Your Promise Land

After their exodus from Egypt, it took 40 years for the Children of Israel to acquire the land God promised to Abraham. The question I want to deal with today is this:

Why did it take so long? Why didn't God just bring them into their promise months after leaving Egypt?

I happen to know that this migration could have physically been accomplished in far less than 40 years. A crowd that large (over a million people) could still have arrived at their destination in under a year even if they traveled slow. So why would God allow His children to dwell in transition for almost half a century?

The reason becomes apparent when you realize the condition this group of people were in at the time. They were not yet the strong and fearless nation they would become. At that time, they were a multitude attempting to move from the captivity of their past into a land of promise while severely lacking faith in God. They were not patient. They murmured and complained all the time about everything. They even accused Moses of sabotage and blamed him for their struggles. In fact, many of them were so faithless and distrustful that they would rather have gone back into captivity then to march towards a promise land. And worst of all, they repeatedly spoke against God.

They were not yet the triumphant, faithful, and methodical Nation of God's chosen people who we recognize today as the Jews. Instead, they were an unhappy, ungrateful, rebellious, and coward nation of former slaves questioning Moses' leadership and doubting God's provision; many of whom were anxiously awaiting death.

God did not allow them to walk directly from Egypt into Canaan simply because they were in no way ready to possess the things He promised to their forefathers. The book of Exodus says specifically that if they entered at that time they would be slaughtered by the lands current occupants.

They did not have the character to survive in the promised land. They needed to be strengthened; they needed proving; they had to be staged; cured; forged; and qualified. Therefore, before they could arrive at Canaan, they had to travel through a testing ground. They had to be broken and rebuilt in the wilderness. It was in the wilderness that the Children of Israel became sturdy, reliable, and useful to God. When the time came, they left the wilderness as a new nation. They were finally able to march around the land of Edom and cross territory after territory conquering every Kings army that was sent against them. They possessed every new land that they reached and built a proud nation that still stands today. The Nation of Israel became fearless, seasoned, and passionate about the God of Abraham (at least, for a while).

They weren't perfect, but they were greater than ever before and fully qualified to posses the promise that God made to their nation.

As Christians, we are all expecting a future where God will bless us in a miraculous way. We are praying that God bring us out of bondage, through our transitional "wilderness" period and into a wealthy place where we can rest in green pastures and drink from still waters, as He promised us he would do (23 Psalms).

However, most of us are not ready for the challenges and new responsibilities that our promises from God will hold. We are focused on a spectacular goal which God has placed within our reach, but many have not spent quality time becoming equipped for this future we so desperately desire. Many Christians go to church but only out of tradition. We won't grow our faith, aren't offering God obedience, are decidedly unhappy, ungrateful, rebellious, and even behave cowardicely. We don't want to "change", we just want to "arrive"; and preferably only months (no more than a year) after starting our quest.

We don't realize there will be opposition to face. Our adversary stands in the area where we are headed waiting to drive us away from our new ground back to captivity; not just once, but time after time. And because of the opposition (described by Jesus as a "roaring lion"), our promises remain 5, 10, 20 and for some, 40 years away. Many Christians are stranded in the training ground because we refuse to prepare for the place God has prepared for us to go.

To walk into your promise, you must be spiritually equipped to survive under the new pressure of what you will become or the new opposition will slaughter you quickly. Acquiring that house; that job; that car; that weight goal; that business; or that spouse is only half of the challenge. The true and far greater battle begins once you receive your promise. It is then that your training, your preparation, and your testing will come into play. And because of this, those who live their life without becoming spiritually prepared for a new season will spend the rest of their life blaming God or blaming their Pastor for an extended wilderness only to grow old and die never reaching their promised land.

DEVELOP THE CHARACTER FOR YOUR PROMISED LAND

A NEW MIND SETTING: When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were a cursed-thinking generation. Having been in slavery for so long, they expected the worst in every situation. Even after witnessing some of the greatest miracles recorded in the bible, they remained doubtful and ready to turn back in what seemed like days after the miracle. They had no faith. If God would have brought them to face the Canaanites in that condition, they would have been slaughtered quickly. The Children of Israel could not conceive what God had laid before them.

So what happened to correct this? The entire cursed-thinking generation who left Egypt died in the wilderness and a new hopeful generation was born.

This is the answer for you as well. You have to let your entire former mind-set die and allow a new way of thinking to be born. The Apostle Paul says,

"... be transformed (changed) BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND". Romans 12:2

To reach your promise land, you can no longer conform to your old way of thinking. It's time to let go of your minds old attitude about life and renew your mind! This same verse in Romans proclaims that if you renew your mind, you will

"..prove what the good and acceptable will of God is" Romans 12:3

You will prove to your neighbors who see you; prove to those who knew you when you were a slave; and most importantly, prove to yourself that God has a perfect plan for you!! Let go of old, cursed thinking and walk into perfection!

UNLOAD THE BAGGAGE FROM EGYPT

Moses had a group of people attached to him that carried a lot of baggage. He constantly had to petition God on their behalf because of the bad behaviors they intinctively resorted to. Decades passed and Moses still did not see the spiritual progress that he knew would be necessary for the battles ahead. God was leading them to a new level of promise and with this promise was a new level of responsibility that they were slow in preparing for. Unfortunately, Moses became frustrated and in anger, was disobedient to God which caused him to be banned from the promise land. In the end, Moses only saw the land from the distance of their proving ground.

You may be persistently seeking God's direction in preparation of your promise, but carrying baggage that will cause problems so therefore, you can not arrive. Maybe you have anger issues that prevent you from being patient at times where you should be. Maybe you have infidelity issues that keep you from being trustworthy. Or perhaps you are ready to walk into your DESTINY, but carrying certain people with you who are faithless and murmuring. Maybe you can't enter because of THEIR baggage; THEY aren't ready for your promised land.

It is a terrible thought to be banned from what you've worked so hard and so long to acquire. So don't let it happen to you! UNLOAD THAT BAGGAGE! There is no way you will reach your promise carrying a bunch of negative garbage from your past to remind you of where you came from. Whether its negative attitudes, or just a negative outlook, UNLOAD IT. If negative people are weighing you down, UNLOAD THEM and do it quickly! Unload people who have attached themselves to you who have no faith, no spiritual strength and are constantly speaking against your vision and against God; they are the worst kind of baggage. Carrying them is guaranteed to make you weaker and weaker.

God is mighty enough to deliver you to your promise in a moment's time; but He loves you too much to take you to a place where you will be slaughtered. God, as part of His responsibility to protect you, refuses to put on your shoulders something that will inevitably destroy you because of a "bad heart" condition (meaning, lack of character). But, if you keep growing, learn faithfulness, learn patience, learn peace, learn kindness, learn to Love, learn to practice goodness (instead of evilness) and learn self-control; then, when the time comes, if you remain faithful, God will lift you out of your lengthy wilderness/training ground and guide you into your promised land where you will dwell in peace and for the rest of your life be fed (Psalms 37)!