Ryan's Ramblings

[The following reflection originally appeared in my book, Be Ready: A Man God Can Use.]

Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.
— Joshua 3:5, NIV

It’s a striking moment. Israel stands at the edge of the Jordan River. Forty years behind them. The Promised Land in front. You can almost feel it—the anticipation, the quiet hope that this might finally be the moment.

And this is the word God gives them: not pack your bags, not sharpen your swords, not get organized. But, “Consecrate yourselves.” It feels almost out of place.

Because if we’re honest, we want the second half of that verse more than the first: “The Lord will do amazing things among you.” Who doesn’t want that?

Amazing things in our lives, in our homes, in our marriages, in our kids, in our churches. We want chains broken, addictions defeated, hearts made new, a fresh sense of God’s presence. We want the amazing.

But we hesitate at consecration. Because consecration is not a feeling or a moment. To consecrate means to set your life apart—to belong fully to God. It is a quiet surrender of ownership: my thoughts are Yours, my time is Yours, my habits are Yours, my private life is Yours, my future is Yours. It’s where a man stops managing appearances and offers his life.

For Israel, consecration involved preparation—but beneath it was something deeper: a heart turned fully toward God. And it still works that way.

A consecrated life begins to take shape. A man becomes more attentive—quick to listen and ready to respond when God nudges. He grows more honest, with less hiding—and more surrendered, with less need for control. Sin is no longer managed; it’s brought into the light. And obedience is no longer occasional—it becomes the direction of his life.

And in that place, something else happens. The presence of the Holy Spirit becomes more noticeable—His conviction more specific, His guidance more personal, His power more evident. He strengthens what is weak, brings clarity where there was confusion, gives courage where there was hesitation, and produces what a man cannot manufacture—alignment.

And then there’s that word: “tomorrow.”

We tend to think of tomorrow as distant. But in Scripture, tomorrow is tied to today. What God does next is connected to what we do now.

Israel would step into the Jordan tomorrow—but their preparation happened today. The water would part tomorrow—but their hearts were set apart today. The miracle was coming—but the moment of consecration was already here.

And that’s the tension we live in. We want God to do something new while holding on to what is old. We want breakthrough without surrender. We want the river to part without stepping in. But God’s pattern hasn’t changed. Consecrate yourselves… for tomorrow. What you do with God right now is not small. It is preparation.

Tomorrow—whether it looks like a miracle, a breakthrough, or a deeper walk with Him—will be shaped by what you do today.

Who doesn’t want amazing?