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Making a Monument Out of Your Miracle, Pt. 2
Joshua 3:7-17 (NASB) says, “7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8“You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12“Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”
14So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
Joshua 4:1-7 (NASB) says, “1Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, 2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’” 4So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5and Joshua said to them, “Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 6“Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”
Since the children of Israel were obedient to God in following the priesthood who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant, God was going to rest in the waters of Jordan and work a mighty miracle. God’s presence rests with those who pursue His glory and obey! Just as with the Red Sea, the Jordan River would heap up on both sides. This happened when the priests dipped their feet in the brim of the water. The priests carrying the Ark had to stand still at the brink of the water so that God could work a miracle! God is waiting for the remnant of the priesthood to move, but not get in the way of His purpose and plan. Once we get to the place He longs for us to go, we must stand still and see salvation of the Lord. This is so that He can get the glory. Too many people are trying to receive the credit for the works that God has performed in their ministry, but do not allow your position, gifts or title to interfere with what God wills to do in your life. Lay it down, stand still and watch Him work. Give Him the glory that He deserves!
During the whole time of harvest, the banks of Jordan overflowed. According to Dake’s Annotated and Reference Bible (p. 242), “This happened every spring due to the melting of the snows in the mountains of Lebanon in the north. It seems God chose this time of the year to confirm the fact further that a miracle was performed by Him, and to give Israel a sign that He was with them and that the nations of Canaan would be overthrown by them with His help”. With the banks overflowing, this is not an opportune time in man’s eyes to cross the Jordan River, but it was so in God’s eyes! This river was not like ankle deep low, but they were high. You definitely could not walk across it or drive horses and chariots through it, but God made a way there seemed no way, breaking through the realm of impossibilities to blow everyone’s mind. There was no way that they could do it without God, which is why He alone received the glory!
*The only way your banks can overflow is when you step into the Jordan in the right season at the time of harvest. The banks overflowing always signify that it is harvest time. When Jesus met the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well and revealed to her personal details of her life as well as His identity, she went through Samaria, telling everyone to come and see a man named Jesus! A well of living water sprung up, and it was harvest time! That is why Jesus said, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). Jesus remained two days in Samaria for revival as many believed upon His Word. Any time there is an overflow of water, there is a time of harvest! *The overflowing of the rivers of living water is not for you to get your emotional fix, but rather to prepare you for the harvest! Too many people are wanting wells of revival to burst open, but they do not want to gather the harvest because that requires hard work. It takes work to win the lost and disciple them in the kingdom of God. They want their revival services that allows them to feel good because all that they care about is a self-centered Christianity rather than a self-denial one! But the overflowing of the banks is to get you in a continual source of revival to where you become like Christ, the Word made flesh! He wants to transform you to where you become the message. That is the point of revival. If it is not about winning souls and seeing lives changed, call it a series of good church services, but do not call it revival. Revival is in your face. It brings you to your knees. You lose sight of your schedule and you follow God’s agenda. You cannot stop telling people about the greatness of your God. It does not revolutionize your church, but it changes an entire culture! That is revival!
Psalm 1:1-3 says, “1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” In order to be in the continual source of revival, which is rivers of living water, you cannot follow ungodly advice, stand around sinners, or join in with mockers, but your delight is in the Word of God, and that is what you constantly think about it. That is what makes you successful and prosperous. You are not dwelling on the negative that causes you to be stuck in the wilderness, but you abide in a covenant of life and peace because you reverence the LORD and meditate upon His Word. You cannot stop thanking God for what He has done in your life. You cannot stop thinking about His greatness. This is what allows your bank to overflow!
Some of your banks need to overflow, but it is only through the law of sowing and reaping that that is made possible. It is like God gives you a heavenly bank account. Too many church people are continuously making overdrafts, asking God for this and that but they are not depositing anything. They are not sowing time in evangelism and praising God. They are not sowing their money into the kingdom of God because it takes finances to fund and support the missionary work. They are not sowing intercessory prayer and fasting for this generation. You need to spend time in the presence of God and allow God to deposit some spiritual truths into your life so that you are able to withdraw exactly what you need to make a difference in the lives of others. You need to deposit your will, time and money into the kingdom so that you can remain in covenant with God to be able to walk in His blessings and favor. You cannot draw from this well when there is nothing to draw from! If you want the banks to overflow, you have to sow in this season so that you can reap in the next one.