Strong and Happy Monday Morning Friends!
Have you ever wondered why some battles seem to linger long after God has already promised victory? The Lord told Israel, “I have given you the land to possess,” yet they still had to drive out the inhabitants. The land was already theirs by divine promise, but possession required action. In the same way, many believers are living with irritants and thorns that Jesus has already defeated, yet those things remain because they have not been confronted and driven out through faith.
God Has Already Given the Promise
In Numbers 33:53, God declared, “You shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess.” Notice that God did not say He would give them the land someday. He said He had already given it. Yet He warned them that if they failed to drive out the inhabitants, those enemies would become irritants in their eyes and thorns in their sides. God used these vivid natural pictures to reveal a spiritual truth: what is tolerated today can become a source of continual distress tomorrow.
Numbers 33:55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the landfrom before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass youin the land where you dwell.
The Lord repeated this same message throughout Deuteronomy. “You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.” “You have skirted this mountain long enough.” “Turn and take your journey.” “Go in and possess the land.” Again and again, God called His people to move forward into what He had already prepared. The promise was established, but they still had to arise, advance, and possess it. There comes a time when circling the same mountain must end and obedience must begin.
Christ Has Already Won the Victory
Under the Old Covenant, possession involved physical battles with natural weapons. Under the New Covenant, our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. The good news is that Jesus has already won the decisive victory. 1 John 3:8 declares that the Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Colossians 2:14-15 tells us that Christ disarmed principalities and powers, made a public spectacle of them, and triumphed over them through the cross.
We are not trying to conquer the devil. We are not fighting to obtain a victory that has not yet been won. Colossians 1:12-14 declares that the Father has already delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son. The battle is not for victory but from victory. Our assignment is to reinforce what Jesus accomplished and refuse to allow the enemy to occupy territory that no longer belongs to him.
Stand, Resist, and Possess
How do we drive out the enemy today? Ephesians 6 gives the answer. We are commanded to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We are instructed to put on the whole armor of God, to stand against the wiles of the devil, and having done all, to stand. We stand in truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God while praying continually in the Spirit. This is how we enforce the victory of Christ in our lives, our bodies, our minds, and our emotions.
Jesus declared in Luke 10:19 AMP, “ Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you. He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy. Psalm 91:13 says that we shall tread upon the lion and the cobra and trample the serpent underfoot.
The enemy has been usurping authority over God’s people for far too long. It is time to stop circling old mountains, stop tolerating old thorns, and stop allowing what Christ has already defeated to remain. God has given the promise, Christ has won the victory, and now it is time to arise, stand, and take possession of what God has already given.
Remember, you are loved, you are Righteous and you are His!