19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. (New International Version)
The second step is to follow God. When the Israelite nation saw the Ark of the Covenant move, they were to "leave your place, and go after it." Not only were they to watch God, they were to move when He did. In other words, they were to pursue God! The lesson for believers is that it isn't enough to know what God is doing, there comes a time when you must "leave your place and go after Him." This may require us to leave our comfort zone! Israel was soon to follow the Ark through a river that was over 1 mile wide! That wouldn't have been easy, but it was still necessary and right! Following God may not be the easiest thing you will ever do, but it will be the best thing you ever do. If you ever expect to get past your obstruction that is damming up your spiritual life and go on to enter your Canaan, you must learn to follow God.
The third step is to honor God. Notice that the Israelites are told to stay at least 3,000 feet behind the Ark in order that they could easily see what was happening ahead of them. Another reason is that the Lord wanted no one but the Levites near the Ark. Getting too close would have meant death for anyone but a Levite priest. There is another lesson here for us as well. We must never be guilty of treating God like He is one of our pals. There must always be a holy reverence and a "fear" (reverential awe) of the Lord in our hearts. God help us that we never allow a spirit of familiarity cheapen our walk with the Lord. Regardless of what we go through with a holy, righteous God, we are still nothing but sinners saved by His marvelous grace. Simply put, these three things are most easily accomplished by learning to walk in the Holy Spirit. That is, learning to give control of your life to the Spirit of God and to follow God as He leads through His Word and through prayer. It may not always be easy for you to do this, but I can promise you that if you will follow God, He will certainly lead!
These steps involved a command:
The people were told to "sanctify yourselves." This referred to being sure they were as clean of sin and as holy as possible. They were to put away anything that was displeasing to the Lord. They were to examine themselves and get ready for the Lord to do something great for them.
If you and I ever expect to get past the Jordans that appear in our lives, we are going to have to learn that one of the first things we must do is examine ourselves to make sure we are as clean from sin as possible. We all fall short and commit sin from time to time but we are not to "practice sin" This means that, as the Apostle Paul said, "that which I do, I do not wish to do and that which I do not want to do, I do!" If Paul said this, then so have we all sinned! May the Lord help us to realize that many of the things that happen in our lives that prevent us from walking in victory are the results of our sin.
Hebrews 12:6-11
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (New International Version)
