Spring Forth: Faith for Next-Level Breakthroughs

Devotional

Day 1: Forgetting Egypt’s Garlic to Taste Canaan’s Milk

The wilderness journey demands releasing nostalgia for what once felt familiar. Just as the Israelites craved Egypt’s garlic while missing God’s promise, clinging to past comforts blinds us to new provision. God’s command to “forget the former things” isn’t dismissal of His past faithfulness but an invitation to trust His unseen future. Progress requires surrendering the false security of what’s behind to embrace the nourishing unknown ahead. What once sustained you in Egypt cannot compare to the milk and honey of Canaan. [19:19]

They said, “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
(Numbers 11:5–6, ESV)

Reflection: What “garlic” from your past are you still craving? How might holding onto it keep you from recognizing God’s new provision today?

Day 2: Rivers in Desert Places: Provision Where None Should Grow

God specializes in creating life where logic says none should exist. A river in the desert defies natural laws, just as His breakthroughs defy human limitations. The wilderness isn’t punishment but preparation—a classroom where dependence grows. When circumstances appear barren, faith perceives underground streams already flowing. His provision isn’t delayed; it’s designed to surprise. What looks like a wasteland is soil for miracles. [21:32]

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people.
(Isaiah 43:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you labeled a situation “desert” that God might be calling “divine irrigation”? What practical step helps you trust His hidden water sources?

Day 3: Pressing Toward the Goal, Not the Rearview Mirror

Forward motion requires focused vision. A driver fixated on the rearview mirror risks collisions and missed turns. Paul’s “forgetting what lies behind” isn’t erasing memory but refusing to let past failures or successes dictate pace. Spiritual momentum comes from straining toward Christ’s call, not rehearsing yesterday’s scripts. Each mile marker passed is grace, not a campsite. The prize ahead outshines every shadow behind. [17:31]

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: What “rearview moment” most often distracts your spiritual focus? How would straining forward change your posture this week?

Day 4: Planted by Streams, Not Struggling in Sand

Trees don’t choose their soil, but believers choose their roots. Thriving requires planting oneself in God’s word—the eternal stream—rather than parched self-sufficiency. Leaves wither when roots chase shallow puddles of human approval or temporary fixes. True prosperity isn’t frantic growth but steady saturation. Daily immersion in Scripture’s currents sustains fruitfulness when cultural droughts come. [23:15]

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
(Psalm 1:3, ESV)

Reflection: Are your roots currently drinking from Scripture’s stream or scrambling for sand’s moisture? What one adjustment deepens your access to living water?

Day 5: Digging Channels for the Spirit’s River

Rivers flow where channels are dug. The Spirit’s power surges through obedient action, not passive waiting. Faith digs into prayer, serves in love, and sows generosity even when the ground feels hard. Each act of trust carves deeper grooves for grace to move. Stagnant puddles form when we hoard miracles; rushing rivers happen when we channel blessings outward. [32:58]

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
(John 7:38, ESV)

Reflection: Where is God asking you to “dig” obediently this week? How can you turn stored-up blessings into flowing rivers for others?

Sermon Summary

Isaiah 43 speaks to somebody stuck between what God did before and what God is about to do now. God gives two clear commands: “forget the former things” and “see, I am doing a new thing.” The former things are not denied because God was not good before, but because memory must not become a prison. The new thing requires a new mind and a new heart, ready to move from where things have been to where God wants life to go.

God is a God of progression. Second Corinthians 5 says the one in Christ is a new creature, and Philippians 3 says the life of faith forgets what is behind and presses toward what is ahead. Faith for next levels cannot keep looking in the rearview mirror. The rearview mirror has its place, but a person driving forward while staring backward risks accident, delay, and wasted journey. The enemy wants nostalgia, like Israel longing for Egypt’s garlic and cucumber, but God calls His people heavenward, not backward, fearward, or gossipward.

Isaiah’s image of springing forth shows that God specializes in making life appear where nothing should grow. The wilderness is not a mistake. The wilderness is a classroom. The desert is not punishment. The desert is preparation. God makes a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, so the dry place becomes the very place where His provision is displayed. Psalm 1 gives the picture of a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season, with a leaf that does not wither. God wants His people planted where His word and Spirit nourish life until whatever is done prospers.

The river in the desert speaks of supply for the next level. God provides wisdom, direction, insight, relationships, favor, peace, and the Holy Spirit. John 7 says that whoever believes in Christ will have rivers of living water flowing from within. Yet rivers need channels, and obedience becomes the channel through which the flow of God moves. Faith must dig deep and ask, “Lord, where do You want this life to dig?”

Faith perceives before it sees. Hebrews 11 calls faith the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The posture for August is clear: forget, see, and step. The response is also clear: speak what God is saying, sow into what God is doing, and stay in the word until the new thing springs forth.

Key Takeaways

1. Forgetting clears the road ahead. God does not ask His people to forget because the past had no value. God asks for forgetting because yesterday’s miracle, wound, or disappointment must not become the steering wheel for today’s obedience. The rearview mirror can inform a journey, but it cannot lead the journey; faith must face forward if the next level will be entered. [12:29]
2. The wilderness becomes God’s classroom. The wilderness is not always a sign that something has gone wrong. God often uses dry ground to prepare strength, perception, and dependence that comfort could never produce. The desert becomes preparation when God opens rivers there, proving that His life is not controlled by the condition of the soil. [20:57]
3. God makes life spring forth. Springing forth means life breaks through from what looked empty, buried, or dead. The seed does not argue with the soil; it obeys the life inside it. God has placed spiritual life within His people, and by His word and Spirit that life can push through hard seasons and become visible fruit. [24:39]
4. Obedience channels living water. Rivers do not flow without a channel, and faith does not remain vague when God has given instruction. Obedience becomes the path through which the provision of God moves into actual situations, relationships, callings, and decisions. The right prayer is not only for water, but for God to show where to dig. [32:34]
5. Faith perceives before sight arrives. Faith is not mere hoping that something might happen someday. Faith receives God’s word as evidence before physical eyes can confirm it, and that posture makes room for the next level. The believer who forgets, sees, and steps begins to live in agreement with what God has already started to do. [35:47]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:20] - Spring Forth From Isaiah 43
[06:41] - Do Not Drag The Past Forward
[09:12] - God Is Doing A New Thing
[11:29] - The Danger Of The Rearview Mirror
[14:22] - God Is A God Of Progression
[17:59] - Refusing Egypt And Moving Heavenward
[20:36] - Spring Forth In The Wilderness
[22:34] - Planted By Streams Of Water
[27:31] - Rivers In The Desert
[30:00] - Living Water Of The Holy Spirit
[32:34] - Faith Must Dig A Channel
[35:04] - Faith For The Next Level
[37:07] - Forget, See, And Step
[40:22] - Speak, Sow, And Stay In The Word
[44:21] - Invitation To New Life In Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Isaiah 43:18-19
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” [05:36]

Philippians 3:13-14
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [17:05]

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” [15:24]

Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” [35:49]

John 7:38
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” [30:23]

Psalm 1:3
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” [22:34]

Observation questions

In Isaiah 43:18-19, what are the two commands God gives, and what pictures does He use to describe the new thing He is doing? [07:25]
In Philippians 3:13-14, what actions does Paul describe as he talks about moving toward what lies ahead?
In Psalm 1:3, what are the marks of a life planted by streams of water, and what results are mentioned?
What specific kinds of provision are included in the picture of “rivers in the desert”? [28:26]

Interpretation questions

God says, “Remember not the former things,” while also reminding His people of His power. Why might remembering the past become a problem if it starts to lead a person’s present obedience? [08:08]
Philippians 3 says believers are to forget what is behind and press forward. How does that help explain what it means to live with “faith for the next level” instead of living stuck in old seasons? [17:31]
If the wilderness is a classroom and the desert is preparation, how might that change the way a believer understands a hard or dry season? [20:57]
John 7:38 speaks of rivers of living water flowing from within. What does it mean that obedience becomes the channel for that river in everyday life? [33:12]

Application questions

Yesterday’s miracle, wound, or disappointment must not become today’s steering wheel. What former thing has been shaping the way this week is being approached: an old hurt, an old success, a closed door, or a fear? What would it look like to loosen its grip? [46:08]
Faith cannot keep driving forward while staring into the rearview mirror. Where does the pull to look backward show up most right now: regret, nostalgia, offense, or comparison? How has that affected decisions, energy, or hope? [12:29]
God makes a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Where does life currently feel most dry or unproductive: work, family, health, prayer, or direction? What would it look like to believe that this place can become a place of provision rather than a sign of defeat? [21:14]
A tree planted by streams of water is nourished, fruitful, and steady. What has been feeding the inner life lately? What habits are helping a person stay planted near God’s word and Spirit, and what habits are drying that life out?
Rivers need channels, and obedience is the channel. What is one area where God may already be showing where to dig deeper: a conversation to have, a habit to change, a step to take, or a place to serve? [34:31]
Faith perceives before sight arrives. Where is there a need to trust God before visible results appear? What would it mean to act in quiet confidence before everything makes sense? [35:46]
The response is to speak what God is saying, sow into what God is doing, and stay in the word. Which of those three needs the most attention right now, and what is one practical way to act on it this week? [40:22]

Sermon Clips

47s

#DesertAsClassroom

“I'd like you to consider this. The wilderness is not a mistake. Notice where the springing forth starts Mhmm. In the wilderness. Amen. Rivers in the desert. Amen. The wilderness is not is not a mistake. It is a classroom. It is a place of learning. The desert is not a punishment. is a preparation because there is a kind of getting, a kind of equipment that God expects to come into your life to move you forward. God specializes in springing forth where nothing should grow. Amen.”

62s

#MoveHeavenward

“I want to break every chain that we want you to move in circles. Amen. That I want you to go back rather than go forward. Amen. And today this message is bringing you that break in the name of Jesus. Amen. God wants you to be expected of moving forward, of getting into that higher level that is prepared for you, and he wants you to come in faith. Faith is not faith if he keeps looking back. He keep being in the reverse. God wants you to move forward. Somebody's gonna tell himself, tell herself this morning, I move forward. I go forward. There's a higher place that God has called me to. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Amen. And remember, it says heavenward. Yes. It's not it's not backward. It's not it's not gossipward. It's not fearward. It is heavenward according to the plan and the program of God.”

48s

#FaithDigsRivers

“Next levels drive people out if they go in their own strength. You would not want to go in your strength at this time because of yourself you can do nothing. But I want to encourage you, God is releasing rivers. He's releasing rivers of favor in places that you would not be able to imagine it, ideas in circumstances that you would not be able to contemplate, helpers in places that you would not even have imagined that some people arise to say we want to help you. He brings peace. He causes the holy spirit to prevail. But rivers only flow where there's faith to dig, where there's faith to reach out.”

62s

#TrainYourEyesToSee

“There are three things that must be your posture for the month of August, therefore. There are three things. First, you must forget. You must forget. rehearsing the old story. You must also see. That's the second point. Train your eyes to spot God. Ask daily. Lord, what new things are there that you are doing today? You know, it makes a lot of a difference when you wake up every day, and you are trusting to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. You step out and you say, today must bring good from God to me. God must do something new in my life today. Amen. And as you are moving forward to do that, God is saying, yes. I'll hold your hands and take you to the place where these things are done.”

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Glorious Church | Global Missions This sermon · AI assistant

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