And Joshua said, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5)

This is how Joshua addressed the people as he was preparing them to cross the river into the promised land. As you know, before Moses died, he handed over the leadership to Joshua. Joshua went to the Lord to receive his marching orders and then gathered the people together. This was his first command to them: “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

I like this verse because it clearly outlines our part of the process and God’s part.

Our part is to consecrate ourselves. We know that this means to set ourselves apart, to be wholly usable for God. In other words, we are to have no unconfessed sin in our life and to be clean vessels for Him to use. But the meaning of this command goes even deeper. It also means to compose our minds and hearts to hear from God and obey. It means that we recognize that we are to live for him.

That’s my part. Usually I am rushing around too much to compose my heart and mind to listen to anything, least of all the Lord. I need to build that time into my life — to listen to him, to read his Word, to understand what he is saying to me, and then to be prepared to obey.

That’s our part.

God’s part is also very clear: “Tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” We know for sure that it’s not we ourselves who do the amazing things, for only God can do supernatural things. Only God can change the hearts of men and women. He promises to do it, and he promises to do it among us. He is giving us a ringside seat to watch what he is doing in the spiritual realm, and there is a correlation between the promise and the command that Moses gives.

As we consecrate ourselves and make ourselves available for him to use us, we will be able to watch him not only do amazing things, but do them amongst us.

So the question is, are you consecrated? Are you set apart for him? Are you preparing your heart and mind to hear what he says in his Word and then obey? If you are, get ready for some amazing things.


Photo Credit: Naassom Azevedo