Rooted in Christ, Ready for What’s Next

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Roots Grow in the Dark Seasons

A tree’s hidden strength forms underground where no one sees. Spiritual roots deepen not in moments of triumph but through seasons of uncertainty, unanswered prayers, and silent perseverance. Just as the Israelites’ wilderness journey strengthened their dependence on God, our trials anchor us deeper into His faithfulness. Growth often happens when we feel stuck, when worship feels heavy, and when miracles delay. What feels like stagnation becomes sacred soil where resilience takes hold. The darkest nights prepare us to withstand the fiercest storms. [01:24:43]

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
(Colossians 2:7, ESV)

Reflection: What dark season are you walking through now that might secretly be strengthening your spiritual roots? How can you embrace this season as sacred soil rather than struggle?

Day 2: Transplanting Without Damaging the Roots

Uprooting a tree risks killing it if roots tear. Similarly, life transitions—new jobs, relationships, or callings—require care for the spiritual roots sustaining us. The Israelites carried Egypt’s wealth but left its bondage because their identity stayed rooted in God’s covenant. Every change tests whether we draw life from circumstances or Christ. Stability comes not from perfect conditions but from roots sunk deep in grace. [01:23:59]

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love…”
(Ephesians 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: What transition are you facing where you might prioritize visible success over protecting your spiritual roots? How can you guard your connection to Christ during this shift?

Day 3: Your Little Toe Matters in the Body

A stubbed toe reminds us that even small body parts matter. The church thrives when janitors, prayer warriors, and quiet givers serve as faithfully as pastors. For 24 years, Metro Tab’s unseen prayers and hidden sacrifices built what platforms alone could not. Just as the Israelites needed every tribe to enter Canaan, we need every member’s unique role to fulfill God’s vision. [01:28:15]

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
(1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV)

Reflection: What “small” role do you undervalue in yourself or others that God might see as vital to His work? How can you honor someone’s hidden service this week?

Day 4: Sanctify Yourselves for Tomorrow’s Wonders

Joshua told Israel to sanctify themselves not after the Jordan parted, but before. Consecration precedes miracles. Fasting, prayer, and repentance clear debris from our hearts so God’s power can flow unimpeded. Just as Metro Tab’s founders wrote scriptures on walls years before seeing fruit, we prepare now for harvests we may never witness. [01:43:27]

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
(Joshua 3:5, ESV)

Reflection: What compromise or distraction do you need to remove to be fully ready for God’s next move? What practical step will you take today to consecrate yourself?

Day 5: Getting Your Feet Wet to Cross Jordan

The Jordan didn’t part until priests stepped into the current. Miracles meet movement. For 24 years, Metro Tab chose obedience over safety—planting in storms, giving when poor, forgiving when wounded. Your Jordan moment waits where faith requires action before seeing the path. [01:52:35]

“And when the soles of the feet of the priests… shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off.”
(Joshua 3:13, ESV)

Reflection: What “river” are you staring at where God waits for you to take the first step? What does getting your feet wet look like practically this week?

Sermon Summary

Paul calls believers to walk in Christ “rooted, built up, established, and abounding.” The twenty four years of God’s faithfulness give the house something to celebrate, but they also call the house to get ready for what is next. Roots make wings possible. Nobody soars into purpose without a proper root system.

Christ makes His home in hearts that trust Him, and roots grow down into God’s love to keep His people strong. Rooted people do not draw identity, hope, emotional strength, or purpose from jobs, relationships, and shifting circumstances. God remains the only constant when people fail, seasons shift, and storms come. A deep rooted oak can stand where a shallow root system cannot, because the visible tree depends on what has grown in the dark.

Roots also grow through prayers nobody heard, tears nobody saw, sacrifices nobody applauded, and faith exercised without all the answers. Dark seasons do not mean God has abandoned the process. Roots grow in the dark, and storms often reveal how deep those roots have become.

The call to be built up requires active discipleship, Scripture, prayer, communion with God, and life alongside the body of Christ. Wisdom builds the house, understanding establishes it, and Christ remains the solid rock when every other ground proves to be sinking sand. Established lives require commitment, covenant, and a faith that refuses fast relationships and easy exits. God stabilizes hearts that commit their work and lives to Him.

Abounding lives overflow with grace, service, fruit, and gratitude. Intimacy with Jesus produces abundance that personal striving cannot manufacture. A church cannot merely enjoy a moment in God’s presence while leaving the work of the house to somebody else. Skin in the game changes the game.

Joshua’s command at the Jordan gives the next word: “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Israel had a history full of miracles, but Red Sea testimonies could not replace Jordan River obedience. Rooted is not the destination. Rooted is the preparation. Consecration creates readiness, expectation looks toward tomorrow, and movement requires feet to touch the water. God calls His people to remember His faithfulness without camping in yesterday’s miracles, because tomorrow He will do great wonders among them.

Key Takeaways

1. Roots grow deepest in darkness [01:24:43] Hidden seasons can feel unproductive because nobody sees the prayer, sacrifice, or inner work taking place. God often enriches the root system before He reveals the fruit. Storms do not create spiritual depth as much as they uncover what has been growing beneath the surface. [84:43]
2. Christ alone gives stable identity [01:20:57] Relationships, jobs, and human approval can bless a life, but none of them can carry the weight of being a foundation. Christ remains the only constant when people hurt, circumstances change, and expectations fail. Roots in God’s love free the heart from demanding that unstable things provide permanent security. [80:57]
3. Commitment establishes what feelings cannot [01:31:21] Established lives are not built on passing emotion, convenience, or cultural opinion. Covenant calls believers to cover one another’s backs rather than merely stand face to face and find fault. God gives divine stability to hearts that make obedience nonnegotiable. [91:21]
4. Readiness requires consecrated expectation [01:43:11] Joshua’s call to sanctify the people came with a promise that God would do wonders tomorrow. Consecration is not religious performance; it is preparation for the holy activity of God. Expectation refuses to let a great history become an excuse for a passive future. [103:11]
5. Faith must get its feet wet [01:51:54] The Jordan did not stop while the priests stood safely on the bank. Movement, action, and obedient risk open the way for God’s provision to become visible. A promise, a prophecy, or a seed may not look like enough, but God multiplies what faith places in the water.

## [111:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[19:50] - Worship and God’s Faithfulness
[74:16] - Rooted and Ready
[76:45] - Rooted, Built Up, Established, Abounding
[78:11] - Roots Growing Into God’s Love
[83:17] - Invisible Roots and Dark Seasons
[85:06] - Built Up Through Discipleship
[91:21] - Established Through Covenant Commitment
[93:32] - Abounding in Grace and Service
[96:04] - Rooted for the Last Days
[97:44] - Israel’s History and the Jordan Ahead
[103:11] - Sanctify Yourselves for Tomorrow
[108:03] - Expectation for Great Wonders
[111:22] - Getting Feet Wet Through Movement
[116:23] - A Tabernacle of Refuge and Shelter
[118:41] - Rooted and Ready for God’s Next

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 2:6-7
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” [01:16:55]

Joshua 3:5
“Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” [01:43:11]

Ephesians 3:17
“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,” [01:18:16]

Observation questions

In Colossians 2:6-7, what four descriptions are given for how believers are to walk in Christ? [01:17:11]
According to Ephesians 3:17, what connection is made between trusting Christ, Christ making His home in the heart, and being rooted in love? [01:18:16]
What hidden practices and experiences were named as ways roots grow during seasons that others may not see? [01:24:10]
In Joshua 3:5, what are the people commanded to do, and what are they told to expect from God the next day? [01:43:11]

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul connect receiving Christ with continuing to walk in Him as rooted, built up, established, and abounding, rather than treating salvation as the finish line? [01:17:02]
What does it mean for a believer’s identity, hope, and emotional strength to be rooted in God’s love instead of in relationships, work, or changing circumstances? [01:20:49]
Why might commitment and covenant establish a person more deeply than feelings, convenience, or personal preference can? [01:31:21]
Joshua’s call to sanctify the people came after Israel had already seen many miracles. Why could yesterday’s testimony not replace present obedience at the Jordan? [01:42:06]

Application questions

Where is the temptation strongest to look for identity or security—in work, family, friendships, finances, approval, or something else? What would it look like to put deeper roots into God’s love in that area? [01:20:49]
Is there a dark or hidden season in life right now? How might prayer, faithfulness, sacrifice, or endurance be growing roots beneath the surface even when visible fruit is hard to see? [01:24:41]
What is one practical way to be built up this week through Scripture, prayer, quiet time with God, or honest connection with other believers? [01:26:43]
What commitment to God, the church family, or a relationship needs to become more firm and less dependent on changing feelings? What would “covering someone’s back” look like in a real situation? [01:32:08]
Where might God be inviting greater participation and service instead of simply observing from the sidelines? What gift, skill, time, or encouragement could be offered to strengthen the house? [01:34:11]
What “Jordan” is in front of you—a step of obedience, a difficult conversation, a new responsibility, generosity, or a faith-filled risk? What might it mean to get your feet wet rather than remaining safely on the bank? [01:52:25]

Sermon Clips

50s

#RootedInTheDark

“Some of the most important things that have happened at Metro Tab over the last twenty four years, nobody has seen them. There have been prayers you have not heard. There have been tears you have not seen. There have been sacrifices that you didn't know about. Bible studies that you didn't know happened. People who served over these years when nobody was applauding. Faith has been exercised when there wasn't enough answers or enough certainty. Roots grow in the dark. So if you're in a dark season, your root system is enriching itself. And sometimes you don't realize how deep your roots have gone until the storm comes.”

45s

#GodIsOurAnchor

“Every human that you are attached to can and will hurt you either intentionally or not intentionally. Now, hopefully, everybody you're living with is not an intentional toxic person. If they are, you might need to change where you're living. You might need to change who you're eating with. I'm a go there. You might need to change who you're sleeping with. But he is the only constant. So until our roots go down in him, we don't find stability. We look for stability in the people's eyes around us, and it's not there.”

38s

#FaithInAction

“But when you get your feet wet, something happens. When you step out, something happens. When you begin to move, when you begin to take action, something happens. And watch this. Sometimes, the only thing that it really takes is for you to take action, for you to take a step. What if I never planted this church because I was too afraid? And I was afraid, but I couldn't be too afraid because God said do it.”

56s

#CrossYourJordan

“They've had this history. They've got the Red Sea behind them. They had crossed the Red Sea, but now they're standing at the Jordan. What are they gonna do now? They could stand on the bank, and they could talk about the Red Sea. They could talk about the miracles. They could talk about the clothes not wearing out. They could talk about the manna from heaven, and they could talk about the quail that came and fed them. They could talk about the water from the rock. They could talk about it all they wanted to. And Metro Tab, we can talk about the blessings. We can talk about the miracles. We can talk about the thousands that have been saved. We can talk about the crusades. We can talk about the community service that we've done. We can talk about the lives that have been changed and delivered and set free, and thank god for all of that. But now we are standing in front of Jordan. What are we going to do now?”

45s

#RootedInGodsLove

“Your what? Your roots will grow down into God's love and what? Keep you strong. That verse indicates that if our love, our roots don't grow down into God's love and we live in self condemnation we live in anxiety and depression and we are focused on our past, then we don't grow strong. Being rooted means having a deep hidden and steady foundation in Christ that provides strength and nourishment and resilience against life's challenges.”

54s

#StandThroughTheStorm

“So when we walk in him rooted, we should be able to be stable in the storms of life. Anybody gone through a storm since you were born? Let me help you something, baby. You were born through a storm. Have you ever been in the birthing room? It gets a little stormy. Anybody ever been in the birthing room? Raise your hand. It's stormy, isn't it? So you were born in a storm. You survived the storm. You were just born in a storm into another storm called life. But like a deep rooted oak tree compared to a shallow palm, spiritual roots help you stand during trials and changes and hardships without failing.”

51s

#EstablishedInTheWord

“We have spiritual grounding when we're established. For believers, being established means having a firm unshakable foundation in faith, character, and spiritual strength. The goal of MetroTab has never been to simply be a place where you could come in and enjoy a nice little moment in God's presence. We want you to, but feelings change, culture changes, opinions change, but the word of God does not change. The purpose of Metro tab has always been to provide you with opportunities to deepen and establish your life in the word of God. Because we know when you live established in his word, the storm you're going through does not get to define you.”

46s

#ExpectGreatThings

“Look what the Lord has done. Thank God for the... For what the Lord has done. But get ready, get ready, get ready. Because tomorrow, he's gonna do great wonders among us. Twenty four years of history has not exhausted the possibilities of God. Do you understand? We've had thousands to get saved, but there are still thousands that need to get saved. We have had thousands get healed, but there are still thousands in Chattanooga that need to be healed. We've seen the miracles of God. We've seen deliverance through the ministry, but there are still people that need to be saved. They still need to be delivered. They'd still need to be set free. There are people that still need miracles. There are people... Their families, their children are still lost.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Metro Tab Church This sermon · AI assistant

How do spiritual roots strengthen believers during storms?

Why is being rooted preparation rather than destination?

What does stepping into the Jordan require?