You don’t want to miss this weekend at 217church! We have been in a process of pursing God passionately for strength and courage to move forward towards His vision for us as a church and as His people. This weekend, we will discover the faithfulness of God as He leads Joshua into the beginning of a season of conquering city after city. We get to see that God is faithful to those who keep the faith!

“I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6

What are you trusting in God for? We are always in the process of growing in our relationship with Christ. There is always a next step, a way forward, something that God wants to do in our hearts. It is important in our pursuit of God and His plan for our lives that we remember He is faithful. When you pray and pursue God remember these 3 things…...

1. God has already given you what He has promised.  When God raised Joshua to lead the people of Israel, He already knew that the land of Canaan would be taken back by Joshua and his army. The only thing that could stop that from happening was Joshua’s faithfulness in return. He tells Joshua in chapter 1 to be strong and courageous but also to remember the word of God and not to stray from it. If Joshua would remain faithful to God and his word, then the land would be taken. Many times we doubt if God is faithful or if He will move on our behalf, while at the same time we aren’t investing time to be in His word or aren’t even living by it. God will always be faithful. He has already given us what we need, we just need to be faithful in return and do what He calls us to do!
2. God has already given you the steps to get to what He’s promised.  God never sends Joshua out into battle without giving Him marching orders. He always provides direction and instruction for battle. You might say “I wish God would speak to me like He did to Joshua.” And He has! He has given you the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our guide, our helper. He gives us our marching orders. Many times we already know what we need to do because God has made it clear through the Holy Spirit, but a lot of the times we don’t like the marching orders He gives us so we pray for different ones. The more I am in ministry the more I am convinced that the role of a Pastor is to help people discover what the Holy Spirit has already spoken to them. Life with Christ is not easy. It’s not easy to carry out His orders. But His marching orders always lead to victory! Forget your battle plan, follow His.
3. God has blessings prepared for you beyond the one you are praying for.  When God sends Joshua and His army out to Jericho, the battle plan was so weird! March around the city once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day, yell as loud as you can, blowing your trumpets and the city will fall? What?! This was the biggest battle to date for the the Israelites. I am sure with these instructions, all they were focused on was Jericho. But God was showing them His plans for battle were way different than theirs would be. God was also instilling in them FAITH. Faith in God’s ways. Why? Because Jericho was just the beginning. In Joshua’s lifetime, he and his army, through the power of God conquered 31 cities! In our walk with Christ sometimes all we pray for is Jericho. Just one thing that we want God to show us or help us accomplish. But while praying for Jericho we need to remember that God also has greater plans in the future. He is not just a God of Jericho blessing, but a God of 31 cities of blessings! Our prayers need to come from an understanding that God has great things in store for us beyond the few things we “think” we need now. Let’s start praying 31 city prayers!

God is faithful to those who keep the faith. The first part of that statement never changes, but the second half is hard to keep true isn’t it? I pray that we, as God’s people, would ask God for the faith we need to stay true to His ways. I know with all my heart that when we do, God will show up in a way that is much greater than we could ever ask or even imagine. In the words of Paul the Apostle, “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”  He was faithful to start a good work in you, He is faithful to continue that work, and He will be faithful to complete it!

I hope to see you this Sunday at the theater.

– Pastor Kevin

217church is a dynamic christian church in Mercer County NJ that meets on Sundays in Hamilton at the AMC 24 theater at 9:30 and 11 am and in East Windsor, NJ starting in January of 2014!  To visit a weekend service or join a small group, visit http://www.217church.com.