Get Your Feet Wet | Staying Focused

We're glad you're joining us for A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast supported by Harvest Partners. Get more encouraging audio content when you subscribe to Pastor Greg's Daily Devos.

Learn more and sign up at harvest.org. And so keep your eyes on the Lord, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. The Christian life has been compared to a race, and it certainly is that. But given the opposition we often face, it could also be compared to an obstacle course.

It's a tough assignment to run to win when our adversary is trying to trip us up and stop us in our tracks. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie offers biblical advice on keeping our focus and priorities where they should be. God can give us the spiritual power, but we need to supply the determination to succeed.

So let me start my message with a few questions. Are you satisfied with your present spiritual state? Do you wish you could be stronger as a Christian in your faith and even be used by God more? Do you feel like maybe you're stagnant spiritually and maybe have even lost some ground in your Christian experience?

Would you like to overcome sin in your life and take new ground as a follower of Jesus Christ and the most important question of all, don't you think that Prius drivers should get out of the fast lane altogether because they can't seem to drive the speed limit? I want you to think about that. Not really.

But these are questions that we maybe all ask it from time to time. How can I grow more? How can I do more? How can I see more happen in my life as a follower of Jesus? Well, here we are in the book of Joshua. This is a pivotal moment. The wilderness wanderings are done. The spies have gone into the land and they've come back with a good report.

Rahab has been a great hero of the faith and she has protected the spies. And so now they're poised and ready to enter into this promised land. There was just one really big problem, an obstacle in their path. It was the mighty rushing Jordan River.

So it was time for them to get their feet wet. Now, for them it was entering the promised land, but for us as Christians it's entering what we might call the land of promises. And when you say, I'm going to go forward as a follower of Jesus Christ, you better brace yourself for spiritual warfare.

Because the Christian life is not a playground, it's a battleground. And we have to understand that it's not really a choice of fighting or not fighting. It's a choice of victory or defeat, advancing or retreating, winning or losing. As believers we're either gaining ground or we're losing ground. We're either going to be overcomers or we're going to be overcome. We're either going to be victims or we're going to be victors.

It's really up to us. God brought us out of sin to live a new life in Jesus Christ, a life of power over sin. And for the Israelites, God brought them out of Egypt to bring them into the new land. He didn't want them wandering around in some wilderness experience. As scripture says in Deuteronomy 6 23, He brought us out that He might bring us in.

And in the same way, He doesn't want us as followers of Christ to be living some wilderness experience. Because this new land was pivotal to the plan of God. This promised land would become known as the nation of Israel and it would play an important role in biblical history. Israel of course would be the place where King David would be born there in Bethlehem, fulfilling the role that God had for him. Bethlehem would also be the birthplace of our Lord, fulfilling Bible prophecy. Jerusalem also here in this promised land would be the capital of Israel.

Israel still is today. And David would be the greatest king in their history. It is here in this land that the messianic prophecies would be fulfilled. Because Christ would be born, as I said, here in Bethlehem.

In Jerusalem He would be crucified and He would rise from the dead and He would ascend to heaven. And it's also here in this land of Israel that end times events will unfold. So the devil opposes this. He didn't want the Israelites to enter into this promised land. And they had an enemy in the people of Canaan. Now know this about the inhabitants of this land. These were extremely wicked people. They worshipped false gods. They lived extremely evil lives.

They even sacrificed their children to their Canaanite gods. And they heard about the mighty works of God. And if they had turned to God, the Lord would have spared them. And He would not have judged them as He did. Because when people repent, God relents.

Right? When people repent, God relents. God does not want to pour His judgment upon any nation or on any person.

But if we continue to violate what He says and oppose Him and do everything we can to undermine the work that He wants to do, there will be consequences. Now take as an example Nineveh. That was a city renowned for their wickedness and atrocities.

The wickedness of Nineveh was so great it literally stunk to high heaven. And so God was going to judge it. But He sent a prophet named Jonah to go through the streets of the city and warn them, Forty days in Nineveh will be overthrown. And shockingly, amazingly, beautifully they turned to God. And God does not judge them. The same would have been true for the people of Canaan. But they refused to believe. In fact in Joshua 2 10 we have Rahab saying to the spies, We have heard from the Lord how He made a dry path for you through the Red Sea. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear.

No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For your God is a supreme God. In other words, we know your God is God. But they refused to believe. So just understand that as we see Israel conquering these people as they enter into the promised land. Let's read now Joshua chapter 3 as the Israelites come to the point of entry of the promised land.

And they face the Jordan River. I am reading from the New Living Translation. When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, Move out from your positions and follow them. For you have never passed this way before. You might underline that phrase.

I am going to come back to it. You have never passed this way before. They will guide you. Stay about a half mile behind them. Keep a clear distance between you and the Ark.

Make sure you don't come any closer. Then Joshua said to the people, Purify yourselves or tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you. In the morning Joshua said to the priests, Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.

And they started out and went ahead of the people. The Lord told Joshua, Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of the Israelites. They will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant.

When you reach the banks of the Jordan River take a few steps into the river and stop there. Ok. We will stop here. And here is point number one. If you want to enter the land of promises you must be bold and strong.

Let me say it again. If you want to enter this land of promises you must be bold and strong. Look at verse four. They had never passed this way before. They were making history.

The problem with the people in the book of Joshua is they had never read the book of Joshua. They didn't know what happened next. They just saw this incredible obstacle before them. But they were experiencing this all real time.

And by the way this is a whole new generation. Because you might say well wait didn't they see the parting of the Red Sea. Actually they didn't. Those were their parents that saw it. And that generation was gone. They died in the wilderness.

The only survivors of that first generation were Joshua and Caleb. They heard about it. But they didn't see it for themselves.

Now they need to see their own miracle. Reminding us that every generation needs to have their own encounter with God. You know the job of my generation and the generation before me. And the generation before them is to pass these truths on.

Right. Pass these truths on to the next generation. And then they need to have their own encounter with God. Habakkuk 3 says, Lord I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds. Lord repeat them in our day. In our time make them known. And in judgment remember mercy. That should be the prayer of you who are younger.

Lord we've heard about what you've done in the past and it's awesome. But we want to have our own spiritual awakening. We've heard about the Jesus movement.

But we want our own Jesus revolution. That's a prayer that you should all be praying. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We're thrilled when we hear from listeners that join us from every background, every location, every age. Hello Pastor Greg. My nine year old son loves to listen to our local Christian radio station in his bedroom to hear you preach and teach.

Your messages have built him up and he's repeated some of the things he's heard you say. Thank you for being a godly role model in his life and sharing your gift of evangelism with the world. Keep up the Jesus work. We love you and your ministry very much. If you have a story to tell of how Harvest Ministries is reaching people in your family, would you let Pastor Greg know? Call 1-866-871-1144. That's a special number.

1-866-871-1144. Well Pastor Greg is basing his study in Joshua chapter 3 today. He's pointing out that what God did in the past, for instance as depicted in the Jesus revolution movie, can happen again. You know when we made the Jesus revolution film, our hope was to sort of take people back in time and have them almost experience it for themselves.

And we wanted you to feel as though you were there. And I think the movie did a pretty good job of that. I had a lot of people tell me how moved they were as they watched this film. And they've watched it over and over and some people have watched it so many times.

It's almost weird but I like it you know. I love that people have really come to identify with this film. But there's a statement I've made before. The fame of revival spreads the flame of revival. So we thought if we told a revival story in a way that people could almost experience it and feel it. Then maybe they would say Lord do it again in our generation.

And we've had a lot of people pray for that. But here's what I say to you. If you want to see a revival, do revival like things. Don't wait for something to happen.

Just go do it. You say I don't understand what you mean. Well let's go back to the Jesus movement as a point of reference. We had a passionate love for the study of the Word of God. Everybody came to church with a Bible. You know when I guest speak which is not that often but I go to another church. I can take the spiritual temperature of that church in about four minutes.

When I begin to preach. Number one I notice if people are or are not carrying Bibles to church. If no one is bringing a Bible to church I think this is not a good sign.

Right. I know you have it on your tablets and your phone. So we are going to excuse you. But I actually think it is a really good idea to get yourself an actual Bible. And bring your Bible with you to church and mark up your Bible. Because a Bible that is falling apart is usually an indication of a life that isn't. Ok.

But still you know you can follow along on your tablet and phone too. But we love the Word of God. We loved worship. People engaged in worship.

Check this out. No one was ever late for church. And they didn't leave early. These are just things that we did. We can do these things today. We can have that same passion for the Word of God. We had a desire to share the gospel.

It wasn't uncommon when you would just be out and about on a Saturday afternoon. To see people walking around telling other people about Jesus. Yes Lord send another awakening.

We want to see that again. Why do you need another awakening to do that? Just go out and start talking to people about Jesus again.

You see. And you will have a personal revival. It will revive you. So if you want to see revival do revival like things.

Going back to what Jesus said to the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation. He says. Loose paraphrase. I know you guys are working hard. You are discerning.

You are doing everything right. But I have an issue with you. I have this problem. You have left your first love. But then he says so remember from where you have fallen. Repent and do the first works quickly. Hey you guys you used to have a greater passion for me.

You seem to have lost it. So here now are the three R's of getting right with God. Remember repent and repeat.

So I remember. Oh there was a time when I was closer to Jesus. There was a time when I started every day with the word of God. There was a time when I did engage people with the gospel.

Pretty much wherever I went. Remember now repent. Lord I am sorry I am not doing that. Now repeat.

Go back and do those first works quickly. So Joshua said you guys you have never passed this way before. Maybe I am talking to somebody right now who is in a new season of life. Maybe you have just moved out of your parents house. You are 50 but still you have done it. So that is good.

And they are very happy about that by the way. Maybe you are newly married. Maybe you just had your first child. Maybe you have started a new career. Or maybe you have started a new ministry and you are kind of afraid. I don't know what is going to happen next.

You have never passed this way before. God was with the people of Israel. He will be with you as well.

Point number two. If you want to live in the land of promises keep your eyes on God. Keep your eyes on God. The key for the Israelites was the Ark of the Covenant. Look at verse four. They had to keep their eyes on the priests and the ark leading the way. Verse four it says, When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them. The Ark of the Covenant.

Now many of us know more about it because of the Indiana Jones film. And we think isn't that stored in a warehouse somewhere. Well there was an Ark of the Covenant given to the people of Israel.

It is mentioned by the way 16 times in chapters three and four. What was in the Ark were the commandments of God. The Ten Commandments were in the Ark.

Aaron's rod and a jar of manna. It was a visible symbol of the presence of God. So the priests would pick it up. They would carry it on their shoulders. They were not to put it on a cart.

They were to carry it by hand. And that visible symbol of God's presence was to be at the forefront of what they are doing. So the people of Israel are told keep your eyes on the Ark. And keep your eyes on the priests who are leading the way.

And the same is true for us. When you are going through life following Jesus keep your eyes on the Lord. Don't put your eyes on people. Because people are going to let you down. People are going to disappoint you. But you are going to disappoint someone.

Right? And so keep your eyes on the Lord. As the author of Hebrews 12 says, Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith.

Lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily besets you. He says before that and keep your eyes on the Lord. I don't want to go anywhere if God isn't going there first. I want to be where the Lord is. I would rather be in a lion's den with Jesus than in a palace without Him. I would rather be in a fiery furnace with Jesus and on a tropical island without Him. I would rather be in a storm with Jesus and on dry land without Him.

I want to be where He is. And this is what the Lord is saying. Keep your eyes on the Ark. Because when you keep your eyes on the Lord you see your problems differently. You know when you came to church today I am sure you have come with some big problems. Maybe you had a disagreement with your spouse or trouble with the kids. Or you are not feeling that well.

Or you have some other issue looming large in your life. And so much so you thought maybe we shouldn't even go to church today. But you made a decision to come and something begins to happen when you worship the Lord.

Right? And now you open up the Word of God. And it is not like your problem is changing but your view is changing. Because when you see God in His greatness you see your problem in its relative smallness.

Your problem hasn't gone away but you see it differently. Because if you have a big God you have relatively small problems. But if you have big problems is your God too small? So we need to keep our eyes focused on the Lord and be looking to Him. Pastor Greg Laurie with important insight today on what we should be doing if we want to live in the land of promises. And there is more to come as this study continues here on A New Beginning. Now all that we have talked about today begins with having a relationship with the Lord. That is where His promises begin. That is where forgiveness is found.

That is where eternal life is found. Maybe you would like to begin a relationship with God today. Pastor Greg, someone can do that today, can't they? They can do that right now.

It is an invitation open to everybody. That is right. The Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So think of it this way. Maybe you are out on a riptide in the ocean and you can't get your footing and you are in trouble. And you see a lifeguard call out for help. And the lifeguard will rescue you.

The same is true spiritually. You are drowning in your sin. You need help. Jesus will save you. He will rescue you. But you must call out to Him.

And you know how you do that? You do it in prayer. So let me just lead you in a simple prayer. And you can pray this prayer after me. And this is where you are calling out to Jesus to save you.

Just pray this. Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. And I know you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. Now Lord, I turn from my sin and I put my faith in you. Be my Savior, my Lord. Be my God and my friend. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Hey, if you just prayed that prayer, I want you to know that Christ Himself has come to live inside of you. And I have a resource I want to send you. It's called the New Believers Bible. So the New Believers Bible is the New Testament in the New Living Translation with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you are making to follow Christ. There's some other materials included as well in what we call the New Believers Growth Pack. But let me get this New Believers Bible into your hands as quickly as possible.

Here's Dave to tell you more. Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way free of any charge if you've prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Just ask for the New Believers Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us anytime 24-7 at 1-800-821-3300.

Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. Well, Pastor Greg, we're so excited to talk about a brand new project here at Harvest. Yes. Many listeners know you designed a gospel tract many years ago.

Millions have seen it. Yeah. But you turned this static printed piece into an animated series. It's been brought to life.

Yes. Well, it all started with a living water tract. So back when I was 17 years old, I just accepted Christ. And in my art class, we had the assignment, you need to do a cartoon strip.

Well, that's the easiest thing in the world for me because all I do is draw cartoon strips. And so I thought, well, now that I'm a Christian, I wonder if I could do a cartoon strip about my faith. And so I heard Pastor Chuck Smith talk that week about the woman at the well.

And how she was trying to fill a void in her life. And Jesus said, if you drink of the water I give, you'll never thirst again because it will well up as a fountain inside of you. You'll have living water. So I thought, that's what I'm going to call it, living water. So I drew this little cartoon character. And I just sort of laid the gospel out in this living water tract. Well, Chuck looked it over.

I saw him smiling. And then he said to me, can you reformat this in a different size because I'd like to print it. Well, I'd never really had anything printed before. I was very excited.

I went back, reformatted it, brought it to Chuck. They printed it. They printed around 10,000. They were gone immediately. Then they printed 100,000.

Those two were gone. Then they ultimately printed well over a million and they went all around the world. So we would just give them out to people. It was a way to start a conversation. So with the popularity of the Jesus Revolution film, we told the story of the little living water tract. And a lot of people are interested in it, saying, I want to see that living water tract. So we thought, why don't we re-envision this? Let's bring the living water tract out now, but maybe modernize it a little bit.

And even more, what about animating it? So what we have now is an animated version of the living water tract for you to have as a tool to share your faith. So I can't show it to you, unfortunately, but I can let you hear a little bit of it. So here is a little excerpt from this little animated film that we've done, The Adventures of Ben Born Again and Yellow Dog. And the title of the cartoon is Bridge Out. And this is when Ben opens up the living water tract and Yellow Dog is reading it for the first time. Give a listen. In the beginning, God created man to have a friendship with him.

Daddy! But God also gave man a choice. He did?

Because God wants us to love him because we choose to. Let me guess. That didn't go well.

That's true. Man said no. See you later, big guy. I'm doing my own thing. So man was separated from God because of sin. Way to go, man.

Way to ruin it for the rest of us. I'm not done. God is so holy, he sets a goal of perfection. And we all fall short of that. Yeah, I see. Tell me about it. But don't worry.

That's where Jesus comes in. Oh, wow. That's cool. So there's a little teaser, if you will, of what this cartoon sounds like. And Dave, I'm very excited to announce that this new animation of Ben Born Again and Yellow Dog is available right now on all Harvest streaming platforms. You can go to harvest.org.

You can go to our new streaming platform that's called Harvest Plus. And see for yourself the first cartoon in a series of adventures that are yet to come. This is the Living Water Track brought to life through animation. Yeah, that's right.

So check it out today. Each episode is the perfect length for a child's attention span, if you know what I mean. And there are so many biblical lessons tucked in between the action and humor. Thanks for recognizing our commitment to bring the gospel into innovative new settings so we can reach more and more people, people of all ages.

And that's only possible through your support. Please partner with us so we can keep touching lives for eternity. And Pastor Greg wants to thank you tangibly for your gift with a newly redesigned Living Water Track in comic book form.

It's the resource that launched it all. So get in touch with your donation today. Call 1-800-821-3300. Call anytime 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.

Or go online to harvest.org. And remember, you can watch this first episode for free there at harvest.org or through our Harvest Plus app. Well, next time we focus on faith and the pivotal part it plays in living in the land of promises. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins. Hey everybody, thanks for listening to A New Beginning. This is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners. So for more content that can help you know God and equip you to make Him known to others, or to learn more about how you can become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org.