Wednesday, June 1, 2022
And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.” Joshua 14:9-12
Living For The Promise
Caleb was promised a mountain. He didn’t actually get that mountain until he was 85 years old, and he had to wait 45 years to get the promise from the time God promised it. All those years he never lost his faith in God. He never once thought it wasn’t really going to happen or that God had forgotten him. And he never once stopped claiming and moving forward to possess that promise.
Like Caleb and the Israelites, there will be battles we have to fight and giants to be slain to get to the promise God has for us. This is partly true because life is full of battles in general. It is also true because Satan does not want us to have the promises God has for us and he doesn’t want us to believe we are worthy of them. We know in our minds the truth of what is ours, but in our hearts, we may feel spiritually defeated because of our circumstances. We may feel depressed because it seems there is no way out of the hole, we have dug ourselves into. Lies like these from the devil will keep us from boldly claiming the promises God has for us.
I don’t know about you, but I can get easily defeated at the first roadblock I come to. For many, all the battles that lead us to the promises can be overwhelming - and there is a battle around every corner. We fight many battles on this road - battles against real giants like sickness, financial difficulties, marriage problems, etc. We also fight the battles that no one sees. These are the battles in our hearts and minds. Satan is the keeper of all the giants we fight in our lives. He unleashes them and attacks every chance he gets. But our God - He is the defeater of the giants. When we hold fast to His promises and trust Him, He will help us defeat all the giants that Satan sends our way. When we don’t do this, the fear of our giants can keep us from claiming our promises. How do we defeat these giants? With spiritual warfare. Where there is no spiritual warfare, there is no spiritual victory! - Van Houser
Another thing that keeps us from claiming our promises is that we simply don’t ask for it because we think we don’t deserve it, or that God has given up on us. We cannot out sin God. He never gives up on us and He hasgiven us the promise, we just have not claimed it. When we do claim His promises, the answer is always yes.
How do we live for the promise? The key to claiming God’s promise for our lives is to keep moving forward. Keep fighting. Keep believing. When we believe, our lives will portray our faith to the world around us. God gives us the promises, but during the time we are waiting to possess it, He wants us to live like we know it is ours. Caleb did not give up or quit fighting the giants. He did not hang his head in defeat either. He plowed forward, day by day, each step a little bit closer to the mountain. He allowed God to teach him and to use him during that time. The valley leading to the mountaintop has the most fertile soil. Allow God to plant His wisdom in the fertile soil of your heart during this time.
If you have not been living for the promise God has for you, now is the time to start. God has given the promise, possession is up to you.
