Courage Is Required | Wednesday Night Service

Recently, in my quiet time with the Lord, I have been drawn to the story of Joshua and the people of Israel stepping into their inheritance out of that book of Joshua. And if you would please turn to Joshua chapter one in your Bibles or your devices or your smart tablets or whatever the kids use these days, we're going to read a portion of that. If you would stand to your feet to honor the word of the Lord tonight, I'm going to kind of unpack this as we go tonight. Full disclosure, Pastor Terry came to me this morning and she said, I got to be this morning, so I really need you to take over tonight. Very Godfather esque, which was great.

And then she actually specifically said, would you be willing to share? There was something that I actually brought to the refuge staff about a month ago, specifically on this topic. And she's like, would you please be willing to share that tonight? And I'm like, sure, I can do that. So some of what I want to speak on tonight does come from what I share with the staff, but a lot of this is actually new content too, but Joshua, chapter one, we're going to start in verse one.

After the death of Moses, this is the nlt. Excuse me. The Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua, son of nun, Moses assistant, and he said, moses, my servant is dead. Very blunt. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan river into the land I'm giving them.

I promise you what I promised Moses. Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given to you. From the Negev wilderness in the south, to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates river in the east, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses.

I will not fail you or abandon you. Take note of that statement right there, verse 6. Be strong and courageous. For you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous.

Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this book of instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night, so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.

Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command. Promise. Be strong and courageous. Do not Be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

We have some declarations we say in this house often if you don't know what they are, listen to your neighbor and say watermelon a bunch of times. I will hide this word in my heart that I might not sin against God. This word is life to my body and health to my bones. I will be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. And I am confident of this that he who has begun a good work in me will complete it.

In Jesus name, Amen. You can be seated.

This specific process of transition between Moses and Joshua was only possible because of Joshua's obedience to the Lord's instructions and a rock solid trust in God's timing. So I'm going to share some things tonight from my personal life and some things from scripture. We're going to kind of weave this together. I'm going to give you three very quick takeaways at the very end that you'll probably as far as note takers or whatever. And then we're going to land the plane and then you'll go to bed.

Praise God. These moments of transition often raise the same questions for us that Joshua must have been asking himself, am I ready for this? Will God be with me in this? How do I step forward when the future feels overwhelming? Maybe some of you guys are there right now.

Moses was gone. His shoes were impossibly large to feel, it would seem. And now Joshua, his assistant, was tasked with leading God's people into the promised land. Across a swollen Jordan river at flood stage and then against enemies that were stronger than themselves. But God had a word for Joshua, and it's the same word he has for you and I today.

Courage is required. Blah, blah, blah. The last, I don't know, two weeks or so. Yeah, two weeks today, actually. As we've seen the nation recoil and all the things that have taken place.

And with the Charlie Kirk assassination, whether you are, whatever element you fall upon, regardless of that, you have heard about it. We put it that way. I don't know that you could argue that Charlie didn't have courage. That would be a ridiculous argument in my opinion, because the man had nothing but courageous. Whether you agree with his opinions about what he said or did or didn't do, I'm not here to argue that.

I believe the man was a man of God. I do believe that. And I believe that he brought the word of God and accountability to an area that's very hard soil, which is college campuses. Very difficult. I believe that courage is required in the season of time that we are in.

God prepared Joshua for this task. And Joshua's obedience now teaches you and I about courage, trust, and walking into God's promises. So a couple quick things I'm going to mention here. This is a brand new dynamic of obedience that Joshua was about to step into. Let me explain.

God had indeed miraculously delivered Israel once before, in fact, at a body of water known as the Red Sea. And under the leadership of Moses, they crossed the Red Sea. But I want you to take notice of two very distinct differences here between the Red Sea situation with Moses in Exodus chapter 14 and Joshua chapter 3, which is where they crossed the Jordan river first with Moses. Israel was terrified because of what was behind them, what was chasing them, what was pursuing them, the accusations coming from behind them. Maybe you feel like a lot of your past is chasing you.

Maybe you feel like there's been so many things from what you have accomplished or not accomplished behind you that's still nipping at your heels trying to pull you back. Pharaoh's army bore down on them with horses and chariots and a serious military attempt. And their cry was, moses, why did you bring us out here to die? And God told Moses, stretch out your staff. The waters parted before anybody moved, and Israel walked through on dry ground.

It was pure divine intervention, a metaphor for what our salvation actually looks like. Joshua 3. The danger was not behind them anymore. There was no military chasing them anymore. Noah's behind them, barren wilderness, the ability to basically wander aimlessly, which they had just done for decades.

The danger wasn't behind them. The danger was ahead of them across the Jordan river was fortified cities, giants, cultural compromise and conflict. Does it sound like your life today? What is in front of us as a body of believers in the body of Christ today? Cultural compromise.

Giants of all kinds of. I don't even know what to go, and I don't know what to say about that. Cities that literally are, it seems, like strongholds nowadays across the nation and conflict at every turn. Spiritually speaking, where we are is not all that different from where Joshua was at. So even the Jordan river itself physically was at a overflowing stage, which made it immensely difficult to cross.

But this did not.

Water didn't just part when they got to it. I want to explain what happened here. Joshua, chapter three, verse eight. It wasn't in advance. This is what happened.

Verse eight says, give this command. This is God speaking to Joshua. Give us a 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.

The priests had to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the swollen river. And only when their feet touched the water did the miracle happen. This is a brand new element of obedience. Last time, Moses has got a stick and it's like, part, and it parts. They're like, we're loving life.

They're walking, they're cruising. This time the priests have to actually get into the water. Why? Why do their feet have to touch the water? This new element of obedience.

Moses had led them out of bondage. They didn't really know God. He was courting them, pulling them out of bondage. Now they've been wandering, they've gone through all the law, all the things, all the stuff. Now they've got a relationship with the Lord.

Sounds a lot like you and I. He pulled you out of bondage. The rules change some. Whenever we get to new phases and new territory, we have to act a little differently sometimes because now we know more, now we know better. Now more faith is required.

Joshua would lead them into inheritance and. And both of those things, both Moses and Joshua, were acts of God's faithfulness. Another point, trusting in God's leadership. In Joshua 1, verse 5, God makes it crystal clear. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you.

Situations and people and roles may change, but God's presence does not change. It does not change. He is not some other variation. He's not like the 44th Covid variation that we've seen nowadays. It's like he is the same and yet his faithfulness, we can seemingly forget about it.

It's so easy to look over it.

Joshua didn't have to try to be a better, more equipped version of Moses. No, he needed to just be Joshua, walking in obedience to God's call. And his authority wasn't based on personality or charisma, but on God's promises. And what was that promise? I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you.

Sometimes I struggle with transitions. My wife can tell you about this. When plans change in our house, or even the smallest deviation of things, it's like I am shifting with no clutch, man. It's just really bad sometimes. And I. I don't know why that is.

I'm great at compartmentalizing things. I am waffles, she is spaghetti. And she's working it out five different ways before I can ever get there. I'm like, man, I'm still on part one. And she's like, I'm on part 57.

She likes to tell me, oftentimes, which is so true. I'm at least six steps ahead of you right now. I'm like, I know you are. Otherwise we would not eat today. I know that.

And sometimes when dynamics change or responsibilities shift, when seasons end or when the familiar evaporates, we fret like I do sometimes. But thank God that he reminds us. His presence is not tied to a single person or a single era. He is faithful across generations. The God who was with Moses is the same God who was with Joshua, and he's the same God who's with us right now.

The God who was with Charlie Kirk is the same God who will now lead Erica and all of tpusa as they navigate the unthinkable. It's the same God.

Major life events before and after. They draw a dividing line many times. So when we read about the Red Sea and the Jordan river, we're looking at defining moments in Israel's history. Events that divided life into the. This is how it was.

And then this thing happened. Now. It's how it is now. So before the Red Sea, they were slaves. After the Red Sea, they were free.

Before the Jordan, they were wanderers. After the Jordan, they were a nation in the land of promise. And isn't it true that for us as well? It's very, very true. I know for at least my life, our life, to clear distinction for Sam and I, as you guys have heard me say many times, I'm not going to rehash all this stuff.

But one of those major moments came in 2016 when our son Noah went to heaven. Everything in our life is now divided into life before and life after. Noah entered into eternity. It's like stepping into a land we'd never been before. Unfamiliar, frightening, and full of challenges.

And frankly, one of the biggest giants that Sam and I faced. It wasn't just the grief that we dealt with. And many of you in this room have dealt with grief and are dealing with grief. Please understand, we don't own the corner on that. Please hear me.

And many of you guys can understand this as well. Whenever you go through traumatic events or losses, sometimes people don't know what to do with you. They just don't. It's not because they're mad at you. It's not because you did something wrong.

People are people. So that was one of the hardest times for us, is that many of our close friends didn't know what to do. And so we found ourselves in more isolation than we would have liked. We'll put it that way.

Our story was hard. It was awkward, painful, uncomfortable, and many people just quietly began to distance themselves from that. Invitations stopped coming for parties, relationships began to fade out. And suddenly life felt lonelier than it ever was intended for. And maybe you're experiencing some of that even tonight.

You're not alone in that. Please hear me. You're not alone by yourself in that. Now, to be fair, it wasn't like it was just everybody's fault. Processing grief often isolates and we just didn't know how to function very well.

And sometimes it was just hard. And frankly we were scared and hurting. That's the kind of reality that Joshua was facing. His mentor and friend of 40 plus years had taken his last breath and the training wheels were about to come off for him. I can imagine Joshua was a bit terrified of what was being asked of him.

The Lord's like, I want you to lead these 1 to 2 million people into a land that I swore to their ancestors, don't screw it up. Also your security blanket. Moses is now dead. And all the old guard that experienced the crossing of the Red Sea, that had some kind of experience with this, except for Caleb, they're all dead. So you really don't have anybody to bounce ideas off of.

It's just you now. Granted. What did the Lord tell him? I will be with you.

The Lord made a promise. The Jordan wasn't just a river that Joshua needed to cross in order to make geographical progress. Crossing represented a fundamental moment of graduation into the inheritance which had been promised to Abraham hundreds of years before this. This was the opportunity that now so many of the now dead Israelites had dreamed about seeing. Stepping up to the banks of the promised land, stepping foot into the promised land.

And God was tasking Joshua with completing the mission. It was a huge ask. On the other side of the river were endless unknowns, fortified cities, towering walls, giants who likely seemed impossible to overcome in the natural. Again, the Red Sea was about running from the enemy that was behind them and chasing them. And the Jordan was about walking forward, facing the giants that lay ahead of them head on.

Courage is required, friends. In your Christian walk, where you have been, the things that have pursued you, or the things in your life you're trying to quit, you are going to. It's going to require more courage from you to say yes to this next season of where we're headed to. I don't know if you guys are aware of this, but I really feel things have shifted and a sobriety is now beginning to fall upon the body of Christ. It's the choice that many of us have to make in the aftermath of those before and after moments.

Will we let the giants ahead of us keep us paralyzed in fear? Or will we step forward trusting that God is with us in the land that we've never walked in before?

So we need courage to step Forward in faith. Joshua 1 verses 6 through 9. God tells Joshua three times. Be strong and courageous three times. Why did he repeat it?

Because the fear was real. Y'. All. The Jordan's at flood stage. And the promised land was filled with problems.

I want you to go inherit this land. Also giants. Lots of bad things. And you need to go and figure out how to make sure you conquer it all. Go get them problems, dude.

And yet Joshua followed the exact instructions that God gave to him. He commanded the priests carrying the ark, the very symbol of God's presence, to step into the raging waters before God would part them. Can. Okay. Let's just paint this scene for a second.

The river is bolding at flood stage. And if you've been to Israel, if you've seen photos of the Jordan river, that is a massively wide river to be at flood stage.

The river is overflowing its banks. There's a couple million people waiting to understand what you are supposed to do who are hot and cranky and probably haven't had their dinner. The water is roaring rapidly past your eyes. The weight of knowing that 40 years of wandering aimlessly in the desert has led up to this moment. And the priests carrying the ark begin to slowly inch their feet towards the edge of the water.

Can you imagine the fear? The heart pumping? Like, what happens if we get in there and nothing happens? Can you imagine that? That is faith being put to the test.

God had promised Joshua. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you. That's verse 13. The promise required movement. The waters wouldn't part until somebody's feet got wet.

This is how God designed the strategy. I want you to trust me. I want you to put the ones who are carrying the presence of God at the very front and watch what God does.

The presence goes before them.

We get stuck so many times. I get stuck so many times. I would prefer if we just had the Moses stick and we just waved our hand and stuff. Just kind of moved prior to having to make decisions. That's not how it goes.

Many times. It just isn't. But you have to take the first step into the water. You. You have to Take the first step in faith.

Notice that it wasn't just anyone stepping in. It was the Levites carrying the Ark. This is a picture of the spirit of God being with us in the trial at the Red Sea. Moses stretches out the staff water split at the Jordan. God's presence entered into the waters with them.

When you are going through your trial, when you are going through your struggle, you are not in it by yourself. The presence is with you, before you and behind you. You are hemmed in, my friend. Should you call upon the name of Jesus.

The crossing wasn't just about Joshua's power. It was about God walking with his people into new territory. So when the priests stood in the middle of the Jordan, the entire nation watched as the waters stopped. And Scripture says they began to roll back. I don't know how far Adam is from that point.

We could probably ask me. Maybe Janet knows. I'm not sure how far away it was. It rolled back to a place called Adam, which I imagine was a good bit back. I'm sure there's some significance there that you and Pastor Terry can unpack at some point as far as why that name.

But I do believe this. As the water rolled back, the entire nation began to walk. And they had to walk right past the ark, right past the presence, right through the thing that was standing between them and the inheritance they are now walking through with the help and the presence of God in the middle of it, and they were not consumed. Sounds like Isaiah 43.

It says, do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I've called you by name. You are mine. And when you go through deep waters, I will be with you. And when you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.

And when you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up. The flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Praise God for that. Praise God. After the crossing, God commanded them to take 12 stones from the river and set them up as a memorial. Why? Because future generations needed to remember that God had been faithful, that he had gone before his people, and that his promises were true.

I'm gonna lead you into a place that I've told you about. I'm not gonna pull the carpet from underneath you and leave you in this desert forever. I'm going to bring you to what I promised you I would. But you'll notice that it was another generation that got to inherit what was promised to a previous generation. I heard this said this week, and I agree with it specific to struggles that we have.

And this is set in the context of all men because I'm a men's pastor as well. The things that we will tolerate in our life concerning sin or compromise are the very same things that our children tend to struggle with the most because we have allowed that to fester and have a home. And men in this room. I want to challenge you. If having.

If having conviction about your place on the wall has been challenging for you, imagine how hard it will be for your son or daughter.

I believe this as well in men, especially as leaders. We need men who will raise their voice and say, I will stand on the wall. I will cross the river. I will. I will listen to the instructions that are given by the Lord.

I will go. I will do.

Whatever we men are struggling with if it is not transformed in our own heart, if we don't allow God to heal that thing, it is often transferred to the kids. They are paying attention.

This is why those stones were set up out of the river of. Remember when we crossed? Well, no, Granddad, tell me about that. You won't believe it, dude. They put their feet in the water and all of a sudden it stopped flowing and 2 million people went across on dry ground.

You're kidding me. Nope, I'm not kidding you. We need reminder stones. So what are you stacking in your life? That is a stone that you're stacking as a reminder about what God's been in your life.

How are you marking the places that God has proven himself faithful? Are you journaling? Do you have a only God kind of testimony that you shared with somebody this week? Are we telling our kids about how God brought us through so many situations that should have destroyed our faith? Have we told our kids yet how we found the Lord?

Do they have any idea how you found Jesus? Tell them the reality is also when fear rises again and it will rise again, those memorials preach back to our hearts. God has been faithful then, and he will be faithful now. That is why we stack stones, friends. That is why we journal.

That's why we tell our kids. That's why we recount and recite what God has done for you. How quickly we can forget.

And so some of us may feel like we are standing in front of our own Jordan river right now. It might be an organizational shift. We feel unprepared for a marriage that's hanging on by literally a thread, a personal sin struggle that we cannot seem to overcome, or a family transition we didn't expect. Either way, it's A future that feels uncertain in some type of. And for Sam and I, one of those Jordan moments came whenever we held our son for the last time in our arms.

And I kissed his forehead. I told him goodbye, Had to make a decision.

What am I going to do with this?

I kissed his cold forehead.

Life had been split into two sides. Everything leading up to Noah's passing and everything after.

But I'm telling you something right now, and I can say this with all sincerity of heart and all truth. The things that cause you the deepest pain are the things that, if you let God use them, will set so many people free. If you'll just let him heal it.

If you'll just let him use the story. If you'll just say, I will stay in the boat. Yes, sir. Help me, Jesus. Help my faith.

Because you will come to your Jordan river friend if you haven't yet. It's coming, I promise you. But what's on the other side of the river bank? The promise, the inheritance. It doesn't mean it was easy.

It hasn't been easy for 10 years now. But we've said yes. And as long as there's breath in my lung, we will say yes to Him.

God has been faithful. He's proved Himself to be true. He will never leave you nor forsake you. His presence went ahead of us into a land of grief and loneliness. And if he was faithful to meet us there, he will be faithful to meet you in your Jordan river as well.

Joshua points us forward to Jesus, whose very name in Hebrew is Yeshua, the same name as Joshua. Just as Joshua led God's people into the promised land, Jesus is the the greater Joshua who leads us into the ultimate promise of eternal life. And notice this, Ms. Janet. Maybe you'll think this is funnier. I don't know.

I thought it was funny. It was at the River Jordan, where Jesus started his public ministry. I just thought that was really ironic, like, could have gone anywhere, done anything else. But he went to the Jordan river, which was the place that represented crossing into what was theirs. Jesus is like, that's a great place.

I'll start right there. And then from there, in those waters of baptism, identifying with us, he went on and forward to conquer the ultimate enemies we could never defeat. Sin, death and the grave. Out of the Jordan River Jesus came, started his ministry, and was crucified and resurrected on the third day so that we could say, sin has no hold on me anymore. The death and the grave have no hold on me anymore.

Our family will indeed, will indeed. Be reunited together again one day. Hallelujah. At the Red Sea, God delivered his people by his power through Moses. And at the Jordan, God called his people to step forward in faith through Joshua.

At the cross, Jesus bore the flood of judgment for you and I so that through his shed blood, we could be made righteous and walk boldly into the presence of God. What? Hebrews 10:19 says, because of the blood of Jesus, we can boldly approach the throne of God. We could never have done that before Jesus made the way.

So is it okay if I land this? In a very practical manner of, what do you do with all this? Right? I just preach this for 20 minutes. You're like, what are you doing?

I mean, I cried. Maybe you cried. I don't know. Everyone's crying. I'm not sure.

Let's get really practical about how we apply faith for a second. We have to understand how to actually do the work of being strong and courageous. Okay? James 2:26 says, just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. In other words, courage calls us to action.

It does. And God called Joshua to three specific actions of courage that I believe apply to us today as well. So courageous action, number one, leadership in the face of adversity. Joshua 1:6. Notice this.

The three times that God says, take courage and be strong or be strong and courageous, he says those things before he gives them a command of what to do. Watch this. Verse 6, chapter 1. Joshua, be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land. I swore to your ancestors I would give them leadership.

Friends, requires courage. Because leading people is messy. It just. People got problems, man. They just do.

People are messy. As a believer in Christ, you will be surrounded at some point with people who falsely accuse you of stuff, question your motives, critique your judgments. And Joshua's task was no different. Two million cranky people. Where are you taking us, man?

The Lord told them, you need courage to lead well, because it won't always be willing people that are entrusted to your care.

It will not always be a cakewalk in leadership. But as Christians, as believers in Christ Jesus, there are people who are coming into churches right now, this week, last week, all month, that are begging to be discipled and be like, how do I do this? What is this church thing? I've never been to church before, opened a Bible, and what are we supposed to say? How are we supposed to lead?

You know how lost people act? Lost. That's how they act. Because they need to also we need to remember we also were lost once, and someone took us by the hand and said, son or daughter, it's this way. Thank you, Jesus, for that.

Leading comes through courage. Proverbs 25. I'm sorry, 29, 25 says, fearing people is a dangerous trap. But trust in the Lord means safety. This courage about leadership is a specific call to overcoming the fear of man.

If you struggle with the fear of man, what do people think of me? How am I perceived? I want everyone to like me. I don't think that's possible. Friends, as a Christian, I just want you to know that right now, Jesus said, they are gonna persecute you, drag you before the court systems, possibly kill some of you guys.

It will be impossible to please everybody. You should focus on the one you should please, which is the Lord Jesus Christ to whom you are accountable. Nobody in this room is your judge. I'm not your judge. He stands alone in that.

Courageous action. Number two. Study the Scriptures and obey the word of God. In other words, read your Bible. It is the path, my friends.

Joshua 1:7 and 8. Be strong and very courageous. There it is again. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave to you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left.

Then you'll be successful. That was a very important word then in everything you do. Study this book of instruction. Continually meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

In other words, it takes courage to commit to the word of God. Being the lamp into your feet and a light into your path, it will require you to have courage.

To obey the commands of the Lord requires courage because we live in a culture. Excuse me, a culture that has deviated so far from the moral compass of Scripture that obedience to Scripture seems archaic. Consider Charlie Kirk. He was accused of being a hateful bigot because he anchored his conservative values in the ageless truth of God's word. Friends, God's word is the truth.

It is the truth. Proverbs 30, verse 5 and 6. Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.

Courageous action number three.

Don't partner with fear and discouragement. Joshua 1:9. This is my command. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

But the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. The enemy would love for you to believe that God doesn't see you in the midst of your pain and your struggle. He would love to convince you that obedience to the Lord is too costly, or it would be safer to stay in your lane, avoid conflict, and live a mediocre Christian life. He'd love to convince you of that. Go to church, check a box, punch a ticket to heaven, and try to keep from having to have difficult conversations in the public.

You know, just avoid all that. Just stay in your lane. Friends. That is not the crucified life. I'm gonna tell you that right now.

That's not what that looks like. The crucified life means risk is required in order to actually fulfill your faith mandate. Scripture, Hebrews 11. It's impossible to please God without faith. It's impossible.

And faith requires risk. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. The only authority the enemy has over you comes by way of you partnering with his opinion. That's it.

If you give him authority because you validate his opinion, you've transferred authority to him.

The enemy will work overtime trying to convince you to be fearful about everything. Money, people, marriage, the future, kids.

Fear is a spirit straight from the enemy. 2nd Timothy 1:7. We all know it quite well. For I have not given you a spirit of fear, says the Lord, but of power and of love, of a sound mind. I am sure.

The Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant had to check their fear at the door when Joshua told them, now go put your feet in the water. Can you imagine a look on their face? Can you imagine this? Like they're carrying this giant thing. The river's at flood stage.

Yeah, we'll go put our feet in the water. Sounds good. We truly do need faith in order to obey God. It isn't enough, friends, to put Joshua 1:9 on our T shirts. Faith over fear.

Everybody has it. Praise the Lord. Or tattoo faith over fear on our arm. Or wear a shirt or a hat. Friends, a cross necklace on your shirt does not mean that you're going to heaven.

It just doesn't. I need to make sure you know that. But if you are submitted to Jesus Christ and you are bearing fruit, that's a whole other story. That's what he's called us to. The call is to fix our eyes on Jesus, who goes before us, who has already won the victory and who promises, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, is how Matthew 28:20 sounds.

The waters may not part until we step forward and put our feet in the water. But we do not Step alone in the water. The Holy Spirit is with us. And in him every promise is yes and amen. The inheritance in front of us may be fraught with challenges and adversity, but the Lord has called his people to be strong and courageous and to lay hold of his promises through obedience.

We must have resolute devotion to Jesus Christ, our king and our salvation. Amen.

Pray.

Holy Spirit, I thank you that your word goes forth as seed. And we indeed, Lord, are the soil.

Father, I pray tonight, even as I have just been faithful, Lord, and obedient, to just deliver what I was asked to do. Father, I pray that tonight it's not my words. I fumbled, I bumbled, I cried. God, I pray that whatever I said is forgotten. I pray that what you have said, Lord, will be remembered.

Father, I pray in Jesus name that we would indeed put on courage, God, that we would be courageous to lead well in the surroundings that we're placed in. God, that we would open our Bibles, read our Bibles, listen to your word. That we would not be like those who look in the mirror and then walk away and forget what we look like. Father, I pray that we would resemble the likeness of Jesus as we stare deeply into your eyes, Lord, through your word. And Lord, I do pray, Lord, for those in this room tonight who have partnered with fear in some way, some shape, some form.

They've partnered with discouragement. It will always be like this. They'll never be changed. This person does that. It's always my story, Father, in Jesus name we come together and I just want to declare over you church, that is not your destiny.

Your destiny is not to stay on the wrong side of the Jordan. Your destiny is to apprehend what God has promised for you on the other side. And he has promised you, like his Word says in Isaiah, you will not be consumed, you will not drown, but you will be required to take a step, put your feet in the water. Father, I pray tonight that we would embrace the reality that the promised land for the people of Israel was indeed filled with problems and issues and countercultural issues that all kinds of things that tried to deceive them. Lord, I pray that we would be wise to know that just because things are filled with problems now does not mean we should abandon the assignment now.

The assignment is go forth, make disciples, baptize them in the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Hang on, because I'm coming soon. The Lord said, father, I pray that we would not indeed just hold on by a thread waiting for the enemy to stop beating us in the head. Father, I pray that we take upon the mantle of authority that you gave to us, Lord, that we'd walk in the authority. All authority in heaven and earth, your word says, has been given to you, Jesus.

And you have then said, and I am transferring that to you because of your belief in the blood that was shed for you to make you righteous before the Father God. I pray that we would operate out of that, not out of fear, not out of discouragement. And Lord, if there's any in this room, Jesus, who do not know you yet, Lord, I'm asking you, Holy Spirit, that you'd lay upon this room a gentle spirit of conviction of sin. It's not condemnation. That's two different things.

Lord, I pray that there be a conviction that says I need to get right with the Lord. I need to give my life to Jesus. And friend, if that's you, I want to make sure you know I will pray with you. We have leaders at this church that will pray with you. And Lord, I ask you right now for those that are in this room, God, that have chosen you, have chosen your path.

Would you strengthen your bride? Would you help us, Lord, to put on courage tonight? Would you help us, Lord, to put on the armor of God. As we face the onslaught of cultural problems and deviation from your ways, May we not drift because culture's drifting. Father, I pray that we would stay true to what your word says.

And I do pray, and I do ask God that you would indeed help us to cling to the cross of Jesus Christ as our testimony. It's the blood. It's the blood. It's the blood that saved us. And that's why I am free.

That's why I can be set free. That's why I can stay free, Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for this body of believers. And I say tonight, Church. May the Lord bless you.

May the Lord keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift his countenance towards you and smile upon you. May you walk in his favor tonight. Tomorrow, with both God and with man.

May you walk in his peace that transcends understanding. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.