Entering the Promised Land

**fennywest** Mon 13 Aug 2012, 9:39 pm

Entering the Promised Land
Is God’s will for your life
So follow His command
So that you will have life.

Listen well, carefully
So that you can obey.
Listen attentively
So that you do not stray.

Obey strange instructions
That will come from the Lord
To test your submission
To His will and His word.

Identify the foe.
Go in the Name of God
Do not fear any foe.
You must have faith in God.

Let no sin trip you up
So purify yourself
The Lord wants you on top.
Do not defeat yourself.

Go in the Spirit’s power
And follow your leaders
Through God you will tower.
Just throw away your fears.

1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over.
2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp;
3 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before."
5 And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
7 And the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.' "
9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God."
10 And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan.

Summary
1 God wants you to enter all of the Promised Land: your destiny, your inheritance in Christ, your reason for beingV1
2 There are enemies currently occupying the Land V10
3 You need to identify them to be able to root them out; know that some of the enemies are within you-your flesh
4 It is essential that you listen properly to God’s and heed it completely to be able to enter and possess the land.V6
5 God would often give you strange instructions, ridiculous or illogical instructions to test your submission and surrender. You must obey them if you want to possess the Land.V8
The ark signifies His presence and power. Without it you will lose your war, your battles; you cannot stand your enemies. Therefore cultivate and practise and cherish His presence all the time to win all your battles. In the Ark of the Covenant were the Ten Commandments( two tablets), Aaron’s rod and golden pot of manna. (Heb9:4, 1Ki.8:9) The tablets are to remind us that we have a Covenant with God that we need to uphold, the Old Covenant is replaced by the New Covenant established on better promises. You have a God who keeps covenants and what He has promised He will do so long as you keep your side of the bargain. You also need to know who you are in Christ to possess the Promised Land. Cherish His word, His presence and know who you are in Him and depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Tablets:
The tables of the covenant were also there. They were the written Word of God, the Ten Commandments. Man may break God’s commandments; and, like Moses, in a fit of rage forget how precious those commandments are to our lives here. Man as it were "throws them aside" when he is angry or preoccupied with something else in this world. But man better realize that "casting them aside" does NOT "do away with them." Man will face the Word of God again one day. Psalm 119:89 says, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." Matthew 24:35 says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Those who think that they can ignore the Word of God, will be surprised to see it right there at their judgment. John 12:48 says, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: THE WORD THAT I HAVE SPOKEN, THE SAME SHALL JUDGE HIM IN THE LAST DAY."
http://www.libertygospeltracts.com/question/prequest/arkitems.htm

The Rod
“As for the rod or staff, it represents comfort and protection to the obedient. Psalm 23:4 says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME." But they represent chastening or judgment to the disobedient. Proverbs 26:3 says, "A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and A ROD FOR THE FOOL’S BACK." Proverbs 13:24 says, "He that SPARETH HIS ROD hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."
http://www.libertygospeltracts.com/question/prequest/arkitems.htm
“The Manna:
It was a reminder to them, and to us, that God takes care of His own. Psalm 37:25 says, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Matthew 6:31-33 says, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

6 Advance in faith and do not doubt. Without faith it is impossible to please God. We walk by faith and not by sight, so do not fear the enemies and do not focus on how they look or what they try to do to frighten you.

7 This word is true for the individual as it is for the church.

8 The role of the leadership is important. Therefore listen to your leaders and what God is saying through them. Obey these instructions as instructions from the Lord as long as they are in line with the scriptures. Obtain rhema (what God is saying) from the logos (what God has said) that is preached.

9 River Jordan is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Notice that this is the second river that the Children of Israel crossed after the Red Sea. Whereas the Red Sea symbolised the first baptism and the ark – salvation, baptism into the body, River Jordan is symbolic of the second baptism- Baptism in the Holy Spirit. ‘As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the children of God. There is thus an added reinforcement of the essence and vitality of the Holy Spirit, as earlier mentioned in the need to follow the Ark.

“The salvation of the soul requires the living of a crucified life (our present salvation) in order to share in Christ’s coming glory during the coming Messianic kingdom of a thousand years (our future salvation). To be in a position to rule and reign with our Lord then, there has to be a present training in which we move from the natural to the spiritual through the subjective work of the cross of Christ. The whole matter of the salvation of the soul, which emanates from living a crucified life, involves our present salvation in view of our future salvation. The Jordan River is a type of it. Our heavenly food (the written Word and Living Word), the power of Christ’s resurrection, and the metamorphosis, can be summarized as the antitype of the Jordan River.
“
http://bibleone.net/print_tbs138.html

10 Three days is an allusion to the power of the resurrection after three days. We need to remind ourselves of the power that raised Jesus from the dead always, in our quest for our promised land. Once again it was through the Holy Spirit that it was made possible and not by might nor by power. V1
11 ‘You have not been this way before’ a reminder that that it is a strange terrain. Do not take anything for granted. ‘Trust in the Lord at all times. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.’ Prov3:5-6
12 Purify yourself V5 without purity you cannot enter the Land. So examine yourself and avoid sin that will short-change you; also avoid weighs that will weigh you down or impede your progress. ‘All things are lawful but not everything is expedient.’ You need to be discerning to distinguish weighs from sin. ‘Not everything that is good is God.’ Do not dissipate your energy on what you‘re not called to do. Be focused, targeted, pointed, not distracted by irrelevance-enemy ploys to divert you from your purpose and dispossess you.
13 Also know that it is your responsibility to purify yourself. God will not do for you what you can do yourself. Take responsibility and do what you know to do. You can pray for help but ultimately you will be held responsible. Rom12:1-2 Heb12:1-2. Joseph ran away from Potiphar’s wife to keep himself pure; so too you must flee every appearance of sin. 2Tim2:22 Even though he was still maligned and imprisoned, but God allowed it to take him into his Promised Land. So even if your obedience bring you further trouble do not despair keep trusting and relying on the integrity and faithfulness of God.
14 You must learn to SEE and FOLLOW V3. Unless you look and OBSERVE you may not see properly. Jos1:8 and if you do not see properly you will not follow correctly.©Fenny West2012
http://inspiration4generations.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/olympic-series-the-race-of-grace-1-preparation/