Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

 January 11, 2010
Nairobi, Kenya 
This past Sunday, I preached.  It is weird to think about.  Apparently, anyone can speak in Africa!  Which I think is something that perhaps, American churches should adopt.  Perhaps it would be a catalyst for the congregation to search their hearts and the Word for what God is doing.  In Africa, any prayer meeting, any function in which you are present, you should be prepared with a Word.  It is quite intimidating at times but quite liberating as well, to ask God for a fresh revelation daily.  Because He will give it to you.  He is just like that.  He doesn’t hide what He is doing.  He delights in teaching us and guiding us.  Because He is faithful.  Very faithful.
That is what my sermon was about.  God’s faithfulness in the new year we are given.
 
The pastor of the church we are working with is an amazing man of God.  We got dropped off at his church the first day of our ministry in Kenya and we were greeted with a bold declaration he made for the year.  He declared this year to be a year of elevation. 
This got me thinking about the new year in a new way. 
I always spend a few days at the beginning of each year making goals … and hoped for the best.  That I would be disciplined enough to actually make them happen. 
But a declaration – that is bold faith. 
That is an expectant goal.
It isn’t empty – it has promise. 

It is more like a story and less like a goal.
Goals are easy to set and easy to break. 

Author Donald Miller, suggests that living life as a story
1. forces you to engage and follow through. 

2. Stories involve a person that wants something and is willing to overcome conflict to get it. 
4. In a story, the writer begins with the end in mind.
3. And stories, you remember. 

In processing these 4 points in my own life, I was reminded of Joshua’s life as well.  
The end in mind.

A.  Joshua’s story began with the end in mind. 
The end …was crossing the Jordan and into the land of God’s promise. 
Joshua spent years following Moses through the wilderness – to get to the promise land. 
The goal was getting there. 
The climax of the story is the Israelites crossing the Jordan and standing in Gilgal- the land of the promise. 
Joshua knew the end he wanted and served faithfully to that end. 

B.  Our story
What is it that you want this year?
If you know what the end looks like – the path to getting there is much more intentional.
For example, I am sure that Joshua and all the Israelites could envision what it would feel like, smell like, look like, and even taste like when their feet touched the promise land. 
What does your climactic ending look like?  What does it feel like?

A story involves a person that wants something and is willing to overcome conflict or trials to get it.
A.  Joshua wanted his feet to be planted in the promise land and no longer wandering about.
He was willing to over come years of conflict and being uncomfortable in order to get it. 
But He followed Moses faithfully – He served. 
Perhaps the biggest thing to overcome was the death of Moses – the man he had followed for so long. 
In Deuteronomy 34 –Moses dies and in verse 9 – it says that Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him.
Which means another challenge.  Not only was Moses dead, but Joshua was the one that was taking over where he left off.  Leadership is hard and has challenges.  Especially, when you are leading the Israelites!

B.  For our story – What is so important to you that you are willing to overcome challenge and trials? 
Joshua was a servant of God and followed Him fully.  With that comes trials and challenges. 
And it is the same for me.  I want a life that is pleasing to God.  I want to serve Him faithfully all the days of my life.  I want to end December 2010 more like the woman that God created me to be. 

In that are trials that will be uncomfortable.  I will have to let go of my selfish ways and serve God regardless. 
But He is the most important thing to me. 

So I am willing to overcome challenges and trials for a life that is pleasing to God.
Joshua was too.
And the best part about that, is that God sees that and is faithful to us.

Joshua  1:5 – Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 
Again in Joshua 3:7, The Lord says “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. “

I love that.
I think that shows God’s care for His people.
Joshua is new to leadership. 
And God wants to show the people that He is worth following. 
He is going to show His faithfulness to Him just as He did to Moses. 

This is important for us to know as we go through the trials and challenges of our story. 
He is with us. 
He is faithful.
He will not fail you.
He will not forsake you.
 
I will admit that this is hard for me sometimes.
We left on this mission trip on August 11th and landed in Ireland.
The country is beautiful and it is still pretty western – so I felt somewhat at home.
On August 26th – I wrote in my journal that I didn’t want to leave.  I was afraid His goodness would wear off.  The first month went well.  He showed me great things to show me his love.  But I thought that it would wear off and I didn’t want to push my luck.
I didn’t want to rug to be pulled out from under me so to speak.

But I have learned …
That isn’t God. 
That isn’t His character.
And as I go further and further on this journey I realize that.  Not only has He not pulled the rug out from under me, He has abundantly blessed me and taken care of me and shown me his lavish love along the way. 

Story forces you to engage and follow through
A.  It forces you to be intentional about the scenes that will lead up to December 2010.  You won’t just wake up on December 31st and magically be what you dreamed of. 
There are scenes in the story that will lead up to it.
Joshua knew the scenes it would take to get him there.  So did God, He reminded him of them many times.

Joshua 1:6 – Be strong and courageous
1:7 – Be strong and very courageous

be careful to do according to all the law which moses My servant commanded you;
do not turn from it to the right or to the left , so that you may have success wherever you go.

If I’m in charge of leading the Israelites – you better believe I want success.  So I will do what it takes to get there. Being intentional.  Not turning from the right or to the left.

1:8 – This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth
meditate on it day and night
be careful to do what is written in it
THEN you will make your way prosperous
THEN you will have success
1:9 –  Be strong and courageous
Do not tremble or be dismayed
The Lord your God is with you wherever you go

Then in Chapter 3 – vs. 5 He tells the Israelites to do the same – to consecrate themselves.  Pastor Joseph gave a great definition of this – to set yourself where God will come through for you. 
It means to dedicate yourself to divine purpose.  To declare sacred.  

B.  I think for our follow through and our intentional steps in our stories, we would be wise to take Joshua’s advice. 
To consecrate ourselves. 

To set yourself where God will come through for you.  To dedicate yourself to divine purpose. 
This requires a decision – not only at the beginning of the year, but daily.  I am set apart.  I am dedicated to a divine purpose.   

Change doesn’t just happen.  You have to make a decision. 

It is like making a vow.
Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food.  That was his vow and when presented with it, he was able to turn it down.  Because of that God gave him knowledge and understanding and learning.
Paul resolved to know nothing except Jesus and Him crucified.  That was his vow.  And because of that He wrote most of the New Testament. 

There are marriage vows.  And I am sure there are times in a marriage when the husband doesn’t feel respected or the wife doesn’t feel loved.  And I am sure there are moments of temptation.  Those vows serve as a reminder of the love you professed to one another.

Situations will come up.  Vows help you stay focused on the climax of the story – to keep the end in mind.  Keep you from giving up. 

Not deciding is deciding.
 Lot’s wife in Genesis 19:15-27 didn’t decide to consecrate herself. 
So when their town was going up in flames from heaven, of course you would want to look. But she was told not to.  She didn’t decide ahead of time that she would follow God and serve him faithfully no matter what and when the situation arose, she looked back.  It would be hard to avoid it.  That is why it is important to set yourself apart and decide what it will look like.  Be intentional.

Stories, you remember. 
Goals have less depth and are quickly forgotten by the brain.  Stories have scenes of difficulty and conflict.  Beauty and sacrifice. 
A.  Remembering is important to God. 
Joshua 4:5
When Joshua got to the other side of the Jordan, He instructed him to send 12 Israelites to cross again and each of them take a stone from the middle of the river
Joshua 4:21-24 gives the reason.  “When your children ask their fathers in time to come – what are these stones?”
Joshua told the Israelites to instruct the children about what God did for them.

They serve to be stones of remembrance. 
Joshua told the people to consecrate themselves – to set themselves where God is able to come through for them and He did. 

What a great story to share with your children. 

Can you imagine the spiritual legacy that is. 
 

Remembering what the Lord has done is of great benefit,  that all the people of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty (Joshua 4:24)

B.  So, for our stories we need to remember along the way. 
We need stones of remembrance along the way. 
What He is doing for us, how He is acting on our behalf. 

He will.  He has for me. I have journals full of things He has done on my behalf.  From birds in the sky to people I meet a long the way.  From calming my fears when I am preaching to not letting mosquitoes, that have somehow gotten through my mosquito net, eat me alive.  He has provided for me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.  And as I look back in my life.  He always has. He has yet to pull the rug out from under me.  It is in fact, just the opposite.  There are some things, some days when I have to look away from what is in front of me because beholding them is just too much. But it is for me to know His love.  And for me to pass that on to others.  I want people to see that His favor is upon me.  His love is lavished on me.  And as I continue to consecrate myself and make a decision to follow after all of Him with all of me, He will continue to delight in doing both of those. 
 
So, this year is a gift from God.  We can make goals… Or we declare the story that we want to live.  Donald Miller says that “God created this beautiful expanse as an exposition within which to live remarkable lives.”  It is true.  Through beauty and sacrifice.  Struggle and delight.  When we choose to live a remarkable life in the expanse God has given us, a life that is honoring and pleasing to Him, He is faithful to us.  Just as He was with Moses. and Joshua, He is with us.  He will not fail us or forsake us.