READING
Listening
In Life Lesson #8, we will consider God’s commands to Joshua and the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land. If you scan the first few chapters of the book Joshua, you see over and over the words, “Be strong and courageous”.Obviously what God had instructed them to do would not be easy!
Ever feel that way? Please don’t say, never! I will be very intimidated if you do!
I remember the first time I had to speak in church. After using every excuse in the book (check out Moses’ excuses in Exodus 3-4and you will know what I tried as well) my supervisor basically told me I was to do it. As I voiced my concerns to the Lord, He finally got me to just trust Him with it. Basically, He said, “put your foot in the water and I will do it for you.” With fear and trembling, I experienced what God could do through me that I knew I couldn’t do myself! Not that it was easy, but He spoke through me.
As the Israelites were facing a huge obstacle in getting into Canaan, the priests were told to go ahead of the people and put their feet in the water. The waters did not part till they put their toes in. Now that says something to me. Often God will not part the waters till we obey in faith to what He’s already told us. The priests didn’t know how God would get them across the Jordan, but they obeyed what He’d already told them by approaching the river and moving on into it. That’s when God parted the waters so all the people could cross.
Coming to LifeWay over 15 years ago was another Jordan River to me. What, how, why would God call me to this place to do this work? I didn’t know those answers, but when my husband and I realized that was what God was asking us to do, we knew we had to follow or walk in disobedience. Daily I quoted Ephesians 2:10 (HCSB); “For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” If He had created and called me, I had to believe He had gone ahead of me to prepare the way.
What are you waiting on? What has God called you to do that you’ve yet to act on? Pray for Him to give you courage to put your toes in the water and then watch Him part it for you to cross!
For more helpful resources, check out Women Reaching Women Beginning & Building a Growing Women's Enrichment Ministry, Revised.
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