Introduction
The story is told of a man who rushed into a railway station one morning and, almost breathlessly, asked the ticket man: “when does the 8:01 train leave?”
“At 8:01 was the answer. “Well,” the man replied, “it is 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock, and 8:04 by the station clock. Which time am I to go by?” “You can go by any clock you wish,” said the agent, “but you cannot go by the 8:01 train, for it has already left.”
God’s time is moving forward hour by hour, minute by minute. There are multitudes who seem to think they can live by any schedule they choose and that, in their own time, they can turn to God. But His time is the right time.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, “You did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:44). They missed the train. A group of Israelites decided to try and possess the land of Canaan the day after God told them the opportunity had passed. They were routed by the Canaanites (see Numbers l4:39-45). The train had already departed.
Ecclesiastes tells us that God is a God of timing: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We need to understand the timings and seasons God ordains for our lives, ministries, cities and nations. Too often we try to reap during planting season, plant during harvest, run when we should be resting and rest when it is time to run. Doing even the right thing at the wrong time, well intentioned as it may be, will cause us to miss the train every time.
Discerning the Times
One of the tribes of Israel, the sons of lssachar, had an ability to discern timing: “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). Notice that it was their ability to understand the times that gave them insight as to what to do. Understanding God’s timing is often one of the keys to taking the proper action.
God wants us to understand and recognise the divine shifts in our lives, moments when God changes the times and seasons. That is the purpose of this study. Never again do we want to be sitting in the train station with our bags packed and ticket in hand, watching the train that was to carry us into God’s purpose for your life disappearing into the distance.
Story
One of the great disasters of history took place in 1271. Nicolo and Matteo Polo (the father and uncle of Marco) were visiting the Kublai Khan, at that time a world ruler over China, India and all of the East. He was attracted to the story of Christianity as Nicolo and Matteo told it to him and said this to them: “You shall go to your high priest and tell him on my behalf to send me 100 men skilled in your religion, and I shall be baptized. And when I am baptized, all my barons and great men will be baptized and their subjects will receive baptism, too. So, there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts.”
However, nothing was done for about 30 years. Then two or three missionaries were sent too few – and too late. It baffles the imagination to think what a difference to the world it would have made if China had become fully Christian in the thirteenth century and the East had been given to Christ. These men missed the opportunity, and God’s purpose was frustrated.
Could it be that God was trying to create an incredible shift that would have changed the course of history? We may never know, but it certainly sounds possible. It should be our belief and desire that nothing like that will happen in our generation.
God’s Change into New Seasons
The following three verses in Isaiah speak of God’s change into new seasons:
You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time, even hidden things which you have not known (Isaiah 48:6).
Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:19).
Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you (Isaiah 42:9).
First, notice the phrase “spring forth” in the last two verses. These words mark a shift in time. Something new is about to spring forth. “Will you not be aware of it?” He asks. Often, God waits until the last moment to move. But it is also true that when He does move, it can transpire quickly. Never give up. Your shift may be closer than you think.
Second, notice the word “new.” Again, this word speaks of a shift. In the New-Testament, two Greek words are translated “new,” although they have different meanings. Understanding the difference is important. The word neos means numerically new but not different. For instance, if you buy a brand-new car of a certain make and model, you have a new car, but there are hundreds more just like it all over the country. It’s new but it’s not different. It’s the same as others it’s just new. The other Greek word for “new” is kainos, which means not only numerically new but also qualitatively new. This refers, for example, to a car manufactured today as compared to a model from previous years ago. Not only is this a numerically new car, but it is also qualitatively new because it’s different.
Distinguishing the difference between these two words neos and kainos is very important to our proper understanding of Scripture. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that we are new (kainos) creations. We’re not just duplications, or replicas, of something else, which would be neos. We’re new in the sense of being different kainos. We’re qualitatively new. We are new creations brand-new in kind and quality. God has put a different nature in us, transformed us and put the power of His Spirit in us. When we’re born again, we’re not just the same people with a few changes; we are kainos brand-new on the inside.
In Matthew 9:17, Jesus used both of these Greek words in one statement when He referred to the practice of putting new wine into new wineskins. He said that new (neos) wine needed to be put into new (kainos) wineskins. This new wine of the Spirit is not something different but, rather, more of the same. The Holy Spirit can’t change and He cannot improve, so it isn’t qualitatively new wine. He desires to pour more of Himself into us – numerically new wine. Although the wine isn’t different, the wineskin does need to change.
We, the wineskins, need to be kainos, or qualitatively new. In order to get another dose of His Spirit poured into us, we must be transformed and changed from one stage to another. If we don’t become different qualitatively new we won’t be able to hold the new wine He is pouring out. We will miss this new “time.” To prevent this, He puts us through processes of change. If we let Him work in our lives to transform us, then He can put more of Himself, His Spirit, into us. He can put new (neos) wine into new (kainos) wineskins.
Thus, in order tor God to prepare us for the new season, He changes us. God doesn’t have the phrase “That’s good enough” in His vocabulary. He is continually preparing us for more wine, for another dose of pouring out His Spirit. These changes may not always be fun, but they are always good.
From time to time, lobsters have to leave their shells in order to grow. They need the shell to protect them from being torn apart; yet when they grow, the old shell must be abandoned. If they did not abandon it, the old shell would soon become their prison and finally their coffin. The tricky part for the lobster is the brief period of time between when the old shell is discarded and the new one is formed. During that terribly vulnerable period, the transition must be scary to the lobster. Ocean currents gleefully cartwheel them from coral to kelp. Hungry schools of fish are ready to make them a part of their food chain. For a while at least, that old shell must look pretty good.
We are not so different from lobsters. To change and grow, we must sometimes shed our shells a structure, a framework that we’ve depended on. Discipleship means being so committed to Christ that when He bids us to follow, we will change, risk, grow and leave our “shells” behind.
Like the lobster, we like the new shell; we just don’t like the process. These two Greek words for “new” are also used for the word “renewal.” By adding the prefix “ana,” which is equivalent to the English prefix to the words, we have the two different concepts of renewal. Ananeoo is numerically renewed. This is when God brings back to us something we had before. It isn’t qualitatively new, but there is renew-al or refreshing. Perhaps He restores to us our first love, or He restores us to a state of faith in which we previously walked. The other word is anakainoo, which means qualitatively renewed. In this type of renewal, God brings another stage of new-ness, and we are different from anything we’ve ever been before. This process not only restores us, but it also transforms us into the image of Christ. Rather than just renewing us to where we were, He renews us to a fresh new place. When He is finished, we don’t feel or look the same. We are, indeed, different and ready for a shift to more wine.
As another example, the word used for the renewing of the mind, written in Romans 12:2, is anakainosis, which means a qualitatively new mind. God wants to renew our minds in the sense that He radically transforms the u-ay we think so that we can participate in the changes He brings and the new – thing He does. Shifting with God requires kainos.
God is doing new things in the earth, both in the sense of neos and kainos. He’s giving us more of what we’ve had in the past, but He’s also making some radical changes. Unfortunately, some people won’t be able to receive these changes because their wineskins aren’t kainos. They won’t be ready to move with God in His process of bringing us from the old to the new. The shift is coming, but will we recognize the timing and will our wineskins be ready?
Finally, notice the word “hidden” in Isaiah 48:6. Have you ever noticed that when God begins to do something new, it is often something that was hidden? He often keeps it a secret right up to the last minute. God is changing the times and seasons. Be alert and flexible. Make sure your wineskin is new, ready for the new wine He is about to pour out. Get ready to shift!
Reflection
- Have you ever done the right thing at the wrong time? What does Proverbs have to say about choosing the right time to do things?
- What is the difference between neos and kainos? How does being kainos affect your life?
- What do you need to shed in your life? Pride? Fear? Religiosity?
The Joining of the Seasons – What Time do you Keep?
The are two different New Testament Greek words for time, chronos and kairos. (The word chronos refers to the general process of time or chronological time. The word kairos refers to the right time, the opportune or strategic time, the now time.)
Often chronos and kairos different phases of the same process. Kairos, in many ways, is an extension or continuation of chronos. As the processes of God’s plans unfold, chronos becomes kairos. The new is connected to the old and. in fact, is often the result of what happened in the old. Kairos, the opportune time, is literally born of chronos, the general time. When we’re in a nonstrategic general season of life’s daily routine, plodding along in the chronos time, God doesn’t totally start over with a kairos season. His overall agenda does not change. He simply takes us through one phase of a process in which our perseverance and faithfulness have allowed Him to shift us into the next phase a strategic season. He changes the time and season, transforming chronos into kairos.
This should be a great encouragement to you. Perhaps you’re in a chronos time where you don’t feel like anything exciting is happening. This season of your life may even be tedious a time of ploughing, standing, believing and persistent praying. You must understand that all of that is part of a bigger picture. The chronos season, however frustrating, is not unimportant. If you press on, doing what is necessary in these general times, the process will shift into a kairos season of reaping. Galatians 6ÿg says, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time (kairos) we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”
Story
When complimented on her homemade biscuits, the cook at a popular Christian conference replied, “Just consider what goes into the making of these biscuits. The flour itself doesn’t taste good, neither does the baking powder nor the shortening nor the other ingredients. However, when I mix them all together and put them in the oven, they come out just right.”
Much of life in the chronos season seems tasteless, even bad, but God is able to combine these ingredients of our lives in such a way that a shift occurs resulting in a banquet.
Life is a series of changes a process of going from the old to the new from chronos to kairos. Growth, change, revival all are processes. Life is connected. Not understanding this, we tend to despise the chronos times of preparing, sowing, believing and persevering. Our preference is to always live in the kairos times of fresh and strategic opportunities. It is important to realise, however, that our actions and attitudes in the chronos times are what determine whether or not God can shift us into the kairos times. It is in the chronos times that the necessary ingredients are added.
The old and the new – are inseparably linked – different but related. The new doesn’t come in spite of the old; it comes because of what we did during the old. Understanding this will enable you to not grow weary or lose heart in doing good during the chronos times.
“Our actions and attitudes in the chronos times of preparing, sowing, believing and persevering are what determine whether God can shift us into the kairos times of fresh and strategic opportunities.”
Often, as we continue working through difficult times, a mind-set comes to us that life will always be this way. We begin to believe that the kairos time is never going to come. If we’re not careful, we lose our expectation and our faith begins to waver. We’ve prayed so long, ploughed so long, believed so long and held on for so long that we begin to live with a “so long” mentality.
Disillusionment then sets in and our faith is gone. God wants to shift our thinking from becoming discouraged during these times to realising the necessity of chronos seasons. We’re not losing or wasting time, we’re investing it. And if we do so faithfully, the shift will come. Knowing that we are cooperating with God and giving Him what He needs to bring the new, we can rejoice over, rather than despise, small beginnings. We won’t despair about prayer meetings that go on for several years with little apparent fruit. Our faith is based only on the truth of God’s Word and obedience to it.
Biblical Examples of the Joining of the Seasons
Let’s look at some biblical examples to help us see this concept more clearly. Abraham received a glorious promise from God that he would have a son through Sarah and that his descendants would be in number as the stars in the sky. He then moved into a 24-year chronos season of having to persevere and walk by faith. After this, as recorded in Genesis 18:10, God appeared to him and said, in essence, that a divine shift was about to happen: “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (The word for “time” is eth, the Hebrew counterpart for the Greek word kairos strategic, or opportune, time.)
After so many years in the chronos season, Abraham and Sarah laughed at this prospect. Abraham even tried to get God to fulfil His plans through Ishmael. But true to His word, God created the shift; He changed the times and the seasons. Because Abraham had walked with Him even though he didn’t do it perfectly through this long and sometimes tedious season, God changed it to a strategic, opportune time. Abraham and Sarah moved from chronos to kairos. The new sprang forth from the old, and Isaac, the son of promise, was born.
Another example can be seen in the process the Israelites went through in their journey to the Promised Land. Israel was in a difficult chronos season of having to persevere and wait in Egypt. Suddenly, the shift sprang forth. When the time was right, God, in His great wisdom and power, moved quickly and said, in effect, “I am changing the season.”
As a part of the process, God came to Moses, who had ended up on the backside of a desert for his own 40-year chronos season, and told him He was about to shift things through him. Moses essentially said, “Shift them with somebody else, not me.” But God made it clear to Moses that he was the one to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, and God brought about the divine shift for Moses and for the nation of Israel.
In a sad turn of events, these Israelites weren’t able to lay hold, by faith, of this kairos season, and they lost it. They ended up in another chronos season, wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The next generation, who would eventually go in and possess the land, also had to wait through this difficult chronos period. Suddenly, God came to Joshua and said that in three days they were to go across into the Promised Land.
God was creating the divine shift. The wandering time was over, and He moved the nation into a new phase. He quickly brought them from chronos into kairos. If we have been in a long chronos season, our tendency is to think that it’s not possible to shift quickly into a kairos time. But it is imperative for us to be prepared to change when God says He’s bringing the shift. We have to move with Him, or we will miss what He wants to do. If we don’t understand the ways of God, we can become so confused and frustrated that we aren’t able to reach out in faith and change. Like the first generation of Israelites that came out of Egypt, we end up in the wilderness and never reach the promise.
However, if we comprehend the ways of God, this will decrease the frustration during the waiting time. We can move into peace and rest, knowing that God is in control and we are walking with Him.
Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, received a divine visitation from God on the road to Damascus. When the Lord revealed Himself to Saul, he experienced a dramatic conversion a kairos time. He then shifted into a routine chronos season where, for 12 to 13 years, God was transforming him and bringing great revelation. When the time was right, as recorded in Acts 13, the Lord declared that Paul was to be separated for the work to which he was called. This chronos time became kairos time as God released Paul into the fullness of his ministry. The routine time wasn’t wasted. It was all a part of the process of training and preparation for what God was going to launch him into. Chronos shifted into kairos, and the world has never been the same since.
The Fullness of Time
When God shifts us from a general chronos time to an opportune kairos time, it doesn’t mean that the process and the fight of faith are finished. It means we have shifted into a very strategic season where the opportunity is great, but we’re not yet to full fruitfulness. There is still a persevering that needs to happen.
The Bible speaks not only of chronos and kairos, but also of a pleroo, or fullness of time. Galatians 4:4 reads, “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.” This word “fullness” indicates fully completing or finishing something. Whereas kairos indicates opportunity to perform a task or produce fruit, pleroo means it has been accomplished.
This could be likened to the process of bringing forth children. After conception, a woman goes through all three stages of timing: chronos, kairos and pleroma.
For nine months, she faithfully endures the challenging but important developmental stage of chronos. Much is happening in the hidden place of the womb, but she cannot yet hold and fully enjoy the fruit she knows is coming. She then moves into the kairos stage of labour and delivery. She hasn’t yet come to fullness, but it is near.
A kairos time can be difficult, critical and crucial, and opportunity doesn’t guarantee success. Often, there will be much work, pain and pushing if the fullness stage if birth is to be reached.
The Nature of Birthing Something New
Spiritual births are also difficult and dangerous. Unlike a woman in labour, however, we can give up during these strategic times and stop the delivery process. It is often a hazardous and precarious time; disillusionment, weariness, confusion and other problems can easily arise.
We can use the illustration of a beehive to compare the struggle of bees to that of the Christian: A beekeeper told me the story of a hive how, when the little bee is in the first stage, it is put into a hexagonal cell, and honey enough is stored there for its use until it reaches maturity. The honey is sealed with a capsule of wax, and when the tiny bee has fed itself on the honey and exhausted the supply, the time has come for it to emerge into the open. But, oh, the wrestle, the tussle, the straining to get through that wax! it is the strait gate for the bee, so strait that in the agony of exit the bee rubs off the membrane that hid its wings, and on the other side it is able to fly!
Without any strain or trouble, they would not be able to fly. Are you struggling to get to the next stage? Don’t give up. Your struggles won’t be wasted; they may even be necessary. The key is not to quit.
Consider the disciples of Christ. They went through three intense years with Jesus. Then came kairos the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension and Pentecost. They were very close to their fullness of time. But like many of us, they came extremely close to losing the “baby” in this transition between kairos and pleroo.
At one crucial point, they were confused because they didn’t understand what was happening. God was truly moving behind the scenes, but things were not unfolding the way the disciples had envisioned. In their confusion, they came to a point of frustration where they basically looked at one another and said, “What are we going to do?”
For three years, Jesus had been there; then they watched Him die. He was raised from the dead and they were excited, but He left again and something about it seemed permanent this time. He was gone. He had talked about the Holy Spirit coming, but that didn’t make much sense. It would have seemed more logical if Jesus had lust stayed.
Peter spoke up first (can you believe that?) and said, “I am going fishing” (John 21:3). He was essentially saying, “l’m going back to what I was doing three years ago. I’m returning to the only thing I know and understand. The dream is over. I don’t know where God is going, but I’m going back to my business. I’m going fishing.”
He and the others had come through the chronos season and had shifted into the kairos strategic time. Just before fullness, they came extremely close to losing the “baby.” Only a few days later, Pentecost occurred, and we see what they almost lost. Through Peter’s first sermon as a born-again believer filled with the Spirit of God, 3,000 people came to Christ. As a group, the disciples then proceeded to turn their world upside down (see Acts 17:6 KJV). Fullness had come.
Be Ready When the Divine Shift Comes
At the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus came to the man who had been in his paralyzed condition for 36 years and asked him what seemed to be a strange question: “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6, NIV). The man’s answer revealed that although he was waiting at the pool, he really had no hope of being healed. He was in a kairos moment, close to fullness, but hopelessness had set in.
“We must not become so accustomed to working hard and seeing little fruit that, when the time for the divine shift comes, we don’t have the faith to move into the new.”
Jesus asked him this question to make him realise that, although he was waiting for the miraculous stirring in the pool, he had lost all hope of actually being healed. Only seconds away from experiencing the new, just a handclasp away from total restoration, the man was too disillusioned to recognise it. Somewhere along the way, as he went through the processes of time, he lost his expectation. There wasn’t anything within him that could respond in hope to Jesus’ question.
When God brings a shift, we must be ready to shift with Him. If we’re not careful, we won’t believe that He can bring us from the chronos stages through the kairos seasons and into fullness. We must not become so accustomed to working hard and seeing little fruit that, when the time for the shift comes, we don’t have the faith to move into the new.
God wants to bring the divine shift to our lives, our churches, our communities and our nation. When He says it’s time to shift, we must take His hand and shift with Him, knowing He can and is willing to do it.
Keys to Unlocking the Shift
In this section of our study, we will look at nine keys from the first chapter of Joshua
that will help us successfully make the divine shift with God from chronos to kairos and on to fullness. The Israelites were about to go through one of the greatest shifts in history. If we can remember the strategies God gave them, during our own transition times, that knowledge will greatly assist us in our pursuit of fullness.
Key #1 We Must Accept Responsibility to Do Our Part
God will do what only He can do; we must also do what He expects and requires of us during the time of transition. Don’t make the mistake of overemphasizing the sovereignty of God. In other words, it is dangerous to believe that God will make sure we get to fullness, no matter what we do. The generation of Israelites who perished in the wilderness is proof that fullness is not automatically guaranteed.
Chapter 1 of Joshua marks the transition of Israel moving into their kairos season. Ultimately, if they followed the Lord completely, they would move on into fullness. Joshua 1:2 states: “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”
In saying this, God was doing more than just telling Joshua that Moses was dead. Yes, Moses had gone away by himself, and God took him on to heaven without anyone being around to witness it. But God was also announcing to Joshua, “It’s your time now. You can no longer look to the man who mentored you and made the decisions for the nation. You have been trained and equipped; now you are the one, Joshua. It’s your turn. Accept the responsibility! You must rise up to your place of leadership and lead this people.”
The fact that we have responsibilities in this process is also implied by the use of the word “giving” in the above verse. It is translated from the Hebrew word nathan, which means more than to give (in the sense of bestowing something upon another). Nathan means to give in the sense of an assignment. God’s gifts are also His assignments. He is going to gift us with the fruitful stage. He will bring us into fullness. Though His gifts are coming, they are also assignments. There will be a part for us to play.
When God “gave” the land to Abraham and his descendants, He was saying more than, “I am giving you the land.” He was also saying, “I am ‘assigning’ this land to you.” They would have to go in and possess it, fulfilling the assignment of the Lord, in order for God to do through them what He wanted to do.
The same will be true for us. We will have to be faithful to do our part in the transition time, fulfilling the assignments of the Lord. We must act responsibly, walking in truth and wisdom. If we do, we’ll reach fullness.
Key #2: We Will Have to Move in Great Faith
During the Transition Times This is especially true as we approach fullness. Sometimes more faith is required to move into this stage than was needed in the chronos season.
In Joshua 1:2 God said to Joshua, “Cross this Jordan,” He was making the important distinction that it was not the Jordan of several months earlier or of a few months later. but this one that was in flood stage (see Joshua 3:15). It was probably a mile wide and very deep and, as far as these Israelites were concerned, impassable.
But God told Joshua that he was going to take these people men, women, children, animals, possessions across this Jordan. What an incredible faith it took to receive this word from the Lord! We, too, will face impossible situations and insurmountable odds at times when we are moving in the kairos stage toward fullness. It will require much faith. We will have to believe that God is going to come through and do His part – the impossible – in order to get us to where we need to be.
The seasons of maintaining do require patience but may not necessitate a great amount of faith. But when God says it’s time to move forward, there will be steps of faith required on our part. We must be ready to move in faith.
Key #3: We Must Be Very Flexible
Joshua 1:11 states: “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it ‘ “. After the Israelites had waited 40 years in the wilderness for the promise of God to be fulfilled, you would think He could have given them more than three days notice to pack up all their possessions and prepare to move on.
Anyone who has ever moved knows how difficult it is to pack and uproot. But God said, “In three days, you are to cross.” The shifts of God can come suddenly. He has reasons for doing this. Sometimes He lust doesn’t want us to have a lot of time to think about it, because we would probably mess things up somehow. He wants us to move quickly without the paralysis of analysis an often overused but accurate statement.
Unexpected events will also require flexibility. I can assure you that when the transition begins, especially when we are walking through kairos the strategic, opportune stage there will be unexpected opportunities and challenges. God brill do things in ways we really didn’t anticipate. We have probably envisioned how things should happen. God will most likely do it differently, however, and we must be very flexible.
Key #4: We Must Remember the Basics
When Joshua was about to lead this generation of Israelites into their fullness, God put great emphasis on His Word. Joshua 1:7-8 states: Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
God was bringing to Joshua’s attention the vital importance of His Word. “Don’t neglect the Word, Joshua. Keep it before you. Keep speaking it. Keep meditating on it. Then you will be successful.” When we are going through difficult times and transition is certainly that it is not the great, deep revelations of truth that keep us. It isn’t our eschatology. It isn’t our ability to exegete the Scriptures. It is the basics that keep us during times of transition. Remember to focus on the Word. Remember to spend time with the Lord. Remember to fellowship regularly with other believers. Keep yourself in prayer. Do the basics!
Key #5: We Need to Hold Fast to Past Promises
Joshua 1:6 states: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore (promised) to their fathers to give them”. God called Joshua back to the promise He had made to Abraham and other forefathers. When we go through times of transition, it is imperative that we remember what God has spoken to us in the past. This will give us comfort, direction and something to which we can anchor.
Paul told Timothy to wage a good warfare through the prophecies that had been spoken over him (see 1 Timothy 1:18). In other words, during the difficult time Timothy was experiencing, Paul told him to go back and recall what had been spoken over him and to use those words as a weapon with which to fight. He was challenged to let the past affirmations sustain his faith.
“When God takes us to new levels or begins to shift us to levels of favour or success, we are often very short-sighted about it.We think it is simply to bless and reward our faithfulness, when in reality it is often because of, and to bless, others and generations to come.
This also served to bring Joshua an important perspective: What was about to happen wasn’t only about them, but it was also about Abraham and others before them. And though not mentioned in this passage, it was about generations to come. When God takes us to new levels or begins to shift us to levels of favour or success, we are often very short-sighted about it. We think it is simply to bless us or reward our faithfulness, when in reality it is often because of, and to bless, others. In Joshua’s day God wasn’t only rewarding this generation of Israel, He was furthering the redemptive purposes of history. Remember that others will be impacted by your successful shifting.
Key #6: We Must Live in Complete Obedience
This sounds so obvious that it seems I wouldn’t need to mention it. After all, don’t we always have to obey Him? Yes. But God greatly emphasises obedience in this transition chapter. The word “command” is used eight times in the first chapter of Joshua.
God commanded Joshua; Joshua commanded the leaders; the leaders commanded the people and God made reference to what He had previously commanded. The phrase “be careful to do” is used twice, as is the word “obey” or “obeyed.” All together, the concept of obedience is seen 12 times in these verses.
During transition times, it is absolutely imperative that we obey the Lord and do it quickly. He knows how things must be done. We may not understand the importance of doing things His way, but He does, and it is essential that we do it His way.
Key #7: We Need to Realise There Will Be Battles We Have to Fight
The fact that we’ve moved out of chronos into kairos, and perhaps even close to fullness as with a mother who is delivering a baby doesn’t mean the struggle is finished. Victory may be very, very close, but often that is when the battle becomes the most intense.
God told Joshua: “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, lust as I spoke to Moses” (Joshua 1:3). The word “tread” is translated from the Hebrew word darak. This word not only means to walk on, but it is even a stronger term that means a warrior’s march or tread. A warfare term, it is the word used for “bending the bow” when about to shoot an arrow.
This Hebrew word is still used today in Israel for the command, “Load your weapons.” God wasn’t telling Israel that everywhere they walked or stepped was theirs. He had already marked off the perimeters of the inheritance. He was saying symbolically, “Every place that you are willing to load your weapons and take, I’m going to give to you.” God was telling Joshua that there would be a battle.
Destiny is always contested and we must know that the evil one will try to rob our destinies from us. He will try to steal from the Church the harvest that God wants to bring in this hour. He will try to keep us from experiencing the breakthroughs God wants us to have and for which we have been fighting or believing, in the areas of our family relationships, our health, our churches. The enemy will not give up easily. We are guaranteed success, however, if we fight the good fight of faith. But we will have to fight.
Key #8: We Must Recognize Our Need for Help
In verses 12-18 of Joshua 1, God mentions the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, which had been given an inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. When given this inheritance, they had been told by Moses that they would still need to go and help their brothers take their inheritance. Joshua reminds them of that.
We are to see in this example the need to fight together to stand together. It is important when we walk through difficult times and transitions to acknowledge our need for help. We need to humble ourselves and ask for prayer, counsel or encouragement. Don’t hesitate to seek help; it is proper to do so.
Key #9: We Must Let His Peace Sustain Us
Joshua 1:9 states: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go,” The word “dismayed” comes from the Hebrew word chathath, which means to crack or break.
God was saying to Joshua, “This transition into your kairos stage and toward fullness will be stressful. There will be unexpected challenges, difficulties and warfare. While under the pressure of leading, Joshua, you are going to have to make sure you walk in peace. Don’t crack under the stress.”
Notice the word “let” in Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” We must allow the peace of God to rule. We have a choice. We can stress out by focusing on the problems and neglecting the basics, or we can take the time to quiet ourselves before the Lord and keep our faith strong.
As we move forward into God-given destinies, it is reassuring to know that God has already been there. Every chronos, kairos and fullness season He has seen before. The “new” and “hidden” places are only new and hidden to us. God understands full well how to open the doors of breakthrough, victory and fruitfulness because He, the incarnated God, has been here before.
“I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name” (Revelation 3:8).
Reflection
- What are your responsibilities before God to your family, friends, colleagues and country? How can you encourage those who have waited for months or years for something from God?
- Which people, places and events serve to give your faith solace, strength and continuity? Why is it important to have such things during the various seasons of life?
- What are specific steps you can begin taking right now to further your pursuit of God and His fullness?
- Define God’s peace in your life. Why is it important to have such peace as you transition through different stages in life?
- Are you ready for the divine shift?
Key Greek words for our Study
- Chronos
- Kairos
- Neos
- Kainos
- Pleroo
1# Chronos (Time)
- Chronological, sequential, linear
- Measured by units of time – seconds, minutes, hours
- Clock time
- Earthly time
- The general process of time
2# Kairos (Time)
- The set time, an appointed time, the proper time, a divine appointment
- An opportune time, a critical time, a crucial time, a strategic time
- A convergence of eternity and time
- The unfolding of God’s plans and purposes in the earth
3# Neos (New)
- Numerically new but not different
- Duplication
- More of the same
- New in quantity
4# Kainos (New)
- Numerically new but also new in quality
- Brand new
- Unprecedented
5# Pleroo (Fullness)
- To fill, to fill up, to make full, to fill to the brim
- To bring into realisation, completion or fruition
- The fullness of time – see Ephesians 4:4