by Gloria Copeland
Since the days of Abraham, God has been promising His people a land of their own. It’s a promise that has captured the minds of the Jewish nation for generations. And it’s a promise that applies to you today as surely as it has ever applied to anyone.
Yes! God has promised to give you a land of your own. Not necessarily a piece of property, but a state of being that’s far more valuable than any plot of ground could ever be.
It’s a place where all the promises of God are “yea” and “amen” in Christ! It’s a land flowing with milk and honey—a land where your every need can be met. It’s a place where you keep sin underfoot, ruling and reigning as a king and a priest with Christ in this life. It’s a place where no weapon formed against you shall prosper. When you occupy your promised land, you are seated with Christ in heavenly places, far above principalities and powers—far from oppression.
#1 – Take Your Victory by Force
As you study the Word of God, you’ll find that’s an accurate description of the kind of victory you should be experiencing in Christ. However, be prepared, there will be some giants along the way trying to keep you from entering into your promised land. But that’s no problem once you get God’s perspective—then those giants will become little more than grasshoppers in your sight.
You may say, “Yes, that sounds like a nice theory, but I’m dealing with reality here, and all I see is poverty, sickness, sin, oppression and fear everywhere I look.”
That’s to be expected—the devil isn’t going to lie down and play dead just because God has promised us the victory. Jesus said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]” (Matthew 11:12, The Amplified Bible).
In order to have a share in the heavenly kingdom, you must get “violent” and seize it with ardent zeal! You must not take a passive attitude and mistakenly believe the devil is more powerful than you are because he isn’t! He does not have the power—you do!
Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Naturally, the devil doesn’t want you to know that you have this power because once you realize it, you’ll start using it against him to enforce his defeat.
Just listen to what God said to the children of Israel when they were about to enter into the Promised Land: “When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: and ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it” (Numbers 33:51-53).
Notice God didn’t promise the Israelites the inhabitants of the land would just hand it over to them. He didn’t say they wouldn’t have to fight for the land.
He did promise, however, that as long as they obeyed Him, He would give them victory.
#2 – Do Not Cower Down to the Devil
As believers, we’re in much the same situation. If we’re going to enjoy the Promised Land, we’re going to have to drive the devil out of it! God has given us the power to do it. We’re much better armed than our enemy! In fact, he is totally unarmed. Colossians 2:15 tells us: “[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]” (The Amplified Bible).
We have absolutely no reason to cower down to the devil. Jesus defeated and disarmed him through His death, burial and resurrection.
The devil can’t defeat you unless you let him. All he can do is make empty threats.
But beware! Even his empty threats can stop you cold if you believe them. The children of Israel proved that. Moses sent spies into the land, and they came back with a frightening report about the giants that occupied the land: “And there we saw the giants [they said], the sons of Anak…and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). The Israelites allowed that report to intimidate them. They forgot who they were—the real giants, empowered and supported by the invincible power of Almighty God. And they began thinking of themselves as grasshoppers.
It works the same way today. If you’re weak in your own sight, that’s how you’ll be in the devil’s eyes. So when the devil tries to convince you that you’re not going to win the battle, when he tells you he is a giant and you are just a grasshopper, refuse to receive his bad report. Dare to believe God’s report of victory instead.
That’s what the Scripture tells us that Joshua and Caleb encouraged the Israelites to do. But instead they rebelled and believed the lies of the devil and sentenced themselves to 40 years in the wilderness.
#3 – Be Strong and Very Courageous.
After those 40 years had passed, God once again led His people toward the Promised Land. He gave their leader, Joshua, these instructions: “Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:7).
To successfully take the Promised Land, God said the Israelites were going to have to be strong and very courageous. He goes on to tell them where that courage was going to come from—the Word of God. He said: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (verse 8).
They had to keep the Word in their thoughts and in their mouths constantly. They had to remember that God was on their side and to see themselves not as grasshoppers but as giants in Him.
Now it’s your turn to take the promised land. Jesus has defeated Satan and He’s promised you the victory if you’ll submit yourself to Him and stand up to the devil. You must forcibly remove Satan from the territory he has taken in your life—whether it be your home, health, business, church or nation.
It will undoubtedly take courage to do it. But you can experience that kind of courage the same way Joshua did—by meditating on God’s Word day and night. The more you fellowship with the Lord in the Word and in prayer, the more confidence you’ll have in God and the harder it will be for Satan to discourage you.
Begin to be courageous and forcibly take back what Satan has stolen from you and your family. Arm yourself for battle by spending quality time with the Lord every day. Allow Him to strengthen and encourage you. He will prepare you for what’s ahead and help you overcome every obstacle.
God has given you the victory so, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).
So, march right into Satan’s territory and slay the giants in your land!
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