POSSESS AND DWELL IN YOUR INHERITANCE

FULFILLING GOD’S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE

A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH TODAY

I believe the purpose for which God set the Israelites free from Egyptian captivity was so they could inherit the Promised Land, as He had promised Abraham.

During their journey, God guided and protected the children of Israel (A Cloud moving ahead of them for direction and a Pillar of Fire at the rear/behind them for protection.)
The same way today, God through His Holy Spirit guides and protects those who diligently seek His face, who with sincere hearts seek to know His will for their lives, as they journey toward fulfilling their purpose in life-Partaking of God’s promises to the Church. (John.16:5-16)

It is also important to note that not all the Children of Israel were able to reach the Promised Land. In fact, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, of the whole generation that left Egypt; including Moses and Aaron (these two led Israel out of captivity), all those 20years and above never made it across the Jordan. Also among the new generation of Israel, some did not inherit the Promised Land; the Reubenites, the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh. Though they were children of Israel, God’s chosen nation, children of Promise; they did not inherit the Promised Land.
This to me seems to suggest that, just because you are a Christian is no guarantee you will live the fullness of the life God desires for you to live here on earth, the fulfillment of His Purpose for your life. Sadly, there is evidence of this situation in the Church today, with so many Christians living life without Vision, lacking Purpose-a situation which at best I choose to call a “Passive/Dead Christianity” (Proverbs. 29:18, Hosea. 4:6), a situation where many in Christendom hardly enjoy the blessings of God, hardly enjoy God’s peace and Joy. This was never meant to be, it is not the will of God, and if it is not God’s will, then it is not our portion.
I have also noted that the same very obstacles that blocked some of the children of Israel from inheriting Canaan still affect the church today. Nothing new, the devil who caused trouble then is still the same today. We will deal with these later on.

ISRAEL’S DESTINY

I believe Israel’s destiny was not for them to just reach and possess the Promised Land, but also to dwell in it-Enjoying the Good of the Land (Milk and Honey-deut.11:8-9). Let me make this clear, this is not just about material things, for the Kingdom of God is not restricted to material wealth(Romans 14:17), but also I must emphasize that it is God’s will that we enjoy material wealth/blessings.(Deut.8, 11,Jeremiah 29:11,and the rest of the bible………)
God indeed fulfilled the promise He made to Abraham, when He got the children of Israel out of Egyptian captivity and brought them to freedom in Canaan-their destiny.
Like wise, I believe it is God’s desire for us to accomplish every purpose for which He created us.
Remember, first, God gave Israel freedom from Egyptian slavery, and then He guided them through the desert and finally brought them to Canaan. The same with the Church today. First, God gives us freedom from sin (slavery in Egypt), then He guides our lives as we navigate life's circumstances. e.g  temptation (Satan-golden calf, grumbling in the desert, etc), trials and tribulations (James.1:1-27)

BUT, Israel didn’t just find and possess the land without a fight. They had to contend for it, they fought wars, which they won only because God was with them, and they did as God commanded them to. In order to inherit Canaan, they had to persevere 40 years in the desert, as well as wars with the inhabitants of Canaan.
The same is necessary with the church today. We must persevere, we must contend for what is ours.
In Other words, once we have stood strong and stayed the course, reaching your destiny is inevitable.

WILL YOU DWELL IN YOUR INHERITANCE

Qn.Why Settle for what looks like your inheritance? Why settle for less than what God dreams and desires for you?

Numbers 32:1-42
The Gadites, Reubenites and half the tribe of Manasseh of their own will, chose not to inherit and dwell in their true inheritance, but settled for what looked like the Promised Land, a land neighboring Canaan. That land, on the east side of the Jordan also happened to be well endowed; it was fertile, had good pastures for their animals, and had good cities to dwell in. It looked just like Canaan, BUT was not Canaan, it was not their inheritance. Their inheritance was on the other side of the Jordan. That is to say, they settled for what I choose to call a “counterfeit” Inheritance.
This is exactly what I see in the Church today. Many Christians for various reasons fail or intentionally choose not to live a life of fulfillment, the life God desires for the Church. The sad reality is, today many in the Church have settled for less than God created them for-the fulfillment of His purpose for their lives, the realization of His dreams for their lives. We settle for that which looks like what God has for us, yet in reality it is not. Worse still many in the Church, having experienced some of the fruits of God’s blessings in their lives, settle for just that and don’t press on so as to develop a deeper relationship with God, so they may partake of more, of what God has in store for them.
Interestingly, having given us free will, God sometimes allows us to have our way, even when it is not in His original plan. Think about the three tribes, when they approached Moses with a desire to settle on the east side of the Jordan, he (Moses) granted them their wish, but only after they had made a promise to both God and all of Israel that they would fight alongside the rest of Israel and help them drive out all enemies from Canaan. Only then would they return to their preferred land on the east side of the Jordan.

CONTEND FOR AND INHERIT YOUR POSSESSION

Qn. Why should you fight for your God-given possession, and in the end not partake of it?

I have also noticed from Numbers 32 and Joshua 1:10-18 that though the three tribes did fight alongside the rest of Israel to possess Canaan, they themselves never possessed any lands there, since they had already been granted land on the east side of the Jordan. In other words, they contended for, but never inherited Canaan.

This again speaks of the situation I see in the Church today, where so many Christians are busy Praying and Interceding (Contending) for their nations to prosper, for the Church to prosper, and indeed God does hear their prayers, yet even as their nations and as some in the Church prosper, so many of those contending seem to be left behind, they don’t partake of what they contend for.
Which is why I ask the question, why should you fight for your God-given possession, and in the end not partake of it?
No doubt some people may want to nullify my question by referring to Abraham, but we must remember that the promise God made was not only to Abraham, but also to his (Abraham’s) seed - his descendants.




THE VICTORY IS YOURS ALREADY

Finally, just like Israel had to contend for Canaan, so do the Church today. We must contend for our portion, our destiny-the fulfillment of God’s purpose for our lives, and we must do it the right way. Like Israel, we must let God lead the way into battle. God should be at the frontline. In Hebrews 12 the Church is told to stay focused on Jesus.
Notice that Israel won all the battles into which God lead them, yet lost whenever they fought on their own terms. Their victory was in God and so is yours.
Remember in Christ Jesus, you already have the victory, but in order to see the manifestation of that victory, like Israel, you must fight. Israel always went to war with the assurance that the battle was won already, because God always assured them beforehand that He (God) had already given the enemy into their (Israel’s) hands.
The same with the Church today, in Christ Jesus we already have the assurance of Victory, but we must walk in that assurance, for we draw strength from that assurance.
Therefore though you are blessed and though your destiny is assured, first, you still must fight for the manifestation of the blessings and you must fight your way to your destiny. The Possession is yours already but you must first contend for it before you can fully partake of it.

The Church should not just sit back and expect to see God’s blessings manifesting in our lives. I believe we have a duty to take up arms (The Word of God), and fight our way to our destiny.
Remember we do not have to fight to be blessed, for in Christ Jesus we already are blessed. But we must contend for the manifestation of the blessing, just like Israel, whom though God had already given them Canaan, they still had to contend for it. Just because it belonged to them already did not mean they were going to receive it on a “silver plate”.
The same goes for the Church today. Yes we are blessed and yes in Christ Jesus we already have Victory over life’s situations, but the blessings of God will not just show up out of the blue, they will not just fall out of heaven. We must fight our way out of our “desert” experiences if we are going to fulfill our life’s purpose-reach our destiny.

SOLDIERS OF DESTINY

Remember, we the Church are soldiers of the Lord and soldiers are specifically made for battle. If you are born again and still have doubts as to whether you are a soldier or not, the following scriptures should be a wakeup call.
Ephesians 6:10-20, 2Corinthians 6:7, Psalm 144:1-2, 2Corinthians 10:3-6, 1Peter 2:11, Revelation 19:11-21, 1Timothy 6:12, 2Timothy 4:7, 1Peter 4:1, Romans 13:11-12, 1Thesalonians 5:8, Luke 10:19, 1Peter 5:8, Romans 8:37………………. ….e.t.c, e.t.c.


WHY FAIL? THE SPIRIT OF UNBELIEF

I have come to realize that the major reason Israel struggled while journeying to the Promised Land was Unbelief-Their constant failure to Trust and Believe in God’s ability to deliver them. Time and again they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, but most importantly against God Himself. I believe every weakness in them had its roots in unbelief.
This I believe is the same situation in the Church today, we believe yet, will not walk in Faith in God.
More on this to come later…enough for now………….

THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR CHOICE WEAPON OF WARFARE


God bless you

THE RELEVANT CHURCH

Understanding the times, addressing the challenges facing this generation.

Qn: When is the Church (Body of Christ) relevant?

Relevant is when the world sees Jesus in you. (The light of the world, the salt of the earth)
(Romans 12,2Timothy 1:13, Titus 2&3, Matthew.5)

Jesus has chosen the church to be role models of the Divine life here on earth. In other words, as He is the only role model to the church, so is the church to the world.
We are ambassadors of Christ on earth meaning, our one and only duty is to represent Him and everything He stands for, which is why He is quick to emphasize in His word that; “though we are in the world, we are not of the world” (John.15.18-19).
Scripture teaches that we are the LIGHT of the world and the SALT of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16).
I strongly believe that we will only be relevant to this generation if we maintain the light of Jesus in our lives, when we let our light shine, “for no one lights a lamp and then hides it under a basket” (Matthew.5:15-16), as well as our saltiness. Remember salt is most commonly used as a flavor, medicine, and also a preservative. What we also need to know is that, when salt loses its saltiness, it loses value and is therefore rendered useless, meaning one might as well simply discard it. The bible warns that when we lose our saltiness, then we are of no value to the world. I believe that losing our saltiness, and when we allow our light to burn out, the world finds it a lot easier to trample us; they find it a lot easier to resist us, to reject the gospel which we not only confess but preach.
The only way to maintain saltiness and to keep the light of Christ burning in our lives is to remain in Jesus, in fellowship with His Spirit (John 15:1-8).
The world is not our inheritance, Eternal life is. In other words, we have no business trying to fit in with the world; instead we should be seeking to change the world through preaching and living out the Gospel, as opposed to flirting with the world. (Ephesians.5:7-11)

For Jesus Christ to see the Church as befitting to be role models is a real privilege, considering we once were as filthy as the world is, yet having been made righteous through His blood, we now share in His glory as He has not only changed our lives and chosen to duel in our hearts, but is also using us as vessels to spread His love-The gospel of Grace, whose end result is redemption-the Salvation of the lost.

The church needs to realize that we are the link between Jesus and the world.

The church is the only channel through which the world can see and experience godliness. Thus God is calling the church to that place where we can confidently seek out and ask the world to imitate us, as we follow Jesus Christ(Philippians.4:8-9,1corinthians 11:1).This requires us to live lives that reflect well upon the person and character of Jesus Christ. How ever for this to happen, the church also first has to experience the reality of God. For how can we prove the reality of his existence, without first experiencing His presence?
Yes we believe in Jesus and no doubt we love Him. But are we really experiencing the reality of His presence in our lives or do we just talk about Him because the pastor talks about God’s presence or because the bible teaches about it? Now be careful how you interpret this. I am not saying you need first to experience a physical manifestation of God’s presence and Power in order to believe that He is real. That would not be true for ours is a walk of faith and not sight or feelings.
Remember the bible is God’s infallible word; in fact, it is the perfect representation of the nature and life of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-4). So we need to believe everything therein. However it costs the church nothing, to know that God has not only called us to read, but also to experience His word, to experience His kind of life, His Divine nature of which we are partakers through Life in Christ Jesus. (2Peter.1:3-4)

For the church to change the world, we need to live the Gospel. In order to become agents of Change, we must first be changed by the gospel we profess.

God expects the church to set trends for the world, yet in so many ways we have allowed the world to set trends for us. The church needs to know that we are the leaders and not the led. Allowing the world to lead us amounts to being led by ‘the blind man’ (Luke 6:39, Mathew 15:14). Make no mistake though, we who are in Christ are not blind, but the world is. Remember the things of the Kingdom of God have been revealed only to the body of Christ (1Corinthians 2: 6-16), yet many Christians world over continue to live their lives like blind people, lacking understanding of the scriptures.
Our trend is Christlikeness (godliness), which is the light by which we shine in the midst of the darkness; the wickedness which has so engulfed the earth.
This means, this gospel which we profess must produce results in our lives for all to see, because it is only through our actions (how we conduct our lives), that we can show the world the reality of the gospel. In other words, unless we witness change in our own lives, we can not really prove to the world that God changes, let alone that He is real.
However, let me also add that our good deeds or good works do not make us perfect, instead they are evidence that we have been perfected by Jesus Christ, that He resides in our hearts and that He is at work in our lives.

The church needs to note that God has not only called us to preach the Gospel, but to also live it out.

The question then is, how can we ensure that we maintain our relevance? Is it possible for the Church to exert greater influence as never before, considering the world is becoming ever more hostile to the gospel?

Without any doubt, yes! God has given us Power and Authority (2Timothy.7:6-14, 2Corinthians 10:1-6, Luke 1:9, 10:19,1John 4:4, Mark 16:15-17…), so when we exercise this Power and Authority which is on the inside of us, we will have the greatest influence ever witnessed in the history of the church. I believe God has called us beyond our church services, mid-week fellowships, telethons, and the like. I am convinced God is calling us to have a greater influence in all spheres of life including social, political and economic arenas. (Psalm.67)
Our influence is needed in all these areas if the church is truly going to impact this world for Jesus Christ.

However, we also need to note that, exercising the Power and Authority given us by Christ Jesus will not just happen out of the blue. God is no magician; we are not in a circus. This is spiritual war fare (Ephesians 6:10-18, 2Corinthians 10:1-6). This is the day for the church to seek the Lord’s face, to touch Heaven. We have not been called to be “churchy”, but to maintain union with Christ Jesus, through continual fellowship with His Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things concerning the Kingdom of God.
Only through continual fellowship with God will we be empowered to fully utilize the Power and Authority given us by Christ Jesus.

In other words, for all who desire to greatly impact the world for Jesus, if we (the Church) are going to be empowered; we have to diligently seek God so that He may continue to guide our paths, to reveal His purpose for our lives, to constantly renew our strength, to increase us in knowledge, wisdom and understanding, so we are able to rightfully discern the times we are in.

Jesus Christ believes in you whole heartedly, He has great faith in the Church, He has great expectations of the Church, and He has placed His hope in you.

In conclusion therefore, I believe if we (the Church) stay close to God, if we constantly seek the counsel of His spirit, if we maintain an intimate relationship with Him, there is no doubt we will be all that He desires us to be, we will boldly represent His Kingdom as He so very much desires, we will light up the earth, and the world will have no option but take notice of God’s presence and His glory in our lives.
There fore be encouraged; be strong and steadfast in your faith in Jesus Christ, do not lose heart, keep the fire burning, stay fervent in spirit, do not give up the battle yet. Together with Jesus Christ, we have it all under control, the world is ours to possess. Remember Jesus Christ believes in you whole heartedly, He has great faith in the Church, He has great expectations of the Church, and He has placed His hope in you, otherwise He would not have entrusted us with not only His word but all of creation. He would not have given His life for us; if He was convinced that His death on the Cross would in the end amount to nothing. He also would not have given us His Power and Authority, let alone allowed us to use them, if He didn’t think we had what it took to utilize them. I would want to believe that Jesus Christ knew back then, that one day, His Spirit would dwell in the Church, thus giving us the ability to deal with all the challenges we would face in life.
Isn’t it refreshing to know that Jesus Christ actually believes in you? Oh! What a friend we have in Jesus indeed.

Now is the time for the Church to rise up and shine for Jesus. Now is the time to rekindle the fire, this is the season to glow to the glory of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
The Prophet Isaiah leaves no doubt in my mind that the time is now.
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side” (Isaiah.60:1-4)

Maintain Union with Jesus Christ and you will surely remain relevant to this generation.


Relevant is when people come to ‘church’ and meet Jesus.

Relevant is when Jesus is the product of our Ministry.

Relevant is when people not only witness miracles, but also see Jesus in the miracles.

Relevant is when the church/body of Christ addresses the needs of the people.


God bless you all.

THE SOLUTION IS WITH IN THE PROBLEM

The devil looked at the death of Jesus as the ultimate weapon to halt God’s plan of saving humanity from the bondage of sin. But God on the other hand looked at death as the password needed, for His son Jesus to gain access to hell and win back life for mankind, thereby destroying the dominion of sin over man.

In order to halt the Jewish exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, the pharaoh planned to use the Red Sea as a death trap for the Jews, but God looked at the same Red Sea as the passage way to the Promised Land. In other words, to the pharaoh, water was to bring death to the Jews, but to God the water was to the preserve lives of the Jews.

Therefore, concerning, the trials and tribulations, the temptations we face in our lives, the devil may look at them as his obstacles standing in the way of our progress in the things of God, hindering us from accomplishing God’s purpose for our lives, he may try to use them to destroy us, but God looks at them as major ingredients to further our progress in Him, to usher us into greater glory, so as to make our lives glorious testimonies for the world to see, so that in our glory, He is glorified.
Just like Jesus rose from the dead and was ushered into a new and greater glory, so are we when we overcome all the obstacles Satan throws in our path. This is the same as the great fear that swept through all who had of what God did the Egyptian chariots when he drowned them as they pursued the children of Israel.

Indeed God has turned the tables on the devil’s plan against us. He has not only defeated the devil on our behalf, but has also gone ahead and anointed us with His divine power and authority, so we are able to stand firm and not be shaken every time the devil make his endless come backs.
And as we overcome, God keeps taking us from one level to another, from victory to victory. This means, God uses our victories over the devil’s attacks to usher us into new and greater glory.

Therefore do not despise your self because of what you have been going through, rather celebrate, rejoice for a higher level and greater glory awaits you. Seasons come and go, every season always has a beginning and an end, there is always a time to sow and a time to harvest. So do not lag behind when God ushers you into a new season, do not dwell on the issues in your life when God requires you to step into a new and higher level, a greater glory.

The solutions to the challenges we face in life lie with in the challenges themselves. Just like the anti-venom used to treat snake bites is drawn from the snakes own venom. So do not underestimate your problems, do not look down on you troubles, do not despise the challenges you face in life, for within them is hidden your breakthrough, just like the solution to save man from the bondage of sin and eternal death lay within sin and death themselves. Remember Jesus not only took sin upon himself but also became sin itself; He became the nature of sin, that very thing which makes sin what it is; SIN. Only then was he able to die, and bear in mind we possess eternal life only because in dying for us, Jesus exchanged His life for our, He paid the penalty so we would not have to suffer death; eternal death ceased to have power and dominion over us and He rose to live for us, which why we now live and have the hope of eternal salvation. (Gal.2:20)
It is upon us to stay focused on God so He can show us the way out. Had Jesus taken His focus off God and concentrated on the weight off the Cross (the shame, guilt, pain, tears, mockery, etc), He would have given up the battle, yet having come so close. Remember his prayer in the in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt26:36-46), had Moses chosen to listen to the grumbling Jews instead of God, he would not have known that the door to safety was with in the Red Sea and that the key to unlock this door was right in his own hands( the shepherd’s staff).

So in all we go through life, we should not despair, no matter how much the devil blackmails us, we should never give in (Daniel). Instead we must rejoice in the Lord Jesus who having personally confronted Satan, knows every way there is around all the devil throws at us and only He can lead us to safety.