When Jesus called for Lazarus to ‘come forth’ out of the tomb where his dead body had been placed four days earlier, we read that he “who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth...” (John 11:44) ...

...and the very first order of business as dictated by Jesus in that same verse... was directed to those with Him as He told them: “Loose him, and let him go.”

Lazarus had been ‘made alive’ and yet...he had some ‘bondages’ that needed to be removed from his newly raised body.

Would you please turn to Eph. 2 and read vs. 1-2. We ‘who were dead’ (in sin and trespasses)...have been ‘made alive’. Please note the ‘past tense’ wording that says that we “once walked according to the course of this world and according to the prince of the power of the air...the spirit (demon) who now works IN... the sons of disobedience...”. Paul goes on to elaborate how this ‘spirit’ operated in and through us, and still does today among those who have yet to come out of their graves. It is/was through the ‘lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind’ in which he operates (3).

Have you ever wondered how the ‘wicked one’ continues to influence and exert control over the ‘whole world’ as John explains he does...even today? (1 John 5:19).

Friends...if a professing ‘believer’ still continues to ‘live according to the flesh’, the case could be made that while they may have heard the voice of Jesus tell them to ‘come out’...they are still ‘dead in sin’. When Paul was writing to the Romans, he reminds them (and us) that if you continue to live according to the flesh, you will ‘die’ [or remain dead] (Rom. 8:13).

I’d like for you to take a moment and read John 5:24-29. Yes, I do believe Jesus is speaking here about a future ‘resurrection’, but I also believe there is a relevant message being conveyed here as well for us today. Jesus speaks of the ‘dead who hear the voice of the Son of God’ and those who hear ‘will live...and come forth’; just like Lazarus did and anyone else who has been ‘called out of darkness’ (1 Pet. 2:9) and to ‘walk in the light as He is in the light’ (1 John 1:7). That...is what ‘obedient children of God’ do (1 Pet. 1:14-15; Rom. 8:14) as evident by being ‘holy in all their conduct’...as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:16; 1 John 2:6; Matt. 5:48).

Want to guess who has kept the world (and many in the church today) in ‘darkness’? Yep...the prince of darkness himself- Satan. (Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Eph. 6:12). Would you like that veil of darkness removed so you too, can see ...and live? When you hear His voice...turn to Him and the ‘veil is removed’ (1 Cor. 3:16; John 6:44). I bet some might be wondering if you have ever clearly heard His voice call you to come to Him. All I can say is that is between you and God; but if you are reading here today...is it remotely possible that just maybe you are ‘hearing’ Him do that now?

All this is to say that before we came to Jesus...we were under the control of the wicked one and in need of being set free. And the moment that we do respond to God's voice and turn to Jesus with all our heart, everything changes. You might recall the story of that man possessed by thousands of demons in Mark 5...who when he saw Jesus...he ‘ran’ to Jesus and threw himself at His feet in surrender. I find it encouraging to know that there is not a demon(s) in hell who can prevent anyone from running to Jesus with all their heart. In fact, I’d strongly encourage anyone who has yet to do so...to do it now.

So all this is to lay more groundwork for our current study as to what it means to go in and take possession of this ‘land’ (our hearts) that Jesus came to cleanse and purify. Hopefully you are up to speed here in the postings from the past few days as we were looking how Joshua had been commissioned to lead the people of God across the Jordan River into the promised land of ‘peace and rest’. There is much to cover still, and I don’t want to speed through a very important detail in this story as found in Joshua 3. In fact, what we will read in both chapters 3 and 5 have to do with some serious ‘heart checks’ as to what it means to truly surrender to God’s leadership as you prepare to ‘follow Jesus’ and allow Him to begin to cleanse and/or ‘sanctify’ our hearts.

The first point has to do with the Jordan River itself that first needed to be crossed. We are told at this time of year that the river was out of its banks, and at ‘flood stage’ (3:15). In other words, it would have been impossible for the million or so people to simply walk across/through it at this time. So the people were told to ‘sanctify themselves’ (5) having been reminded that they were about to ‘pass through a way they had never been before’ (4). The priest were then directed to take up the ark of the covenant and would cross over first. The ark, of course, representing the presence of God among them as it contained the Ten Commandments on stone, Aaron's rod, and some samples of manna.

We then read how when those priests’ feet stepped out, the flood of the river was immediately cut off, or stopped, and that the waters actually seemed to ‘pile up’ far upstream...as the people walked across on dry ground (Josh. 3:13-17) And once the people were all safely across, we then learn that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before’ (Josh. 4:18). Let’s wrap up today with this final thought for you to think about....

We know that scripture often uses this idea of a ‘flood’ to represent God’s wrath, destruction, and the work of the enemy himself who we are told ‘comes in like a flood’ (Isa. 59:19; Luke 17:27; Matt. 7:24-27 Rev. 12:15). We’ve come to understand that prior to coming to Jesus with all our heart, we were under the control, power, or influence of Satan and his demonic forces, which is why we needed to be ‘set free’ (Luke 4:18; John 8:32-36). I would submit to you here today...that at the moment a person truly comes to God with all their heart, that all the noise, confusion, turmoil and pain comes to a stop, just like that ‘flood’ did at the Jordan river on that day the people set out to walk a path they had never been on before.

And in this moment, what you are experiencing is God’s ‘hedge’ of peace and protection as He wraps the ‘feather of His arms around you’ (Ps. 91:1-4; Matt.23:37). You now have a new ‘Master’, and as long as you remain or ‘abide’ in this place, the ‘wicked one cannot touch you’ (1 John 5:18). His words, not mine.

I saw a car ad years ago where a mother is trying to escape the noise and chaos in her home and retreats to her car parked outside, and the moment she shuts the car door...she sinks back in complete silence and is able to find rest. It reminds me of what happens when we truly come to Jesus. But here is what you need to know and remember: This is the beginning...of your walk of salvation. There is a land to possess and a heart to be sanctified and made pure. And those ‘grave clothes’ or ‘enemies on the land’ are still there...but are about to come off, one by one. You just better not stray or get ahead of Him in this process. Trust me on this one. See you tomorrow?