Following in Joshua's footsteps.

We are entering a new season called Autumn. Personally, I don't like this season as it is basically saying that the cold weather is just round the corner. It also tells me that we will soon have dark mornings and dark evenings and very little sunshine. Yeah, I get the beautiful colours of the leaves and the crisp Autumnal air, but it isn't the Summer! I am a sun lover and it makes it even more disappointing that we had a pretty rubbish summer with regards to sunshine and now I have to wait about seven months for any possibility of that. Sorry to be so negative at the start of this blog that I haven't actually written in x months! However, for me a new season is fast approaching that I am very excited about. As a church we are about to embark on a move to a new venue. God told us to move a while ago and in two weeks we are about to see this move become a reality. The cloud of God is moving and we are following Him to go to a more spacious place. God recently spoke to me about Joshua and the move into the Promised Land. Out of this I felt that we need to draw some important lessons. Crossing the Jordan 3 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.” 5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.’” Firstly, we are to follow the presence of God before we go anywhere. The Ark of the Covenant represented His presence and His people were only to move when they saw the Ark move. Someone wrote recently that the church has often camped itself around the sermon or the worship session at church, whereas the Israelites camped around the presence of God. Our first calling is to worship or to just spend time in God's presence. Moses said unless your presence goes with us we aren't going anywhere! First and foremost we need to be following His presence. Secondly, when you spend time in His presence you will then know which way to go. So many people say to me that they don't know where they are going in life. My answer is: "Have you spent time in His presence, by just being?" I imagine the Father saying "I haven't spoken to my child for years...I can't get a word in edgeways!" We often come to God and talk and talk and talk and talk on at Him and then leave that place and wonder why we haven't heard Him speak to us. Give Him a chance! Wait in His presence and listen. Thirdly, consecrate yourself for tomorrow I will do amazing things amongst you. Wow! What a great promise. Why did Jesus see so many amazing things? Because he set himself aside for his Father's purposes alone. He gave himself fully to fulfilling His Dad's will. He only did what he saw his Father do. How did he know what his Dad was doing? He set time aside to watch Him in his devotional time. Do you want to see amazing things happen tomorrow? Set yourself aside purely for His purposes. Lastly, start living by your faith eyes and not your natural eyesight. The leaders of Israel had to step into the mighty River Jordan and expect God to make a way through for all of God's people. There's one thing getting excited in God's presence and believing Him for anything, but it is another thing to leave that place and attempt to do things that are naturally impossible. It is a new and exciting season. Are you ready for some amazing things to happen in you and through you?

It's been a long time...

"Time flies when your having fun!" so the phrase goes. But I have realised that I haven't blogged since 7th December, which is very poor. So Happy New Year to you all...a little belatedly though. The great thing about this time of year for me is that the winter is pretty much over and now I can look forward to the joys of Spring and hopefully a decent Summer. The bible says that hope deferred makes the heart sick! Well for the last three or four years I have hoped for a great sunny summer and for three or four years my heart has been sick! So this year I am not getting my hopes up even though I am an eternal optimist. I read this recently that while the optimist and the pessimist were arguing about the whether the glass was half empty or half full, the opportunist came along and drank it! We can waste so much time looking to the future and wondering what will happen next, that we lose sight of today. There are so many great things happening in our time now that we need to just stop and take it all in. That is what rest is all about. God took six days to make everything. However at the end of each day He stopped and admired what He had done and took pleasure in it. And then at the end of the week He took a whole day out to look at everything and enjoy His handiwork! We are busy, busy, busy. There is a culture of busyness that pervades society. I hear people boasting about how busy they are. They list all the things that they do in a day that seems to go on and on. And then their friend, not wanting to be out-busied, lists their very busy items that they have accomplished that day. I think that a lot of the time God is sitting on the edge of His throne shouting: "STOP!!! Take a chill pill." God commands us to rest. He tells us to take time out and review all that has been accomplished and actually enjoy what we have done. To enjoy our amazing family. To enjoy our amazing handiwork and to enjoy His even more amazing handiwork. Martha was a classic example of busyness. Flap, flappity flap, goes Martha. "I'm serving the Lord! I'm busy doing things for Him so that He will be pleased with me!" "Jesus, look at me. I'm flat out on my feet, whereas my lazy lump of a sister is just sitting at your feet doing nothing!" Martha is expecting a - Well done Martha from Jesus. But what she gets is -

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10)

There you go. Did you get that? Only one thing is needed. One thing! And that is - Stop, sit down at Jesus' feet and listen to him.

Now of course we need to work. We need to do the daily stuff at home. All of that is important. But the main thing we need to do is hang out with Jesus. He sustains all things by his powerful word. His word is our sustenance. Therefore, we need to stop what we are doing and munch on some of his words by sitting at his feet and listening. This is rest! Today I hold my hands up and confess that I am too busy and that is not a noble thing. Chitty, stop for a bit and take a deep breath, look at the view and see how awesome it is and how great out heavenly Dad is.