Moving Forward with Strength

Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Joshua 1:1-2

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

For the next 5 weeks, the men of the church will meet to learn more from the book The Jordan River Rules. This is a great book filled with valuable messages and truths that will help any Christian willing to dig and glean what it has to offer.

Also, for the next 5 weeks I will also study the strategies for moving forward given by Robert Morgan through this book and share my thoughts here.

Jordan River Rule #1 - Realize God Means for You to Move Forward
Jordan River Rule #2 - Say No to Discouragement, Yes to Strength

Moving forward begins with the first step. That step can be an easy one or it can be the toughest decision you will ever make.  God has a plan for each of us and that plan requires action. It requires us to walk by faith knowing that God is already where we are going.

So, how do we move forward? Glad you asked.

Our lives are a process of stages. They are a beautiful journey filled with memories, love, and blessings. Some stages in our lives are happy, and others are sad. Yet, through each stage, God is with us.

This week, Brian and I will celebrate 32 years of marriage. I've looked back through the many pictures taken and can see each stage of our lives. From dating (man, I had the 80's hair) to our wedding, with the kids, and now as empty nesters. God led us through each of them, however painful they were.

The stages of life cannot be stagnant if we are to be the Christians God called us to be. We must take steps through the stages to share His love and the promise of eternal life. King David understood this when he wrote Psalms 139:16, ...in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. We were created for a purpose and Robert Morgan so eloquently said it this way, "The only way of moving forward is putting your foot down - and making sure it lands on a promise." (pg. 7)

How can we do this? With faith as strong as our God.

Charles Spurgeon said, "Strong faith glorifies God because it treats Him as God." Sure, many steps are unsure, scary, and can bring moments of doubt. Yet, when our faith is in Him, we can be sure each step will be matched by His. Now, this kind of faith is not something you can have on a whim; you need to pour His scripture into your daily life.

Can you imagine the outcome for the Children of Israel if those 10 spies had the faith of Caleb and Joshua? Rather than faith, they let their fear rule their lives. Now, we can't be too hard on them, we do it to. Think about the last time fear dictated your actions in a situation when faith could have provided a better outcome.

A lack of strength brings fear, and fear brings discouragement. Sure, it's easy to become discouraged when we look around and see the chaos of this world. But, when we look up, we are looking to the God that gave miracles where man saw despair and hopelessness. We see the God that walks with us through the chaos and the pain. We receive encouragement knowing that we are loved beyond measure by the One who created life from dirt.

-C

Morgan, Robert J. The Jordan River Rules : 10 God-given Strategies for Moving Forward. Tucson, AZ, Cover to Cover LLC, 2021.