Taking the Next Step
Taking the Next Step: A Journey of Faith Beyond Confirmation
There's something powerful about milestones. They mark moments of transition, accomplishment, and change in our lives. But here's the question that often follows every milestone: What's next?
This question isn't just relevant for young people confirming their faith or graduating from one stage of life to another. It's a question every believer must ask continuously. After we experience God's grace, after we make a commitment, after we reach a spiritual high point—what comes next?
The book of Joshua offers us profound wisdom for navigating these transitions. In the opening verses of chapter one, we find Israel at a critical juncture. Moses, their legendary leader, has died. The people stand on the edge of the Promised Land, the Jordan River before them, uncertainty all around. It's a milestone moment, heavy with both grief and anticipation.
God's word to Joshua in this moment is simple yet profound: "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" (Joshua 1:2).
The Step of Progress
The first word God speaks to Joshua after acknowledging Moses' death is "arise." Not "rest." Not "take time to process." But *arise*—move forward, take action, progress.
This teaches us something crucial about spiritual milestones: they are not endpoints but waypoints. They're not meant to be resting places but launching pads for the next phase of our journey.
Think about confirmation, baptism, or any significant spiritual commitment. These moments are beautiful and worthy of celebration, but they're dangerous if we treat them as graduation ceremonies rather than commissioning services. Too many people reach a spiritual milestone and then coast, treating it as the finish line rather than the starting blocks.
God calls us to arise. To continue. To progress.
The Christian life is not a sprint to a single moment of commitment; it's a lifelong journey of following Christ. Every milestone should propel us forward, not give us permission to stop moving.
The Step of Grace
Notice the language God uses in Joshua 1:2-3: "the land which I am *giving* to them... I have *given* it to you." This word appears multiple times, and it reveals something essential about our spiritual journey—it's all grace.
What's remarkable is that God speaks in the perfect tense, as if the promise is already accomplished. The Israelites haven't even crossed the Jordan yet, haven't fought a single battle, haven't set foot in the Promised Land—and yet God says, "I have given it to you."
This is the nature of God's promises. They are certain. They are sure. When God says something, it's as good as done.
Everything we have—our faith, our salvation, our spiritual progress—is a gift from God. We don't earn it. We don't merit it. We receive it by grace.
And here's the implication: if everything is a gift, then we're not owners but stewards. We don't possess our faith; we're entrusted with it. We don't own our talents, resources, or opportunities; we manage them on behalf of the One who gave them.
This perspective transforms how we live. Instead of clutching tightly to what's "ours," we hold everything with open hands, asking, "How can I faithfully steward what God has given me?"
The Step of Trust
"Cross this Jordan," God commands. Simple words, but they represented an enormous challenge. The Jordan River, particularly during flood season, was formidable. The task ahead was daunting.
Here's what's fascinating: God told the people *what* He would do—give them the land—but He didn't tell them *how* He would do it. That gap between the "what" and the "how" is where trust lives.
We often know what God has promised. We have His Word. We know His character. But we don't always know how He'll fulfill those promises in our specific circumstances. That uncertainty is where faith grows.
God promises Joshua in verse 5: "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you."
These words echo through Scripture and land in our lives today: there is no task too big for God, no enemy too powerful, no situation too complex. God is present, and His presence changes everything.
Some of us are facing our own Jordan River right now—a challenge that seems insurmountable, a burden that feels crushing, an enemy that appears unbeatable. The call to trust doesn't minimize these realities, but it does put them in proper perspective. Nothing we face is bigger than God.
The Step of Obedience
Finally, God gives Joshua specific instructions in verses 7-8: "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... This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night."
Here's the connection: obedience flows from knowing God's Word.
The word "meditate" here doesn't mean emptying your mind. It means filling it with God's truth. It literally means to murmur or growl—suggesting the practice of reading Scripture aloud, letting it sink deep into your soul.
Joshua was leading approximately two million people—an enormous responsibility—yet God's primary instruction wasn't about leadership techniques or strategic planning. It was about staying grounded in God's Word.
If Joshua, with all his responsibilities, could find time to meditate on Scripture, what excuse do we have?
The promise attached to this obedience is prosperity and success—but not in the way our culture defines those terms. Biblical prosperity isn't about wealth or comfort; it's about maturity, completeness, and fulfilling God's purpose for your life. It's about becoming who God created you to be and accomplishing what He called you to do.
What's Your Next Step?
So we return to the question: What's next?
Whether you're at a spiritual milestone or in the middle of an ordinary week, God calls you to take the next step. A step of progress—moving forward, not stagnating. A step of grace—recognizing everything as God's gift. A step of trust—believing God is bigger than any challenge. A step of obedience—grounding yourself in His Word.
The Christian life is lived one step at a time, always moving forward, always depending on God, always growing deeper.
What's your next step today?
In Christ's Love,
There's something powerful about milestones. They mark moments of transition, accomplishment, and change in our lives. But here's the question that often follows every milestone: What's next?
This question isn't just relevant for young people confirming their faith or graduating from one stage of life to another. It's a question every believer must ask continuously. After we experience God's grace, after we make a commitment, after we reach a spiritual high point—what comes next?
The book of Joshua offers us profound wisdom for navigating these transitions. In the opening verses of chapter one, we find Israel at a critical juncture. Moses, their legendary leader, has died. The people stand on the edge of the Promised Land, the Jordan River before them, uncertainty all around. It's a milestone moment, heavy with both grief and anticipation.
God's word to Joshua in this moment is simple yet profound: "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" (Joshua 1:2).
The Step of Progress
The first word God speaks to Joshua after acknowledging Moses' death is "arise." Not "rest." Not "take time to process." But *arise*—move forward, take action, progress.
This teaches us something crucial about spiritual milestones: they are not endpoints but waypoints. They're not meant to be resting places but launching pads for the next phase of our journey.
Think about confirmation, baptism, or any significant spiritual commitment. These moments are beautiful and worthy of celebration, but they're dangerous if we treat them as graduation ceremonies rather than commissioning services. Too many people reach a spiritual milestone and then coast, treating it as the finish line rather than the starting blocks.
God calls us to arise. To continue. To progress.
The Christian life is not a sprint to a single moment of commitment; it's a lifelong journey of following Christ. Every milestone should propel us forward, not give us permission to stop moving.
The Step of Grace
Notice the language God uses in Joshua 1:2-3: "the land which I am *giving* to them... I have *given* it to you." This word appears multiple times, and it reveals something essential about our spiritual journey—it's all grace.
What's remarkable is that God speaks in the perfect tense, as if the promise is already accomplished. The Israelites haven't even crossed the Jordan yet, haven't fought a single battle, haven't set foot in the Promised Land—and yet God says, "I have given it to you."
This is the nature of God's promises. They are certain. They are sure. When God says something, it's as good as done.
Everything we have—our faith, our salvation, our spiritual progress—is a gift from God. We don't earn it. We don't merit it. We receive it by grace.
And here's the implication: if everything is a gift, then we're not owners but stewards. We don't possess our faith; we're entrusted with it. We don't own our talents, resources, or opportunities; we manage them on behalf of the One who gave them.
This perspective transforms how we live. Instead of clutching tightly to what's "ours," we hold everything with open hands, asking, "How can I faithfully steward what God has given me?"
The Step of Trust
"Cross this Jordan," God commands. Simple words, but they represented an enormous challenge. The Jordan River, particularly during flood season, was formidable. The task ahead was daunting.
Here's what's fascinating: God told the people *what* He would do—give them the land—but He didn't tell them *how* He would do it. That gap between the "what" and the "how" is where trust lives.
We often know what God has promised. We have His Word. We know His character. But we don't always know how He'll fulfill those promises in our specific circumstances. That uncertainty is where faith grows.
God promises Joshua in verse 5: "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you."
These words echo through Scripture and land in our lives today: there is no task too big for God, no enemy too powerful, no situation too complex. God is present, and His presence changes everything.
Some of us are facing our own Jordan River right now—a challenge that seems insurmountable, a burden that feels crushing, an enemy that appears unbeatable. The call to trust doesn't minimize these realities, but it does put them in proper perspective. Nothing we face is bigger than God.
The Step of Obedience
Finally, God gives Joshua specific instructions in verses 7-8: "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... This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night."
Here's the connection: obedience flows from knowing God's Word.
The word "meditate" here doesn't mean emptying your mind. It means filling it with God's truth. It literally means to murmur or growl—suggesting the practice of reading Scripture aloud, letting it sink deep into your soul.
Joshua was leading approximately two million people—an enormous responsibility—yet God's primary instruction wasn't about leadership techniques or strategic planning. It was about staying grounded in God's Word.
If Joshua, with all his responsibilities, could find time to meditate on Scripture, what excuse do we have?
The promise attached to this obedience is prosperity and success—but not in the way our culture defines those terms. Biblical prosperity isn't about wealth or comfort; it's about maturity, completeness, and fulfilling God's purpose for your life. It's about becoming who God created you to be and accomplishing what He called you to do.
What's Your Next Step?
So we return to the question: What's next?
Whether you're at a spiritual milestone or in the middle of an ordinary week, God calls you to take the next step. A step of progress—moving forward, not stagnating. A step of grace—recognizing everything as God's gift. A step of trust—believing God is bigger than any challenge. A step of obedience—grounding yourself in His Word.
The Christian life is lived one step at a time, always moving forward, always depending on God, always growing deeper.
What's your next step today?
In Christ's Love,
Pastor Kirk Flaa
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