Bu, the “Promised Land” was on the OTHER side of the Jordan!! On the other side of the Jordan was Canaan Land, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land promised to their forefathers, their inheritance!
The tribes of Reuben and Gad saw the land east of the Jordan and they were quite content to stop there rather than go on and receive ALL that God had provided for them. They saw that it was good for livestock, and they had much livestock, so they settled down there. It satisfied their “at-the-moment” needs, therefore they sacrificed God’s best for mediocre. The men even agreed to go into battle to help their Israelite brothers to receive their inheritance, but they wanted only to leave their possessions and families in the security of what they could see and obtain in the present.
Meanwhile, listen to what those who went on to Canaan received from the Lord: “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” (Joshua 21:43-45)
Here’s what I want to focus on today. God does not want you to settle for whatever will do…He doesn't want you to "just get by"...He wants you to have the best! I saw a sign in front of a church a few weeks back and it touched me deeply, and the truth of what it said is the foundation of this message. It read, “God gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him.” How often do we make do with less than God’s desire for us or His perfect plan for our lives? How might we be living in greater victory, greater success, greater anointing if we would be willing to press in a little harder or wait a little longer until we are sure we have received God’s best for our lives?
Now, I want to make myself perfectly clear here. I am not teaching a prosperity message and I certainly do not believe that it’s God’s will for every born-again child of God to own a mansion or two and to have every luxury their hearts desire. That, dear friends, IS NOT SUCCESS! Success is being right in the center of our Father’s plan and purpose for your life. There is no greater fulfillment in all the world than to know in the depths of your heart that your life is pleasing to God.
Too often I see precious people who are very sincere in their love for the Lord and they truly want to live their lives for Him. But rather than allow Him the opportunity to work all things together on their behalf, and rather than waiting for the Lord to call the shots, they rush through the first door that opens for them and then they try to make it the best they can. I have seen many relationship failures that happened because of just this reason. People come out of one relationship that went bad, and rush right into another one because they were lonely, when what they needed to do was to put their trust in the Lord and wait for Him. Friends, that’s not God’s way. He has the perfect way for you to walk. He has the perfect answer for the desires of your heart. If you don’t have God’s specific answer for your situation, then don’t move until you know without a doubt that God has directed you to.
Jesus made one of the most powerful statements when He said, “...I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28) Jesus walked in perfect obedience. He spoke only what the Father gave Him to speak, and He only did what the Father gave Him to do. How much more fulfilling our lives would be if we strived for the same goal. Meanwhile, we rush around trying to do God’s will our own way, and all He desires is that we seek His direction, and refuse to settle for less than His best. He has already designed the perfect plan for our lives…and all He asks of us is to do it His way. He is intimately interested in every area of our lives. When we act without direction, we end up going around in circles in a mass of confusion. Friends, God is NOT the author of confusion. His is a faithful Father. He wants to lead us down the straight and narrow, but we must seek Him diligently, be willing to go His way even when the way looks unreasonable, and wait until He shows us which path to take. By living this way, we have the most peace, the most assurance and the most joy possible in our lives.
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14) God intends that we live in victory. But He also knows that we can only do that as we allow Him full reign in every area of our lives. He must have control of the decision making process. Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:13-14 of following our own direction, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Choose to do it God’s way…and receive His very best for your life!
Prayer: Father often the easy way is the one that I settle for just because I lack the fortitude to “stick to it” and allow You to give me the BEST way. Often I make do with much less than You intend for my life simply because I do not press through until I hear from You. Help me Lord to settle for NOTHING less than what You have promised and to do NOTHING less than what You know I can do. I want to live my life to please You and You alone dear Lord. Help me to always seek Your face and to dare to step outside of my comfort zone or the convenience of the present to go all the way with You. You are my faithful Father, and I know that You will faithfully lead me to that “promised land” You have designed just for me. Thank You Lord…In Jesus Name…Amen.
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