Deuteronomy 31:21 – “Then when many disasters and distresses overcome them this song will testify against them, for their descendants will not forget it. I know the intentions they have in mind today, even before I bring them to the land I have promised.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, the eternality, Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipotence of God awed me once again.

In Deuteronomy 31, God told Moses that after Moses’ death, Israel would rebel. He said in verse 21, “I know the intentions they have in mind today, even before I bring them to the land or place, I promised.”  Our amazing God knows our thoughts and plans before we do!

In Deuteronomy 32:30, God reminds Moses and us that the exploits of God, the miracles, cannot happen unless He moves! In Deuteronomy 33:27 – “The Everlasting God is a refuge, and underneath you are His everlasting arms…” Take hold of that! That is life-giving!

When Israel prepared to enter the land, the two spies warned Rahab, “Everyone must stay in the House (under the covering).”  When they crossed the Jordan, they set up memorial stones in the Jordan and then again at Gilgal. We need markers to remind us and trigger our faith.  Things, places, events, people that remind us of who God is, what God has done, His promise, and our goal. Frequent reminders!

There comes a time when we have endured the wilderness, crossed the Jordan, and stand at the threshold of the promise; we must “Shout!”  (Joshua 6:20.)   When we do, the Walls Fall.  

It is not wishful shouting or shouting to make it happen; it is shouting because we believe and see the Promise.  It is when we have come to the place or the House of Promise.  It is when we have fully embraced our position and condition. Today is the day to shout for many; is today your day to abandon all of Him and shout the walls down?

I think of the encouragement to the Thessalonians.  We are not destined for wrath, but salvation.   Our charge is to admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all, always rejoice, constantly pray, and always have an attitude of gratitude and Thanksgiving.

If we see what Jesus did at the Cross, then death and life take on a new meaning. How we grieve, how we celebrate, and how we live reveal how we view the Finished Work of Jesus.  If we see, we can Shout, and the Walls will Fall.

LORD, we embrace Your intentions for us and desire to be the People You have purposed us to be!

Deuteronomy 29:2-4 – “Moses proclaimed to all Israel as follows: “You have seen all that the Lord did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and his land. ³ Your eyes have seen the great judgments, those signs and mighty wonders. ⁴ But to this very day the Lord has not given you an understanding mind, perceptive eyes, or discerning ears!”

I pray that the eyes of your heart receive full enlightenment so that no deception or discouragement hinders you.  As I prayed, read, and meditated on the Word of God today, several things (more than I can share) captivated my thoughts.  

In Deuteronomy 29:2-4, I was brought face-to-face with the understanding that seeing events does not bring full enlightenment.   Seeing miracles and the hand of God move is intriguing, but that alone does not transform.   Only Jesus in the heart truly transforms.

In Deuteronomy 30:6, the powerful reality and promise leaped off the page and gripped my heart and mind: IF we turn to God, He will cleanse our hearts.  But the staggering part is, AND our descendants!   Then even more amazing is the promise – “So that we can LOVE God with our entire being.   Lord, give us cleansed hearts!”

Colossians 1:5 caused me to stop, look, and listen.  Our faith rises or is produced out of HOPE.   Hope rises from the Gospel.   The source of Faith and Love flows from Heaven or God.

Colossians 1:13-14 provides a foundation of hope and assurance that is beyond amazing.    In Christ and His work on the Cross, we are delivered from the power, influence, and control of the devil’s domain of darkness.  We are Transferred into the Kingdom of the Son!  We changed citizenship.  We are Redeemed, bought, or bought back by a price (The Blood of the Lamb).  We enjoy the totality of Forgiveness and the Freedom embodied therein.

We become the overcomers He was.  Colossians 2:6-7 gives us the picture and pathway to victory and becoming.   We are “IN” Christ and live rooted in Him.  We are being Built Up and established firmly “IN” Him.   We become those who Overflow with Gratitude!  

Paul explains how this can be in verses 9-10.   “For in Him (Jesus) ALL the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, AND YOU have been FILLED in Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”  

We are not filled with Him but “IN” Him.   We are placed “IN” Him, and in Him we become one with Him.  It is there that the reality of the truth, “the life     I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith OF the Son of God,” becomes a demonstrable reality.   I live His life by His Spirit, being filled with His fullness.   The old me no longer exists; my DNA and ancestry have changed.  Christ IN me, the Hope of Glory!

When we have the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we will become who He sees and says we are!   The chains will be gone!  We will live a life few know, and most don’t believe possible.

LORD, open the eyes of our hearts so we can see, believe, and be!

Deuteronomy 11:1 – “You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments at all times.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the words “Explicit Obedience” kept reverberating in my heart and head.  Explicit obedience is only truly fruitful when done out of consuming love.

Deuteronomy 11:1, 8-9, 13-15 is emphatic about loving God completely and obeying explicitly.  God was so serious about this that He said in verses 26-28 that He has given us the choice of blessing and curse.

In Deuteronomy 18:9, we have the mandate to be transformers, not conformers.  We change the culture rather than assimilate into it. That is not done except by complete love and explicit obedience.

I love Philippians 1:6, where Paul assures the Philippians that God is capable and committed to finishing His work in us. He gives us a forward look, enabling us to live in the present!

Philippians 3:10-11 cannot be read without verses 12-14. Paul listed 5 things as goals: know (become one with) Jesus.  Out of that, knowing he would be able to experience the power of Jesus’ resurrection.  That would enable him to have the strength, courage, and willingness to share in Christ’s sufferings, which would strip him of fleshly control and become like Jesus in His death. Remember, the death of Jesus was to bring life, not simply the cessation of existence on earth. Then, as a result, attain the final resurrection as well as enter into resurrection life now!

Then he brings it into focus so everyone can understand the process and pursuit! “I’m not there yet, but that’s where I’m going!”   How to attain this is found in verses 13-14 – Singleness of focus and purpose.  God is my consuming passion and pursuit.  Bringing the focus into perspective. No looking back but reaching and longing for what’s ahead.  I see the prize, the finish line, the purpose, and the pathway. Therefore, I strive for that goal. In Philippians 4:4-9, we have the daily activities that enable us to pursue and attain the goal. Read those verses, commit them to heart and mind, and allow them freedom to become consistent daily practices!

Out of that mindset, Paul learned contentment!  Discontent is one of the biggest hindrances for modern believers. We don’t even realize it and refuse to acknowledge it, but it is prevalent. In a state of learned contentment, Paul said, “I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.”

Explicit Obedience out of a heart and mind filled with consuming love creates a condition of unstoppability!

LORD, guide our thoughts so that our minds are fixed on You and our hearts are open to Your Spirit!

Deuteronomy 5:1-2 – “Then Moses called all the people of Israel together and said to them: “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them! ² The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, my heart was deeply challenged and overflowed with a renewed confidence in God.    In Deuteronomy, the Lord spoke to my heart to always read the Ten Commandments as the terms of the Covenant.

In the natural blood covenants, there were negotiated terms that each party had to keep, or the Covenant was nullified.  God’s Ten Commandments are not optional!  The terms of human covenants that were kept granted the other access to all that the other had and could provide.  If we obey, we have access to all God is and has!  It’s not earning it; it is a condition of covenant. He willingly chooses to provide.

When we consider the Book of Ephesians, we can easily become overwhelmed by the truth.  Therefore, it would be wise to absorb the message in bite-sized portions.  For example, Ephesians 1 begins with a revelation of what the “Blessed”  life involves and provides.   Every spiritual blessing from heaven is part of the package.  We have the security of knowing we were chosen in eternity past to be able to participate in this life!   Ephesians 1:11 says that God has claimed us as His own possession!

Ephesians 2:1-3 gives a picture of the life condition of the lost.  Then, verses 4-10 reveal what has been provided, who we are to be, and how we are to function. In Ephesians 2:21-22, we discover that the Christian life is one of progression and transformation. Day by day, we are changed.

In Ephesians 3:10-13, we have the confidence to engage in bold praying and living. In verses 16-21, we have the revelation to enable us to become empowered with Christ’s authority. In Ephesians 4:29, we are warned to watch what we say.   

In Ephesians 5:1-5, we see things to guard against that would keep us out of the inheritance; verses 3-4 are particularly germane.  Avoid sexual immorality or impurity of any kind.  Run from greed.  Clean up our language, resist foolish discussions, and develop an attitude of gratitude and Thanksgiving.

Ephesians 5:1-5 is filled with life guidance that brings peace! Then Ephesians 6:10-18 provides the pathway to spiritual strength, the revelation of the real struggle, and how to stand or fight this fight.

God’s grace opens the door, but we have to walk through it and then participate in the development of the Blessed Life.  How much and how quickly we progress is dependent on our choices and investment (commitment).

Becoming requires honing, sharpening, being pruned, challenged, chastened, disciplined, and submitting to being discipled.  God has provided. He said in Deuteronomy that he had given them victory over a king before the battle, then said, “Now go fight.”   That applies here.   God has provided; now we have to go possess and become.

LORD, help us embrace Your Commandments, knowing they elevate us to a higher plane spiritually and a greater place of victory and freedom!

Numbers 33:50-56 – “The Lord spoke to Moses in the rift valley plains of Moab along the Jordan, across from Jericho. He said: ⁵¹ “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ⁵² you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images, all their molten images, and demolish their high places. ⁵³ You must dispossess the inhabitants of the land and live in it, for I have given you the land to possess it. ⁵⁴ You must divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families. To a larger group you must give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group you must give a smaller inheritance. Everyone’s inheritance must be in the place where his lot falls. You must inherit according to your ancestral tribes. ⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those whom you allow to remain will be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your side, and will cause you trouble in the land where you will be living. ⁵⁶ And what I intended to do to them I will do to you.’”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was reminded of the process of possessing the promise.  In Numbers 33:51-53, God gave Moses specific instructions regarding Canaan – Their Place of Promise!  Their Inheritance.

He gave 4 directives: drive out, cleanse, dispossess, and possess.  Each is essential. In verse 53, He said, “You must dispossess the inhabitants of the land and live in it, for I have given you the land to possess it.”

Remember this: God’s Promises are often, if not always, occupied territory. What is it that hinders us from being who God wants us to be?  Is it pride, anger, jealousy, lust, covetousness, spiritual apathy, longings of the flesh, prayerlessness, or something else?  Those enemies must be dispossessed before we can become or manifest what we are to be.

Galatians 3:27-29 reveals a pathway to victory.   Baptized into Christ – do make that about water, but relationship.  Baptism is a type of death, burial, and resurrection.  We then clothe ourselves with Christ. We yield our entire being to Him.   Galatians 5:16-21 gives an answer to becoming.   

Living under the influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to resist the desires of the flesh. We can control our thoughts and actions! We become more than conquerors!

Galatians 6:7-10 is a powerful encouragement. Keep doing what is right, even when the flesh is throwing a hissy fit, and eventually it will pay off. Galatians 6:14-15 is the key.  Through the Cross, we are crucified to the world. We are New Creations with a new spiritual DNA and a clean slate. No past, only a new future!

Make it your purpose to drive out, cleanse, dispossess, and possess God’s Promise(s). It is your heritage, but it requires your commitment and involvement.

LORD, help us learn to dispossess so we can possess Your Promises!