In continuing our quest to overcome the duck mentality found in Joshua 3:1 – 5 we will be looking at the third step of the process.

The third step is to keep our eyes on God and pursue Him. Joshua 3:3, “And they commanded the people saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.” The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God. 

Let me show you something about the Ark of the Covenant. Exodus 25:21 – 22, “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.” It is the presence of God that makes the difference. In His presence we hear from Him. It is in His presence in which we find His mercy. The chorus to one of my favorite songs goes like this:

“In one moment everything changed
Who I was got washed away
When mercy found me
My Savior’s arms were open wide
And I felt love for the very first time
When mercy found me.”

(“When Mercy Found Me” by Rhett Walker Band)

In His presence the situation changes. When the children of Israel saw the Ark of the Covenant (The presence of God) move they were to pursue after it. We should always and constantly be pursuing the presence of God in our lives.

The fourth step to overcoming the duck mentality is to make sure that God stays in the lead. Joshua 3:4, “Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. This only makes sense, if God is trying to take us somewhere that we have never been- we should follow Him. He knows the way we don’t.

Where we mess up a lot is that instead of following God, we want Him to follow us. We need to make sure we stay behind Him. He can see what we can’t. He knows where all of the enemy’s traps are hidden.  He knows the safest route for us to take.

Where is He in your life right now? Is He out front leading the way or is He behind you and you can’t even see Him?

Next week we will finish our study of Joshua 3:1- 5. Until then be blessed and be a blessing.

 By Pastor Dustin Wilds