I love football. I’m not even sure why, but I love to watch it. I especially like the close games. The games where they have to fight tooth and nail for every inch, every yard, every touchdown.
There are times when the offense will take a few yards, and then the defense comes and takes it right back. In a good game, it’s always a fight for the offense to take yards and keep them and make their way down the field to score.
And it’s a fight for your defense to keep the other team from scoring. And the biggest cry from the crowd is, “HOLD THAT LINE.” Stand your ground. Push back. Don’t let them take another inch.
See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.” (Deuteronomy 1:8)
God had given them the land, but they still had to go in and take possession of it. In Joshua 15, the Bible talks about how Joshua gave Caleb a portion in Judah, and then he went immediately to attack it. He fought for it.
At one point, Joshua looked at them and said, “When are you going to take the land God gave you?” God had given them the land, but they had a part to play. They had to take it. They had to fight for it.
Then I saw something interesting as I read through the Bible this year. Not only did they have to fight to take the land. To occupy it. To own it. They had to fight to keep it. The people surrounding them tried to take it back. They had to play defense. They had to hold that line.
We also have a Promised Land we need to take. To fight for. To occupy. It’s not heaven. The Promised Land is NOT a picture of heaven. It’s a picture of the abundant life that Jesus promised. It’s all of the promises in the Word that are yes and amen to us because of the finished work of Christ.
And just like the Israelites, we have an enemy that doesn’t want us living in our Promised Land. We have an enemy that fights against our healing and provision. That fights against our peace and our joy. And we have a choice to make.
Are we going to hand it over because we have to fight for it? Are we going to give up and say, “Well, I guess if God wanted me to have it, it would be easy? It’d just happen. I wouldn’t really have to do anything. I mean, Jesus finished the work on the cross, right? So I don’t have to do anything but sit here all easy and let it come to me.”
You can try that and see how that works for you, but I’m pretty sure you’ll stay outside of the Promised Land.
What do you think would have happened if they walked up to Jericho and knocked on the gate and said, “God gave us this land. You’ll have to go. Bye-bye now.” What would have happened if they didn’t take it? If they hadn’t marched around the city? If they hadn’t shouted?
Fighting doesn’t necessarily mean a physical fight. “Fighting” is obedience to what God said. He gave them strict orders to march around the city and shout.
What are his “marching orders” today? He tells us to speak. He tells us to pray. He tells us to focus on the Author and Finisher of our faith until it’s made sight. He tells us after having done all….STAND.
The enemy is not out just to steal our health or our peace or our provision. He’s out to steal our faith…like the opposing team is out to steal our yards. To steal our touchdown. And we need to hold our ground.
I don’t know why I don’t see it immediately. Why I’m not immediately healed. Or why provision isn’t always immediate. Or why I have to fight to maintain peace.
But my faith isn’t based on what I see or feel or think. It’s based on what God said.
He IS faithful who promised. And time is just time…..faith will be made sight if we don’t give up. We will score if we hold that line!
God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us.This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. (Hebrews 6:18-19)