My Promise Land

As I continue to read the story of the Israelites I am struck again and again by just how similar I am to them. I see so much of myself in their actions and attitudes. Reading about their story and God's responses  causes me to turn inward and examine my own heart. In this passage I read recently the Israelites are preparing to cross over into the promise land.

"On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. . . . But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I planned to do to them." Numbers 33:50-56

God gave the Israelites  the promise land to possess. The Israelites knew without a doubt that the Lord wanted to bring them into the land to settle. They knew the Lord's will for them. They did not have to question whether they would be able to take over the land, they just had to be willing. God would be the one fighting for Israel, driving out the inhabitants, they just had to obey and follow Him.

I am not an Israelite, I am not preparing for battle against nations, I am not moving to a new country. However, I am a child of God and He has a will for my life. In the simplest form, I am supposed to love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength, and love my neighbor as myself (Mark 12:30-31). More specifically I am to "be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and to do the good works God prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).

God's will for my life, my promise land, is to walk in a relationship with Him, to enter into His rest. The question is will I drive out all the inhabitants in the land? Will I destroy all the carved images and cast idols and demolish all the high places? What are the inhabitants in my life that should be driven out? What are the carved images and cast idols in my heart? What are the high places where I dishonor my God?  God's will is for me to take possession of the land, to settle in it, and I don't have to do it on my own. He has given me the power to do so through the death of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. He will fight for me, but will I obey and follow Him?

If I choose not to obey, my relationship with Him will suffer. Those things in my life, inhabitants, that I should remove, will draw me away from Him, they will entice me to compromise, just as they did the Israelites. The things which I make idols in my heart, that I worship with my thoughts, time, and attention,  will keep me from fully loving God with ALL my heart, soul, strength, and mind. If I keep the high places, those areas or activities which I know lead to compromise and idolatry, I will have trouble. They will be barbs in my eyes and thorns in my sides, they will cause me pain. The Lord may even choose to discipline me.

I must drive out the inhabitants. I must destroy the cast idols and carved images. I must demolish the high places. For I long to enter into rest, to live in the promise land God has given to me. What is it in my life and heart I need to get rid of?

". . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1b

Making Up My Mind

Sometimes thoughts just get stuck on repeat in my head. I'm still thinking about that man by the pool of Bethesda whom Jesus asked, "Do you want to be healed?"(see post). The idea that healing is a choice has occupied my thoughts a lot recently as I keep encountering it. Here is what Beth Moore had to say about it in Get Out of That Pit:

"God is not just a firm place to stand. He's a firm place to stay. . . . And if that's what we want, we've got to do something absolutely crucial. We've got to make up our minds. The ground beneath our feet will only be as firm as our resolve. As long as we're wishy-washy, what's under us will be wishy-washy too. God gives us a firm place to stand, but we have to decide we want to take it. . . . God is ever the Giver (see James 1:17) but, by His sovereign design, each individual gets to exercise the prerogative whether to be a taker. . . . Without hesitation God offers you a firm place to stand, but your feet are not firmly set in place until you've made up your own mind that's where you want to be. He will not force you to stand. And He most assuredly will not force you to stay. . . . Until you finally make up your mind that you're cleaving to God and calling upon His power from now until Hades freezes over, your feet are set upon a banana peel. You may stand while the wind is calm, but when the storm hits and the floodwaters rise, the undertow will leave you gulping for air."

God is most certainly a healer. He "forgives all [my] sins and heals all [my] diseases" (Psalms 103:3). Countless times Jesus had compassion on the multitudes and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14). Jesus "bore [my] sin in his own body on the tree, that [I], being dead to sins, should live to righteousness: by whose stripes [I was] healed." God desires to heal, He came not for the healthy, but for the sick (Matthew 9:12). Physical, emotional, spiritual infirmities, God is healer; but the question remains, "Do [I] want to be healed?" Do I want to stand on firm ground?

I've was there lying on that mat, sinking in that pit, unable to stand. I found myself faced with a choice: 1) continue on in the current state of existence or 2) accept healing. Questions circulated in my mind. How long do I plan on lying on my mat? How long do I want to sink in a pit, unable to stand? What is my testimony for Christ as others look at my life? What will staying here do for me? What will staying here do for Christ? I knew I could be healed, I could stand on firm ground, but had I made up my mind that is where I wanted to be?  I didn't have to save myself, I didn't have to have the hope, I didn't have to have the strength, all I had to do was make up my mind.

It may seem stupid, but I couldn't, I just couldn't determine I wanted to be well once and for all. I was "wishy-washy." So I began praying for the desire to be healed, knowing that it was in God's will so I would surely receive it. And I did. Healing is a choice and I've made up my mind. I'm praying for healing. I'm done making excuses. I'm trusting God. I'm picking up my mat and walking. I want to stand on firm ground. Storms may come and floodwaters may rise, but I have made up my mind, I'm cleaving to God and calling on His power. I just want to shout, "Yes, Jesus, YES I want to be healed!" God wants me to  be healed so I know that I will be. When or how I don't know, but I know that I will be. I expect it, I wait for it, I am eager for it.

" I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him." Psalm 40:1-3