Preparing to CrossOver!


 

            When I was right out of high school, I got involved with an Outdoor Ministry and I was supposed to be a camp counselor for a week.  Long story short though I knew God wanted me to do this week ministry trip; they didn’t call me to go.  Soon I was within days away from when I was supposed to be somewhere and I still hadn’t gotten a phone call. 

            In pondering this I felt the Lord nudge me saying, “Why haven’t you packed to leave yet?” 

            I wanted to respond, “Duh God.”  But I didn’t.  Instead, “God they haven’t called me yet.  I don’t know this is official.”

            “Did I tell you that you were going to go?”  He asked me.

            “Yes.”  I knew that he had, but I couldn’t go to do something where the door wasn’t yet there.

            “Then go pack.”  That afternoon with only a few short days away from this ministry trip, and no clear idea in the physical if I was really going or not, I got out the suitcase and packed for the week event.  The next day the phone call came and I went on that trip.

            Sure I love telling this story.  God has brought it back to my remembrance on numerous occasions in my life.  There have been times where I’ve had to get ready to do something without any earthly evidence things were changing.  With this story in my mind, yesterday I went to a School of Ministry our church has been having on Tuesday nights.  Pastor Greg began to preach out of several scriptures but one in Joshua really struck a cord with me. 

      Joshua 1:11

“Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

            These people had been wondering in the wilderness for 40 years.  God was telling them to get ready because they were crossing over.  They had no idea what was going to happen, or how it was going to happen, but they knew it was happening so they got ready. 

            I’ve been thinking about lately too how many people continue to say and to believe that God is up  to something in their lives, but the longer I’ve been in ministry the more I realize that rarely do they prepare, pack, or get ready for it.  How many people if God were to completely shift their lives now would look up at God with their index finger pointed and say, “Can you wait just a moment?  I’m not ready to cross over?”  Maybe they’d be running with their tent, 3 –year-old, their great-grandmother’s things, and a clothesline in tow.  Maybe their stuff would be too much to carry and they’d end up having to leave most of it behind.  Utter chaos would have just broke out in their mind.  Versus the one that prepared, had everything in boxes, perhaps built themselves a wheelbarrow so the kids could ride in it, and a backpack so they could pack their valuables. 

God is a God of order and not confusion.  Perhaps if He’s telling to prepare then that’s exactly what you need to do.  Perhaps it’s time to break out the packing boxes and get ready for the Crossing over.  I realize this means different things to different people.  However if you know God is got you in a turnaround season, maybe just maybe you should put yourself in a place to be ready for it.

Remember God has awesome plans for your life.  Get excited!

 

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