31/05/2026
Saints,
Please see below a note of our sermon from the Farewell Service of Pastor & Mrs Madayi:
Sunday, 31 May 2026
�Pastor Mdolomba
“Divine Discomfort”
�Joshua 5:1-2 AMP
Colossians 2:11 AMP
In this passage, we see God instructing Joshua to circumcise the children of Israel after they had crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land.
The generation that had left Egypt had been circumcised, but the generation born during the wilderness journey had not. Before God could allow them to move forward into conquest, He first had to deal with what was within them.
God was reminding them of His covenant and preparing His people for what was ahead.
The surrounding nations had already heard how God had stopped the Jordan River, and they were afraid of Israel. Yet even in that moment, God was not in a hurry to send Israel into battle. Instead, He first called them into consecration and preparation.
This teaches us that whenever God calls a person, He is not in a hurry.
Sometimes we become uncomfortable or fearful when someone says they are called by God because calling comes with process, sacrifice, and pruning. Even the one who is called may begin to doubt themselves during the journey.
However, God does not use people He has not prepared.
In the journey of calling, we often encounter things within ourselves that we did not know were there. Calling is not always exciting because God must first deal with the heart.
The circumcision in Joshua was physical, but Colossians teaches us about the circumcision of the heart — where God removes the old nature, pride, fear, self-reliance, and anything that prevents us from fully belonging to Him.
Sometimes God allows us to go through uncomfortable seasons because there are certain things that must be removed from us.
Along the journey of calling:
* We may lose friends;
* We may lose family members;
* Some may even lose relationships and comfort.
Yet God uses every season to shape and prepare His people.
The Bible says the Israelites remained there until they were healed. This reminds us that after every cutting, there must also be healing.
Afterwards, the place was called Gilgal because God declared:
“Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”�(Joshua 5:9)
At Gilgal, God did not only remove flesh, but He also rolled away shame, disgrace, the mentality of slavery, and every reminder of Egypt.
Message to the Church:
* May we allow God to prepare and shape us before He sends us;
* May we understand that calling comes with process, pruning, and sacrifice;
* May we allow God to circumcise our hearts daily;
* May we not focus only on outward appearances while neglecting the condition of the heart;
* May we trust God even in uncomfortable seasons of cutting and healing;
* May we remember that God can use any situation or person as part of our preparation;
* May we know that painful seasons are not meant to destroy us, but to prepare us for purpose;
* May every shame, disgrace, and identity connected to our past be rolled away in Christ;
* May we bring our hearts before God so that He may transform us fully.
Be blessed!
