Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Entering the Promised Land




The Lord has led me from a place of captivity to a place of beginning to see His promises fulfilled in my life. As I think back on His faithfulness in my life, it reminds me of the monument set up by Joshua once he entered the Promised Land.

       "On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Joshua 4:19-24

Joshua took time to remember what the Lord had done and set up reminders so that future generations would never forget the Lord's faithfulness. In that same way, I want to take time to reflect. 

I have been amazed by the transformation the Lord has brought in my life and the obstacles He has helped me to overcome. He has been so faithful. My life has begun look more like I intended it to and I feel like there's more than I was expecting. It's like I'm standing on the edge of the Promised Land waiting to see what is next.

I am also reminded that not everyone makes it to the Promised Land. Many get stuck in the wilderness. Of the Israelites who left Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua entered the Promised Land. I feel that it is important to consider what the Promised Land is and how we get there.





First, what is the Promised Land?

1) The Promised land is a place to partner with God to put down roots and become established. In the Promised Land, the Israelites transitioned from their nomadic wilderness lifestyle begin to become an established nation. In the wilderness they were "just getting by" on a day-to-day basis, but in the Promised Land they were able to build and produce fruit. 

2) The Promised Land is also a place where the Lord has prepared victory over the enemy. Well before the Israelites reached the Promised Land, the Lord promised victory over the enemies ahead of them. We will encounter the enemy in the Promised Land, but the Lord has already prepared our victory.

"My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out...I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way(Exodus 23:23,25-27 NIV).

3) The Promised Land is a place to grow and flourish. The Lord promises the Israelites: "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span."(Exodus 23:25-27). The Lord promises also to drive out the enemies that have been residing in the land, yet explains "Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land" (Exodus 23:30). This lets us know that the Israelite people will continue to increase to the point that they grow to fit an area that is originally too large for them. Similarly, the Lord has promises He intends for us to grow into.

How do we enter the Promised Land? – Success in the wilderness

We move from captivity to the Promised Land through successfully passing through the wilderness. The Bible clearly explains why the he took the Israelites on the long journey: “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, 'If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt'” (Exodus 13:17). When the Israelites left Egypt, they were not yet prepared for the battles they would face in the Promised Land. The wilderness prepared them for the Promised Land.


What is the wilderness? 

1) The wilderness is a place of being set apart and establishing identity. The Lord got His people alone in the wilderness and began to teach them His ways. He gave them the Law and began to establish traditions that would set them apart as His own. He also gave them warnings against adopting the practices sinful practices of the other nations residing in the land. 

2) The wilderness is also a place of cleansing. Many of the Israelites complained against the Lord and wanted to return to Egypt. Those whose hearts were turned against the Lord died in the wilderness.

3) Finally, the wilderness is a place of learning to follow His presence and depend of His provision. In the wilderness they could not provide for themselves. They were dependent on God. He provided food daily. He sent a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to guide them. He kept their clothes from wearing out. In the wilderness we learn that He is trustworthy.


What keeps us from entering the Promised Land?

1) A complaining heart keeps us from the Promised Land. Those who complained against the Lord in the desert did not enter the Promised Land. They turned against the Lord, rather than to Him. Although the Lord provided food for the Israelites, they complained against Him and said things like "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death" (Exodus 16:3). When things don't go the way we'd like them to, we make a decision to turn towards God or away from Him. Turning away from Him keeps us from moving forward toward the good future He has for us.

2) Doubting the Lord and forgetting His faithfulness keeps us from the Promised Land. Rather than believing that God would be faithful to keep His good promise for their future, they wanted to go back to Egypt. If we believe God's promises, we will pursue them. If we do not, we will turn back when things are hard.

3) Fear keeps us from entering the Promised Land. Twelve spies scoped out the Promised Land. They reported back that "We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are...The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size...We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them" (Numbers 13:31-33). They made the decision that they could not go forward out of fear of what they saw rather than faith in the Lord's promise of victory. Fear will keep us from moving forward to pursue the Lord's promises.

How do we enter the Promised Land?

1) Trust. We enter the Promised Land by trusting God. Although we all experience fear, we move forward by saying, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3). We chose trust God despite our fears or seemingly impossible circumstances.

2) Thankfulness. We enter the Promised by remembering what the Lord has done. First of all, we are thankful because He deserves our thanks and praise. It lets Him know that we value Him and what He has done for us. When I see that my kids value something, it causes me to want to give them more. As we give Him the thanks He deserves, we are also changed as we connect more deeply in relationship to Him. Finally, remembering God’s faithfulness develops trust. As we grow in trust, we grow in faith to step out in the future. As we step out in faith in greater ways, God shows up in greater ways. As we see God show up in greater ways, we step out into even greater things.

3) Faith. We enter the Promised Land by holding onto God's promises. Caleb had seen the same intimidating scene as the other Spies that came back with a bad report about the land, but Caleb's response was  "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." Caleb believed God and was prepared to move forward when others wanted to turn back. 

I know about these things because I have experienced them. We all experience doubt and fear. Circumstances can cause us to doubt that God is with us and that He has good plans for us. The important thing is how we respond. Getting stuck in doubt, fear, and self pity will keep us stuck in wilderness. Thankfully, it is always the right time to turn turn God. When we do, He forgives us, restores us, and helps us to become free and move forward. If you are "stuck," spend time sharing your heart with the Lord. Turn to Him with what it bothering you and ask for His help (and keep doing it). He is faithful!


How do we enter the promised land and take our inheritance?

We enter the promised land from a place of know the Lord has given victory. We may face battles to take the land, but the Lord has given us victory! If we’re too scared, we won’t go forward.
If we do not trust God – we’ll turn back. If our hearts are not turned towards Him, we cannot enter. He leads us into the Promised Land according to His wisdom and timing as we stick draw near to Him and refuse to turn back.

 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:7-9







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