![]() ![]() But we should seek Him always, even through grief and pain. Life is busy and sometimes disappointing things happen that discourage us from seeking God. The breakdown of spirituality begins with the breakdown of spiritual discipline. We forsake the fellowship of believers and give in to philosophies and ways of being that are not of God, but lead us away from Him ( Romans 1:20-22). Sadly, lack of spiritual discipline, personal time of prayer, reading the Word and hearing the Word every week leaves us open to our own faulty thinking and understanding. Because His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We are instructed to set our hearts upon Him. And we are to worship Him only, to meditate on His Word day and night. Matter of the HeartĪll throughout Scripture, we are commanded to love the Lord our God. ![]() ![]() Especially if we are in a wilderness place in our lives and needing to finally cross over our own “Jordan River”. However, it can’t hurt to check our hearts for the following attitudes. Life is unpredictable and Jesus himself tells us that in this life we will have trouble ( John 16:33). How do we break the “wilderness cycle” and get to the place of crossing? If we are really being honest with ourselves, many times we are co-authors of our own predicaments, and not just mere participants. And we groan to God, just like the Israelites: “Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place?” ( Numbers 20:5). It can become commonplace to accept this state as status quo. In result, we have decided to tread those same well-worn, familiar paths of bitterness, hopelessness, cynicism and defeat. Maybe we have given up hope of things ever changing for the better. Or perhaps we are experiencing a lack of fulfillment in our relationships, health, career, or our destiny and purpose and life. That, no matter what we do and no matter how many times we “recalculate route”, it gets us right back to where we started. Metaphorically speaking, perhaps we can relate to being in a place in life where we feel stuck. But perhaps we relate in other ways? Have you ever experienced a wilderness in your life? Perhaps we can’t relate to being stuck in a literal desert, unless we experienced a hike without sunscreen or water. We often find ourselves in state of crossing and transition after times of being stuck in a “wilderness.”įor Israel in the Old Testament, this was a literal wilderness of heat, hunger and exhaustion. Can you imagine being stuck with your family on a “vacation” that never ends? A two-week flight from Egypt turned into a 40-year multi-generational saga. It is impossible to grasp the full significance of this moment without considering all that the Israelites had been through up to that point. So choose life in order that you may live…” The Significance of Crossing the Jordan River You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. “I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. Then, the Lord instructed them to choose a good path, saying these words: But in this moment it was coming to a conclusion. On the way they endured hunger and loss during what seemed to be a never-ending journey. In Deuteronomy 30:18-20, the Israelites were reaching the last leg of their journey through the wilderness en route to the promised land. The waters of the Jordan represent freedom from oppression, breakthrough, and deliverance. It often refers to a freedom that comes after a long season of adversity and waiting.Ĭrossing the Jordan is a turning point on the way to freedom. The Jordan River appears many times within the scriptures. ![]()
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