WEBVTT - The Crossing -- Part 1 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:03.760 Today on bold steps, Mark Jobe helps us prepare for 0:00:03.760 --> 0:00:06.160 our own crossing into a new season. 0:00:06.960 --> 0:00:10.320 God said, give me your all. And you said, no way! 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:14.840 And you have been wandering in a spiritual desert for 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:19.360 quite a few years. God has circled you back again 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.240 to make a good decision about going to where God 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:27.080 wants you to go. Thank God for second chances. 0:00:39.080 --> 0:00:42.600 Welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, founding pastor 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:46.480 of New Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well, 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:49.519 a crossing is a critical transition point. It can lead 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.760 to a new season in God's intended destination, or it 0:00:52.760 --> 0:00:56.520 can become a place of danger in poor decision making. Mark, 0:00:56.560 --> 0:00:58.400 you're going to help us prepare for a crossing and 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:01.120 step out in obedience. Absolutely. 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:04.080 And there may be some people listening right now that, 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:08.679 you know, you know, you're in a cross season. Joshua 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:12.120 and the people of Israel were at a pivotal moment. 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:15.200 They could see across the river, the Promised Land, but 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:19.240 they had not yet crossed. You have to prepare spiritually 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:22.160 for the crossing. This message is going to help you 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:22.720 do that. 0:01:23.080 --> 0:01:25.600 Let's listen and get started now with today's lesson here 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:26.959 on bold steps. 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:38.520 You know crossings can be dangerous. Crossings can lead us 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:43.160 to the next level, our next phase, our next season. 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:49.640 But they also can be places where there's danger. Mistakes 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:53.560 are made. I grew up, some of you know, in 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:58.840 a small town in northern Spain called Ravenna. Ravenna had 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:03.570 about 200 people in it, and there were more sheep 0:02:03.570 --> 0:02:07.050 and cows than there were people. In fact, we had 0:02:07.050 --> 0:02:11.250 about 200 people that lived there and about 500 sheep 0:02:11.530 --> 0:02:15.130 that were part of Ravenna. And every day the shepherd 0:02:15.130 --> 0:02:19.290 in the village would gather the sheep from the different corrals, 0:02:19.770 --> 0:02:23.210 and they would make their way down the main unpaved 0:02:23.210 --> 0:02:27.130 road of the village. And they would cross a railroad track, 0:02:27.130 --> 0:02:30.810 and they would go out to the hills around the village, 0:02:31.050 --> 0:02:34.250 and they would spend the majority of the day out 0:02:34.250 --> 0:02:37.050 in the hills around the village, where the sheep could 0:02:37.050 --> 0:02:41.530 go to pasture. And then every day at about 6:00, 0:02:43.090 --> 0:02:46.210 the shepherd would bring the sheep back into the village. 0:02:46.410 --> 0:02:51.730 Now the challenge was this, that before you entered into 0:02:51.730 --> 0:02:56.490 the village, there was a crossing, a railroad track crossing. 0:02:57.290 --> 0:03:01.490 So every day at 6:00, the son of the shepherd 0:03:01.850 --> 0:03:05.090 who was one of my best friends. He would drag 0:03:05.090 --> 0:03:08.850 me down to the crossing and he would say, my 0:03:08.850 --> 0:03:12.489 dad needs help making sure that the sheep crossed the 0:03:12.490 --> 0:03:17.290 railroad tracks safely. And typically, as they started to cross 0:03:17.290 --> 0:03:20.650 the railroad tracks, they would yell and scream and get 0:03:20.650 --> 0:03:23.690 the dogs going and cross them over. But I remember 0:03:23.690 --> 0:03:27.130 one day the sheep started to cross, and in the 0:03:27.130 --> 0:03:31.169 distance we saw a train coming. And so they started 0:03:31.169 --> 0:03:35.369 to shoe even faster, trying to get 500 sheep across 0:03:35.370 --> 0:03:40.130 this narrow path over the railroad tracks. And all of 0:03:40.130 --> 0:03:44.010 the sheep made it except one. And my friend was 0:03:44.010 --> 0:03:46.570 hanging on to the sheep in the back that had 0:03:46.570 --> 0:03:49.490 not yet crossed. All the sheep had crossed over, but 0:03:49.490 --> 0:03:53.730 this one was pulling and tugging. And finally he let go. 0:03:54.210 --> 0:03:58.890 And the sheep went, and I. Well, let's just say 0:03:58.890 --> 0:04:02.780 that the sheep lost its head that day as it 0:04:02.780 --> 0:04:07.580 stuck its head in the train. Because crossings can either 0:04:07.580 --> 0:04:12.700 lead you home to the right place, or crossings can 0:04:12.700 --> 0:04:18.500 be devastating places where bad decisions are made. And so 0:04:18.500 --> 0:04:22.140 today I want to talk to you about making crossings, 0:04:22.180 --> 0:04:25.420 a place that God uses, because some of you, I 0:04:25.420 --> 0:04:30.020 believe today are at a point of crossing. I want 0:04:30.020 --> 0:04:34.140 you to take your Bible and turn to Joshua chapter three. 0:04:34.940 --> 0:04:41.860 Joshua chapter three. The people of Israel have gathered on 0:04:41.860 --> 0:04:46.020 one side of the Jordan. They're about to cross over 0:04:46.220 --> 0:04:50.060 to a new season, a new territory, to a new 0:04:50.060 --> 0:04:54.060 land called the Promised Land. And I'll begin reading in 0:04:54.060 --> 0:04:58.700 verse one of Joshua chapter three. It says early in 0:04:58.700 --> 0:05:04.380 the morning, Joshua and all the Israelites set out from 0:05:04.380 --> 0:05:11.060 Shittim and went to Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 0:05:12.260 --> 0:05:16.739 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving 0:05:16.740 --> 0:05:20.860 orders to the people. Here's what they said. When you 0:05:20.860 --> 0:05:25.700 see the Ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, 0:05:26.020 --> 0:05:30.180 and the priest, who are the Levites carrying it, you 0:05:30.180 --> 0:05:34.460 are to move out from your positions and follow it. 0:05:35.380 --> 0:05:38.340 Then you will know which way to go, since you 0:05:38.339 --> 0:05:43.300 have never been this way before. But keep a distance 0:05:43.300 --> 0:05:46.580 of about a thousand yards between you and the Ark. 0:05:46.740 --> 0:05:50.859 Do not go near it. I want to talk to 0:05:50.860 --> 0:05:54.020 you about how to prepare for your crossing. There's three 0:05:54.020 --> 0:05:57.900 observations I make from this passage about how we can 0:05:57.900 --> 0:06:01.910 prepare for this season of crossing at the end of 0:06:01.910 --> 0:06:05.390 our fasting and prayer. Number one, if you're taking notes, 0:06:05.390 --> 0:06:10.270 write this down. Be willing to move out of your 0:06:10.270 --> 0:06:17.469 comfort zone to follow God's presence. Joshua said to all 0:06:17.470 --> 0:06:20.270 the people of Israel, and there were a lot of 0:06:20.270 --> 0:06:24.550 people close to a million people camped on this side 0:06:24.550 --> 0:06:30.630 of the Jordan. The Jordan River was the crossing. On 0:06:30.630 --> 0:06:33.870 the other side of the Jordan was what the Bible 0:06:33.870 --> 0:06:40.070 called the Promised Land. Now you have to remember historically 0:06:40.710 --> 0:06:44.110 that God had spoken to a young man by the 0:06:44.110 --> 0:06:48.750 name of Abraham, who later changed his name to Abraham. 0:06:49.230 --> 0:06:55.190 500 years before, God had given a promise to Abraham 0:06:55.470 --> 0:06:58.110 that he was going to give him a land and 0:06:58.110 --> 0:07:01.990 that he would be the father of a great nation. Now, 0:07:01.990 --> 0:07:06.510 at that time, Abraham had no sons, no daughters, no kids, 0:07:07.310 --> 0:07:12.429 and his wife was basically infertile. Sarah. But God promised him, 0:07:12.430 --> 0:07:14.750 I'm going to make you the father of a great nation, 0:07:14.750 --> 0:07:16.990 and I'm also going to give you a land, and 0:07:16.990 --> 0:07:19.270 your people are going to inhabit that land. You will 0:07:19.270 --> 0:07:21.870 be a great nation, and out of you, all the 0:07:21.870 --> 0:07:25.190 nations of the earth will be blessed, because Jesus the 0:07:25.190 --> 0:07:29.350 Christ would eventually come from the seed of Abraham. That's 0:07:29.350 --> 0:07:36.670 why the Jewish people are called Abraham. Father Abraham. 500 0:07:36.670 --> 0:07:40.750 years before God had given them that promise. For 400 0:07:40.750 --> 0:07:44.110 years the people of Israel had been slaves in Egypt 0:07:44.590 --> 0:07:48.910 40 years before God had taken them out of Egypt 0:07:48.910 --> 0:07:52.030 through a man by the name of Moses. They had 0:07:52.030 --> 0:07:54.870 crossed the Red sea. They had taken him all the 0:07:54.870 --> 0:07:57.870 way up to the crossing of the Promised Land. God 0:07:57.870 --> 0:08:00.390 had said to them, I'm going to give you this land. 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.960 Go take it. And they were like, no way. We're 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:09.280 too afraid. There's battles to fight. We can't do this. 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:14.240 And so God said, because of their unbelief and because 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:18.160 of their disobedience, God let them go through the desert. 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:22.560 40 years wandering the desert in the desert before he 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:25.840 took him back to the border of the Promised Land. 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:29.920 I'm talking to someone here today. There are some of 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:36.119 you here today that ten years ago, 15 years ago, 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:40.080 you heard the voice of God. In fact, there are 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.520 some of you here today that when you were a teenager, 0:08:43.520 --> 0:08:46.280 you said, God, I want to follow you. Maybe you 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:48.120 were a part of a church and you had a 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:50.600 hunger for God and a faith in God. But you 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:53.960 know what God said, give me your all. And you said, 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:57.520 no way! And you have been wandering in a spiritual 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:04.000 desert for quite a few years. A place of spiritual dryness, 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:10.080 a place of mistakes, bad decisions, a place of anxiety, 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:15.080 a place of loneliness, and a place of addiction. God 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:19.120 has circled you back again and given you a second 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:23.640 chance to make a good decision about going to where 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:27.800 God wants you to go. Thank God for second chances. 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:36.600 God is good. And I want you to hear what 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:42.480 God tells the people through Joshua. He says, I want 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:46.439 you to stay put, but I want you to observe 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:51.120 and watch the Ark of the covenant. And when it moves, 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:55.160 you move. If it doesn't move, you don't move because 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:57.760 you don't know where to go. And you need to 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:03.530 follow the ark. Can I tell you something? Here? The 0:10:03.530 --> 0:10:08.450 Ark of the covenant represents the presence of God. Back 0:10:08.450 --> 0:10:12.290 in those days, the Ark of the covenant, which was 0:10:12.290 --> 0:10:16.050 no more than maybe four by three feet wide. It 0:10:16.050 --> 0:10:19.730 was the most holy artifact that existed in those days. 0:10:20.090 --> 0:10:24.450 The priests would carry it with poles. They wouldn't touch it. 0:10:25.090 --> 0:10:28.969 They wouldn't look inside of it. It was considered the 0:10:28.970 --> 0:10:33.170 representation of the presence of God here on earth. When 0:10:33.170 --> 0:10:36.170 they went into battle, they would take the ark first 0:10:36.170 --> 0:10:40.290 because they wanted God to go first. When people actually 0:10:40.290 --> 0:10:42.850 looked into it and touched it, some of them died. 0:10:43.130 --> 0:10:47.810 It was considered a holy artifact. The people of Israel 0:10:47.809 --> 0:10:52.329 knew that. And so Joshua tells the people of Israel, 0:10:52.330 --> 0:10:57.689 look at the presence of God. When God moves, you move. 0:10:57.690 --> 0:11:02.090 When God stays, you stay. but be conscious. Keep your 0:11:02.090 --> 0:11:07.530 eyes on the presence of God. You have never been 0:11:07.530 --> 0:11:10.770 this way before. And so the only way you know 0:11:10.770 --> 0:11:14.370 how where you're going is if you follow the presence 0:11:14.370 --> 0:11:17.929 of God. Can I tell you something? We do not 0:11:17.929 --> 0:11:23.329 have an ark today that we. Some holy artifact called 0:11:23.330 --> 0:11:26.250 the Ark. But we do have the presence of God. 0:11:27.170 --> 0:11:29.329 The presence of God, in fact, is in this place 0:11:29.330 --> 0:11:32.970 this morning. How do I know? You say? Because the 0:11:32.970 --> 0:11:35.730 Bible tells us where 2 or 3 are gathered together 0:11:35.730 --> 0:11:38.089 in the name of Jesus the Christ. He is there 0:11:38.090 --> 0:11:45.970 in the midst of them. Listen, today in this converted 0:11:46.370 --> 0:11:51.290 warehouse auditorium. It's not the fanciness of this place. We 0:11:51.290 --> 0:11:55.490 have no stained glass windows. There's no big cathedral, Gothic 0:11:55.490 --> 0:11:58.570 cathedral above us. But we have the one thing that 0:11:58.570 --> 0:12:02.739 is needed most in a place like this. We have 0:12:02.740 --> 0:12:06.340 the presence of the Almighty God in this place. His 0:12:06.340 --> 0:12:14.340 Holy Spirit is here today. When Jesus Christ left, he said, 0:12:14.340 --> 0:12:19.500 I must leave so that the Paraclete will come. The coach, 0:12:19.700 --> 0:12:24.100 the counselor, and Jesus left and sent His Holy Spirit. 0:12:24.140 --> 0:12:28.380 On the day of Pentecost, the third person of the Godhead, 0:12:28.420 --> 0:12:32.660 the Holy Spirit descended upon 120 and from that day 0:12:32.660 --> 0:12:37.059 on the Holy Spirit has indwelt in his church among 0:12:37.059 --> 0:12:40.620 his people. So when you say, I don't know, I 0:12:40.620 --> 0:12:43.860 felt convicted of sin. That's the Holy Spirit convicting you 0:12:43.860 --> 0:12:46.939 of sin. When you feel empowered, that's the Holy Spirit 0:12:46.940 --> 0:12:50.579 empowering you. When you feel drawn to God to to 0:12:50.620 --> 0:12:53.540 give your life to Jesus, it's because the Holy Spirit 0:12:53.540 --> 0:12:57.500 is drawing you. It's the Holy Spirit 24 hours a 0:12:57.500 --> 0:13:01.860 day working amongst us, leading us, guiding us, empowering us. 0:13:02.059 --> 0:13:07.540 That is the presence of God. And so Joshua tells 0:13:07.540 --> 0:13:09.699 the people of Israel, I want you to keep an 0:13:09.700 --> 0:13:12.780 eye on the ark. And today I want to tell you, 0:13:12.820 --> 0:13:14.979 we need to keep an eye on the presence of God. 0:13:15.660 --> 0:13:18.660 We need to ask ourselves, what is God doing and 0:13:18.660 --> 0:13:24.459 how can we cooperate with what God is doing? I 0:13:24.460 --> 0:13:30.140 believe that the Spirit of God leads us sometimes into 0:13:30.340 --> 0:13:34.700 areas that are uncomfortable for us, leads us out of 0:13:34.700 --> 0:13:38.939 our comfort zone, into the areas that he wants us 0:13:38.940 --> 0:13:43.939 to go into. They were about to cross a river 0:13:44.780 --> 0:13:48.260 that was too deep to cross, to go to a 0:13:48.260 --> 0:13:51.740 land that had enemies. And God was saying, I'm going 0:13:51.780 --> 0:13:56.180 to give you that land. They were not warriors. They 0:13:56.179 --> 0:13:58.900 were not experienced in battle. But God was saying, I'm 0:13:58.900 --> 0:14:01.589 going to give you that land, So prepare yourself to 0:14:01.630 --> 0:14:09.110 take on that land. In essence, God was saying, embrace uncertainty. 0:14:10.550 --> 0:14:12.790 You know, some of the most powerful chapters of your 0:14:12.790 --> 0:14:18.430 life will not have a title until years later. When 0:14:18.429 --> 0:14:21.070 you look in the rear view mirror and you see 0:14:21.070 --> 0:14:25.550 what God was doing. Some of you today are stepping 0:14:25.550 --> 0:14:29.350 into chapters of uncertainty, and you're a little bit confused. 0:14:29.350 --> 0:14:32.350 You're nervous, you're a little scared because you don't know 0:14:32.350 --> 0:14:35.590 exactly what God is doing years from now, five years 0:14:35.590 --> 0:14:37.830 from now, six years from now, some of you are 0:14:37.830 --> 0:14:41.110 going to look back at this time, at this season, 0:14:41.110 --> 0:14:43.830 and you're going to say, I can't believe that's the 0:14:43.870 --> 0:14:46.350 that's the season where God got a hold of me. 0:14:46.790 --> 0:14:49.390 This is where God woke me up. This is where 0:14:49.430 --> 0:14:53.310 God started leading. This is my moment of change right now. 0:14:53.310 --> 0:14:57.590 It's confusing right now. There's uncertainty right now. It's scary. 0:14:57.630 --> 0:15:00.640 Years later, you're going to look back and say, yeah, 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:04.240 that's when I woke up to God. That's when he 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.960 stirred my heart. That's when he started to change me 0:15:06.960 --> 0:15:10.320 and convict me. But right now, as God starts to 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:13.640 lead you out of your comfort zone, it's a scary season. 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:17.880 The Bible said that Joshua said, when you see the 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:21.080 Ark of the covenant, your God and the priests who 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:24.480 are carrying it, you are to move out of your 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:29.360 positions and you are to follow it. The ark is 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:33.640 mentioned 14 times in this chapter. Pay attention. Look at 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:37.200 the presence of God. What is God doing? And then 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:39.560 he says in verse four, then you will know which 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:47.760 way to go, since you have never been this way before. Listen, 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:51.920 can I tell you something? Some of you have never 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:55.360 been down the road of full consecration to God. You 0:15:55.360 --> 0:16:00.080 have never gotten serious about really following God and living 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:03.240 for God. And so it's a scary path because you 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:05.880 don't know what to expect. But if you look at 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:09.160 the presence of God, if you follow him closely, God 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:13.280 will lead you in ways that are amazing because you 0:16:13.280 --> 0:16:16.320 will know it's the presence of God leading you. You've 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:23.760 never been this way before. Number two. So first of all, 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:27.040 be willing to get out of your comfort zone and 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:31.680 follow the presence of God. Number two be prepared to 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:37.200 consecrate yourself wholly for the task that is ahead. Notice 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:41.480 what it says in verse five. Joshua told the people, 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:50.479 consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow. The Lord will do amazing things 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:54.320 among you. Joshua said to the priest, take up the 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:56.600 ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people. 0:16:56.600 --> 0:16:59.880 So they took it up and they went ahead. Joshua 0:16:59.880 --> 0:17:02.520 says to this people, a million people gathered on this 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:06.760 side of the river. They're looking at the Jordan saying, 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:09.800 how in the world are we going to cross? They're 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:12.640 looking on the other side, and there's battles that they 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:18.760 have to fight. And God says to them, consecrate yourselves today, 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:24.320 for tomorrow. God will do amazing things among you. What 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:29.960 does it mean to consecrate ourselves? It's an interesting word. 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:36.520 The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and some Aramaic. 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:40.639 The New Testament is written in Greek. So this is 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:46.639 a Hebrew word here, consecrate in the Hebrew it's kadosh. 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:52.600 It means to set apart. It means to be holy. 0:17:53.800 --> 0:18:00.050 When you consecrate something, you say this belongs to God. 0:18:02.250 --> 0:18:09.050 This is used for God to consecrate ourselves. Means that 0:18:09.050 --> 0:18:15.530 you say my mind, my heart, my body belong to God. 0:18:16.570 --> 0:18:18.970 If there's anything in my heart, my mind, and my 0:18:18.970 --> 0:18:21.250 body that is not of God, I will leave it 0:18:21.250 --> 0:18:27.609 behind because this belongs to God. And I'm going to 0:18:27.609 --> 0:18:30.370 make sure that it belongs to God and that it's 0:18:30.369 --> 0:18:33.369 not for anything else. I'm going to say, God, this 0:18:33.369 --> 0:18:39.570 is yours. That's consecration. To set yourself apart for God 0:18:39.770 --> 0:18:44.449 so that as God takes you into the future, amazing 0:18:44.450 --> 0:18:49.530 things can happen in your life. You say, well, what 0:18:49.530 --> 0:18:55.530 exactly does that mean? The people of Israel had to 0:18:55.570 --> 0:19:00.220 align themselves with God. And typically, consecration When we start 0:19:00.220 --> 0:19:03.859 aligning ourselves with God and saying, I belong to you, God. Typically, 0:19:03.859 --> 0:19:06.860 it means that we have to leave some stuff behind 0:19:08.020 --> 0:19:11.100 and that we have to take some steps of obedience. 0:19:12.260 --> 0:19:14.580 I don't know what you have to leave behind to 0:19:14.619 --> 0:19:18.260 go to your new season, but whatever's not of God 0:19:18.820 --> 0:19:24.260 you leave behind. You say, like what, pastor? Well, let 0:19:24.260 --> 0:19:27.340 me just say your mind. If it belongs to God, 0:19:27.980 --> 0:19:31.980 it means that right now, if your mind and your 0:19:31.980 --> 0:19:35.619 thoughts belong to God, that you are saying before God, 0:19:35.619 --> 0:19:41.420 for example, that pornography that I go to at two 0:19:41.460 --> 0:19:46.379 in the morning on my smartphone that I just dabble in, 0:19:46.740 --> 0:19:49.860 that is no longer of you God. So I forsake that. 0:19:49.859 --> 0:19:53.340 I leave it behind. Men and women, by the way, 0:19:53.660 --> 0:19:57.820 because pornography among women has escalated in the last decade 0:19:57.859 --> 0:20:01.700 at a huge amount. And. But you're basically what you're 0:20:01.700 --> 0:20:04.459 saying is that God, my mind belongs to you. The 0:20:04.460 --> 0:20:06.859 purity of my mind belongs to you. And so if 0:20:06.859 --> 0:20:13.900 something defiles my thinking, I leave it behind. It means 0:20:13.900 --> 0:20:15.980 that you say to God, God, my heart and my 0:20:15.980 --> 0:20:31.619 attitude belong to you. And so if there is bitterness. Resentment, anger, hatred, envy, 0:20:33.619 --> 0:20:37.139 then I choose to leave it behind. And I will 0:20:37.140 --> 0:20:42.540 not go into this next season carrying resentment, anger, bitterness, 0:20:42.540 --> 0:20:49.820 unforgiveness with me. I will forgive my stepfather and keep 0:20:50.420 --> 0:20:53.660 and stop holding him in debtor's prison. I will let 0:20:53.660 --> 0:20:57.020 go of my anger I have towards my girlfriend or 0:20:57.020 --> 0:21:00.580 my ex-boyfriend, and I will release it so I can 0:21:00.580 --> 0:21:03.859 go into the next season. I will deal with the 0:21:03.900 --> 0:21:09.820 prejudice in my heart and the racism that clouds areas 0:21:09.820 --> 0:21:13.060 of my soul as I go into this next season, 0:21:13.060 --> 0:21:15.700 because that is not of God. And so if there's 0:21:15.700 --> 0:21:19.780 anything in my heart that is not of God, I 0:21:19.820 --> 0:21:25.820 choose to release it. Are you tracking with me? Consecration 0:21:25.820 --> 0:21:29.020 means that not only your mind belongs to God, your 0:21:29.020 --> 0:21:31.820 heart belongs to God. It means that your body belongs 0:21:31.820 --> 0:21:35.940 to God. The Bible says that your body is the 0:21:35.940 --> 0:21:39.260 temple of the Holy Spirit. That your body is the 0:21:39.260 --> 0:21:42.659 dwelling place of God. And if your body is the 0:21:42.660 --> 0:21:44.740 temple of the Holy Spirit, it means that you also 0:21:44.740 --> 0:21:49.139 consecrate your body to God. That means that you choose 0:21:49.140 --> 0:21:53.500 not to defile your body with anything that could pollute it. 0:21:53.859 --> 0:21:56.620 As you say, my body belongs to you, God. That 0:21:56.619 --> 0:22:02.229 means that hey, if you're using substance to give you 0:22:02.270 --> 0:22:05.390 the happiness that the Holy Spirit should be giving you, 0:22:05.430 --> 0:22:10.149 then you forsake it. You stop popping mollies. You stop 0:22:10.470 --> 0:22:14.470 smoking weed on the weekends to relax yourself. You start 0:22:14.510 --> 0:22:18.670 stop smoking, uh, snorting lines of cocaine. Why? Because you 0:22:18.670 --> 0:22:22.270 are saying I don't get cheap substitutes from things that 0:22:22.270 --> 0:22:25.710 give me a thrill. My joy and my happiness and 0:22:25.710 --> 0:22:28.830 my peace of mind comes from God Himself and not 0:22:28.830 --> 0:22:34.510 substance that causes me a fake peace or relaxation. 0:22:43.790 --> 0:22:45.869 That's my job with the first part of a message 0:22:45.869 --> 0:22:49.389 titled The Crossing here on Bold Steps. Every one of 0:22:49.390 --> 0:22:51.710 us comes to a crossing at some point, a moment 0:22:51.710 --> 0:22:54.070 where we have to decide whether to stay put or 0:22:54.070 --> 0:22:56.790 follow God into something new. And we'll hear the rest 0:22:56.790 --> 0:22:59.109 of this message tomorrow when Mark shows us what it 0:22:59.230 --> 0:23:02.750 means to fully consecrate ourselves to God. In the meantime, 0:23:02.790 --> 0:23:05.670 be sure to visit our website, Bold steps.org, and check 0:23:05.710 --> 0:23:08.790 out everything we have available for you right now. Mark, 0:23:08.830 --> 0:23:10.990 this month's Bold Step gift gets us something I think 0:23:10.990 --> 0:23:13.590 just about everybody feels at some point that sense of 0:23:13.590 --> 0:23:16.150 being alone, even when you're surrounded by people. 0:23:16.390 --> 0:23:19.550 That is so true. And there's so many people that 0:23:19.550 --> 0:23:23.310 feel like, you know, God left the Bible. God is 0:23:23.310 --> 0:23:26.270 up there somewhere. But I don't know if he knows, 0:23:26.270 --> 0:23:31.870 hears me, sees me. And I love this book by 0:23:31.910 --> 0:23:36.390 Anne Graham Lotz called Jesus in Me because she reminds 0:23:36.390 --> 0:23:39.950 us that the Holy Spirit, when Jesus left, he said, 0:23:39.950 --> 0:23:43.110 I'm giving you the Holy Spirit. She talks about the 0:23:43.109 --> 0:23:49.869 Holy Spirit as a confidant, a counselor, an intercessor, an advocate, 0:23:49.910 --> 0:23:53.310 a helper. And I think people need to sort of 0:23:53.350 --> 0:23:56.270 start to realize, if you belong to God, that the 0:23:56.270 --> 0:23:58.990 Holy Spirit is inside of you 24 hours a day. 0:23:59.119 --> 0:24:03.280 God is with you in a powerful, special way. Even 0:24:03.280 --> 0:24:05.960 when you feel alone, he's still there. And that's that's 0:24:05.960 --> 0:24:08.920 the message of this book, Jesus in Me by Anne 0:24:08.920 --> 0:24:12.160 Graham Lotz. And it's our bold step gift of the month. 0:24:12.200 --> 0:24:15.359 So request your copy of Jesus in Me experiencing the 0:24:15.359 --> 0:24:18.359 Holy Spirit as a constant companion. When you give a 0:24:18.400 --> 0:24:21.720 gift of any amount to support bold steps. We've made 0:24:21.720 --> 0:24:26.280 it easy to give online at bold steps.org/or call us 0:24:26.280 --> 0:24:33.920 at 800 DL. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. If you'd prefer, send 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:39.520 your donation by mail to Bold Steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:24:39.560 --> 0:24:43.640 Illinois 60,006 ten. And if you'd like to do more 0:24:43.680 --> 0:24:47.240 than a one time gift, consider becoming a monthly bold partner. 0:24:47.640 --> 0:24:50.280 It's these faithful supporters who give to this ministry the 0:24:50.280 --> 0:24:53.000 kind of steady footing that lets us plan ahead and 0:24:53.000 --> 0:24:55.800 keep these daily programs on the air for the long haul. 0:24:56.280 --> 0:24:59.000 And when you give $30 or more each month, you'll 0:24:59.080 --> 0:25:02.199 receive a signed copy of Mark's book, unstuck. Out of 0:25:02.200 --> 0:25:05.480 your cave and into your call. There's a 50% discount 0:25:05.480 --> 0:25:09.280 across the Moody Publishers online store and our exclusive Bold 0:25:09.280 --> 0:25:14.720 Partner post from Mark. Sign up today at bold steps.org. Now, 0:25:14.720 --> 0:25:16.760 before we go, remember you can always catch up on 0:25:16.760 --> 0:25:19.960 today's message or any past program by subscribing to the 0:25:20.000 --> 0:25:23.800 Bold Steps podcast. Just search for Bold Steps with doctor 0:25:23.800 --> 0:25:27.639 Mark Jobe on your favorite podcast app. Tap subscribe and 0:25:27.680 --> 0:25:30.520 then leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. 0:25:30.760 --> 0:25:32.960 It's a simple way to help others discover the program 0:25:32.960 --> 0:25:36.480 and hear God's word. I'm Wayne Shepherd. That's our time 0:25:36.480 --> 0:25:38.920 for today. Be sure to join us tomorrow as Mark 0:25:38.920 --> 0:25:44.000 continues the crossing Wednesday here on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. 0:25:45.560 --> 0:25:48.840 Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry 0:25:48.840 --> 0:25:50.720 of the Moody Bible Institute.