11/27/22 2:45 PM
Last week the Lord directed me to read Deuteronomy, and from the very first verse I knew He was speaking to me, my family, and many others within the Body of Christ right now. Here are some notes from my journal as I read chapters 1-3. I hope they encourage and inspire you to "Go and Possess" YOUR land!
Deuteronomy 1:1, 5-8 NKJV
“These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying, “The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.
See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob— to give to them and their descendants after them.’”
Deuteronomy 1:21 NKJV
“Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’”
While we are still in the "wilderness" (the other side of the promise, a place of either hope or despair for a word that has yet to come to pass) comes the word of the Lord “you have stayed here long enough”. IT IS TIME TO GO!!!!
The land of promise is before us to go and possess as promised, however, possession ALWAYS begins in the heart. We cannot truly possess what the Lord has promised if His word isn't first rooted, grounded, and established within our heart. How do we know if it is possessed in our heart? Our words, the confession of our mouth is always a good indicator (Luke 6:45). Have we hidden the word in our heart to the point that our confession reflects the reality of heaven? Kingdom reality is that once the Lord has spoken it we can rest in full assurance that He will accomplish it in our lives as we partner with Him through faith. If we are afraid to speak about it, or (what I have done many times) when we do tell others about what is stirring in our hearts we add words like "if" instead of "when". These are signs to help us to identify whether or not we have "possessed" the word in our hearts, and begin the journey towards entering into His promises over our lives.
Luke 6:45 (KJV) A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Deuteronomy 1:25-26, 29-32 NKJV
“They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.’ “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God,”
Fear and discouragement are the "giants" that stand at the borders of the promises of God in our lives.
What we see and set our hearts on, determines the report we will believe. Do we embrace the word of the Lord and see the fruit as our possession, OR choose fear and discouragement because all we see are the reasons it can't or won't happen? Is God, really the God of the IMPOSSIBLE in our eyes and in our hearts, or is He the God of what seems reasonable to us?
To choose not to "go and possess" is to rebel against the word of God and His plan for our lives.
Only those who wholly follow the Lord, obey His voice, and walk in faith will receive their inheritance. It is reserved for those with ears to hear and hearts that respond accordingly.
Deuteronomy 2:24-25 NKJV
““ ‘Rise, take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle. This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’”
Deuteronomy 2:30-31 NKJVenemy's
““But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day. “And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’”
Deuteronomy 3:21-22 NKJV
““And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms through which you pass. You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.’”
Rise up and pass over! The reality is that the Lord will put DREAD and FEAR in the hearts of all that would stand in the way of our possession. We are NOT called to be the ones afraid and cowering in fear, that is reserved for the enemy's camp.
The Lord will always use resistance from the enemy for HIS greater glory. Every testimony I have in my life is about HIM coming through in spite of the odds and opinions of others, or even my own opinions of how it could or couldn't work out.
Possession must be taken by faith in advance! Our "land" is not given, it is taken as we partner our faith AND obedience to the only One able to bring it to pass.
Our confession and communication prepare us for what we will receive on the other side of the river (the entrance into the Promised Land).
Let faith possess our hearts and we will see fear and despair be put to shame!
The Lord God will fight for you! P.S. The victory has already been won. He is waiting for us to GO AND POSSESS IT!