshua told the people, “Purify (Consecrate) yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”
6 In the morning Joshua said to the priests, “Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.” And so they started out and went ahead of the people.
7 The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. 8 Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’”
9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the Lord your God says. 10 Today you will know that the living God is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River! 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”
14 So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. 15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.
17 Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground. —Joshua 3:5-17
1. Consecrate Yourself: Prepare your heart
“Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’” —Joshua 3:5
The word “consecrate” means to set apart, to dedicate, or to make holy.
—> Before God parted the Jordan River, He asked the Israelites to consecrate themselves. That means they had to prepare their hearts and lives for what God was about to do. Why? Because God works through people who are set apart for Him.
“Before God can do something through us, He must first do something in us.” —A.W. Tozer
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” —Psalm 51:10
Consecration requires:
• Repentance. This is the first step in consecration. It’s acknowledging our sin, turning away from it, and asking God for forgiveness.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” —1 John 1:9
• Renewal. Consecration isn’t just about avoiding sin; it’s about renewing our thoughts to align with God’s truth.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” —Romans 12:2
“You must be emptied of self before you can be filled with God.” —D.L. Moody
Question— What do you need to “remove” from your life so God can work?
2. Follow the Presence Of God. (Leading of the Holy Spirit)
“6 In the morning Joshua said to the priests, “Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.” And so they started out and went ahead of the people.”
The Ark of the Covenant— Represents God’s presence, leadership, and power. It symbolizes His promise to go before His people and make a way where there seems to be no way.
“11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River!” —Joshua 3:6-11
—> Just as the Israelites followed the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River, we are called to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, who directs our steps and equips us with strength.
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” —Romans 8:14
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” —Galatians 5:25
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:5-6
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” —Isaiah 43:2
Question— Are you still standing on the shore waiting for the waters to part, or are you willing to step in and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit?
3. Take bold steps of faith and obedience.
“As soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.14 So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. 15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance” —Joshua 3:13-16
“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” —James 2:17
—> Miracles happen when faith meets obedience.
“Great moves of God are usually preceded by simple acts of obedience.” —Steven Furtick, Elevation Church
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” —Isaiah 43:19
“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” —Elisabeth Elliot
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” —Matthew 19:26
Question— Too often we are waiting on God, when God is waiting on us. Where is God asking you to take a bold step of faith and obedience today?
4. Remember God’s Hand in Your Life and Tell the Next Generation.
1 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.” —Joshua 4:1-7
—> This passage highlights God’s faithfulness and the importance of remembering His miraculous works for future generations. Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past gives us confidence for the future.
“They triumphed… by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” —Revelation 12:11
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” —Psalm 103:2
“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty wonders.” —Psalm 78:4
—> God is calling you to step into the impossible. Will you trust Him to make a way?
Memory Verse:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” —Hebrews 11:1
Declaration: “I will step out in faith, trusting God to make a way in every impossible situation. I believe He is faithful to His promises and able to do far more than I can imagine.”