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.”

 

When the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark dipped into the brim of water, the waters heaped very far, from the city of Adam in one direction to the Dead Sea in the other direction. Adam, who was the name of the first of creation and welcomed sin into this world, was the city of man’s establishment. The Dead Sea was a sea of lifeless beings. This contained a great deal of spiritual significance because Joshua foreshadowed Jesus who was to come. Both of their names have the same meaning, which is “Jehovah Saves”. Jesus was known as the Second Adam. While Adam was the original human created by God, Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, born of a virgin and conceived of the Holy Spirit. His mission was to come in this world and become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins that through his blood our sins could be forgiven. Through His sacrifice, our sins can be cast as far as the east is from the west. He came to do what the first Adam left unfulfilled. Instead of building a city, He came to restore a kingdom back to earth, giving us authority and dominion. He came to give life to those things that were dead!

The Dead Sea will actually one day be healed in the natural. Zechariah 14:4, 8 says, “4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south…8And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.” When Jesus plants His feet on the Mount of Olives to establish His physical kingdom here on earth, an earthquake will occur, and the underground water source in that mountain will come out and enter the Dead Sea, healing its waters. Therefore, spiritually, Jesus’ kingdom has been established within us, and it’s purpose is to bring a shaking, heal those things that have been sick, bring life to those things that have been dead. Jesus came to make dead people live again. If you have feel spiritually dead or stuck, there is hope for you, and the source of your life is in the person and identity of Jesus Christ.

The waters parted to bring restoration, healing and strength, which indicates that the water has to be troubled and things have to be shaken and moved in your life if you want to enter into the promise and destiny that God has for your life. The Jordan has to part in order for Jericho to fall and for you to get to your promise! Once this happens, then you have to make the choice to step forward and walk across on dry ground. This is a miracle in itself! This ground is continuously covered in water. How could it become dry so quickly? Typically, the chariots and wagons would be stuck in this ground because it should be wet, sandy and muddy. Nonetheless, they walked across on dry ground. *You can have the rivers parting experience, but the ground must change! In other words, when you step into the miracle working realm of God’s power and grace, your foundation and surface must change. It may be conceived or believed to be one thing, but with you it is a total different matter. For example, in Matthew 14:22-33, Peter decided to step out of the boat and walk on the water to Jesus Christ. He was able to walk on a surface that should have caused him to sink and even drown as long as his eyes were fixed upon Jesus Christ, but the moment he got his eyes off Jesus, he no longer walked in a realm of impossibilities, but he began to sink just as any other man. Once you take the step of faith as God works the miracles, you must keep Jesus at the center. He must be your focus!

The priests who were bearing the Ark of the Covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan River, and all of the children of Israel were able to walk across on dry ground. They did not leave their spot until all of the children of Israel passed on to the other side. *The priests were watchmen because they waited until the very last one reached the other side of Jordan before they moved out of there. *As a royal priesthood, you must carry the presence so that others can step into their promise, and you must be a watchman on the wall, making sure that you are standing in the gap and making up the hedge so that others can fulfill their calling and purpose upon their lives. You must allow God to be the center of your life instead of prioritizing everything else above God, and then you can lead others to their breakthrough! In order to walk on a ground that would typically paralyze you and stunt your growth, keep your eyes on Jesus Christ. Other man cannot walk through the territory God is calling you to, but just as with Joshua, it is time to know who you are in God and that everywhere you walk God has given you that territory, but you refuse to walk in that authority and power. When you walk the halls of your school, you should believe, declare and know that territory belongs to you and your God. The problem with the church is that we are not being strong and of good courage, but we are walking in total fear. We are afraid to have a certain class because we are the only Christian in there. We are praying God to take us out of the job that we are working because we are surrounded by so many lost people when your way of thinking is so much like that Pharisees because you are convinced that you are better than them and you are afraid that they will taint your spirituality. Yet, you want to cry out that you are in revival, but you cannot even effect your workplace for the glory of God! You have upside down thinking! The banks are overflowing because it is harvest time, which means that it is time to win souls to Jesus Christ. You are not going to do that if you are surrounded by only saved folk. Get to where the harvest is and get to work! Jesus is coming, and you do not want to be empty handed when He comes. Bring as many as you can to the feet of Jesus and let Him change their lives forever! Don’t be afraid, but know your identity in God.