Chuck Smith emphasizes the call from God to move on from spiritual stagnation, highlighting the Israelites' forty years of wandering as a metaphor for the monotony and lack of progress in our own lives. He points out that the wilderness experience can stem from a lack of full surrender to Christ, where believers struggle with carnal Christianity and fail to trust in God's promises. Smith encourages listeners to recognize when they have circled their own mountains long enough and to embrace the new life that Christ offers, urging them to let go of past failures and claim God's promises for victory.

"TIME TO MOVE" Intro: There comes to each man of God a day when God says "lets move on" I can always respond to the challenge in two ways. I. "YE HAVE COMPASSED THIS MOUNTAIN LONG ENOUGH." A. They were going in circles for forty years. 1. Life had become routine & monotonous. 2. Though moving on occasion they were getting no where. 3. See them today and that's just about where they were forty years ago. a. No true progress. 4. Does this describe your spiritual progress? B. They were circling that mountain by their own choice. 1. 40 years earlier God had said "Ye have dwelt in this Mount long enough." 2. The journey from Horeb to the entrance to "God's land is 11 days. 3. They turned away through unbelief. 4. Now again the call comes from God to move on. a. They again are challenged to believe God to fulfill His promises. b. The opportunity to enter into the land & conquer and possess given again. II. THERE IS A LEGITIMATE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE. A. There is an 11 day journey by passing right through. 1. When you pass straight through you hardly know its there. a. Praising God for the past victories & anticipating the future glories we move right on through. B. I believe the wilderness experience is a sequel to carnal Christianity. 1. You believe in Jesus Christ. 2. You have accepted Him as Savior. 3. He is not yet Lord over all a. A co-regency in your life. b. Christ on the throne in some areas. c. Flesh on the throne in other areas. d. A constant strife within with the flesh winning more than his share of battles. 4. It is not a walk of faith. a. I am trusting in my goodness for my standing. b. I am trying by my good works to be accepted. c. I have a law relationship to God. d. Result: no standing, rarely accepted, sometimes in, sometimes out. e. Satan is on my case constantly accusing me, I am frustrated and defeated. 1. I sometimes wonder why I ever started. 2. I would turn back but I know there is nothing there. Listen, God wants to speak to you today. Ill. YOU HAVE CIRCLED THIS MOUNTAIN LONG ENOUGH. A. Move on into the new life (not I, but Christ). 1. Don't measure enemy by your strength. 2. Don't size up the battle by your sufficiency. 3. Do not consider acceptance by your righteousness. 4. Don't try moving forward looking backward. a. "I tried once before" a thousand times. b. "Looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher..." 5. Turn that place of failure over to Him right now and be victorious. 6. Lay claim to the promises of God. "Sin shall not have dominion over you."