Promise Land Preparation, Part IV

I commanded Joshua at that time, "You've seen with your own two eyes everything God, your God, has done to these two kings. God is going to do the same thing to all the kingdoms over there across the river where you're headed. Don't be afraid of them. God, your God—he's fighting for you."

Deuteronomy 3:21-22 (The Message)

Your Promise Land is in sight and Your spirit is being stirred...you feel a certain God-Ordained tension to take action and head straight towards it....You know you must move forward and take action but you keep wrestling with the decision to take that step of faith. No worries my friend, because God is fighting for you!

As Joshua as his men were preparing to enter their Promise Land, they definitely encountered resistance. However, all they had to do was remember how God had granted them victory in the past. God is not only God of the past, but He is also God of the present and God of the future...

With your own two eyes, I know there has been a time when you have seen what God has done...have faith and courage because He is going to do the same thing to all the "kingdoms" over there across the river where you're headed.

God Is Fighting For You

So what is holding you back from entering your Promise Land? What is holding you back from downloading that application, submitting your resume, turning in your two-week notice, enrolling in that class, calling that friend? Listen, if you are faithfully diving into God's Word and speaking and Praying to Him on a daily basis, if you are seeking counsel, trusting Him and Obeying Him, and being sensitive to The Counsel of The Holy Spirit, then God is going to reveal The Promise Land that He wants you to conquer.

To conquer it may not be easy...but don't quit before you try...allow faith to shape your decision's instead of fear...you need to identify the giants and the "kingdoms" in your life and have no fear from them..... Don't be afraid of them. God, your God—he's fighting for you."

Promise Land Preparation, Part III

Here is the follow up to Deuteronomy 1.19-25. The first part can be found by clicking here. This post focuses on Deuteronomy 1.26-36.


Complaining, Rebellion, and Fear
But then you weren't willing to go up. You rebelled against God, your God's plain word. You complained in your tents: "God hates us...'The people are bigger and stronger than we are; their cities are huge, their defenses massive—we even saw Anakite giants there!'" (From Deuteronomy 1.26-28 MSG, emphasis added).

I wonder how many times God hears us say, "God, where are you?" It would be great if we had the audio files of God. I believe sometimes He is saying, "Why are you rebelling against me?...Why are you complaining?... Where is your fear coming from?" We must hold ourselves accountable if we want to enter the Promise Land. God is waiting on us to Trust Him.

God, your God, is leading the way
I tried to relieve your fears: "Don't be terrified of them. God, your God, is leading the way; he's fighting for you. You saw with your own eyes what he did for you in Egypt; you saw what he did in the wilderness, how God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child, carried you the whole way until you arrived here. But now that you're here, you won't trust God, your God—this same God who goes ahead of you in your travels to scout out a place to pitch camp, a fire by night and a cloud by day to show you the way to go." (Deuteronomy 1.29-33 MSG, emphasis added)


Need I say more? Remember what God has done for you in the past. Give thanks to Him. Trust Him to lead you into your future!


Following God Heart and Soul
When God heard what you said, he exploded in anger. He swore, "Not a single person of this evil generation is going to get so much as a look at the good land that I promised to give to your parents. Not one—except for Caleb son of Jephunneh. He'll see it. I'll give him and his descendants the land he walked on because he was all for following God, heart and soul." (Deuteronomy 1.34-36 MSG, emphasis added)


I don't know about you, but the last thing I want is for God to explode in anger because of what I say. God gives us life, He expects us to live for His Glory. I want to follow Him with Heart and Soul straight into The Promise Land!


Promise Land Pearls
1. Big or small? Is God bigger than your 'Anakites?' Focus on God, not your challenges.
2. Praise & Thanksgiving. Praise God and Give Him Thanks instead of complaining.
3. Trust & Obey. Take your energy that you put into rebelling against God and use it to Trust Him and to Obey Him
4. God Our Warrior. God Fights for us, leads our way. Meditate on how He has delivered you in your past and know that He is fighting for your future!
5. Are you ALL for following God with Heart and Soul?

Promise Land Preparation, Part II

Welcome back to 'Promise Land Preparation' Series! You can review part one by clicking here: Preparation To Enter The Promise Land, Part 1


The next two posts will be from Deuteronomy 1. Today's focus will be on Deuteronomy 1.19-25. We will nutshell 2 crucial points today of What God teaches us about Entering our Promise Land


God Has Promised Us The Promise Land - Take It!
There I told you, "You've made it to the Amorite hill country that God, our God, is giving us. Look, God, your God, has placed this land as a gift before you. Go ahead and take it now. God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, promised it to you. Don't be afraid. Don't lose heart." (From Deut 1.19-21 MSG, emphasis added)


What more confirmation do we need? Fellow Christ Follower, don't hesitate-Take the land. God is giving it to you! No Fear. Your Fear should only be reserved for God, but you shall fear no one else. You shall fear nothing else.


Scout Out Your Promise Land
But then you all came to me and said, "Let's send some men on ahead to scout out the land for us and bring back a report on the best route to take and the kinds of towns we can expect to find." That seemed like a good idea to me, so I picked twelve men, one from each tribe. They set out, climbing through the hills (From Deuteronomy 1.22-25 MSG, emphasis added).


Scout out your land and by all means do your research and due diligence. However, realize that God did not have them scout out their land in order to determine if they should take it or not. To the contrary, God gave them the land to take, so they only needed to scout it out to determine what it was like once they arrived!


Promise Land Pearls
1. God's Promise: Realize that God has a promise land in store for you. Be ready to Take It!
2. God's Path: Know God's path to your Promise Land and do your research. Scout your land, not to determine if you should take it, but instead, to know about it when you do take it!

Preparation To Enter The Promise Land, Part 1

32 “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.

Deuteronomy 5.32-33 (NKJV)

I believe it was Bob Costas who once said, "Champions are not made on the field, they are simply recognized there." Champions must pay a price for glory. They must put in the blood, sweat, and tears in the off-season, in the camps, and in the every day practice in order to enter their promise land of victory. It's the same way for your life and in your walk as a Christ Follower. You must follow certain principles of success.

If you want to enter your promise land, the principles you must follow are God's Commandments. Not that they are a magic formula, but they are definitely a requirment, if you are to be in The Presence of God. He is calling you to be Holy as He is Holy. God will not be in the presence of sin; just as oil does not dissolve in water, God and sin simply don't mix...

Join me in the next few days as we walk through Deuteronomy together to see how God gives us this gameplan for success. He gives us the preparation we need so that we will be ready to enter our promise land. Then we will always remember that it is God Almighty who delivers us from slavery (sin) and gives us the land flowing with milk and honey.

23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’

Deuteronomy 6.23-25 (New King James Version)