You Have Not Passed This Way Before.

In Joshua 3, the people of God are on the brink of a new season. They are on the verge of a new day. A new chapter in their story was unfolding. If God lets us live, and Jesus tarries His coming, we too are on the brink of a new season. We are on the verge of a New Year. New battles, yet new victories will come. New challenges and new blessings. As you stand on the brink of your Jordan, on the verge of the next season that God has for you, how should you approach it? God gives us His wisdom in Joshua 3. Consider these 10 Principles for Entering the Next Season of Life.

“…that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore” (Joshua 3:4).

1. Make the most of the mornings (vs. 1).

“Joshua rose early in the morning...” There is a definite pattern in Scripture of spiritual men rising early in the morning. This is not just about discipline; it is about devotion. Throughout the Word, we see men rising early to meet God before daybreak, before business starts, before others come calling, before needs begin to press. Why should you get up early? So that you can have quiet moments alone with God. Do not just start the first day of the year with the Lord – give the first moments of every day to Him.

2. Pursue the presence of God (vs. 3).

“When you see the ark...” They are all following the Ark of the Covenant, and everything in this passage revolves around the Ark. The Ark was the very manifest presence of Almighty God. God’s presence always pursues us. “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” But once you become one of God’s children, you must begin to pursue Him. The pursuit of a lifetime is the pursuit of Jesus Christ. It is the unending pursuit of God’s conscious presence every day. If you pursue the presence of God, if you can live near to Him, that will bring joy, fulfillment, and victory as nothing else can.

3. Don’t get ahead of divine direction (vs. 4).

“Yet there should be a space between you and it about two thousand cubits by measure…” Let the Lord lead. You don’t run point, but allow the all-wise God to have full leadership in every area of your life. The people did not lead the Ark; the Ark led them. If you really want to know what God wants for you this year, wait on God. Wait, watch, and then walk. Do not get a step ahead of God, and do not get a step behind Him.

4. Keep your heart holy (vs. 5a).

“Joshua said unto the people, sanctify yourselves…” Is there any sin that needs to be laid aside as you enter into this new year and begin a new chapter in life? Do not try to cross the Jordan holding onto that sin. We must lay aside those things that “so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1). It is not more resolutions that God’s people need; it is more re-consecration. Sanctify yourselves. Remove everything that grieves the Holy Spirit of God. Eliminate anything that takes glory away from God. Give yourself wholly to the Holy One.

5. Believe that God’s best is before us (vs. 5b).

“Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” This is not the tomorrow of procrastination. This is the tomorrow of promise. You may think your best days are behind you, but your best days are ahead of you. If you follow the Lord Jesus Christ, tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you! Do not miss the wonderful tomorrows of God by living in the past. We must cross the threshold of the next season with obedient expectancy. Do what God tells you to do today, and God will do what only He can do tomorrow.

6. Follow those who follow the Lord (vs. 6-7).

“Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people.” These men were not acting out of pride or presumption. They were men who walked with God, and as they walked with God and followed the Lord, they led the people. Be careful who you follow this year. Find spiritual people who are walking with Jesus, have the touch of God on their lives, and are pursuing Christ. Follow those people. In the words of Paul, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

7. Be still and let God speak (vs. 8-11).

“Thou shalt command the priests… ye shall stand still in Jordan… Come hither and hear the words of the Lord your God…” Every day, you need some time to be still and let God speak to you. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). This was a purposeful pause. How long has it been since you were still before the Lord and opened the Word of God, and knew God was speaking to you? Every day, we need a word from the Word. Every day, we need to hear the voice of God.

8. Lead the way for those you love (vs. 12).

“Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man...” These representatives from each family in Israel carried the same testimony: God is faithful. Read chapter four and see these men carrying stones of testimony to point their families to God. Are you a testimony of grace and faith in your family? Refuse to make it all about you in the coming year. Rather, say, “Lord, I want you not only to show me the way, but I want you to show others the way through my life. Help me lead those I love.”

9. Take one step of obedience (vs. 13-16).

“As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests… shall rest in the waters of Jordan…” When did the water stop flowing? It happened when they were willing to take the first step. You have to get your feet wet. When you take the first step, God meets you there! There’s always one more river to cross. There’s always another step of obedience. If you will, by faith, take one step of obedience, you will be amazed at how God starts parting the waters and drying up the riverbed. He will not only show you the way, but He will make a way. The miracle was God’s; the step was theirs.

10. Press on until you pass through (vs. 17).

“The priests…stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over Jordan...” The children of Israel did not stop in the middle of the Jordan. They kept walking. They kept moving forward in faith. On the hard days, keep putting one foot in front of another. Press on for the Lord. His grace will sustain you. If you do that, you will pass “clean over Jordan.” Press on, and in God’s time, you will pass through.

In the coming months, let the Lord direct every day. You will never be lost if He is your guide. God never leads you to nowhere. As surely as the Lord met the children of Israel at the crossing of the Jordan, and they “passed clean through to the other side,” God will bring you through in victory and blessing.

You have not passed this way before…But He has, and He will meet you along the way.

WATCH: You Have Not Passed This Way Before

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About Scott Pauley

Making Decisions and Finding Direction