THE JORDAN RIVER
by Dave McDaniel
The Jordan River is symbolic of so many things throughout history. For example, it was a place of healing for Naaman as well as a place of baptism for so many including Jesus Himself. But one of the common themes of the Jordan River is it was a place of crossing over into the next phase of God’s purpose, whether through baptism, healing, or stepping over into promise and inheritance.
Crossing over into a new place requires a new positioning and a willingness to step over into the new. Joshua 3:4 says, “You have not passed this way before. Sanctify yourself, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” We do our part; the Father does His.
There is a call to come up higher (Revelation 4:1) into a new place of holiness, an upgraded place of our intentions to live here, not an occasional visit. Asher Entrater made these statements referring to this passage of scripture as he challenged Christians to step up higher and live from the elevated place in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6), a position of higher authority requiring a higher level of commitment from the believer. Asher said,
“We have to have a change of heart…only God can do it. He is not here for condemnation. He is not condoning sin nor ignoring it. He loves you and cares about what is happening to you. STOP doing what is destroying you. Stop comparing yourself or condemning others. Quit looking at others and look at yourself.”
As we look within ourselves, we know we cannot change ourselves. But God can and will. All we have to do is submit ourselves and say yes. We have not passed this way before, and the things in our lives we have carried from the past…whether they be hurts, unforgiveness, sickness, generational curses, etc…we can leave them in the Jordan River. Take them down with you, but leave them there, and walk out the upgrades He has for you.
In Joshua 3:8-13, the Word says that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the Ark of the Lord (His presence) rests (becoming calm and resting) in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, shall stand as a heap…the waters rose in a heap very far away at Adam. I find it interesting that the city of Adam also represents our past, all the way back to the beginning. When we step into the water and say yes to God, He will cut off our past and better yet, go all the way back past the symptoms, identify the very source, and cut it off forever. We do not carry the past dysfunctions into the new, higher place to which He is calling us. May the Jordan River be a place where you submit yourself, your past, and your future. As a prophetic act, when you come out of the water, step up higher into the position of authority, set free, healed, and delivered.
“Lord, as we present ourselves before You, we honor You by offering all of us for all of You. As we bury the past behind us in the Jordan River, we come willingly to the high place of upgrades in Christ Jesus. Teach us how to pray and decree from this high elevation. Open our ears to hear the conversations of heaven and pray in agreement with You. We thank You for this wonderful opportunity to bury our past hurts and experiences, and we are excited to walk in places we have never walked before. In Your Powerful Name, Jesus Christ, Amen.”