“See the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord the God of your fathers told you, do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,” (Deuteronomy 1:21).
When the Israelites first stood at the threshold of the Promised Land, they went out to explore the territory and were astonished at the good land that awaited them. It was everything God has told them – rich and fertile, good for supporting livestock, with settled towns and homes waiting for the wandering people of Yahweh. But – and sn’t there always a “but” – there were also giants inhabiting the towns. Despite the assurances of Moses, Joshua and Caleb that the Lord would fight on their behalf, the Israelites balked at pressing on. They let fear take away the blessings God had promised and caused the whole community to wander in the wilderness for forty years.
What I see so profoundly in this verse is that, even before they set foot in the land, it was already theirs. God had already declared it for them, all they had to do was move ahead into what was theirs by divine decree. Yes there were giants in their way, but if God had already declared it to be so, would He not also move every obstacle in their path? Of course He would. But they would not trust Him and so they let the Promised Land slip through their unbelieving fingers.
Some fifteen years ago, God promised to use me as His spokesman, to share His Word and His Truth. There were some mighty big challenges before me, and I took more steps back than forward, but He has been faithful to bring me to what He declared over me. This post and my blog (https://dbethandrews.wordpress.com) are part of that, and I hope there is even more ahead. I don’t know what God has set before you as your “Promised Land.” I don’t know what giants are in your path. But I know that if the Sovereign King of the universe has spoken a promise over you, you need to step into that promise and watch Him move the giants and make it happen. What God declares is as good as done. Beloved, it’s time to march on.
Deeper Roots 