Consecrate and Cross On Over

Written by John Tyler


I can imaginerepparttar Israelites standing onrepparttar 126797 bank ofrepparttar 126798 Jordan River, ready to cross over to Canaan, their promised land.

They are full of faith and excitement as a result ofrepparttar 126799 magnificent promise from their God, but anxious and uncertain about what lies ahead.

Then Joshua speaks with authority and conviction, having heard fromrepparttar 126800 Living God.

He tells God’s people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrowrepparttar 126801 Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 4:5).

There comes an appointed time inrepparttar 126802 life of every believer – who knows, you may be there today – when God leads you torepparttar 126803 edge of your Jordan River. Onrepparttar 126804 other side liesrepparttar 126805 future God has promised to you. It could be stability, a healthy marriage, a jump in your career, a fresh anointing or a redeemed self-esteem. God has "amazing things" planned for your life!

Behind you isrepparttar 126806 wilderness of your past…the wandering,repparttar 126807 grumbling,repparttar 126808 fear,repparttar 126809 bitterness,repparttar 126810 disappointment,repparttar 126811 sin. You stare acrossrepparttar 126812 cold, rushing river torepparttar 126813 other side, which is obscured inrepparttar 126814 distance.

Consecrate ourselves? My friend,repparttar 126815 journey torepparttar 126816 other side will most likely require something of us.

“Lord, you mean I can’t take this anger and bitterness torepparttar 126817 other side?”

“Lord, I only do it every once in a while, and no one else knows about it!”

“Jesus, it’s not gossip! It’s sharing in love!”

“Father, I know it's a little trashy, but it’srepparttar 126818 only television show like that I ever watch. I’m strong enough to resist temptation.”

Let's take a step intorepparttar 126819 water and let him wash that stuff away, because none of it can cross over with us.

Before getting overwhelmed, take another gander acrossrepparttar 126820 river. He’s made some incredible promises to you! Your Canaan is just onrepparttar 126821 other side of this river, and God has promised to miraculously partrepparttar 126822 water so you can cross.

Do Your Memories Empower or Restrict?

Written by John Tyler


The human memory is a powerful tool, engineered by a loving God who is determined to see us become everything he's called us to be.

Memories can be one ofrepparttar most powerful instruments used to stir up our faith. Each of us can remember a time in our life when we felt painted in a corner by our circumstances, and only by fightingrepparttar 126796 good fight of faith we saw what once seemed impossible to our carnal mind become a reality.

Maybe it was a sickness, or family member running from God, andrepparttar 126797 Lord supernaturally came onrepparttar 126798 scene to change what seemed unchangable.

Those powerful memories of God's faithfulness and supernatural ability give usrepparttar 126799 strength and tenacity to keep believing for future breakthroughs.

The psalmist said it this way: "I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds" (Psalm 77:11,12).

After leading them from Egypt, God encouraged his people to keeprepparttar 126800 memory of his faithfulness fresh as they embarked onrepparttar 126801 daunting mission of takingrepparttar 126802 promised land.

"But do not be afraid of them; remember well whatrepparttar 126803 Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyesrepparttar 126804 great trials,repparttar 126805 miraculous signs and wonders,repparttar 126806 mighty hand andrepparttar 126807 outstretched arm, with whichrepparttar 126808 Lord your God brought you out" (Deut. 7: 18,19). In essence, God was saying, "Don't sweatrepparttar 126809 small stuff. I brought you out once before. I'll do it again. Nothing is too hard for me."

While meditating onrepparttar 126810 great things he has done inrepparttar 126811 past is important, we shouldn't letrepparttar 126812 memory ofrepparttar 126813 past limit him in our lives today.

God's wonder-working power is not limited torepparttar 126814 box we often confine him to in our head.

Keep in mind,repparttar 126815 reason Jesus could perform no mighty acts in his own hometown wasrepparttar 126816 unbelief ofrepparttar 126817 people.

In other words,repparttar 126818 people of that town had tied God's hands. Their limited mindsets and inability to see beyond who Jesus had been to them inrepparttar 126819 past kept them from receiving inrepparttar 126820 "here and now."

For years, I prayed and prayed thatrepparttar 126821 members of my family would come to Christ. However, most ofrepparttar 126822 time I don't think I really brought my request to God in faith.

When I personally met Christ at age 14, several members of my family had responded negatively to my born-again experience and zeal forrepparttar 126823 Lord. Until a couple years ago, I tookrepparttar 126824 memory of their resistance torepparttar 126825 gospel with me every time I approached Jesus in prayer.

What I neglected to realize atrepparttar 126826 time was that Jesus isn't affected by what I perceived as their resistance. God is God, and if he wants someone to serve him, guess what? He can change their heart no matter how tall of an order my finite mind thinks it is.

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