STRETCHING MY IMAGINATION
50 Days of Faith Part 2 of 8 - Joshua 1:5-9
Last week we launched our 50 days of faith series. The keynote passage is ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).’ I am asking God to stretch my faith, your faith, and our faith as a Faith Community.
Have you ever asked the question ‘what on earth did God put me here to do?’ You should ask that question and discuss it with your children. God put you on this earth for a reason, a purpose. He has a plan, a big dream for your life. He has a big dream for this church. Let’s not waste it. Your purpose will only be found through Christ, because without God life makes no sense. God wants to use you for a great purpose, one greater than you could ever imagine. That’s why God made you. He made you so He could use you for his glory.
God wants to use Calvary for a great purpose. Were here for a reason.
But we struggle with this. We think ‘who me?’ Who are you kidding? You don’t know all the baggage I have? The main blockage of God using us is ourselves, not God. The problem with this is in our mind. We have mental blocks, emotional barriers that keep us saying, “How could God ever use me?” So for God to use us and bless our life we need a change in our thinking, in our imagination. We must be transformed.
That is what the Apostle Paul taught (Romans 12:2).
Every great accomplishment that’s ever happened in history began as an idea in somebody’s imagination. Then they tried and it became a reality.
God brought a man into my life named Pat Nixon. He forever changed my life and family. Someone reached out to Pat with the love of Jesus. Pat came from the streets and he began to minister to people where he was. Today the Mustard Seed Street Ministry is a non-profit Christian humanitarian organization that has been providing services for the homeless, street people of Calgary since 1984. It began by offering meals and a place of spiritual worship and comfort. It now provides food, clothing, and shelter, along with education and employment services. Pat in faith started by serving one person. Today the Mustard Seed provides meals to an average of 800 people every day. It started by one man who had faith as small as a mustard seed.
You’ve got to have a dream in life otherwise you’re just existing. But f your really want to live you have to get out of the boat, not stay in dreamland. You have to go for it. The scripture confirms this ‘without a vision, a revelation, the people perish.’
Now it is great to have a dream but that is not enough. You need God’s dream or vision for your life. What He put you here on earth to do. What He wants to use you for. Because if God isn’t using you, what in the world is your life being used for right now?
1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Some of us know that we need to step out in faith but we relate God to our experiences and are frozen in our faith.
Best selling author John Ortberg thought he and his wife needed to step out of their comfort zone. So he decided to surprise her by buying them both a hot air balloon ride. Little did he know that the fellow who would be navigating the balloon was a former hippie who decided on his new career while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
They were up in the thing; John, his wife, another couple and the driver.
The hippie driver said: "By the way, if things get a little choppy on the way down, don’t be surprised. I’ve never flown this particular balloon before, and I’m not sure how it’s going to handle the descent."
John’s wife looked at him in horror and said, "You mean to tell me we are a thousand feet up in the air with an unemployed surfer who started flying hot-air balloons because he got drunk, crashed a pickup, injured his brother, and has never been in this one before and doesn’t know how to bring it down?"
Then the wife of the other couple looked at John and spoke--the only words either of them were
to utter throughout the entire flight. You’re a pastor. Do something religious.
So John says ‘I took an offering.’
When I talk to you about serving Jesus in a new area, about trusting him in faith for something,
the great question you have at a moment like that is, can I trust the pilot?
God is the good pilot. He will never do anything to bring you harm. He has a good plan for your life.
God’s dream for your life is mind-boggling. It is so fantastic that you can’t even imagine it. Calvary we have yet to see what God will do here. But first our lives must be totally, completely, irrevocably given to Him. You have no idea what God could do with your life. We have no idea what God can do within our faith community.
“With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we could ask or imagine.” One of the greatest gifts God has given you is your imagination. You were made in God’s image. So like our Creator you are creative. You have the ability to imagine. Napoleon said, “Imagination rules the world.” Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” The Apostle said you cannot even measure what God can do through you.
My prayer for Calvary is that God will stretch our imagination because that is what He wants to do. He wants us to imagine how God could use us in ways we have never even thought of. Then take those ideas and put them into ministry.
Now were going to stop and do some sharing. I have asked all of you pray this week, ‘Jesus I am trusting you in faith for ___________________________________________.
Were ordinary people who God will use if we allow Him to stretch our faith and think in new ways. We’re going to look four secrets of why God used Joshua.
If you want to be used by God, if you want God’s blessing on your life, if you want His dream for your life...
1. YOU MUST LET GO OF DOUBT.
Doubt is a great enemy of God’s dream for our lives and faith community. Doubt limits our potential. Doubt causes procrastination. Doubt causes us to miss God’s best. You say, “I doubt that God could use me in a great way. Look at me!” And you start coming up with all kinds of excuses and doubts. The Bible says in James 1 “Anyone who doubts is like a wave on the sea, blown up and down by the wind. They should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.”
James MacDonald in his excellent book ‘Lord Change My Attitude Before It’s Too Late’ wrote “those who doubt will spend their life in the wilderness.” This passage on Joshua is an uplifting one. But let us not forget that only two of the twelve spies went into the Promised Land. Do you know what the other ten were? Doubters. God said it’s your land. They said no, there are too many obstacles.
Then God says ‘they shall never enter my rest.’ They died as doubters and did not receive the blessings of God.
So before you can be used by God in any great way you’ve got to crucify your doubts. The fact that you doubt that God could use you in great ways. The fact that you doubt God could use this faith community in a new and powerful way. The fact that you’re offended and you doubt whether God can change the situation. But many are saying enough. I’m coming to the Bait of Satan or Breaking Free and trusting God to heal. Time for us to grow up and move on. I don’t know why but I find younger people more forgiving than my generation.
Joshua had a doubt problem. He had a problem with self-confidence. He just didn’t feel very confident for two reasons.
1. He was the successor to Moses. How would you like to be the follow up act to Moses? He stood before Pharaoh the King of Egypt:
o Demanded freedom for his people
o Led the people through the Red Sea
o Spoke to God and received the Ten Commandments
Its like “Here’s Moses!” who Deuteronomy says is the greatest man who ever lived and now, “Here’s Joshua!” Joshua who? Who is that? Great!
Have you ever had self-doubt? I’d have a little self-doubt too following Moses’ act.
But God said to Joshua ‘Moses my servant is dead.’ No long eulogy. Just a note saying ‘Joshua you’re in charge.’ Go and lead these doubting slaves to take over the Promised Land – the area of Palestine. There’s only one problem, Joshua. Palestine is inhabited by seven enemy nations – giants all bigger and stronger than you guys. Also your people are gutless. But we’re going to take it over.”
If he was in politics today he would have gotten a non-confidence vote. He had doubt and fear. So he is starting off as the underdog.
He is standing on the banks of the Jordan River. God says go. God says cross over the river. God says take over Palestine which is now where Israel is today.
God says “Let Me give you a little pep talk, an attitude adjustment.” I used to have a boss who would say ‘so and so needs an attitude adjustment.” In Joshua 1 four times He says, “Be determined and confident.” He said, “Joshua, you need to crucify your doubts.” What is it in your life that has you immobilized? Is it doubt? Is it fear? Is it a relationship that went south? Is it someone who offended you?
God says stop looking at your circumstances.
Joshua 1:9 “Be bold and strong. Banish fear and doubt for remember the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Circle “banish”. What does that mean? It means “get rid of, eliminate, put it out of sight, and dump it.” And if God is going to use you, the first thing you have to do is crucify your doubts. And if God is going to use Calvary we must crucify our doubts, just dump them.
You say, “That’s pretty hard!” No, it isn’t. It’s not very hard to dump your doubts. Why? Because doubt is a choice. Every time you choose not to doubt you’re loosening its grip. It’s a choice like any other attitude. Faith is a choice, doubt is a choice. Whenever you doubt God, your abilities, other people you are choosing to doubt.
In my ministry I meet a lot of people who believe their doubts and don’t know what they believe. That’s illogical. Let’s crucify our doubts and live for Jesus.
When doubts come up and you think “God couldn’t use me,” say, “Get out of here with that thought in my head Satan,’ Instead of listening to you I am going to hear God. God said, “I will help you, I will use you, I want to work in your life.” Believe God and not Satan.
Why do we have so many self-doubts about God using us? There are two things that cause self doubt in our lives.
1. Comparing my abilities causes me to doubt my abilities. Instead of looking to God like I should be, I start looking around at everybody else. Let me give you an example. Do Rick Warren and James MacDonald have more experience and resources than me? Sure they do. They have more talent and abilities. They look better. Well, maybe not.
The moment you start comparing yourself to other people, you’re going to be filled with self-doubt. God says don’t do that. In fact the Bible says it’s foolish to compare yourself with other people.
1 Corinthians 10:12 says, “It is dumb [stupid] to compare yourself to other people.” When you do you start looking around and saying, “I’m just an average pastor, I’m just an ordinary person.” God uses ordinary people. If God only used superstars not much would get done in this world. In fact, if God only used perfect people, nothing would get done because there are no perfect people. God uses ordinary people like you.
This week I studied the book ‘the man God uses with two men.’ In that book Henry Blackaby writes ‘Christ will work through you as you allow Him to, using you in the ordinary circumstances of your job, family, church and community to make an extraordinary impact for Him.’
Aren’t you glad God uses weak people? Aren’t you glad God uses people with problems, with mixed motivations? God even uses eccentric people. God wants to use you. God doesn’t want you comparing yourself to anybody else. He wants you to be unique. He wants you to be you. So don’t compare yourself.
2. The other thing that causes you to have self-doubt is remembering our failures. Remember our past failures is putting a movie clip in our mind of all our mistakes and playing it over and over. Then what are you dwelling on? “Remember that stupid thing I did in 2005? I think I’ll just replay that in my mind right now.” It tortures you to death and you hate doing it. Why do you keep playing it over and over?
God does not want you focusing or stuck in your past. If you keep focused on your past you’re not accepting the forgiveness and healing of God. God says forget the past. If you look at your past and all of your sins (and all of us have lots of mistakes in our past) then you’re going to say, “God can’t use me. Look at all the things I’ve done. Look at my checkered past. If people knew my background, they wouldn’t follow me or they wouldn’t listen to me or they wouldn’t like my ideas.”
Have you read the Bible lately? Most of the great leaders of the Bible did not exactly have a sterling resume.
Moses: murderer
Jacob: stole the family inheritance
David: adulterer
Rahab: prostitute
Paul: religious terrorist
Peter: foul mouthed drunken fisherman
That’s not good, folks!
Peter had a temper that wouldn’t quit and he was always putting his foot in his mouth. Yet God said, “I think I’ll use you.”
What I’m saying is, God uses people with checkered pasts. Aren’t you glad for that? God says, “I don’t care where you’ve been. What really matters is the direction your feet are headed right now.” That’s what matters. Are you willing to commit to me today?
In fact, God so much wants you to focus on the future that He built our bodies that way.
Which way are your feet pointed? Forward! God wants you to walk forward in faith.
Are your eyes in the front or back of your head? Front. Look straight ahead in faith.
God gave you two ears to hear his forward looking promises to you. He did not out them at the back of your head so you could hear what people say behind your back.
There is only one part of your entire anatomy facing your past. They don’t call it “the behind” for nothing. I think even in God’s sense of humor He saying, “Folks, there’s some stuff in your life you really ought to leave behind.” Don’t let your past doubts, don’t let past guilt, past hurts keep you from being used by God. God says, “I don’t care what your past is. I want to use you!”
The second secret of being used by God
2. LOOK FOR A PROMISE
Look for a promise of God. The word “promise” is a very important word in the life of Joshua and it’s a key to his success. Thirteen times in the book of Joshua, the word “promise” is used. God said your mission is to “Capture the Promised Land.” Joshua was not to focus on the giants on the other side of the river. He was to focus on God’s promises. God says, “Joshua get focused on my promise.” In Joshua 1:3 God said to Joshua “I promised Moses that I would give you this land. So I will give you every place you go in the land.”
Circle the phrase “so I will”. God cannot lie. If He makes a promise to you He keeps it. If He says He is going to use you, He will use you. If He says He is going to bless you, He will bless you. If He says I will protect you, He will protect you. Because God cannot lie.
At the end of Joshua’s life he reflected and said (Joshua 23) he said, “Now my time has come to die and every one of you knows that God has given you all the good things that He promised. Every promise He has made has been kept. Not one has failed. “
Do you want to be used by God? Get in this book, the Bible! This is a book of God’s promises, the Bible. As I have said there are over 7,000 promises in this book. They’re like blank checks, waiting for you to cash. If you’re going to grow in faith, you’ve got to build it on the promises of God. That’s why every week in this 50 Days of Faith we’re going to memorize a promise of God together.
This weeks’ promise is Ephesians 3:20 (our theme this week) “With God’s power working in us God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” I hope you will memorize this verse this week. When you start to doubt pull this verse out.
What does God promise us if we say, “I want to be used. I want You to use me for the purpose You put me on earth for.” What does God promise? He promises you three things. Those three things are all found in Joshua 1.
First He promises strength. Verse 5 “No one will be able to stand against you.” In other words, what God asks you to do He’ll give you the power to do. He’ll give you the strength to do. Just be humble and learn because where He guides, He provides.
Two, God promises to give you success. He says, “You will be successful.” God wants you to succeed in serving Him. He doesn’t want you to be a failure. He wants you to succeed. Twice in this chapter He says, “You will be a success.” You can count on it.
Now He’s not promising to make you a success at what you want to do. That’s why we fail or get disappointed with God. If you want to be a success in life, it’s real simple. Start doing what God made you to do and you will be guaranteed to be a success at it. God does not guarantee your success at things that you think will be fun. Do you think I always have fun in ministry? God guarantees success at what He put you on earth to be and to do. If you’re not succeeding you need to change course and get in on what God plans for you to do.
Oh you will have obstacles. But when God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
In the last two weeks someone anonymously gave over $3500 to our Youth Ministry. You might ask, are you surprised? No, I am thankful but not surprised.
Tonight at 6:30 PM were kicking off a new phase of Youth Ministry called Ignition. Were praying that God will fill up this building with youth. Were praying that many will come to Christ, be baptized. Were praying for a youth band. I know they do not worship the same as us but big deal.
I will not be surprised when the building is filled with you. Just cut them some slack and give God time to work in their lives. It is not your job to change them. There have been many kids who have left the church because someone yelled at them because they were wearing an earring or having a cigarette. Then the kid leaves, head hanging low. I guess I am not wanted here either. You don’t know that his father left them last week; so chill out and be graceful.
God keeps His word and promises. So do you want to be a success? Start doing what God made you to do.
3. SUPPORT
Verse 9 He says, “I will be with you wherever you go.” God’s word done God’s way will not lack God’s support.
Each week during these 50 Days of Faith I want us to share how God is growing our faith. Were going to have sharing and testimonies. It’s good to tell somebody else how you are growing in faith.
Too often we start our prayers with why? We must not question God. We need to pray who? What? Where? When? Or How? We need to be thankful people.
We need to be people who recognize and receive the promises of God. God’s promises will move you from depression, discouragement, and defeat to trust and acceptance of God? He will heal your hurts and set you free. Jesus said ‘I have come to set the prisoners free.’
Get a promise of God. God has many, many promises for you in this book but you’ve got to discover them. Joshua 1:8 “Always remember what is written in this book. Study it day and night to be sure to obey everything that’s written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything.” That’s quite a promise! Circle five words in that verse – “remember”, “study”, “obey”, “wise” and “successful”. How many of you would say you would like to be wise in life? How many would say I would like to be successful in life? The Bible tells you how right there. Notice that God’s promise of success is not based on our ability. It’s based on our commitment to His word. Notice He said you do three things: remember the word, study the word and obey the word.
This is so important that we’re building the 50 Days of Faith around these three things. First, we’re remembering the word by a weekly memory verse to get that into your life. We’re studying the word and we’re obeying the word. Also I will send you a weekly devotional,
Our counseling time as pastors will go way down when Christians know and obey the Bible.
I am encouraged by how many of you are committed to be here for the entire 50 days of faith. I am encouraged by how many of you are going to study the Bait of Satan and Breaking Free studies.
We need to recognize that we can have the tools to break down strongholds and hurts. Some day’s life seems like one battle after another. How do you keep on keeping on when you’re having one battle after another? You do the third secret of being used by God.
3. LEAN ON THE LORD
Like the old hymn writer wrote “I am leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.”
Now you’re going to hear the story of how one of my prayer partners Ritah had to lean on God over the last week.
Let go of doubt. Look for a promise. It means watching to see where God is working as Ritah did and moving over and joining him in his work. Lean on the Lord. Leaning is more than just believing. It means depending on Him. What do you do when you lean on God? You’re trusting God to hold you up. When you lean on God it means more than just “I believe in God.” It means, “I am trusting Him to hold me up, to carry me through.”
Joshua 1:5. God says, “No one will be able to defeat you all your life. Just as I was with Moses so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forget you.” And God says that to you too. He says you can trust and lean on Me. And as long as Joshua leaned on God, he was undefeatable. He was victorious in every single battle as long as he depended on the Lord. Joshua accomplished the impossible at incredible odds because he was leaning on the Lord. Four times God said in this passage “Be confident... Don’t doubt ... Be strong... Be determined...” because you lose your fear when God is near.
Let’s say that together ‘you lose your fear when God is near’
God says, “I’m never going to leave you. You can lean on Me.”
Very important question: Who or what are you leaning on for strength? What is your source of strength? Somebody else? Are you leaning on the approval of other people for your strength? Are you leaning on a man or woman for strength? That is a very shaky foundation. People are going to let you down. Nobody can hold you up all the time because they’re human beings.
I am going to let you down (Bevere’s illustration). You’re going to get dropped. Not necessarily because people mean to but they just get tired. So you just can’t trust in other people to hold you up all the time.
You can’t even trust in yourself. I discovered something. I even disappoint myself.
You do the same thing. You make promises to yourself all the time you don’t keep. You let yourself down. You disappoint yourself. So if you say, “I’ll just depend on me!” You’ll let yourself down if you do that. You don’t depend on other people for all your strength and you don’t depend on yourself for all your strength. What do you do?
Proverbs 3:5-6. You “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Leaning on the Lord is scary and uncomfortable at first. “Is God going to come through? Is He going to hold me up?” But that’s what leaning in faith is all about. You discover He will hold you up.
The fourth secret of being used by God
4. LAUNCH OUT IN FAITH.
There comes a point in life where you have to stop discussing it, talking about it, thinking about it, praying about it. You must step out in spite of your feelings and fears. There comes a point where you stop listening to Pastor Randy talk about it and you put it in gear and you do something about it. It doesn’t have to be big but you do something that shows faith in your life.
Joshua 1:10 “Then Joshua issued instructions to the leaders to tell the people to get ready to cross the Jordan River.” This was the moment of truth. They had to get it in gear. They had to lay it on the line. They had to take the plunge. Literally. Because they’re going to cross a river here.
The leaders were to lead; they were to go across first and show the way. That is what leadership is, courage and integrity.
The battle was on the other side of the Jordan River. The Jordan River is not very wide, something like the Bug River.
It’s no more than a hundred feet wide and up to twenty feet deep. Except in flood season. That is the spring during the snow melt. Then the Jordan River becomes rushing and very dangerous. They happened to be right there during flood season. That’s typical of God to put them right there during flood season when everything is looking like it’s overwhelming.
They said, “How are we going to get across?” There weren’t any bridges over the Jordan River. They didn’t have Lund boats. How is Joshua going to get one million people across this raging river? God says, “I’m going to do a miracle! Remember forty years ago I parted the Red Sea and you walked through it? We’re going to do it again but different. This time I want you to start walking through it first and then I will miraculously dam up the water seventeen miles upstream. Then the waters will recede. But I want you to step in first. This is a test.” So the spiritual leaders got at the front they began to walk into the water. And God did a miracle and He damned it all up. And the waters receded and the people crossed over.
Question: What is your Jordan River? What is that barrier in your life that’s blocking God’s purpose for your life? It is in the way. I can never be used by God because of my alcoholism, insecurities, and my fears. I can never have God’s blessing in my life because of this. What is it that is in the way?
God says step out in faith. When was the last time you talked to someone about your faith, about coming to Calvary? God did not give you a spirit of fear so exercise courage.
The first step is always the hardest. Jump out in faith and watch God do a miracle. What do you do when you know something is God’s will, you know it’s the right thing to do but you’re scared to death to do it? What do you do?
You do it anyway! Do you think I don’t have apprehensions about youth ministry starting tonight? Of course Evy and I do. We need some younger people. But God is answering our prayers. But we have been praying a faith prayer that God will supply youth workers who will be humble and work with the leaders here.
If God calls you to it step out in faith despite your fears. You do the very thing you fear the most. You fight the fear. That is courage. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s moving ahead in spite of the fear. You say, “What do I do; when I know it’s the right thing to do but I have little faith?” You do it anyway. And once you start doing it the faith will come. The faith comes once you make that step. The miracle comes once you make that step. God doesn’t do the miracle first. No. He wants you to step out, to launch out in faith.
I love a program called Celebrate Recovery. It is a program to help people with their hurts, hang-ups and habits. One day a former alcohol came to Rick Warren and said ‘I think we need a Christ centred 12 step program.’ That man was John Baker. Rick said go ahead and write it. The rest is history: Celebrate Recovery is all over the world. Millions have been set free because one man tackled his fears in the name of Jesus. Will you?
Some of you are saying, “I’m getting a little too old for this launching out stuff.” Joshua was 80! So you don’t have any excuse. You’re never too old to expect the best and launch out in faith. To say, “God, however many years I have left I’m going to use it for what You put me on earth for. I want to be used by You.”
You can start small but start! Face your fears. Ecclesiastes 11:4 “If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done!” “God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
Calvary, you cannot imagine what God could do with your life and this church if we are totally, completely, irrevocably in His hands. You could not imagine what He could do with you. Because you were made by God to be used by Him.
I want to tell you from personal experience. There is no greater thrill than being used by God. I am now fulfilled in life. When someone says now I know why I am here: use me Jesus it is a thrill. When someone is healed in their marriage and they want to help others I am thrilled. When someone says I am stepping out in faith, now I know my purpose, I am thrilled. When someone says my calling is prayer I am thrilled.
If you are not being used by God, what in the world are you doing with your life? You’re wasting it. Sadly, most people never ever feel the thrill of being used by God. Why? They won’t let go of doubt, they won’t look for a promise, they won’t lean on the Lord, and they won’t launch out in faith. I beg you! Don’t make that mistake! People’s lives and eternal destiny depends on our faith, yours and mine. Make the choice today; give your life to Jesus.
Prayer:
Isn’t it time to crucify your doubts? One day when you stand before Jesus Christ to give an account of our lives. Our doubts and excuses for not serving will be petty and pathetic.
Would you pray this prayer? “Father, I admit that I often have doubts about my abilities, about You, about Your desire to use me. Forgive me for all the excuses I’ve used to cover up my lack of faith. I’ve said that I was too busy. I’ve said that others are better qualified. I’ve said that my hurts and my past prevented me from serving You. Forgive me.
Today I want to crucify my doubts and launch out in faith. I want You to use my life and I want You to bless my life. Help me to stay in Your word, the Bible – to read it, to study it, to memorize it – so I can know and claim Your promises. I want to trust You to use me. Please take the little seed of faith in my heart that I have and make it grow. In Your name I pray. Amen.”
