“From the moment God first issued the promise of land to Abram, he described its occupants as quickly as its perimeters:

‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Euphrates – the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites’ (Gen 15: 18-21). 

Our [New Testament spiritual] Promised Lands are characterized by the presence of victory, not the absence of opposition.

Earlier I asked you if your present belief system was working.  One way we can measure our belief system’s effectiveness is to examine how consistently our biblical position as ‘more than conquerors’ (Rom 8:37) is fleshed out in our reality. 

The children of Israel showed they were God’s conquerors on earth by conquering.  Victory always assumes a counterpart defeat.  We will never take our places as ‘more than overcomers’ with nothing to overcome.  We will never be victors without opponents.

As we will continue to see in our journey, God gave the Israelites the Promised Land but told them they’d have to take what was theirs in a fierce battle.  Why?  Probably one reason was so they’d develop the strength to keep it once they conquered it.  Surely another was to let them experience the thrill of victory that only a battle hard fought can bring.  In God’s economy, much of what is worth having is proved worth fighting for.

Like the Israelites, you and I have been promised spiritual ground for great and abiding victory on a turf where our enemy stands in defiance.  If you’re not presently occupying your Promised Land, rest assured the enemy is.  Are you going to stand by and let him get away with that?

God has given you land, Beloved, but He’s calling you to go forth and take it.  Your enemy is standing on your God-given ground daring you to take possession of it.  Are you going to let him have it?  Or are you going to claim your inheritance?  Possession is the law of the Promised Land. 

Red Rover, go over.

The Creator of heaven and earth – the One with the entire universe and its riches at His disposal – knows you by name, has planned a Promised Land for you, and longs to bless you.  He wisely reserves the right to require your cooperation.  Many promises of God are unconditional, but His promises of full-throttle blessing, abiding, fruit-bearing, and conquering are not.

Nothing in your life or mine is worth forfeiting the places of promise where our own 1 Cor 2:9’s are fulfilled.  What God has prepared for you is more than your ears have heard, your eyes have seen, and your mind has ever conceived.  Promised Land theology becomes and earthbound reality only to those who cash in their fear and complacency for the one ticket out of their long-inhabited wilderness.

– Beth Moore, “Believing God” pages 9-11

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”


²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”


²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”


²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”


²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”


³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’


³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”


³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”


Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”


– Luke 10:25-37  via www.BibleGateway.com

“Many Christians resist the idea that social systems need to be dealt with directly.  They prefer the idea that ‘society is changed one heart at a time,’ and so they concentrate on only evangelism and individual social work.

This is naïve.  One of the most poignant examples of this naivete I know is a story told my an urban pastor, Robert Linthicum.

As a student ministry intern he had been working among black teenagers in a government housing project in a US city.  A fourteen-year-old girl named Eva began to attend one of the Bible studies that he led in the project. 

At one point Eva came to him deeply troubled. 

‘Bob,’ she said, ‘I am under terrible pressure and I don’t know what to do.  There is a very large gang in this project that recruits girls to be prostitutes for wealthy white men in the suburbs.  They are trying to force me…’

He urged her not to give in to their demands and to stick with her Bible study group.  He then went home for his summer vacation.

‘Three months later I returned and Eva was nowhere to be found.  The other youth told me she had stopped coming about a month after I left.  I went to Eva’s apartment.  As soon as she saw me she burst into tears.

‘They got to me, Bob,’ she said. 

‘How could you give in like that?’ I unsympathetically responded.  ‘Why didn’t you resist?’

She told me a story of terror.  ‘First they told me they would beat my father…and they beat him bad.  I had no alternative.  So I gave in.’

‘But Eva,’ I said, ‘why didn’t you get some protection?  Why didn’t you go to the police?'”

Eva responded, ‘Who do you think they are?'”

– Generous Justice, Dr. Timothy Keller

The precepts of the LORD are right,

Giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant

Giving light to the eyes.

– David (Psalm 19:8)

I remember the moment, I remember the pain

I was only a girl, but I grew up that day

Tears were falling

I know You saw me

 Hiding there in my bedroom, so alone

 I was doing my best, trying to be strong

 No one to turn to

 That’s when I met You

 All this time, from the first tear cried

 ‘Till today’s sunrise

 And every single moment between

 You were there, You were always there

 It was You and I

 You’ve been walking with me all this time!

 Ever since that day, it’s been clear to me

 That no matter what comes, You will never leave

 I know You’re for me

 And You’re restoring

 Every heartache and failure, every broken dream

 You’re the God Who sees, the God Who rescued me

 This is My Story!

 This is My Story!

 I hear these people asking me

 How do I know what I believe

 Well, I’m not the same me, and that’s all the proof I need!

 I felt love, I felt Your grace

 You stole my heart that day!

All this time, from the first tear cried

 ‘Till today’s sunrise

 And every single moment between

 You were there, You were always there

 It was You and I

 You’ve been walking with me all this time!

 Ever since the first tear cried

 It was You, You and I

 You’ve been walking with me all this time!

– Britt Nicole, “All This Time”

Ah, David. 

I love David. 

He would probably be diagnosed as bipolar or something nowadays.  But that’s okay.  He gives me permission to take a raging sea of real emotions to God, where they belong.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation –

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life –

Of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me

To devour my flesh,

When my enemies and my foes attack me,

They will stumble and fall.

Though an (unseen) army besiege me,

My heart will not fear;

Though (spiritual) war break out against me,

Even then will I be confident.

One think I ask of the LORD,

This is what I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD

All the days of my life,

To gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

And to seek Him in His temple.

For in the day of trouble

He will keep me safe in His dwelling;

He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle

And set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted

Above the (unseen) enemies who surround me;

At His tabernacle will I sacrifice

With shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;

Be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, “Seek His face!”

Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,

Do not turn your servant away in anger;

You have been my Helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

O God my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me,

The LORD will receive me.

Teach me Your way, O LORD;

Lead me in a straight path

Because of  my (spiritual) oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

For false witnesses rise up against me,

Breathing out violence.

I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

In the land of the living.

I will wait for the LORD;

I will be strong and take heart

And wait for the LORD.”

– David (Psalm 27)

[This is not in Real Time.  I’m doing this thing called “waiting.”  Have you heard of it?  That’s when you type out what is on your mind, processing the event and cementing it in your brain.  Then, you stop before you hit “Publish” and decide if it’s something that would benefit and encourage other people.  Or if it is just to be between you and Him.  Like a journal.  Anyway, this did not happen today…]

Joe fell today in Fall Avoidance.

I hate it.

We were using small plastic balls for some reaction-time exercises, and his got away from him.  As he got up to chase it down, he tripped on his feet and landed in front of everyone.

He was okay, just embarrassed. 

Later, he was favoring his wrist, so I took a look at it.  Then I realized I don’t know what I’m doing.  I’m not a doctor!

Either way, I encouraged him to check with his doctor and then remembered we’re supposed to fill out an incident report when something like this happens.  Looking around and satisfied the participants were all okay for the moment, I went out to the front desk to get the report and a clip board.  When I told the front desk gal what happened, she called over the captain of the EMT/firefighters who were there working out.  She told him someone had fallen and asked if he would check him out.

He agreed, but next thing I knew all FIVE firemen were following me to the gym! 

Oh dear.

I really didn’t want to make Joe feel more embarrassed than he already did.  I didn’t want him to think he couldn’t handle taking care of things himself.

But he showed such grace as these guys came and checked on him.  He joked with them, thanked them for the help and seemed appreciative.

My pride has a lot to learn from that.

The other thing?  One of the firemen said, “We didn’t mean to overwhelm you.  We just work better as a team.”

Isn’t that the truth?

Hello, my name is Regret

I’m pretty sure we have met

Every single day of your life

I’m the whisper inside

That won’t let you forget

 Hello, my name is Defeat

I know you recognize me

Just when you think you can win

I’ll drag you right back down again

Til you’ve lost all belief

These are the voices, these are the lies

And I have believed them, for the very last time!

Hello, my name is Child of the One True King!

I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, and I have been set free!

“Amazing Grace” is the song I sing!

Hello, my name is Child of the One True King!

 I am no longer defined

By all the wreckage behind

The One who makes all things new

Has proven it’s true

Just take a look at my life!

Hello, my name is Child of the One True King!

I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, and I have been set free!

“Amazing Grace” is the song I sing!

Hello, my name is Child of the One True King!

What love the Father has lavished upon us!

That we should be called His children!

I am a child of the One True King!

-Matthew West, “Hello My Name Is”

At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.  They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  Now what do you say?”

They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them,

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

Jesus straightened up and asked her,

“Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.  “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

(John 8:2-11)

Oh, how can you not love Him?!

I’m finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is, it’s okay

The last thing I need is to be heard

 But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain?

Washing my eyes to see

Your Majesty

To be still and know

That You’re in this place

Please let me stay and rest

In Your holiness

Word of God speak

I’m finding myself in the midst of You

Beyond the music, beyond the noise

All that I need is to be with You

And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain?

Washing my eyes to see

Your Majesty

To be still and know

That You’re in this place

Please let me stay and rest

In Your holiness

Word of God speak

I’m finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it’s okay… 

Mercy Me, “Word of God Speak”