You Want Me to do What? (Part 3)

Is encouragement from Dr. Michael you set to begin today's leading the way home so began the series of messages of challenging you to be an apostle at your workplace, some of who said you know problem is we feel inadequate with feel fearful.

We feel apprehensive, beloved, listen to me what you need to know is this. Whenever you face a river of impossibility in your life you must be able to hear the voice of God saying to you.

Don't be afraid because I'm going to just follow my Josh which three God commands the one doing nation of Israel across the Jordan River into the math and half into about asked them to walk in at this time of year. The river was raging floodwater will they do welcome to leading the way with pastor and author Dr. Michael you Seth a commandment from God. Obedience is the only option right you two may be facing something God is called you to do that many times. Obedience brings fear.

Today Dr. Michael you Seth. Through God's word encourages you to cross your river of impossibility and by the way this message is something that would encourage a friend of yours or maybe a family member make sure they know about the free streaming available. It's a LTW.org or the leading the way at I just put mine right on my phone or you can put it on your tablet. LTW.org but do add a little later. Right now, here's Dr. Michael you Seth to begin this challenging leading the way. I'm wondering if or how many of us would testify to the fact that the at some point in your life in the past you have faced an impossible situation and you looked about situation in the service impossible. There is no way out of this back.

Blue are lighter and by God's grace in his power and his strength you have crossed the river of impossibility and then you look back and say God did it, you remember that the exam, but you thought you'll never pass all the loss that you thought you could never get over all the illness, but you thought you'll never be able to overcome all the betrayal from which you thought you will never be able to recover all the deep anguish that your thought is going to undo you about family crisis that you thought is going to crush you and crush everything that is near and dear to you all the swirling water of the river of false criticism and false accusations that you thought they were about to drown you and destroy you. But then God came into your life and supernaturally got you across the swirling waters. The rivers of impossibilities in our lives can do one of two things.

They can either destroy us all. They can strengthen us as some people, of course break under the strain.

But then the others who would say this is God's opportunity to manifest his power in my life. Some people grown in these rivers of impossibilities, but others see them as means by which they can swim upstream. Some people cave to these rivers of impossibilities, but then others say, why the right opportunity for me to witness to the power of God working in my life. What a great opportunity to tell my coworkers and my neighbors and my friends of my schoolmates about the power of God working in my it is often said that the difference between a live wire and a dead one is a connection and those who see the rivers of impossibilities as God's opportunity to do great and mighty things are the very people whom God is pleased to use Mike Lind in their lives, but there's something else I want to tell you about this rivers of impossibilities that they often are used by Satan as an opportunity to silence us to silence our witness silence us from testifying to the forgiveness of God and the grace of God and the power of God that is working in our life. Satan can use these rivers of impossibilities to turn us inward instead of anticipating the power of God that is going to work in us. God wants you to cross these rivers so that you can testify to everyone who would listen to the power of God to your fellow students enter coworkers about the work of God in your life. Now there are three very important things that you notice here in the book of Joshua chapter 3 please turn to it in your Bible and follow with me three things that you must understand, and three principles that you must follow.

First, you see, there is a commissioning versus 1 to 4. Secondly, there is the consecration versus 5 to 13, and further, there is the completion versus 14 to 17. As soon as Joshua heard from those two guys who went behind enemies Into the enemy's territory as soon as you heard that the people are terrified. He immediately commissioned the people to cross over into the river of impossibility and the reason I'm calling a derivative impossibility. Is this is the time in which God chose to let his people cross over the sea. This was the month of Nissan that is March April. Of time.

For if it was any other time. The cynics would've said all well they could just swim across but at this time of the year. It was a time when all the snow was melting over on top of Mount Herman and the river is the most treacherous of all 12 months of the year.

This was the most difficult time to even dream of crossing the river Jordan because not only it is treacherous but the current would move so fast that it would sweep anybody who would attempt to cross it. At that period of time and people avoided going anywhere near the river at the time and I can only imagine some of these folks looking at this river impossibility say you want us to do what are you crazy when you went to summer way for some other time.

Why couldn't we just wait for a time when the circumstances are easier.

I will never listen to me when you are facing your river of impossibility. Your biggest temptation is to forget your commissioning by God to be his missionary in your workplace.

God's commissioning of you to be his apostle and your school. God's commissioning of you to be his minister in your neighborhood, your environment wherever you may be you are tempted to say, man. I've got my fair share of problems.

This is not a very good time. I can witness for God right now. This is not a good time.

Right now the circumstances are not convenient.

Right now the circumstances are not conducive right now I need to wait for a little bit but listen to me. Yet God anticipated Israelites fear anticipated that this affected the way he anticipated all of that is just as he anticipates your fear and your death and your dread and so he commands Joshua to send the priests first with the ark of the covenant on their shoulders not remember God commanded Moses to get the box and in it that is the 10 Commandments in it. There is the jar full of the manna to remind them of God's provision and was a staff that parted the Red Sea, but above all, the ark of the covenant symbolize the presence of God, admits of his people.

Above all, it reminded every time they had the covenant they had victory. This ark represented the presence of God and is of God's saying to them, listen to me as if God is saying to them, I'm going to Guyana view. I will prepare the way for you. I'm sure you what my presence means and want to show you my presence is all about. I'm going to guide your way I'm going to lead your way.

What a great God we have a God we have.

She knew that there were going to unfamiliar territories that there were going to unknown places. He knew that there were going to enemy held territories. He knew that they did not know what you got action to go. He knew that they were timid and they were hesitant and there would be something and so he said I'm going way ahead of you 3000 feet to be exact ahead of you. I know some of you have said to me as I began the series of messages of challenging you to be an apostle at your workplace. Some of you said you know the problem is we feel inadequate with few fearful we feel apprehensive, beloved, listen to me what you need to know is this. Whenever you face a derivative impossibility in your life you must be able to hear the voice of God saying to you.

Don't be afraid because I'm going to. Don't leave terrified for. I will make a way for you don't read for I will be waiting in front of you. Be strong, be courageous, just follow me. First, there was a commissioning. Then there's the consecration versus 5 to 13 of Joshua chapter 3 when the day of the crossing of the river came the derivative impossibility. Joshua did not say no boys.

Now I want you to stalk sharpening your sword on his fears. He did not say that the boys I want you to start polishing your she should not be ready for the battle. He did not say no boys, I want you to gear yourself up for battle, is that use to. He said he never said. Now how many of you can swim no hook. No, he said, consecrate yourself, why listen to make the battle that is a spiritual battle requires God's supernatural power. It is a battle that is in the human impossibility and in order to receive victory in the spiritual battle to receive victory crossing the river of your impossibility. What is required is not strategy. What is required is not techniques.

What is required is not clever thinking what is required is not 10 year study plan. What is required is not outfoxing your opponent or outfoxing your enemies, not not not be said for spiritual victory over the rivers of possibilities. What is required is consecration. What is required is surrendering to the will of God in your life. What is required is being set aside for God. What is required is walking blameless before God. What is required is the anticipation of what God is going to do or can do for you. It is required not halfhearted commitment.

Often the rivers of impossibilities in your life and mine are God's opportunity for each of us for him to act on our behalf, but also supposed to bring us closer walk with God.

They are supposed to bring us to a closer examination of ourselves and our lives.

They're supposed to bring us to the point of giving up sins that have entrenched in our hearts, for which we have rationalized long time ago.

They are supposed to bring us to the point of trusting God completely. With all that he has entrusted us they supposed to bring us to the point of removing these idols and these strongholds that long ago have established beachhead in your life and in one is your challenge for you today. For each one of us if you have been ineffective for God in your life. If you have been spinning your wheels in your school. If you are going through the motions of being a Christian and going to this meeting and that meeting. In this gathering and that gathering if you have ever never been able to lead someone to Christ.

Listen to me. Ask yourself this question, I consecrated to God, how about giving up idols in my life have I surrendered to the will of God in my life and when you start doing that. Watch out please watch out because God is about to use you.

You are about to become dangerous for Satan you're about to deal Satan's kingdom of wall, watch out. God is about to use you.

There is the commissioning that is the consecration within the verses 14 to 17 is a completion is a completion of the task. I can't even imagine any and you can see that as I sit there alone with God. In preparation, reading the Scripture and desiring to take it all into my life and to my heart and and I sometimes try to use my imagination and I try to imagine these four priests carrying that on their shoulder and he walking down the river Jordan and and this is not stopping. I'm in with this water still going and they go in a new get closer and closer and closer to the water still hasn't stopped. I just wonder what went through the mind review just what the judge will hear God right Crimean war was going on. Nothing is happening was wet and they get their feet wet and it getting closer and closer and terrified heroes funny Dotson the priest first.

In this case.

Later on in the history of Israel, the priests wised up and in the future battles you know who this in first the singers said sentencing is first in the historic stupid.

One of the greatest is still funny. I know how I would've reacted and you know how you directed to taking one step and in what to forward to back.

Listen to me.

Beloved, listen to me what most Christians do with the promises of God in the Bible they underline them is nice is sweet and align them in their Bibles. They may even colorcode the but listen to me what kind of faith is what kind of faith that all you do is you name it and then your claimant, what kind of faith is that real faith is acting on the promises of God. God promises and said bring the thighs to the storehouse and test me. Christians underline it in the Bible and the sweet, that's nice of God. All you know what when my shift comes to port be able to give God the me ask you this.

If you've never send any ships out how you're expecting some shifts to come back.

God promised to be with you when you speak a word on his behalf.

When you testified to the forgiveness of your sins.

When you testify to the fact that you have received eternal life because he is coming to Christ and you know what believers do. They just underline them. This is just an other sweet promise of God is not wonderful how good God's and the keep the motion they never risk and on the talk about wild risk and is oh I just don't have the gift of witnessing is no such thing in the Bible is no such thing as a gift of witnessing God calls every single believer to be a witness. If your sins are forgiven you are a witness eyewitness account of what happened, and of God, forgive your sins, you supposed to tell about that you received a letter from inset is supposed to tell about that is all you supposed to do this when I witnessed us faith is not taking large risks. None. None.

That's not the biblical faith.

Faith is taking a risk that is firmly anchored and deeply established in the solid rock reliability what God had promised. That's what faith is all about. Even if you hesitate.

God understands. Even if you hesitate God is willing to strengthen you even if you doubt God is there to strengthen you even if you're timid, God is there to strengthen you listen to me as long as you are willing to get your feet wet as long as you are able to put 1 foot in front of the other as long as you keep moving in the right direction as long as you can look at the river of impossibilities in your life and you say I'm stepping over you in Jesus name I am going to the enemies in Jesus name I am going to cross this river in Jesus name. Look at verses 15 and 16 of chapter 3 of Joshua. Those two verses are enough to make you shot. Now Jordan is above flood stage during the harvest by the weather harvest in the spring in the Middle East in the fall like you do here. Now Jordan is at a flood stage during the harvest is a God doesn't even help.

Yet as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touch the water the fig went in several business at all. Kayla medical now we can go. We sought we believe it. Now we can do it none the fig wet leg of the verse as their feet touch the water said the water from upstream stopped flowing piled up in the he a good distance away. So the people crossover Dragon were things there is something else that crossing the river Jordan river of impossibility is going to do to you listen to me carefully when you cross over the river of impossibility in your life in Nunavut of impossibility money different from a lot of of impossibility. When you cross a river of impossibility. It means there is no going back is not going back there is no going back to the life of faith.

Listen, this is not going back to being silent about your salvation.

There is no going back about into the spiritual wilderness is not going back to mediocrity. There is no going back to feel intimidated, there's no going back to ignoring those who are desperately want to hear the gospel message in your silent about my friend, God is calling you to cross the river of impossibility, whatever it may be in your life because God intended to go ahead of you. And the reason for that is because God wants you to testify. This power in your life God wants you to speak of him. God wants you to love others on his behalf. God wants you to declare his mighty power. And that is why in chapter 4, God told Joshua to set up this memorial stone's. Why did active witness the act of testifying to the power of God. Generation after generation are going to come and those stones will be testifying to the power of Yahweh, who dried up river Jordan in the month of Nissan was flood time. Dr. Michael you sent with a reminder of the street to cross whatever you are river of impossibility in its on today's leading the way into the struggles that Joshua face while leading the wandering group of people into the promised land.

Not unlike what many of you are facing today.

Seriously. Maybe when the economy turned a few years ago you were forced to painfully leave what you thought was normal behind now is things look a little better in many industries. You're facing a river and impossibility. As you consider what may be hard for you. If so, we encourage you to keep listening to this series the life of Joshua can bring you the strength that just might be needed for your day today. You can also find strength in Dr. you set a daily E devotional called my devotional.

This is a quick but challenging message arriving at about the same time each day writing you to a verse or two from the Bible and practical life application from Dr. UNICEF sign up when you visit LTW.org of course you can always speak to a ministry representative give them your information they can get that process going, 8666264356866626437. This program is provided by leading the way with Dr. Michael passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth around the