Brand New Dance

By Payton Dean

“Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them,” God spoke to Joshua.

Joshua 1:2
Italics by me

The time has come for you….

As I read Joshua 1 recently the Holy Spirit took me back to a memory of dance lessons as a little girl where my dance instructor taught my dance class how to shuffle in our tap shoes. As I began to shuffle, my teacher took notice of me and brought me to the front of the class to demonstrate how to shuffle correctly. (I never considered myself to be any kind of example, so this was a real treat!) The other girls studied my feet as I slid my taps frontward, backward, and tapped my heel.  Then I began to hear the Cupid Shuffle play in my mind…

_{Down, down, do your dance, do your dance
Down, down, do your dance, do your dance}

_{(We got a brand new dance)
They got a brand new dance, you gotta move your muscle
Brand new dance, it’s called the Cupid shuffle
It don’t matter if you’re young or old, here we go
We gone show you how it go}

“It’s time for a brand new dance,” God whispered to my heart as I read the Scripture. “It will take some practice, but I’ll show you how it goes. Dream big. No limits. Just know I’m with you at each new step. It’s time to do your dance! Know Whose you are!”

Take the Stage

We learn in Numbers 14:30 that entering the Promised Land was the result of Joshua’s faith to take God at His word. When Moses died, it was Joshua’s time to take the stage as the new leader. As the song goes..

New Cupid, time for a change
Cupid shuffle, Cupid shuffle,
Cupid shuffle, Cupid shuffle

The time had come for Joshua to “shuffle” out of Moses’ guidance and “shuffle” into his destiny as the Israelite commander in chief. He would officially put an end to the long, drawn-out wilderness journey and lead the people into the land God had promised. Freedom!!

Under Moses’ guidance, Joshua witnessed how God led Moses faithfully. Just as God prepared Joshua for His future as the Israelite leader, Scripture affirms that God prepares us for our new beginnings too:

Ephesians 2: 10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

God continually prepared Joshua for what he would face not only through Moses’ leadership modeled to him, but by speaking directly to Joshua. As the time neared for his divine appointment, God gave him specific reassurance:

 “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, I will be with you; I will never leave or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give to them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave to you.” Joshua 1:5-7

In our divine appointments, we can trust that God will fuel us with reassurance just as He did Joshua. It is important to seize each opportunity to remember how the Lord has been faithful to us and others, so when God reminds us of what’s true, we can have confidence even in unfamiliar territory.

In Rhythm with the Spirit 

God has impressed on my heart that for the new seasons 2023 brings, every step of obedience is an act of faith– whether He is showing us specific new steps or empowering us to freestyle creatively in His presence without the guidance of anyone else. With each step, we can trust that God is setting the stage with grace and guidance to keep us in cadence with Him. As demonstrated by the song and through Scripture…

_{To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right
To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left
Now kick, now kick, now kick, now kick
Now walk it by yourself, now walk it by yourself
(Let me see you do)}

_{A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)}

Flaunt Your Freedom 

Does God have a brand-new dance in line for you?

Whether changes were anticipated or if they’ve taken us by surprise, I believe for 2023 God is saying, the time has come for you! We may not understand why we are being shuffled around or suddenly involved in complex situations, but we do know that our God is the God of strategy and divine orchestration. He is strategically placing us in our families, work circles, and communities to flaunt our freedom dance!

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns." Isaiah 52:7 (ESV) 

Just as I was brought to the front of the class to demonstrate how to shuffle, I believe God is promoting the receivers of God’s healing and restoration to be His ambassadors for the healing of others in 2023. Time to invite the others to the floor and show them how it goes!!

_{Down, down, do your dance, do your dance
Down, down, do your dance, do your dance
(We got a brand new dance)
Down, down, do your dance, do your dance
They got a brand new dance, you gotta move your muscle
Brand new dance, it’s called the Cupid shuffle
It don’t matter if you’re young or old, here we go
We gone show you how it go}

^{“Cupid Shuffle” Cupid sings in Time For a Change. Asylum Atlantic Records, 2007.}

In what ways do you think God is inviting you to a brand new dance? Is there an opportunity for you to vulnerably share how God has freed you with someone in this season? Consider journaling a prayer asking God to empower you with boldness as you learn your new dance and to move in the hearts of others as you invite them to dance, too!

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Matthew 5:14-16

With love,

Payton

_{Treasured Tribe Magazine Spring 2023 Issue}

_{Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…}