Pursuing the Promise (Part 3)
POSITIONED FOR PROSPERITY
In the process of seeking out His presence as we pursue His promise to us, we have one final thing to consider; the importance of knowing our position. This is absolutely critical. Look at Joshua 3:4:
“However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
God’s promises always take us into new territory. If it looks, sounds and feels unfamiliar it is a good indication that you’re in the right place because truly “you have not passed this way before.” Unfamiliar surroundings have a way of messing with our sense of direction. Direction is simply this, knowing what our current position is with respect to our destination. In other words, knowing our position is essential if we are to arrive at our final destination. God’s instructions to Joshua were to make sure that they kept the proper position with respect to the ark of His presence so that they would know the way by which they should go. As we seek to draw ever nearer to God’s promises to us being fulfilled, we need to take time to know our position with respect to God himself.
When we are driving it is easy to lose our sense of position in unfamiliar territory. We get so fixated on new scenery and the excitement of being in a new place, that we can get distracted from one of the most elementary principles of driving; namely, knowing where we are. Be aware that the same thing can happen in our walk of faith. We can get so distracted by the newness and excitement of stepping out in faith, that we can forget the elementary principles of our positioning. So by way of reminder, consider Ephesians 2:1-10:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
What is your position with Christ at the moment? Knowing our position in Christ requires not only the walk of faith but also the consistent walk of repentance. It is only as we walk in repentance that we can recognize and operate from our position of being seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Once we recognize this position, we must make certain that we understand it in its fullness. Consider lastly Ephesians 2:17-22
And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Our position in Christ Jesus is directly affected by our relationship with the body of Christ. If we are traveling it’s always necessary to know our location with respect to our destination, but also with respect to those who are driving next to us. If we do not, we place ourselves and others at risk for delays, bodily harm and even death itself. Being properly plugged into and positioned in the body of Christ is an essential step in recognizing our true position in Christ himself.
Joshua said to the people in chapter 3 verse 5 to “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” Consecration simply involves knowing and stepping into proper position with Christ and His body. Want to be holy? Position yourself properly. “For tomorrow,” and may it be someday very soon, we shall see the Lord do wonders among us as He brings us into all of the promises which He has declared over our lives!
