What possessing the land calls for
Stretching as opposed to inflexibility. Uncomfortable as opposed to settling for what you are used too. New battles as opposed to just waiting for something to happen. A new mindset as opposed to a negative mind set (The spies). Hard work as opposed to resistance to effort The ‘land’ is usually occupied as opposed to as opposed to the wilderness. Joshua 3:14-16…
The danger of looking too far ahead
The Red Sea can only be parted when you get there. The Israelites could not expect the Red Sea to be parted while they were still in Egypt. The future may not be as easy as was hoped. After all, the Promised Land was occupied and in order to possess the land there were some…
The danger of looking back
Looking back robs us of what God has prepared for us. Looking back has the potential to bring us back to a place of bondage. Regret is a debilitating emotion. The ‘good old days’ always look good, because over time we have conveniently remembered the positive and overlooked or forgotten the challenges. With God the…
Living in no-man's land
This is the stage just before possessing. You are standing on the edge and the future looks daunting and the past looks more secure. We can even begin to long for Egypt! Quote from Robert Schuler: ‘How sweet it is to stand on the edge of tomorrow!’ But, and here is my quote: ‘How disappointing…
Don't get used to the wilderness
The wilderness was never meant to be the final destination. God uses the time we spend in the wilderness. In the wilderness – God provides. But we must move through the wilderness. Don’t get used to or become comfortable in the wilderness. But your destiny and goal is ‘THE LAND’ and possessing it! You are…
Moving from a "dispossessed" mentality to a "possessing the land" mentality
Dispossessed means to be deprived of homes, possessions, and security. To be deprived means to have something taken away from you. That which you are entitled to has been removed. This is something people seldom recover from. We have some family members that were disinherited many years ago. It dramatically affected their lives and left…
We have a God in Whom we can trust
There is a blessing waiting for those who will place their trust in God. Just listen to this promise that God offers to all those who will place their trust in Him. Jeremiah 17:7-8 But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is…
The role of fear
We will face fear. When we are confronted with troubles and we have to make decisions there is a very real possibility of an element of fear creeping in. This is all the more reason to trust God. When we feel afraid it should encourage us to trust God even more. Psalm 56:3-4 But when…
How can we place our trust in God? (Part 2 of 2)
DON’T ALLOW THE TROUBLE TO GRAB YOUR HEART We all face trouble from time to time. The issue is not to allow trouble to penetrate our hearts. John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in me.” Our hearts must remain a place of confidence in God. PRAY This…
How can we place our trust in God? (Part 1 of 2)
This is always the challenge! Our natural response to trouble is to run to all things of life that we think can be trusted. Here are four things that we can do to return to a place of confidence in God. ACT WITH WISDOM AND COMMON SENSE. When trouble comes it calls for a re-evaluation…