POSSESS THE LAND

“Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you? Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me.”
Joshua 18:1-4

God offers every person that calls on His name power to break free from the sins that hold them down. This account in Joshua reminds me of some Christians that struggle with sin. They have crossed the Jordan River so to speak, by inviting Jesus into their life, but have never taken possession of the land of freedom God promised them. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). Part of their problem is that they are not abiding in God’s word. They do not read their Bible or assimilate what it says to their life. They instead pursue success in their job and other interests. It takes a long time before they realize their need of Gods help.   

They do not realize the many times that God holds them back from going further into sin. In his mercy and love, he calls them back to himself even when they are in sin. When they finally surrendered to God and asked for help in breaking free from old habits, He will answer their plea and teach them how to keep their life pure. As they practice what He shows them they began to have victory over the tempting thoughts and memories of sin. They are then able to start living in the land of freedom that Jesus purchased for them with his blood.   

If you feel like the Israelites who had not moved into their promised land, you can start moving into your freedom right now. Begin by asking Jesus into your heart anew, and confess whatever has been keeping you from inhabiting the freedom he purchased for you. Then, meet with God each day in a quiet time to pray, worship God and study the Bible. The Bible and the Holy Spirit will teach you how to live in freedom. Through your time with Him, you’ll become sensitive to His guidance for how to move into the land. There are sinful strongholds that will have to be torn down. God will help you find them and destroy them. Soon you’ll be looking back, wondering why you did not move in sooner!