When you experience loss, it can be hard to move forward. That’s why you are going to need this kind of faith. Join Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Worship on tour for Elevation Nights 2020. For tickets and locations visit www.stevenfurtick.com/tour
one of the reasons that transition is so
hard in your life is because everybody
lost something in this last year it
could be a friendship many people lost a
job this year everybody with money in
the stock market lost some of that this
year hello hello and some of you lost a
dream this year and it is in that
context this is crazy it is in the context of loss that God
calls Joshua to cross over to what’s
next
so the presence of God had to go before
the people so that their eyes would not
be fixed on what they lost this year but
so their eyes would be fixed on where
God was leading them in the days ahead
I don’t know who this is for but God
said you can’t get Moses back but if
you’ll fix your eyes forward that’s the
word forward shout it for shout it again
forward shove somebody say full word
even if I have to push you forward
you can’t stay stuck here you can’t cry
over this anymore forward the way of
faith looks forward in fact I want you
to say something about this year and
just say it by faith just say it even if
you don’t know what this year holds just
say it if you don’t say you’ll have to
but for all the faithful people who want
God to do amazing things in your life
starting tomorrow shout this I’m looking forward to it
how can you say that you don’t even know
what it is yet but my promise doesn’t
concern what it is he said don’t be
terrified don’t be discouraged for the
Lord your God is with you wherever
whatever whoever I’m looking forward to
it you know I might have a challenge
this year but I’m looking forward to it
my challenge is gonna give my god an
opportunity to just show off on my
behalf come on hot five somebody say I’m looking forward to it I’m looking forward
to it for I know the plans I have for
you plans to prosper you and not to harm
you plans to give you hope and a future
oh I got it now it takes a certain kind
of faith
faith is the substance of things hoped
for what I hoped for is out ahead of me
and whatever is behind me wasn’t
meant to go with me
into this next season I’m looking
forward to it fix your eyes on Jesus the
author and finisher of my faith whatever
is ahead of me He wrote it so I trust the next chapter
cause I know the author I’m looking forward to it
I want to see how this turns out I want
to see how this turns out the author and
finisher of our faith and you know how
Jesus crossed it says in Hebrews that He
endured the cross for the joy set before
Him before Him before Him don’t let
what’s behind you make you miss what’s
before you not this year not this year
man I wish I could get those 40 years
back that we wasted but I can’t look
back at those 40 years for the joy set
before Him give your faith something to
look forward to this year and don’t let
it just be heaven when you die you know
Jesus taught me how to pray He said thy
kingdom come thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven my faith is looking forward not to one
day when I get out of here but what He’s
gonna do
before I leave I’m looking forward to it I
know I know I know it’s gonna be I know
it’s gonna be some unexpected challenges this year I know it’s gonna be some
things this year that I wouldn’t choose
to cross over then you know here’s the
thing here’s the thing I can’t choose
every every river I’m gonna have to
cross this year but I do get to choose
what I carry while I’m crossing it and I
mean to tell you that there are some
things that you can’t carry into this
next year if you want to cross into the
new one you can’t carry what happened
you can’t carry my faith looks forward
so it said the artc has to go before them
and if they if they’ll keep their eyes
on this art that’s out in the distance
and not get stuck right here and be
satisfied to know God on this level but
to look out beyond and say where next
God I will do amazing things so I need a
faith that looks forward and watch this I
need a faith that stands between again
the geographical context of this this
narrative is creating a brilliant
psychological map for us to attack all
of the mental barriers that we’re up
against in the coming year and it said
that the priest had to go out into the
middle of the Jordan and stand there let
me back up you got a you gotta check this
out it said that uh God told Joshua
commanded Joshua in verse 8 chapter 4
the Israelites did as Joshua commanded
took twelve stones from the middle of
the Jordan according to the number of
the tribes of the Israelites as the
Lord had told Joshua and they carried them over with them to the camp I gotta read
fast cuz I gotta end this sermon at
midnight and if it gets real good we
might just switch to like you know
Pacific Standard Time and you know that
midnight there’s several Midnight’s you
know it just depends on which clock were
watching watch this is that um Joshua said 12 stones that had
been in the middle of the Jordan at the
spot where the priest who carried the
Ark of the Covenant had stood Wow it
said that the the priest stood there
look at verse 10 what kind of faith does
this take now the priest who carried the
ark remain standing why I like that
phrase cuz that describes what some of
us had to do this year just remain
standing now look at the person next to
you and be honest with them say I didn’t
get everything right this year but I
remain standing come on tell them real
plain say I’m still standing and if I
don’t have any other reason to be
thankful the fact that I’m still
standing in the depths of all the danger
that I faced I’m still standing that’s
why I came to church and not to the club
cuz I wanted to thank the one who gave
me something this
I’m still standing I’m standing and I’m
still carrying what God put on my
shoulders I didn’t drop the ark I didn’t
neglect God I didn’t forsake Him this here I
got it on my shoulders and I’m still
standing carrying the ark the ark man I
studied I studied about the ark so I
could preach this right let’s see if I
could get a detail that’ll help us what
were they carrying the ark it was made
of acacia wood it was 27 inches wide 27
inches high 45 inches long you know I
can make something up but I don’t really
know the significance of those
dimensions I do know that God measures
everything and He makes things to a
certain dimension Bible I don’t think
that’s a point let’s see what else what
else it was overlaid with gold so it’s a
picture of the acacia wood which is
humanity covered with gold which is
divinity which symbolizes Jesus who was
wrapped in flesh but covered in glory
and full of grace and truth but um I
don’t think that’s I don’t think that’s
the thing something else okay hold on
give me a minute
it’s kind of late I don’t usually stay
up this late it was a wood no oh
yeah on one end of that rectangular box
that had the law inside of it was a
cherubim like angel and on the other
end was a cherubim
I think it says it in Exodus 25:22
when God was telling Moses how to how to
build it in Exodus it said that there
would be a cherubim on one side cherubim
on the other and God said there everybody shout there above the cover between the two
cherubim that are over the ark there
above the cover between the two cherubim
there I will meet with you touch
somebody and say
God met me in the middle that’s what I
need you to know is that God didn’t wait
for me to come out of my dysfunction to
bless me and to touch me and to love me
God met me in the middle I’m trying to
say that you can’t wait until you get
everything you want to worship and
glorify God who calls you He wants to
meet you in the middle in the middle in
the middle now let me do a check is there
anybody who ever experienced a miracle in the middle
i’ma come to this side cause I didn’t feel it over here is there anybody who ever had God
do a miracle in the middle because my life is a testimony it’s not just about the
start it’s not just about the finish the
blessing is in between is that I stood
in the middle of the Jordan and what
should’ve swallowed me up didn’t you sweep over
me that’s the miracle H met me in
the middle I’m preaching it because if you
wait until you get there to praise Him
you’ll never get there because God will
meet you when you praise Him in the
middle shout in the middle in the middle
in the middle and I stood in the middle
of some stuff this year and I stood in
the middle of dysfunction this year and
I stood in the middle of some dark
situations this year and I remain
standing in the middle hey thank you for
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watching