Why Jesus Is The Move

So a couple of years ago I was leading a service trip to California. We were driving there... a 30+ hour car ride with about 11 people with us. We were only four hours into the drive, so we had a LONG ways to go yet. 

We stopped to get a bite to eat and were trying to get back onto the interstate when we noticed that we missed our turn. Our GPS rerouted and told us to go on and take a different road. So we were having a good time, having fun… when all of a sudden the road started to get bumpy. 

It felt like the road had become gravel. And then we started slowing down significantly, and that gravel turned to mud. I asked the driver if we could go any faster.

“Um, no we’re in mud,” he said.

Great. My heart started pounding a little more, and my hands started getting sweaty per usual, and then I saw a car ahead of us. “AHHH!!! Car lights!!!” I thought. “There’s people up ahead coming our way! We’re going to be fine!”

So we got closer and closer, and then I realized… that car ain’t movin’.

This car was in our way to get to the pavement that was literally 20 feet in front of us. They’re stuck in mud, and their car is not moving. We get out to talk with them and then find out… they don’t speak any English. 

So we’re stuck. In mud. In the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the night. 

So I was the leader, and I had to determine the move. What were we going to do? What was I going to tell my team? How was I going to handle this situation?

So I ran out to the pavement, took a few deep breaths after having a slight moment of freaking out to myself, and then headed back and prayed with the people in our vehicle. That was the move. It’s 10 at night, it’s dark, it’s cold, we’re in the middle of nowhere, and we sat in that vehicle and prayed. That was the move.

And then we went out and tried talking to those two men that were also stuck in the road. Luckily one of the people on our trip spoke Spanish. These two guys had been out there for hours. They were from another country, and had no way of getting help. They didn’t know what to do. But we got in a circle, we held hands, and we prayed together. And we sang together. And we laughed together. 

That was the move.

Luckily, we got a hold of a tow truck. The man was literally in bed and got out to come get us. But if we hadn't found those two men they might’ve been stuck there all night. It was an unfortunate situation for us because it set us back time-wise and wasn’t our plan and it was really messy, but we knew the move. We knew to put our hope in Jesus. Our move was to turn to him. To pray. To have faith.

In Numbers 13, the Israelites were fleeing from a harsh, cruel place with a super mean ruler. A man by the name of Moses was leading them out into this Promised Land that God was going to give them. It was going to be amazing. 

Moses was pumped up after all he saw God do for them - all the miracles he witnessed! I mean God literally parted the Red Sea for them to walk through. Moses was ready to lead them into this land named Canaan. And the land was ready for them. They were just about to set foot in it. 

God told them that the land was good. There was no reason the Isrealites needed to confirm this on their own - God already told them. But they didn’t believe him. They wanted to send in spies to scope out the land.

So they sent 12 spies in, and this was their report:

Numbers 13: “We went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit! The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Canaanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan.”

Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.”

But the others said, “We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we are.” They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, “We scouted out the land from one end to the other—it’s a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.”

For forty days the spies were gone to scope out this land - and there were only TWO people out of the twelve that - Caleb and Joshua - who saw God’s promise instead of the enemies and walls and big scary giants that the other ten saw.

They knew the move. They knew that the move was to look to God and His truth.

And in the world we live in today, we can either move with the ten. Or we can move with the two. We can ruin ourselves by believing the reports and representations of worldly opinions rather than Divine revelation - divine truth that comes from God. We live in times where we have this group of people saying this is right and another saying no, this is right. We live in times where fear overshadows faith. But I will tell you that fear and unbelief will magnify every danger and difficulty that comes your way and will fill your heart with discouragement. 

But you know the move. You don’t have to live that way - in a state of fear and opinion and worldly chaos. You know the move, and that move is Jesus. 

The word move is defined as making progress; to develop in a particular manner or direction. Change of place, position, or state.

Notice that move often means some things get left behind.

Notice that move means you’re going to have to change some things to develop the direction you’re supposed to go.

Notice that move is a constant development, not a destination. You don’t arrive - you keep moving. You keep walking the walk.

When I faced that exhausting, unfortunate situation being stuck in the mud, I had to choose my move. Was I going to freak out and wonder why in the heck God would lead me into this? Or was I going to allow Him to move through this? Am I going to get angry and frustrated and become negative and irritated because I don’t see any purpose in the situation or season of life? Or am I going to open my eyes and ask God to give me the vision to move in the right direction?

If you keep moving toward Jesus, if you get into His word and actually talk with Him, you will be the movement that catapults others into an abundant and freedom-filled life. And if you don’t? If you don’t move in the direction of Jesus, you’ll end up like the Israelites wandering for 40 YEARS! For 40 years they wandered around after sending the spies in, not entering the land that was once right in front of them.

But you know who did?

The two that knew the move: Caleb and Joshua. The two that knew their move was toward God and His Word. They were the only two who got to inhabit the land.

And I want that for you. I want you to grasp your own Promised Land - to flee from the things the enemy tries to throw at you and twist in your mind - and instead say, “I know the move!” and run towards God. The Israelites had witnessed so many miracles that led them up to the point of stepping into the land, but Satan loves to make us forget what we should remember (the past victories and miracles of God) and make us remember what we should forget (our past sins and mistakes).

I don’t want you to go your whole life with your foot dangling over the amazing life God has for you. I want you to know the move and step into it. And this means going all in. Not just kind of having faith. Or kind of having a relationship with Jesus and dangling your toes over the land or the water. It means going all in, jumping with all your might, and making a big splash. That’s what happens when you move towards Jesus with all your might. 

You know the move!!

No matter what is happening around us, you know the move: Jesus.

The world can be crumbling down around us, news reporters can be blasting negativity left and right, but you know the move: Jesus.

The world can try to bring you down, try to make you feel small, try to put thoughts in your head that you are insignificant, but you know the move: Jesus.

You can get tempted by things, have people in your life ditch you, have people turn on you, but you know the move: Jesus

And He will never fail you.

If you keep moving toward Jesus, you will be the movement that catapults others into an abundant and freedom-filled life. Each day you have a choice in which direction you go.

So what will your move be?