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In his letters to the churches in Galatia and Philippi, Paul wrote that he was “crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. For me to live is Christ.”(1) Paul’s identity was in Christ and he was writing the churches to remind them that as followers of Jesus, their identity was to be in Him as well.

The same is true for us … or at least it is supposed to be. But is it? Or are we better known for what sports team we follow, what political party we are a part of, what school we are alumni of, or what social issue we champion? It is easy in our day and time for our identity to get lost in our many interests that divide us and not in the One who died to draw us to Himself.

We would do well to heed a lesson from the Israelites. They had just arrived in their Promised Land. The river which had opened before them so they could pass, had now closed behind them so they could not go back. And for the Amorites and Canaanites, the river which they had trusted to provide added protection from the advancing Israelites no longer separated them. The Israelites were now camped at Gilgal along the west bank of the Jordan.(2)

i would imagine that it was quite an impressive site. One day no one was there, and then on the next, two million people and their livestock were covering the area with their campsites. The population of metro Richmond where i live is approximately 1.3 million people. So i am trying to imagine what it would be like to see one and one-half times that number of people suddenly appear from one day to the next. And imagine that you were a Canaanite living nearby when these two million people showed up in your backyard. Imagine the environmental and economic impact!

But was it their sheer number alone that caused the Amorites and Canaanites to be paralyzed with fear? Or was it their fighting force of 600,000+? No, we read the real reason in Joshua 2:  “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”(3)

The people were not best known for who they were or what they had done; they were known for the God who went before them – the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below! And the supreme God of the heavens and earth was not and is not only sovereign over the actions of men; He was and is sovereign over the acts of nature and the entire created realm. What defense are earthly weapons or walls of stone against such a God? He is supreme over the gods of the Amorites and the Canaanites. He is supreme over all! There is none like Him! And they were paralyzed with fear! If only instead of turning from Him in fear their hearts had turned toward Him in repentance!

Almost 1500 years later and less than 30 miles from that very spot, a group of Jewish leaders looked upon two Galilean fishermen in a similar way. The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.(4) Peter and John were recognized not for themselves nor for who they were, but for the God they served and the work of His hands.

Today it is estimated that one out of every ten people on the planet is a professed follower of Jesus Christ, believing in His crucifixion and bodily resurrection as the sacrifice for our sin, trusting in Him alone for salvation, and believing that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Think of the size of that tribe!

But are we truly seen as the people of God? Are those around us amazed by our boldness – not because of our training, but because they recognize us as a people who have been with Jesus? Does a watching world see the activity and presence of the supreme God of the heavens and the earth going before us? Are we described for whose we are – or are we described for what we are against? Are we known for the majesty of our God or for the self-centeredness of our thinking? Is the presence of God seen in any way through our attitudes and actions?

What will it take in each one of our lives for us individually and collectively to be seen as the people of the One and Only Supreme God? It will require a commitment and abandonment to take up our cross and follow Him, like that demonstrated by the Israelites when they crossed over the Jordan. It will require a followship that is completely and totally dependent upon the work of God. It will require a faith that trusts Him to turn back the wall of water – or whatever else stands in the way. It will require a confidence in His ability and power to lead us and sustain us so that the waters will not crash down upon us. It will require a surrender that is all about Him and not about me. It will require Him to increase and me to decrease. It will require for me to be okay with Him making a way and then closing it so i cannot turn back.

God led the Israelites from Egypt through the wilderness into the Promised Land so that His Name might be made known among the nations. He has led us, as His children, through our own wilderness experiences and into our promised land for the same purpose. So the question remains – are we known for who we are, or for who our God is? Are we known for being followers of Christ through whom He is at work in might and in power – and our lives have become the canvas upon which He is seen?

As i think about the Israelites crossing the Jordan, a song keeps playing over and over in my head. “i have decided to follow Jesus. i have decided to follow Jesus. i have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back.” He goes before us. We are following Him. There’s no going back. We are His, and He is high and lifted up in and through our lives. Our only reputation is that we are His people. He is our God. That’s why we’re on this journey. LORD, grant that we might be known – not for who we are – but for who our God is!

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This post is adapted from Possessing the Promise chapter 10, entitled “Are You Known For Who Your God Is?”This third book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.

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(1)  Galatians 2:19-20, Philippians 1:21 (NLT)

(2)  Joshua 5:1 (NLT)

When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them.           

(3)  Joshua 2:9-11 (NLT)

(4)  Acts 4:13 (NLT)

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