Consecration and Calling: Preparing For What Could Be

Have you ever found yourself questioning whether you're truly on the path God has called you to?

Maybe at one point, you felt a clear direction, a deep sense of purpose—but then obstacles appeared. Uncertainty, fear, or a lack of progress slowly crept in, making you wonder if you heard God correctly.

In these moments, it’s tempting to stop. To settle. To embrace life as it is rather than press forward into what it could be.

Perhaps you’ve dreamt of being an artist, an architect, or a nurse, but the schooling, the loans, and the time commitment now feel overwhelming.

Maybe you’ve longed for a spouse and a family, and you’ve invested in a relationship, but lately, you’re questioning if it’s truly right.

Or maybe you felt called to move somewhere new, but the loneliness and challenges of starting over make the familiar seem far more appealing.

Time and again, we find ourselves at a crossroads, wrestling with choices that shape our future.

And in those moments, everything around us whispers, Let go of the dream. Accept what is. Stop hoping for what could be.

Everything around us urging us to just forget “what could be” and embrace the mindset of "it is what it is."

To forget about the dream.

To settle for what feels safe.

To convince ourselves that getting this far is good enough.

But deep down, we know there’s more.

And often, the difference between staying where we are and stepping into what God has for us comes down to one thing—preparation.

There’s a story in the book of Joshua that highlights this truth:

"Then Joshua arose early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. At the end of the three days the officers passed through the midst of the camp.

Joshua 3:1-2

At this point, Joshua had just taken over leadership from Moses. The Israelites were on the brink of stepping into the Promised Land. They had come so far.

But one massive obstacle stood in their way—the Jordan River.

And not just any river—it was a river at flood stage. A raging, uncrossable current separating them from the land God had promised for generations.

Joshua knew God had called him to lead the people forward, but how?

For three days, they camped by the river, staring at the obstacle before them.

Surely doubt began to creep in.

Did God really call me here?

Am I really the one to lead them?

What if I fail?

The temptation to settle must have been overwhelming.

It’s so tempting to let go of the promise when the pressure mounts—when doubts creep in, when fears take hold, when every logical reason says to stay where you are.

To settle.

To convince ourselves that getting close is good enough.

After all, we can see the Promised Land from here…

Isn’t that enough?

Maybe this is as far as we were meant to go. Maybe we should stop striving and accept that “it is what it is.”

But Joshua couldn’t shake the call.

He knew that just being close wasn’t the same as stepping into the promise.

But instead of coming up with a strategy, a battle plan, or a clever workaround, he told the people to do something unexpected.

"Then Joshua said to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.'"

Joshua 3:5

Joshua told them to consecrate themselves.

That’s it?

That’s all they had to do?

What does that even mean?

Consecration isn’t a word we hear often today, but at its core, it basically just means preparation through separation.

John Mark Comer defines it as:

"The giving up of things that other people consider to be normal in order to more fully give yourself over to God."

It is normal to crave safety and comfort.

It is normal to want a break.

It is normal to want to retreat to the familiar when things get hard.

But consecration is about stepping out of what’s normal and into what’s sacred. It’s the act of clearing away distractions, surrendering comforts, and creating space for God to move.

Joshua called the people to consecrate themselves—not to prepare for battle, but to prepare their hearts. To release their grip on certainty and control. To lay down their plans in order to step fully into God's.

Because the greatest threat to their future wasn’t the river in front of them…

It wasn’t even the enemies that awaited on the other side.

It was the mindset of "it is what it is."

The temptation to stop believing in what could be. The fear or doubt that maybe God wouldn't come through.

So Joshua made it clear: if they wanted to witness the power of God—if they wanted to step into the promise and experience the miraculous—they had to make room.

They had to be ready.

Consecration was an act of faith. A declaration that they wouldn’t settle for the way things were, but would trust in what God could do.

And the next day? God did the impossible.

He parted the Jordan River—just as He had done with the Red Sea—and the people walked into the Promised Land on dry ground.

So - What About You?

What is God calling you to consecrate?

Where have you started settling for “it is what it is” instead of stepping toward “what could be”?

What would it look like to consecrate yourself today—to surrender comfort for calling, to release control and trust that God has more for you than what you see right now?

Joshua and the Israelites had a choice. They could stay where they were, clinging to what felt safe, or they could prepare their hearts, trust in God's promise, and step forward in faith.

And the same choice stands before us today.

Will we settle for what is, or will we make room for what could be?