GO FORWARD – 15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” Exodus 14:15 NKJV
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:7-8 NIV
Forward by definition means toward a point in advance, moving ahead, onward. For us, this 40-day emphasis means moving ahead and onward in our relationship with God to where He has called us personally and as a church. Moving forward is a great thing! Take the Jordan River for example. It moves forward and where it stops, you get the Dead Sea!
What is currently hindering you from going forward in your relationship with the Lord? What is preventing you from doing what He has called you to do and being who He wants you to be?
Fear of the future very well may be one of those things. Fear can paralyze us. In the verses above, Moses is handing his responsibilities over to Joshua. It was Joshua’s job to lead the people of Israel ultimately into the promised land. This was no easy task! Put yourself in his shoes. The Israelites were a mess! They had a history of complaining and grumbling, of growing impatient and worshipping other gods, etc. On top of that, the area was occupied. Joshua would be leading military efforts in order to obtain the land!
Jesus never fails!
There is no doubt Joshua was overwhelmed. He probably had a thousand “what if” questions, maybe similar to some of yours today. Speaking from first-hand experience, Moses assures Joshua, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you.” He had seen it time and time before. Over and over again in Scripture we are told not to fear. Jesus never fails! Do you believe that?
No matter the task God has given you, you can be sure that He sees and goes before you. Nothing catches Him off-guard. He has already made provision. He can be trusted!
APPLICATION
– Spend some time thanking the Lord that He can be trusted with your future. Commit to trust Him with any fear that may be paralyzing you.
– Praise God that He knows the plans He has for our church and that He has already provided the means to accomplish those plans.
– Praise God that He knows the future of our cities and our nation. Pray that He will use each Liberty campus, and our Connect Groups spread all around Hampton Roads, as lighthouses to those in a dark and dying world. Pray that He would use Liberty to bridge racial disconnects and disunity, and to proclaim truth in the midst of a world full of confusion and uncertainties.
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“Forward.” Def. 6. Dictionary.com. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/forward?s=t. Accessed: 13 September 2016.