Episode 86: Times of Transition
Most of our lives are spent in a “middle” time. We’re not where we want to be, and not where we used to be. We’re in the middle. This middle time is called a TRANSITION. Transition is defined as the process or period of changing from one state or condition to another.
One author describes the three phases that we all experience when we’re in “transition” - an ending, followed by a period of confusion and distress, that leads to a new beginning. God uses transitions to prepare us for the people and places that He’s planning to bring into our lives next.
In Joshua 3, we see the children of Israel in a period of transition. Their leader Moses is dead, and it’s time for them to move towards the long-awaited promised land… but they’re not sure how! In this passage of scripture we find 3 things that happen during TRANSITIONS.
1. Times of transition are times of TRUSTING.
Joshua 3:1-4 shows the process of waiting before moving. It’s tempting to rush ahead and make plans when we feel God is not answering, or we’ve been waiting too long. The people of Israel were instructed to carry the ark ahead of them as they crossed the Jordan River when God miraculously rerouted the waters to bring them safely to the other side. If they’d rushed into their own plan, they could have drowned or missed experiencing the miracle God intended for them. At times, waiting is part of the miracle and it’s critical to the transition from one place to the next!
Joshua 3:5 also shows that part of the transition is a season of CONSECRATION. God wanted them to be holy and set apart before they were able to establish themselves in the new promised land. Without consecration, they’d be leaning on old patterns and old strength.
2. Times of transition are times of TESTING.
Joshua 5:2-5 shows God demanding his people to take knives made out of stone to circumcise themselves BEFORE entering the new land. This circumcision was both a heart and body commitment to live differently. The generation entering the promised land had never witnessed the legacy, and God made sure they understood and acted upon holiness before they transitioned to the blessing He had promised.
3. Times of transition are times of TAKING TERRITORY.
There are two types of territory we’re meant to take in our lives as believers: personal territory (habits, destructive thought patterns, insecurities, behaviors keeping us from growth) and kingdom territory (neighborhoods, schools, teams, churches, families, regions, countries) that are influenced and changed because of our knowledge of God. After 40 years of eating manna, the manna stopped as God led his people out of a time of transition, and into a new land full of promise.
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