One Step Away

Joshua 3:13

And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall step in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

The children of Israel are standing on the edge of promise.  It had been 40 years since their parents had stood at this same place, with the same promise, and with the same choice: believe and receive, or doubt and die empty handed. Their elders had come to the brink of a breakthrough, but experienced a breakdown because they refused to believe in the power of God. Because of doubt that led to disobedience, they forfeited their destiny.

One of the greatest tragedies in life is discovering your destiny, your God ordained purpose, and then forfeit it because you refuse to believe the promise of God, allow doubt to destroy your faith, and miss out God’s purpose for your life because you refuse to obey His voice.

I’m not writing this morning to those who are still seeking to find God’s purpose, but to those who know they have a destiny over their lives. God told me to speak to some people this morning who know there is a reason and a purpose for their existence, some people who want everything God has planned for their lives, people who refuse to let go, and who haven’t given in, or given up. He told me to holler at those who have their mind made up, and whatever it costs, you’re going to get what God has promised you! He told me to tell you: It’s Time to Step In!

Every promise comes with a price. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Jesus told the disciples to go and wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Ghost, and then they would receive the power to become His witnesses. First obedience, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were with one accord in one place.,” then the promise, “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:1-4

There is no power to fulfill God’s plan without obedience first! Without obedience, we cannot receive the power of the Holy Ghost. Without the power of the Holy Ghost there is no victory, and there can be no deliverance from your wilderness.

To fulfill God’s purpose, there will be a mountain you’ll have to go around. There’s no deliverance without a fire. There was no crown without the cross, and there was no resurrection without the crucifixion. There can be no victory without a fight and no testimony without a test. There is something you’ll have to go through.

Before Joseph went to the Palace he went to the Pit and then he went to the Prison. Before the three Hebrew boys were promoted they went through the fiery furnace. And between the children of Israel and their promise there was a river called Jordan. Jordan means, descender or the one that takes you down, that’s what Jordan intends to do, to take you down, kill your dreams, and drown your faith. There is a Jordan for every one of us; an obstacle that stands between us and our promise. And the only way we can get through it, is by faith in Jesus Christ.

You can’t float over on feelings, you can’t swim over on past experiences, and you can’t build a bridge with second hand knowledge. Religion won’t get you through it. Mama and Daddy can’t get you through it, the Preacher can’t get you through it. The only thing that can conquer Jordan is a living faith in a living God, and His name is Jesus!

As Israel stood at the edge of a raging river, at flood stage, Joshua gave the Priest a strange order. He said start walking, step into the water, start moving in the direction of your promise!

You can’t go by what you’re seeing, what you’re hearing, what you’re feeling, or what other people are saying. You can’t receive the promise if you’re listening to what your mind is telling you, or the economy is saying; you must move because God says move! You can’t wait until you can see a break in the waves, you can’t wait until it makes sense, you can’t wait till it feels right, or until you see the waters open in front of you. When God says move, It’s Time to Step In!

Maybe the first time, God did it the easy way for you, but now you’ve got some time in with God, and now he is requiring more faith. It’s Time to Step In! God says it time to take the training wheels off, it’s time to get rid of the pacifier, and it’s time to get rid of the crutches! It’s time to step from sight to faith, it’s time to step from I hope so to I know so, it’s time to step from the milk to the meat, and this time you must get your feet wet – It’s Time to Step In!

I know it sounds crazy, I know it don’t make sense, the Jordan is at flood stage, and I know people are saying it won’t work, but I’m stepping in. I know that the circumstances are against me and the odds are against me, but it really doesn’t matter if God is for me, who can be against me?

You see, I’ve Got a Word and a Word is all I need! God said, “Move!” So, I’m going to move! When you’ve got a Word from God you can kill a giant with a stone, you can sleep like a baby in a den of lions, you can walk through a fiery furnace, you can praise God from a prison cell, and you can have your meal barrel full and your cruse of oil full in the middle of famine. All it takes is a Word!

Peter Had a Word: Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught. They had worked hard all night long and hadn’t caught a thing. Not a crappy, not a red breast, not even a minnow. But now they had a Word from the master, change what you’re doing, and do what I’m telling you.

How long are you going to keep doing what doesn’t work? How long are “you” going to keep trying to make something happen where you are at, before you turn it over to God and move? It’s Time to Step In!

Peter Says: Nevertheless, at Thy Word we will let down the net. And when Peter obeyed the word of the Lord he went into overflow. One word from God changed Peter’s circumstances and his very life. Why? Because when Jesus said move, Peter moved. It’s Time to Step In!

Peter went from nothing, to too much in one step. He went from emptiness to overflow, from broke, busted and disgusted, to blessed, happy and full in one step. Though weeping may endure for the night, joy cometh in the morning! It’s Time to Step In!

Let me prophesy to somebody who has the faith to reach out and grab it: Somebody is One step away from your miracle, one step away from your breakthrough. One step away from blessing. You’ve put in your time of struggle, and crying and praying and confessing, and waiting and watching. The Lord told me to tell you this morning: You’re one step away from what you’ve been believing for – It’s Time to Step In.