ESOCS Devotional 12 July 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “And as they that have the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, …That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon and heap very far from the city Adam… and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground…” Joshua 3:15-17 KJV
TEXT: JOSHUA 3:7-17 (KJV)
7 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.
10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
At various junctions of life, we meet circumstances where we need to cross over to the other side, if we must make any headway and fulfill purpose and destiny in life. Hurdles and limitations often come as discouragement and frustration with a view to prevent us from reaching our goal in life. But of a truth, if you must get to the pinnacle of your dreams and attain a greater height, then you must be determined to cross the hurdle.
Having wandered forty years in the wilderness with several generations dying, just at the verge of stepping into the long-anticipated Canaan, then surfaced the River Jordan. Be determined never to give up on the journey as He that did it for our fathers in the Red Sea has all it takes to do it again, hence, they were resolved to cross over.
Committed to ensuring the Israelites all cross over to the better side of life, God recommended the following keys:
- THE ARK: Signifying Divine Presence. They were asked to literally carry the Ark. The meaning of that is, until you carry the presence of God, you may never be able to cross over to the better side of life. The presence of God is the ocean divider, mountain melter, problem dissolver, solution provider. No wonder Moses cried out “… if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exod. 33:15). To embark on a journey without His presence is to return as a failure. There is no profit without His presence. Hear this, there is no obstacle that you can’t cross with His presence (Psalm 114:5-7).
- THE PRIEST: These are God’s servants, called and dedicated to the ministry. They are veritable tools in the hand of God to perform signs and wonders. Notice that it is the Priest that is meant to carry the Ark which is the Presence of God. It therefore implies that if the Presence of God must yield the desired result, the vessel must be totally sanctified. Interestingly, ESOCS Church is a Priestly Church, so we all have a great responsibility to help each other cross the Jordan by the presence of God we carry. It is worthy of note that the Presence of God is only accommodated in the place of Holiness and Righteousness. Thus, a sinful Priest cannot carry God’s Presence. It then follows that there are Priests parading themselves but has no Presence of God.
NOTE: It takes a Priest (You) filled with the Presence of God to command God’s miracle and cross over Jordan.
- Never be discouraged at the face of any challenging situation.
- Pay the necessary price to carry God’s Presence; it is worth it.
FURTHER READING: Daniel 5:1-12; Luke 4:31-end; Acts 16:6-24
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ESOCS Devotional 12 July 2023
