The Cross Over



Cross Over Move In Basketball



 The Cross Over move in basketball is a very powerful and even pivotal move in the game if you know what you doing. In the game of basketball is a move that can literally fool a defender into thinking you're going one way and you cross over and go in an entirely different direction. Some of the games greatest players past & even present have become masters of this move. From Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant from Allen Iverson to Rajan Rondo, these players games are determined many times by the effectiveness of this move. But, this blog post is not about the explosiveness of this move nor is it a tribute to the games greatest players. But, today's blog is a spiritual insight into an otherwise very natural terminology.

On last evening as I was worshipping and fellowshiping at our church's New Year's Eve Service; Greater Grace Temple in Detroit where Bishop Charles H. Ellis III is the pastor, God dropped this thought in my mind as both a message as well as blog idea that I just had to post. (Actually my blogs are usually where some of my sermons are birthed.) But, this was one that I was truly excited to write about, because there are so many great spiritual treasures that God has laid on our heart to share as we have made the transition from 2010 to 2011. And, there are 3 spiritual insights I would like to share with you taken from one of  greatest stories in biblical history The Children of Israel crossing over the Red Sea.



                          Watch the Story of Moses

In Exodus the 14th chpt and vs 13 we find the Children of Israel standing at the banks of the Red Sea, after having just been released by the hard hearted infamous, narcissistic King Pharaoh of Egypt. Those familiar with story know that God had just taken Egypt through 10 plagues that ultimately led to Pharaoh letting the Children of Israel go. And, here they are after just being set free, only a short time into their journey and now confronted with their greatest test; The Red Sea. The Red Sea was not just the first challenge the Israelites faced in their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land, but this was a pivotal moment in their spiritual development and growth as a people. Although they were physically free, they were still mentally enslaved and took that slave mentality with them out of the confines of the Egyptian rule into the hot desert of the wilderness.  Which bring us to our 1st Spiritual Insight: YOU CANNOT TAKE THE BAGGAGE OF 2010 INTO 2011. Who you were last year is not who you are going to be in the coming year. In order to be successful in this new year, we have to got to leave the past in the past. Leave the past mistakes, failures, missteps, bad attitudes, etc in 2010, and move forward.

Due to the excess baggage of the Children of Israel mental slavery, they could not see past this massive body of water in front of them. They couldn't even fathom how they were going to be able to cross over to the other side without being utterly destroyed. And, to add to this mind sight, God had hardened the heart of Pharaoh one last time and he and the Egyptian army were now in pursuit of the Children of Israel, dead set on their ultimate annihilation. Our 2nd Spiritual Insight is: GOD DIDN'T BRING YOU THIS FAR TO LEAVE YOU! God didn't allow you to see a new year for you to ultimately be destroyed. You have to believe that if God brought you TO IT, He's going to bring you THROUGH IT! Don't allow the enormity of what's in front you and the pressures of what's behind you to intimidate you and to cause you to loose faith in God. This should be the time where your faith should kick into over drive, and you should believe and have faith in God even the more. And, here's something we'll through in for free, the enemy is never going to stop pursuing you, as long as you are going somewhere you're going to always have the enemy as company. This should not be something there to discourage you, but as an indicator that you are going in the right direction.

Finally, God spoke to Moses in the midst of the Children of Israel's murmuring and complaining and told him to stretch out his rod across this massive body of water and God performed one of the greatest miracles that the world has ever seen. God parted the Red Sea, drying up the ground underneath, and the Israelites were able to walk across on dry land. Which leads us to our 3rd and final Spiritual Insight: GOD HAS GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO CROSS OVER TO THE OTHER-SIDE.  Now is not that time to get intimidated by the situation, but now is the time to step back and watch the miracle is getting ready to wrought in your life. Use the power that God has already given you; use the gifts that God has already blessed you with to make it through this brand new year. You have everything you need within you to make it through this year. Now is the time to have BIG FAITH, which should be in direct line with your expectations for this year 2011. Your faith has got to be BIG enough to match the EXPECTATIONS you have for this coming year. You've crossed over from PAIN to POWER, from POVERTY to PROSPERITY, from DEFEAT to VICTORY, from TRAGEDY to TRIUMPH!

And, as a side note not only did the Israelites crossover to the other side, but God also defeated the Egyptians in the process. They tried to pursue to the Children of Israel and they drowned in the Red Sea. So, our final thought for this post is simply, there is victory on the other side. God has allowed you to CROSS-OVER to this New Year for a reason, and if its not for your DEFEAT then it's got to be for your VICTORY. Embrace this year and let's be glad that God allowed you to CROSS OVER!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

God Bless You!

Pastor Michael S. Nimmons
www.michaelnimmons.com