A while ago, I was reading Deuteronomy 1:8 and something struck me. God spoke to the Israelites through Moses and said that He had given them the promised land. But at that time, the Israelites were still in the land of Moab.
“See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers-to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-and to their descendants after them.” – Deuteronomy 1:8
This promised land was far away from where they were at that moment. In addition, they first had to get there, and when they did, they would even have to conquer it because the land was still owned by others.
This required a major step of faith on the part of the Israelites! They grumbled, complained, and argued (Deuteronomy 1:26-27), but Moses reminded the Israelites that God had been faithful and provided for them all along the journey (Deuteronomy 1:29:31). He would also ensure that the land He promised them would come into their possession, and they would gain victory.
A better covenant
As I read this, it reminded me of the fact that our walk with the Lord is not very different from that of the Israelites, and we, like the Israelites, can sometimes have difficulty trusting God and standing on His promises.
Today, because of the sacrifice Jesus made, we live under a much better covenant and are back under the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14), which is the same blessing the Israelites had.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” – Galatians 3:13-14
When reading Deuteronomy 8, that realization hit me even harder. Wow, but wait a minute; this means that all of God’s promises He made to the Israelites and Abraham apply to us too!
Error in my head!
This is of course fantastic news, but there is also a responsibility on our part, because although all these promises have already been made, we still have to take action ourselves.
Nor was it cast into the bosom of the Israelites; they still had a long journey and a battle ahead of them. Same, we must learn to discover what all those promises are, so we know what is ours.
Jesus accomplished so much on that cross! It is much more than just salvation, which in itself is, of course, an indescribably great gift.
It strikes me that there are many Christians who are not or not fully aware of what was released when Jesus went to the cross.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to say that I have all the wisdom (although we all do have the mind of Christ😉; 1 Corinthians 2:16). We are all on our way to our promised land, just like the Israelites, and during that journey we can learn to renew our minds so that they align with God’s Word (Romans 12:2).
You can only learn this journey of discovery into all promises and blessings by spending time in the Word and with God, and by following good Biblical education. It is not without reason that God has appointed teachers in the fivefold ministry. I want to encourage you to look for them and accept them with both hands. It will bless you.
Yes, and Amen!
Back to the Israelites. God chooses to work with us and through us. So it is up to us to trust Him and take steps of faith.
Man! I still find that exciting sometimes. Apart from their complaining and grumbling😃, what example were the Israelites in this. They had to cross that desert first and then fight to conquer that land! It was a long journey, and yes, they resisted; yes, they struggled and rebelled (that’s how not to do it, LOL). But eventually they arrived in that promised land, and God did what He said would happen – the land became theirs!
The taking of the land was not all done overnight; it happened step by step and started with the taking of the city of Jericho
(Joshua 6:1-16).
“Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days” – Joshua 6:1-3
God gave them possession of the land before they saw it in natural. This required faith and trust, and step by step, the country became theirs. We can also discover, step by step, which promises are already ready for all of us, and there are so many! From our salvation and eternal life to health to life in prosperity and freedom, and many more, Hallelujah!
Discovering this, just like the Israelites in the desert, is a journey in itself.
I want to encourage you to discover what belongs to you and not to become rebellious, like the Israelites, or to doubt all these promises because this could unnecessarily extend your journey to your promised land to forty years, LOL .
Take them with both hands! For all God’s promises are Yes and AMEN!
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:20
Taking back what is yours
Accepting and believing God’s promises is the first step. Then you can go on a journey with Him and little by little take over your promised land.
The enemy is the one who has usurped your country for himself all this time, but Jesus defeated him on the cross!
Now it is up to you, together with God, to drive him out! It’s your land!
Even if you don’t see it yet! Even if you don’t see that healing yet, even if you don’t see that prosperity yet, it doesn’t matter. It is still yours; it is God’s promise to you; it is your land, and you must take the step and responsibility to take back what is yours!
We all have our own journey with God, and although it can be exciting and scary at times, we can know that God is with us.
In God’s Word, we find hundreds of promises that we can take into our possession. Owning all those promises is the key to a victorious Christian life. Some tips that have helped me in recent years:
- Search the Word and find the applicable promise to your situation, on which you will stand in faith.
- Investigate what conditions are attached to the promise that must be fulfilled before you can appropriate the promise. For example: “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun” – Psalm 37:5-6. Conditions in this example are: trust God, be determined, committed and persistent, and God will then pave the way for the believer.
- Appropriating the fulfillment of the promise; in other words, you take possession of your land!
Just "small" selection from God's great collection of promises for us😊
“So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:14
“The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.”
Deuteronomy 2:7
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
Psalm 23:1
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
“The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Psalm 121: 7-8
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
Luke 10:19
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”
Psalm 103: 2-3
“You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.”
Deuteronomy 28: 3-13
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:12
“He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Exodus 15:26
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.”
Isaiah 53:4
“Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.”
Matthew 8:13
“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.”
Matthew 8:16
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Mark 16:17-18
“and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.”
Luke 6:19
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:23
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Romans 8:32
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
John 14:12-14
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.”
1 John 3: 21-22
“When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,”
Genesis 39:3
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
Malachi 3:10
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
John 5:24
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Matthew 21:22
“If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Mark 9:23
Have faith in God on your journey to your promised land, once you arrive, you only have one job to do:
Take possession of your land!
