The Life Of A Believer - Seizing The Promise

Deuteronomy 31:3-6 “Yahweh your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as Yahweh has said...Yahweh will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

After the Exodus, after turning back at Canaan’s border, and after spending forty years camping in the wilderness; Israel was once again at the threshold of their promise. None of the original whiners and complainers were there to see this day. Not one of the ten fearful spies were still living, nor were any of the people who listened to them. Out of that entire generation, only two men remained - Joshua and Caleb. Every other person standing at the edge of the Jordan River that day grew up in the desert.

These were the group of kids that watched God show Himself on Mount Sinai. They were the little ones who grew up seeing God’s glory over the tabernacle. They knew nothing else but the miraculous provision of manna every day. They watched the older generation drop like flies in the desert when the consequences of their sin arrived. Over and over again they learned about the time when their parents almost made it into their promised land. And as they grew up, they learned that they were the ones who were going to possess what their parents turned away from.

Now, Moses was on the way out and Joshua was on the way in. Now they stood at the edge of what God had waiting for them all along. This time, they were prepared. Listen to their words to Joshua, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.” They weren’t playing around this time! They were willing to execute anyone at the slightest hint of rebellion against Joshua. Why? Because they refused to lose their opportunity to possess what was theirs!

Joshua truly did lead them to victory. Seven Canaanite nations were destroyed or subjugated. Thirty of their fortified cities were taken and one of them (Jericho) was leveled and abandoned. In a single battle, Joshua and the Israelites wiped out five Amorite kings with their armies. After that they proceeded to conquer southern Canaan. After this, no fewer than fifteen kings from the north joined forces and attacked Israel. Joshua wiped out their combined forces - then proceeded northward and captured all of their land.

A beautiful summary of Joshua’s leadership is found in Joshua 11:15 - “As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.”

Now, a lot of people have the idea that the Promised Land is symbolic of Heaven. That’s why we hear songs about “crossing over the Jordan” and coming to the pearly gates. But let me ask you, does a lifestyle of battle and conquest sound like Heaven to you? Why did things occasionally go wrong for the Israelites (think Ai) if they were supposed to be symbolizing Heaven for us? Canaan wasn’t a picture of Heaven, it’s a picture of the promises that God has made to us here on Earth!

Just as it was for the Israelites, our promises have to be fought for. The Israelites fought seven nations of people for theirs - but Ephesians 6:12  tells us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood. Our enemies aren’t natural, they’re spiritual. They are the spirits of this world’s system that are trying to keep us out of the promises of God on this earth.

When the Israelites were led out of Egypt, they were led by a savior. They didn’t have to do a thing to be rescued except apply the blood of the Passover. That is just like salvation. We were saved without having to do anything except receive the blood of Jesus to wash away our sin.

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they were faced with their worst enemy - themselves. They struggled with their own craving, discontent and rebellion. Still, Moses led them patiently and God never left them. Even when they refused to go where He was taking them, God still had mercy and took care of them. Most Christians are in this place right now. They are still their own enemies. They’ve never been victorious over their flesh. They’ve continued to crave the things that they were delivered from. And they’ve only known Jesus as their Savior.

But there’s more to this life than our salvation and our struggle with our flesh. Jesus wants to become more than our Savior. If we ever want to obtain the promises of God that the kingdom of darkness is trying to keep us out of - we have to recognize Jesus as our Commander. You see, even though we were saved freely by grace - in battle, obedience equals victory. Only when we obey the Word of our Commander will we start to live a victorious Christian life.

Are there promises in your life that you have yet to possess? Are you still finding yourself to be your own worst enemy? Have you been living a less-than-victorious life? Then, my friend, it’s time to move past receiving Jesus as your Savior, and receive Him as your Lord! Read His Word, recognize His commands, and follow His lead. Then, it won’t matter what spirit tries to keep you from His promises! Let everything in this world go to pieces, but you’ll stay on top!

Pastor Tracy Harris says it this way, “When you make God’s enemies your enemies, He’ll make your battles His battles.”

The Life Of A Believer - So Close!

1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

Around a year after Israel’s exodus from Egypt, God brought them to the edge of their promise. Soon, they were going to cross into Canaan and begin  to possess the land that God gave them for their own. Twelve scouts were sent into the land first to gather information. While  spying on the Canaanites, they saw some things that were tough for the natural mind to take in. Powerful fortified cities inhabited by 10-12 foot tall warriors were not at all what they were expecting! When they came back, ten scouts had moved from trust in God to fear for their lives. Only two of the men (Joshua and Caleb) maintained an attitude of faith in God.

As if losing their own faith in God’s promise wasn’t enough, the ten scouts began to plant seeds of unbelief in the people of Israel. In a very little amount of time, only three people still believed in God’s promise to give them Canaan - Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. What should’ve been a simple information-gathering mission turned into a showdown between three leaders and three and one-half million people.

Numbers 14:2-4 “And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, ‘If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?’ So they said to one another, ‘Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.’”

If got so bad that the people actually planned to stone Moses, Joshua, and Caleb to death. Just before they could, though, God showed up at the Tabernacle. He was not at all happy with the people. He told them that only the ones who believed His promise were going to enter Canaan - not one of the millions of unbelievers were going to see the good land. Instead of leading them further into the land of promise, God turned them around and brought them back into the wilderness. For thirty-nine more years, that generation died one-by-one.

1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that we can learn what we should do from these people. Hebrews 3:16-19 says “For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Can you see this? Israel moved in fear and unbelief, but God called what they did rebellion and sin. A moment of hesitation and fear equals rebellion in God’s eyes.

We all come to this place. As we progress in our spiritual walk, we come to the edge of what God has called us to do. When we get a glimpse of where He’s taking us, that thing that He’s been leading us to all along, it is too much for our natural mind to process. It’s then that we have a choice. Do we progress in God’s kingdom and His calling? Or do we refuse to do what makes us uncomfortable and try to stay where we are? If that’s what you want to do, let me warn you - Israel didn’t stay put, they went backwards. The moment you refuse to obey God - whether it’s because of convenience or fear - you will regress backwards in your spiritual walk.

Denominations are famous for this. To begin with, a man or woman gets a “new” revelation from God that takes them further on their journey. They teach this to other men and women and then they move forward together - this becomes a new movement in the church. The churches they came from refuse to move forward with this revelation, so they come out of those places and start a new church organization. This new organization continues to move forward into God’s promises and grows rapidly. Then, all of a sudden, they learn where God wants them to go next - and it makes them uncomfortable. Instead of progressing into what God has called them to, they try to stay put. Sadly, that cannot happen.

In our Christian walk, we are either progressing or regressing. Before long, that organization that was alive and growing in the things of God begins to regress into passivity, worldliness, and ultimately rebellion. How could a once-godly denomination endorse homosexuality? How could an organization that was once on fire for God and burning with the Holy Spirit be reduced to “seeker-friendly” messages with no depth? It’s because they encountered their Canaan, and instead of moving forward, they tried to keep things as they were.

Have you encountered this in your own life? Have you been led into something that made your natural mind uncomfortable? The only answer is faith! Trust in God’s plan for your life and move into His next stage for you. Don’t hesitate when He calls. Don’t try to compromise with God and stay where you are. Remember, always move forward!!

Hebrews 4:11 “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”