Possessing the Land Step by Step

“I am going to give you a car.” This is a wonderful promise, but does not give any details whatsoever. All I know is that I am promised a car. Will it be a new car or an old car? Will it be blue or green? Will it be an automatic or a stick shift? Will it have electric window and door locks or will I have to use my own strength to roll down a window or unlock the door? Will it be a model that I like or will it be something designed for my grand parents? Will it get good gas mileage or bad?

Each general promise like this that we receive leaves so many unanswered questions. And as we have all been informed by the byline of one magazine, “Inquiring minds want to know.” Yet so many times when God speaks to us it is in such a general way that we are often left scratching our heads and wondering what that means.

Abraham was in that type of situation that Abram (Abraham) was in when God spoke to Him in Genesis 12:1-2. God told Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And will make you a great nation…” Wait! Where is the land? How big is it? Is it good land or bad? All he had was God’s command to arise and leave everything behind and the promise of a land he would be shown. Abraham gives us a perfect example of one of the secrets to possess the Promised Land.

Immediately obey

God’s command

and He will give you

the next step.

The author of Hebrews gives us this incredible insight into Abraham and his thought process. He says that, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go our to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not know where he was going” (Hebrew 11:8). Could you do it? Could you leave everything behind because God spoke to you, told you to pick up roots and leave everything behind? Could you trust God and obey without having a complete picture of God’s plans for you and every detail and every step you need to take? You will have to if you want to possess your promised land.

I would like to suggest some thoughts that can help us as we walk with the Lord and move toward possessing the land He has promised us.

• God has a purpose and a plan for our lives. Be assured that God knows the plans that He has for us (see Jeremiah 29:11). His promises are based on His plan. He has created each of us uniquely for His specific purpose.
• God’s plans for us are good.  The Bible describes God’s plans or will as being for our welfare and giving us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11); it is good, acceptable, and pure  (Romans 12:2); His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). God has way bigger plans than we have for ourselves.
• God is faithful and we can trust Him. The reason Abraham could leave everything behind was because He trusted God. He believed God and moved out at His command without having the entire scenario laid out for Him. God promises to be with us wherever we go. He will not leave us or forsake us.
• God will lead us and guide each step of the way. Here is something to consider. Why should we expect God to give us step two when we have not completed step one? Craving to know future steps stands in the way of taking the next step. If we will do what He has already shown us, He will give the next step.
• Faith is required to possess the land. We are going to have to trust the Lord every step of the way. He is very willing to show us how to do the things we need to do to possess the land. When he shows us it will ALWAYS require a step of faith. We will have to obey His directions over and over again until we see the fullness of His promise.
• Obedience guarantees out possession of the land.  There is only one way to fully possess the land. Only one. It is through fully and completely obeying God. God promises over and over that if we will obey His words our ways would be prosperous and we will have good success (e.g. see Joshua 1:8).
• Even when we mess up, God remains faithful. Wow! Even if we have messed up and failed to obey the Lord, He gives us another chance to say yes to Him. That is an amazing thing about God. His thoughts and plans for us are unchanging. Even when we fail He remains faithful. If you are off the path, repent and get back on it. He will take you from where you are to where you need to be.

Does it seem like you are not entering your promised land? Are you stuck in place and not seeing any movement of the promises of God? Is God strangely silent? Step back and ask yourself, “Is there anything the Lord has shown me to do that I have not done?” If so, identify it and do it. Then you can be assured that the Lord will give you the next step.  Thank You, Lord, that You direct the steps of the righteous.

What is your next step?

 

Listen! God is Speaking.

. . . the Lord spoke to Joshua the Son of Nun, saying . . . (Joshua 1:1)

The Lord spoke. God made Himself known to Joshua. He personally spoke to Him in the midst of His situation. God is a speaking God. He is not silent. He wants us to know Him and His heart.

The good news for us is that God still speaks today. He wants us to know Him and fellowship with Him. He is the one who initiates contact with us. We would not be able to know God apart from the greatness of His creation, unless He willing makes Himself know to us.

God created us for fellowship. He wants to be in relationship with us. He wants us to understand His ways and participate in His great plans for us (Jer. 29:11). He doesn’t want us wandering in the wilderness, but wants us to enter into our Promised Land. With that in mind consider the following:

God is speaking, so take time to listen.

It is part of what we call prayer. Prayer is a two-way conversation. It is not just us speaking to God. It is God speaking to us. We must take time throughout our day to listen to God.

One action of a Bible college teacher remains in my mind today even after 27+ years. One day in class Terry Anderson was telling us how he just stops at various times during the day just to listen to see if God is speaking anything to him. He wants to make sure that he takes the time to see if God is speaking. It does not take long and God does not speak every time, but it ensures that his heart and attention are turned toward God.

Later I was attending a weekend retreat where Terry was the main speaker. It was at a camp that had a bunch of enclosed showers and many sinks and mirrors. I was taking a shower and was tall enough to see over the top of the shower stall. I saw Terry over by one of the sinks shaving. In the middle of shaving he paused, bowed his head and put both hands on the sink and just listened. It only lasted for about thirty second, but it changed my life and actions forever.

God is speaking, so listen for Him today.

I was deeply impacted by that simple action. I remembered his words and now saw it in action. This man took time to stop what he was doing to listen. Here are some encouraging thoughts for each of us as we go through our day today:

1. The God who created the heavens and the earth wants to speak to you. Yes it is true, he wants to be with you and speak into your life.
2. God has wisdom that He will willingly give us, if we will simply come to Him and ask. James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:1).
3. In the midst of a busy and hectic day, stop for a few moments and listen. God maybe He has something He wants to say to you.
4. In the midst of confusion, indecision, or struggle; stop and listen. God wants to give you peace and guide your steps.
5. God never speaks to you? Quiet your heart, open your ears, and listen. Don’t say a word. Just listen. That still, small voice in your head might just be God speaking to you.

Have an awesome day. May you hear the voice of the Lord loud and clear, even if it is a whisper.

Any great insights on hearing the voice of God?

Related articles

• 2012: The Year of Possessing the Land (ttuinder.wordpress.com)
• Learning to Hear the Voice of God (ttuinder.wordpress.com)

2012: The Year of Possessing the Land

God has given us a wonderful theme for 2012: Year of Possessing the Land. This is a wonderful, promise-filled word from the Lord. It is exciting to see that God wants us to possess the land that He has promised to us. He wants us to see and experience His salvation in our lives. He wants us to participate with Him in the process of possessing the land He has declared.

The theme verse for this season in our church is Joshua 1:3, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you….” I want to point out that God was telling Joshua that wherever he put his foot to receive God’s promised land, it was God that was giving it to him. In Joshua 1:4 God lays out the dimensions of the land. Every part of the land was available for them to possess. The question is, would Joshua and the people have faith in God to step out and put their foot on all that God had promised?

There are some great themes that we will be looking at this year as we focus on possessing our promised land.

• The dimension of our “Promised Land” is already laid out in God’s plan. It is called the Promise Land because God made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the children of Israel, Moses, and Joshua. God has promises that He has given to us. Remember them and write them down. (Josh. 1:4)

• God promised to be with Joshua and the children of Israel. He said that no one would be able to stand against him his entire life. A great promise for possessing the land. He will be with you as you pursue your promised land. He will not leave us or forsake us. (Josh. 1:5)
• God encouraged Joshua multiple times in chapter one that He would have to be strong and courageous in order to possess the land. He would have to believe and trust God and move ahead in faith as God led him through possessing the land. (Josh 1:6-9)
• The Lord told Joshua that his success would take place as he meditated on God’s word night and day and did everything that He directed. He would prosper as he did things God’s way. (Josh. 1:8)
• The Lord showed Joshua that the possession of the land would require everyone. He required the Ruebenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Mannaseh to enter into the battle. God would not let them rest in the land He had already given them until everyone was able to enter into the rest that He was giving. Possessing our land will require everyone, great and small, to be active and participate. (Josh. 1:10-15)
• Even though God “gave” them the land, Joshua and the Israelites had to take it by force. They were required to fight battle after battle to posses the land. The great part is that God directed them in every battle and even went before them and sometimes drove the enemy out without a fight.
• We must work this year to possess our promised land. It will require listening to the Lord and doing what He asks us to do. It will require effort and spiritual warfare, but He will go before us and we will see His supernatural work on our behalf. (Josh. 6)

Keeping all this in mind, the Lord has given us three phrases to focus us in our pursuit of possessing the land:

Hearing His Word

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised Moses. (Joshua 1:3)

Walking by Faith

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7)

Warring in the Spirit

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Hearing His word entails looking for and listening to the precious promises and direction the Lord gives us to possess the land. He will give us the Dimension and the Direction to take the land.

Walking by faith requires us to Observe His ways and Obey His commands. It is only as we walk in His ways that we will be able to completely possess the land He has promised.

Warring in the Spirit means that we will have to Fight for the land and Finish the battle. The children of Israel did not possess all of the land due to their unwillingness to fight some of the people in the land or allowing them to remain once they were conquered. God want us to fully possess the promised land.

I look forward to another year of serving the Lord and look forward with anticipation at what He will do. Arise, oh army of God, and possess the land that the Lord has promised us!

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Learning to Hear the Voice of God

                                                                            Photo by Jerone Van Oostram

I just received an email from a friend who said, “…I noticed how clear you could hear the voice of the Lord.” He was wondering if I had any suggestions that might help him to hear God more clearly. I thought that if he had this question others might have the same question. Here were my suggestions.

Practice Make it a habit to be constantly in communication with the Lord.  As you are thinking through things or wondering what to do, keep the Lord in the conversation.  Be aware that the Lord is always present and may speak at any time.  Many times a day stop what you are doing and just listen. This only takes a few moments and puts you in a place of readiness to hear the Lord if He wants to say something to you. Maybe the Lord will speak to you, maybe He won’t. The issue is that you are training yourself to focus on the Lord. Don’t have expectations that the Lord has to speak to you every time you pause to listen. Be available. Be intentional in seeking Him. As you work this discipline into your life it will become a habit and very natural thing for you to do. Obedience Another key point is that when the Lord speaks to us we must act on it. Too often we are waiting to hear the Lord speak something new to us when we have not done what He has already asked us to do. Stepping out and being obedient helps us to further verify that we are hearing the Lord. It builds our confidence that we can hear and that God is at work in us. Obedience also shows the Lord that we are faithful. When we are faithful in the little things that Lord will speak more freely with us and give us even greater things. Sometimes we know deep down what the Lord wants us to do, but we do not want to do it. So we keep praying in hopes that the Lord will change His mind and we will get a different answer. It is best to realize that God’s way is the best way and to say “Yes!” to Him sooner rather than later. Time in prayer Some answers take time. When the Lord seems silent, that is the time to wait on Him. Find a quiet place and spend some time just waiting in His presence. Calm you soul and focus on the Lord. Be silent in His presence and He will begin to touch your heart and speak to you. When we are confused or struggling with emotions it is hard to hear from God. That is why dedicating time to seek the Lord is so important. In cases like this seeking the Lord is not us talking or praying and asking continually. It is waiting, listening, quieting ourselves before Him so that we can hear what He has to say. To often prayer is seen as a one-way communication to God with us doing all the talking. In actuality is a conversation where God also speaks to us and gives us direction and guidance. Sometimes it is better to listen than to speak. We can learn a lot that way. Praying in the Spirit Something I do on a regular basis is to pray in the Spirit. It is a precious gift the Lord has given us to speak directly to Him and edifies us in the process. When I am extremely distraught or have absolutely no idea what to do in a situation, I get before the Lord and begin to pray in tongues. There have been times when I have done this for up to half an hour straight. As I continue to pray in the Spirit (not understanding what I am saying because it is in a spiritual language) God begins to shape my understanding so that I can effectively pray and hear from Him in English. Hopefully this has been helpful. There are no quick answers on things like this. It is just learning to draw closer to God and walking with Him every day of our lives.

Do you have any other suggestions on how you have learned to hear the Lord?

Terry

2011: The Year of Inheritance

The Lord has revealed that 2011 will be The Year of Inheritance. The key verse comes from Ephesians 1:11, “In Him we have obtained an inheritance…” God has given us an inheritance to Discover, to Live, and to Give.

It is not that the theme is new and cutting edge, for it has always been ours and available. Yet God desires for us to have a deeper understanding of His incredible inheritance that we have already received.

This is the year where God is issuing an invitation for us to search out to Discover the incredible riches of our inheritance. He wants us to know who we are and what He has actually given us as an inheritance on the earth and in heaven.

Our wonderful Father wants us to Live in the fulness of His provision. He has freely provided to us gifts that are beyond cost and unobtainable any other way.

He also wants us to Give to others of the amazing wealth that He has given to us.The inheritance we have from God will never run out, no matter how much we give away.

There are a few key words that come to mind as I ponder the inheritance God has given to us.

It Was Costly

The immense cost of our inheritance was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In His life, Jesus lived victoriously over the curse. In His death, Jesus became a curse for us, bearing all of our sin and shame, In His resurrection, Jesus destroyed the power of death and now we can be born again and walk in victory.

It Was Planned

The Bible informs us that before the foundations of the world the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit planned the death of Jesus as the only hope for our salvation. Christ’s death on the cross is not an afterthought  of a God caught off guard by mankind’s sin. The cross, the grave, and the resurrection were the only plan that was ever fashioned. The motive and action behind our inheritance is the inexhaustible love of God. The depths of God’s love can be seen His willingness to provide Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

It Was Free

The price of our inheritance was costly for God but given freely to us. You don’t earn an inheritance. You receive it as a gift of love. Our key verse reminds us that it is in Jesus that we receive this inheritance. We are actually called “joint-heirs” with Jesus Christ. Everything that God freely gives to Jesus, He gives to us.

It Is Available

The fullness of our inheritance awaits the return of Jesus. We must wait for death and hell to be cast into the Lake of Fire, for our resurrected bodies, and for the new heavens and new earth. Despite this we have a great inheritance while we walk on this earth. We will be investigating this throughout 2011. May the wonder of His inheritance rise up every time you read the Scripture this year. I want to whet you appetite for the truths we will be discovering and applying to our lives this year by showing you the following Scriptures:

Ephesians 1:11
in Him we have obtained an inheritance.

Ephesians 1:14
who [Holy Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.

Ephesians 1:18
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

Colossians 1:12
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share the inheritance of the saints in light.

Colossians 3:24
knowing that from the Lord you will receive an inheritance as your reward.
giving thanks to the Father

Hebrews 9:15
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance…

1 Peter 1:4
an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Grace: Empoerment not Entitlement

“Grace is God’s ability working in man, making him able to do what he cannot do in his own ability.” James Richards Grace: The Power to Change, p. 22

It seems all to often that when I hear the word “grace” being used it is on the wrong side of sin. It is a being used to condone sin which was or will be committed and saying that God is gracious to forgive us. We use grace as a security blanket because we are convinced that we have to sin and continue to be ruled by the power of sin. John Bevere says that many people have grace as “the great cover up.” They casually sin and expect God to cover it with His grace.

This is the exact opposite attitude of the Apostle Paul. He was dead set against sin. He took every opportunity to destroy the idea that we are trapped in sin once we come to Christ. We are to be overcomers through the grace of God and not allow sin to rule or reign over us. Look at just a few of the passages that Paul uses to convince those in Rome that Grace empowers us to overcome sin not entitles us to sin. The emphasis in the following verses is mine:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin live in it? (Rom. 6:1-2)

…knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin (Rom. 6:6)

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 6:11)

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but grace. (Rom. 6:14)

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. (Rom. 6:17-18)

But now having been and enslaved to God, you derive benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. (Rom. 6:22)

If you read the highlighted words above the message is clear. It is beyond dispute that we have been freed from the power of sin to rule over our lives and we are now free to choose to follow after God as slaves to righteousness. When we choose to obey God He empowers us to walk in His ways.

It is when we try to walk in the Christian life in our own power that we fail miserably and become convinced that God’s way does not work. We must always walk in sin. We can never overcome. Seeking to do God’s will in our own strength will always lead to failure and feelings of inadequacy. But agreeing with God and choosing His way, the way of truth, and trusting in the empowering work of the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to overcome, we will begin to overcome.

God’s grace is never available outside of His truth. We cannot walk in our ways and expect to experience God’s grace. God’s grace enables to walk the walk and become like Christ. We are changed into the image of Christ as we submit to God’s will and walk in God’s ways.

Convinced that you need to sin? Then begin to read the sixth chapter of Romans over and over until the truth that Paul is communicating gets into your spirit. You are a son or daughter of God who has been saved, born again, brought into the family of God, and given the Holy Spirit so that you might walk in newness of life. Therefore stop agreeing with the lies of the enemy that you are helpless to overcome sin and believe God who calls you to be an overcomer.

Arise and shine!

Until next time.

Terry