Lena's Journal to Joshua 4

These priests stood in the water, holding up God’s presence among them, until everyone crossed over the place of willing humility. This way of thinking and living is very contrary to the cultural worlds we live in. The new kingdom thought is: I am living here for someone else, to lead someone else into victory, to help them cross over, to show them the promises of God for their households!
When was the last time you stood in the water of the Holy Spirit led life and stayed there upholding the standard of God’s word and the ark of His presence so OTHERS could get where God wants them to go? THIS is our destiny in Christ.
We are saved, to save, healed to heal, delivered to deliver. We have the spirit of Christ inside of us so others can see Him and also have that same spirit within them.
When was the last time you thought of or considered being as Christ Jesus was on earth to save souls? Is that not who we are, and what we are commissioned to be? What else is there?
Before Christ, the church had an Ark of Covenant, we now have covenant blood flowing through our veins!
Before Christ, the Spirit of God would appear to one here and there, now He will never leave or forsake those who willing choose to give Him an earthly human house to live in.
God is a Spirit, they who choose to have Him alive and living in them, choose to worship Him by being made spiritually alive unto God in Christ. They walk in truth, desiring the truth they did not know in their inward parts before to become who they are now.
Why do we go to church unless it is to receive more of what to believe in? Why do we attend Bible Studies unless it is to learn how to walk, in a way we never knew to walk before? Why else would we be a part of an evangelistic group unless it was to follow another’s lead and learn ways foreign to our natural minds and inherent behaviors? Why do we read God’s word unless we have an active intention to do the word and change radically and completely?
We were spiritually dead and have now been made alive in Christ Jesus! Yes, old things have passed away. The old sins that kept us separated from an eternal relationship with Our Father and Creator are no longer held powerfully against us, We are freed by forgiveness.
So now what is made new then? I am becoming a new person. I’m born again I’m a newborn spiritual baby. I must learn everything I’ve ever thought of in the new light of His word. Even good people must learn to think and act as God does. Goodness is not the gage and measure; the measure is His image, what in this would properly reflect His image? The question here is never what is good!
Adam & Eve ate from the wrong tree of the knowledge of goodness! We have got to get that and stop contesting the words we hear as being good or not. If we eat from the tree of righteousness, we are looking for new godly insight with revelation in every area of life, we must often ask - where is the spirit life in this decision or direction or behavior?
In the OT, God appeared, He was represented in a gold covered ornately reverenced box. Now He is represented inside of people. God is Spirit. God breathed into Adam the breath of lives, Adam was made alive as a natural and a spiritual man, then submitting to sins power he died spiritually. So Jesus came and made those who receive Him and were as dead as Adam was, in their own trespasses and sin nature, spiritually alive. He breathed again the breath of lives, the inward power of the Holy Spirit is now alive in not just one man, but has been received by all and any who would believe in Him and live as He is and was on the earth! Jesus was one man, and is the firstborn of many spiritually alive, God infused, brethren. Now, we can also be made one in and with Him, by the power of the Spirit of Christ in us.
They breathed on them and said, “receive ye the Holy Ghost”! Who is “ye”? That is you, that is me, that is yours and mine and ours and any and all who will believe and receive Him.
We are the Ark of the Covenant! We are the carriers of the very presence of God.
What does it take for a whole group of people to humble themselves? Obedience is all. Seriously. If God said to His people through a leader such as Joshua, “Hey ya’ll go ahead and get ready to cross over tomorrow morning at 6.” What would happen to those who believe the word of the Lord? What about to those who do not believe it? What happens to the ones who are comfortable where they are or do not agree with it, or to those who don’t think Joshua spoke correctly and think that maybe he had the wrong timing, because you are already involved elsewhere and God knows that, so how could it be God, right? What if they wait for God to tell them directly because they don’t have to listen to men, they can hear God for themselves just fine. What if they are too tired or ill? What does humility do? How can all these situations come into unity on this? How long will it take? What would it take?
Think about it. Humility believes God even for the strength to do what one deems to be impossible. It willingly says, I may be off course and You know the Way, so I’ll go Your way, when I could easily go mine. It obeys words of God even through men.
How big was one of the 12 stones? As =big as a man could and was willing to carry, that’s how big it was. What did that depend on? Do you think they were all the same size? Why 12 for each tribe? 12 means divine government. God desires to establish His divine government rule in every tribe and race of people, in each home, in each family, town, city and state. He is leading those who will come under His rule and reign. We say it is free, but it isn’t. It takes a constantly growing change of mind and heart. It takes a willingness to follow after, to uphold God’s presence among men, to unify, and to carry burdens that will be signs for generations to come.
It begins with one man allowing God to govern him, it’s called Lordship. Is Jesus really Lord of your life? I did not say Savior, I said Lord? It shows when we obey in even the smallest of requests, especially in service to our families and the body of Christ, this is our practice mat.
The men did what JOSHUA told them to do, just as he had commanded them.
Have you assembled yourself as an army member in the body of Christ? One must first be a family member with a local church. Now we all know family puts us through our changes. That’s God’s plan! Now that you’ve been put through a few changes by God’s placement of you in a family type group of people, and will continue to submit to making changes (this is called boot camp), now report for duty, report in for a fit check and get issued a uniform, be dressed in the armor of God and be wiling to fight for the same in other’s lives.
Are you one of 40,000 strong, unified with a company of people, praying for and fighting for the same thing? Something to really fight for is generations of peoples worshiping together. Now maybe your family unit is torn in two or in many different pieces, and looks nothing like the model….So, change families. Join the family of God and be a living breathing part of His divine order, then reach back with whatever you can as a soul winner and be a winner of your torn family, as much as is in you! Then if you run out of strength go get more and go in again prepared with prayers and intercessions and girded with the truth in love, the truth that will break ice and melt ice and change the hearts of these men, to win some. Serve them without conditions, don’t blame or fault find, show them the way of true forgiveness in Christ, don’t hold their sins against them, but DO NOT participate in them, for you love right and hate wrong in yourself life. You personally cannot stand for unrighteousness in yourself. You live this way as an example to this little flock. Just excuse yourself politely without throwing out a judgment at them, and say you’ll come again at another time. Thank them for hospitality if you can find any and compliment them by faith. Give thanks to God in all things, with all men and in every situation, find the good and magnify God in it! Don’t be or do as the world does murmuring and complaining against people! They’ll see you as heathen and a hypocrite.
You have entry into the lives of your family members more than any other person on earth does. Don’t necessarily join in with what they do or say or the reproduction of who they are, if they are not saved, but win them. God sent you to their homes to win them! If that is not happening, ask why not and don’t blame them. How do you get to lay your life down and become as another man to win some, especially those who know who you really are? I did not say that is easy, no mission trip ever really is. No it is not easy, but it is your co-mission before God, even if you can not be around them for now, you can pray, who else would diligently pray and break the power of evil over these people, but a family member such as you?
Carry a weighty stone, put your stone in a pile of stones with the body of Christ and as you pass by with a family member some day, let them ask you, what is that? You can then say that is when we prayed for you to be saved, healed, delivered and walk with us in Christ Jesus as Lord.