Step Into the Water

YOUR NEXT IS NOW PT 2

STEP INTO THE WATER JOSHUA 3:14 – 16

Jos 3:14  So when the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan with the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant before the people,

Jos 3:15  and when those who were carrying the ark came up to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were submerged at the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all of its banks throughout the time of harvest),

Jos 3:16  the waters which were flowing down from above stopped and rose up in one mass a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan. Those [waters] flowing downward toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed [the river] opposite Jericho.

The children of Israel had wandered 40 long years in the wilderness.
Their parents had fallen because of sin, unbelief, idolatry, immorality, and doubt.
Generation after generation had carried the weight of mistakes, and Exodus 20 reminds us that sin patterns often manifest to the third and fourth generation.

But now — at the Jordan — God was ready to move His people from wandering to promise.
From delay to destiny. From cycles to fulfillment.

And just like Israel, many of us stand at a Jordan moment today.
Some of you feel stuck — working, striving, going in circles, lacking joy, peace, and answers.
You know there’s more, but fear of the future whispers: “What if I fail? What if the waters don’t part?”

But here’s the Word of the Lord: Your next is now. Step into the water.

 

At the time of Joshua’s crossing, the Jordan River near Jericho was likely 200–300 feet wide, 10–12 feet deep, and flowing fiercely at flood stage. Humanly impossible to cross — which is exactly why God chose that moment to display His power.

 

Some of you are trying to get to the your next, but without God.  Your working and going in circles, lacking joy peace, and answers, moments of happiness but no joy.  Believing there is more.  Living in fear of the future.

The Jordan River symbolizes:  how does it translate?  Christ is the answer.

  1. Transition— from wilderness to promise.
  2. Death & Resurrection— leaving the old, entering new life.
  3. Faith Test— stepping in before God parts the waters.

1: Faith Requires Feet in the Water (v. 8, 15)

  • Joshua commanded the priests: “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.”
  • They could not stay on the bank and expect God to move. Neither can you.
  • The miracle was triggered not by their prayers alone, but by their obedience to step in.

Faith is not theory. Faith is movement. Faith is action.
You will never see rivers part until your feet touch the water.

2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Romans 1:17 – “The just shall live by faith.”
Hebrews 11:6 – “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

At flood stage, the Jordan was 200–300 feet wide and 10–12 feet deep. Humanly impossible to cross — and that’s exactly why God chose that moment. So that He, and only He, would get the glory.

You’ve gotta take a chance.  Step out on faith. Write the book, go back to school, start your business, your ministry, go back and pick up what you started.  Nothing happens if you wont step out. 

Fear and Settling

  • Many people settle on the banks of the Jordan.
  • They camp in comfort zones instead of moving into promises.
  • Fear has a voice sometimes it whispers Fear is an emotion but also works spiritually, and some times it screams.  “What if the waters don’t part? What if I fail? What if people laugh?”
  • But fear is not a reason to settle. Fear is a sign that you’re standing on the edge of something bigger than yourself.
  • Settling means staying in wilderness patterns:
  • Religion without Relationship
    Settling for Sunday attendance but never pressing into intimacy with God. Knowing the motions of worship but not the power of His presence.
  • Comfort Instead of Calling
    Choosing what feels familiar over what God has actually assigned. Staying in jobs, habits, or circles that don’t stretch faith.
  • Excuses Instead of Obedience
    Fear whispers,
    “I’m too old, too young, too broken, too busy.” Excuses keep us camped on the banks of potential.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  Williamson

For new licensed and ordained: It’s easy to settle into titles without movementceremonies without sacrifice, or ministry without risk. But ordination is not the bank — it’s the step.

Biblical Examples of Stepping In

  1. Abraham (Genesis 12:1–4): Left his homeland not knowing where he was going. His feet in obedience led to nations being blessed.
  2. Peter (Matthew 14:29): Stepped out of the boat and walked on water. The miracle came after the step, not before.
  3. Esther (Esther 4:16): Stepped into the king’s court at the risk of her life, declaring “If I perish, I perish.” Her faith saved her people.
  4. The Woman with the Issue of Blood (Mark 5:27–29): Pressed through the crowd in faith and touched Jesus’ garment — healing came when she reached out.
  5. The Disciples (Acts 2): Stepped into the streets at Pentecost to declare Christ in boldness. The Spirit moved after their obedience to speak.

2.Your Next Is Now Because God Is With You (vv. 9–10)

Jos 3:10  Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will, without fail, drive out from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

  • You choose to obey God and follow His directions
  • You trust what He says and believe.  And walk by faith
  • You choose not to walk in fear. 
  • You trust that God is with you in every situation. 
  • You choose to look back over your life and see how God has kept you.
  • The river was not just about crossing — it was about assurance that God would drive out their enemies and fulfill His promises.
  • Your next is now, not because you are ready, but because the living God is among you.

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