Stepping out in Faith

A few mornings ago I read Joshua 3 (which was pretty awesome timing, because that was also the passage at church last weekend!), and I was struck by two different, yet I think complementary, things.

To set the scene, Joshua has recently been placed in leadership by God (after the death of Moses). The Israelites are camped one on side of the Jordan River, which they need to cross to enter the Promised Land. It’s harvest season, which also means that the river is at flood stage (v. 15). 

“Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.  Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.  This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.  See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.  Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.  And 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.”” (Joshua 3:5-13)

God told Joshua what to tell the priests, and Joshua obeyed and told them. And the priests obeyed the Word of the Lord.

“So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.  Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,  the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.  The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.” (Joshua 3:14-17) 

This is such an awesome reminder of God’s power! He controls the winds and the waves, and rivers! He provided for the Israelites’ immediate need—crossing the Jordan—in a miraculous way. He reminded them of His power, His control, and His provision. 

The other part that really jumped out to me, though, was the priests’ responsibility in this chapter. God told them to not just walk up to the edge of the Jordan, but to then GO STAND in the river. God hadn’t stopped the flowing water yet.

It was still a strong current.

The water was still rushing. 

Yet, the priests obeyed. They went to the river’s edge, and when their feet touched the water, that’s when God stopped the flowing water upstream!

God knew that exactly how He was going to provide for the Israelites, but He asked the priests to step out IN FAITH. Faith that He would do what He had said He'd do. 

And the priests obeyed. And God, like always, came through. 

The Israelite priest's obedience preceded God's miracle. They stepped out in faith, in obedience, and He showed them His power and might, just like He said He'd do. 

Reading this passage had made me think about how often I DON'T step out in faith, and has made me wonder what I've missed seeing because of that. 

God has commanded us to "love another," (John 13:34) and to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." (Matthew 22:37). He also commanded us to "go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19). 

I know what I've been told to do. 

But how often do I NOT love the Lord with my whole heart? 

How often do I NOT show love to those around me? 

And how often do I NOT share the Good news of Christ? 

When I fail to obey what God has commanded, I miss out on the miracle. I don't know how God would use my obedience, it might be in big ways and it might be in small ways. And it might just be to change MY heart, to help me to grow in holiness. 

But I do know this, I don't want to miss it! I want to walk in obedience to what God has called me to do, and I want to see how He works, how He displays His power and might and love. 

I want to be like the Israelite priests, walking to the edge of the Jordan, getting their feet wet, and trusting that God would do what He said He'd do. 

I want to step out in faith, trusting that my God will come through, always. 

Wielding the Sword

I've learned about the armor of God many times over the years, in Sunday school, AWANA, youth group, and through reading my Bible. I've been realizing more and more lately that sometimes there is a very real disconnect between learning something and actually APPLYING it to our lives. 


Ephesians 6:10-17 says this: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (NIV) 


If you read through that passage, you see many pieces of armor meant to protect you--to defend. There is only one piece that is different. The Sword of the Spirit. The part of the armor that is offensive, rather than defensive. 

I know this is true, but I honestly don't know if I've ever applied it practically. 

There has been a lot on my mind and heart recently, and I found myself anxious often. One morning during devotions last week, God brought to mind Philippians 4:4-8: 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." 

That passage was exactly the reminder I needed, and after reading it and praying through it I felt much calmer and at peace, but God pressed it on my heart that I needed to remember those verses. 

I went on with the day, but soon enough the anxieties came back. Before reading that passage that morning, I would've let the fears and thoughts start to consume me, but this time I remembered the verses in Philippians, I stopped and literally said them out loud. Over and over again. 

The anxieties calmed, and peace came. 

Then later in the day, the anxieties popped up again. So, again, I repeated those verses. Once again, I received peace. 

And it happened again and again. I would begin to feel anxious or fearful, so I would focus on the passage in Philippians, saying the verses both out loud and in my head depending where I was at and what I was doing. 

And suddenly it hit me... this is what wielding the Sword of the Spirit is supposed to be.

It's battling sins, fears, anxieties, worries, etc. with the Word of God, instead of trying to do it on our own. 

It's focusing on Scripture to get our minds fixed on God, not on the problem at hand. 

It's using Scripture to preach the truth to yourself, instead of listening to the lies of the evil one. 

It's using Scripture to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), instead of letting your thoughts run wild. (I know I'm guilty of that!) 

It's amazing that God not only redeemed us through Jesus's blood on the cross, but He gives us His very Word, a Sword by which to defend ourselves. 

One of my sweet friends so wisely shared with me once that God had been pressing on her heart the importance of memorizing and knowing Scripture, because it was her weapon, the weapon God had given her to fight the lies that Satan feeds us. 

If we don't know Scripture, how can we fight? Against lies, against sin, against anxieties? 

If we don't know Scripture, we are not using the weapon that God specifically gave us! 

I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want to waste the gift that God has given us in His Word. 

I want to know His Word, so that I might wield the Sword.