The Bible is a book about destiny — the great plan God has for each of our lives. Just as He offered a Promised Land to the Israelites, He has a wonderful inheritance for us as well. This is described as “an exceedingly good land … a land which flows with milk and honey” (Numbers 14:7-8).
But we must remember that Satan is intent on fighting us every inch of the way as we pursue the Lord’s destiny for our lives. Just as God has a plan for our lives, so does the devil: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
This means there’s a battle for your inheritance! Entering and possessing your “Promised Land” means you must be willing to engage the enemy.
Before the Israelites actually entered the Promised Land, God had already given it to them! They were the rightful owners, because God had given the land to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:7). And after Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land, Joshua was told to lead them into this wonderful inheritance.
Yet there was a problem. When they got to the Promised Land, it was occupied by powerful nations that had lived there a long time. Even though the land belonged to the Israelites, they faced inevitable war as they crossed the Jordan to take possession of it. But Joshua refused to back down in fear. He knew the covenant promises made to Abraham hundreds of years earlier were still in effect.
It’s crucial to understand that having the title to our “Promised Land” is not the same thing as occupying or possessing it. The challenge for you and me is to take possession of what is rightfully ours (Joshua 21:43). We must claim our inheritance!
Your Choice
God’s will for you is health, prosperity, peace, and hope. The devil’s will is to cause you sickness, anxiety, poverty, and fear. The enemy is intent on destroying your relationship with God and with your family. He won’t stop until he has killed and destroyed you spiritually, physically, financially, and in every other way possible.
So which will it be: God’s will or Satan’s? In many ways, the choice is yours. If you’re like many people, your life is somewhere in-between. You want God’s will for your life, but you also see ways Satan has hindered you from full obedience and victory. You see places in your heart that you’ve allowed to become enemy strongholds … places you’ve not fully submitted to God … places where you’ve allowed your flesh to rule.
God has given you all the tools you need to win the battle. So if you are struggling today with your marriage, your children, your finances, your health … or if you are bound by addictive habits, fear, depression, or loneliness … you can overcome the enemy and experience victory over these circumstances in your life!
Facing Your Giants
Claiming your inheritance requires having courage to confront the “giants” that seem to block your path and prevent you from possessing what God has already given you.
In Numbers 13, God instructs Moses to send out 12 spies to view the Promised Land before the Israelites would enter it. After 40 days, 10 of the spies return with a mixed report:
“We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak [giants] there” (Numbers 13:27-28).
These 10 spies saw that God had given them a fantastic land of abundance, but they saw no way they could actually possess such a land, for it was inhabited by strong enemies and impregnable fortresses.
Perhaps this sounds like your life today.
You’ve heard about a place of victory and abundance that God has for you, but the obstacles seem too great … the enemies too intimidating … and the cost too high. If this is your mindset, you need to hear the challenge of the final two spies, Caleb and Joshua: “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it!” (Numbers 13:30-33)
God’s people were at the very brink of the Promised Land. Yet they allowed fear and disobedience to keep them in the wilderness for 40 more years!
Don’t let any Goliath intimidate you and keep you back from the abundant life God wants for you.
How could the first 10 spies get things so wrong? They allowed fear to deter them and gave a “bad report” because the obstacles to their destiny seemed like “giants.” Is that how your problems look today — enormous and overwhelming?
Instead of allowing a spirit of fear to intimidate us, we need to aggressively take the battle to the enemy. Passivity and accommodation never will work.
Jesus spoke of the need to be on the offensive in our spiritual battles: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). We will never grasp our full blessings in Christ without a fight!
If you belong to Christ, your battle is the Lord’s. Don’t let any Goliath intimidate you and keep you back from the abundant life God wants for you. It’s time to go in and possess your “Promised Land.” You’re the rightful owner, and it’s time to wage spiritual warfare and take back what the enemy has stolen from you. The victory is yours!