This Summer marks 3 years since the Lord asked me to quit my job and a year and a half since we sold our home. I believe with my whole heart that God has a purpose for this season we've been in. I have seen it. I've seen him draw close and teach us things we would not have been ready to learn. I've seen him answering prayers I've prayed for a long time. It sure looks different than I expected, but he's working none the less. I've seen him use our experience to teach others. I've seen him set us free from things we didn't even realize were holding us back, and I've seen him begin to set a fire in us that I believe we will see the effects of not only for our lifetime, but in the lives of our kids as well.
I believe God is preparing our hearts for our next step, and in so doing He has been using the giants the Israelites had to face as they entered the promised land to reveal to me that I have some giants of my own that I have to face as we move into the things the Lord has promised us.
It all started as I read Numbers 13. You may know it as the promise land scouting trip. God leads Moses to send out 12 men, one from each tribe, to explore the land of Canaan. The twelve men go out and when they come back they report that the land is amazing. They explain, it's everything they thought it would be and more, but they also share with the whole community that "the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!" This was a big deal. The Anakites were so big and strong the people believed they were descendants of gods and they felt defeated before they even began their journey to the promise land.
There are 3 things God showed me about giants. The first is this:
1 . GIANTS STAND BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PROMISED LAND.
The giants might not have been actual descendants of gods, but the truth is there were giants. They had actual, very large hurdles to face, making it hard to believe that they could ever experience what the Lord had promised. We also have giants of our own standing between us and living out/experiencing what God has promised us.
But there's more to the story. Twelve men went out to scout the land and they all saw the same thing, but 2 of them came back with a different perspective. Joshua and Caleb saw the same giants, but they believed God was with them and tried to instruct the people to not be afraid.
TRUTH: Giants stand between you and your promised land, but what you believe about God will determine how you respond to those giants.
- What are your giants? Do they have you defeated and feeling like you will never experience what the Lord has for you? Or do you believe God is with you and you don't have to be afraid?
2. GIANTS HAVE TO BE DESTROYED.
When the time came to face those giants Joshua led the people as God instructed (accounts recorded in the book of Joshua). God was very clear. Each time they fought people in the land God's instructions were to completely destroy them all. My first thought was "man, that seems brutal." That's been my thought every time I've read through the Old Testament accounts of battles, but this time God gave me a little different understanding. With my own "giants" fresh on my mind God allowed me to see those towns and those people as "giants" standing between his people and his promises. They were the thing that stood between the Israelites living in freedom and serving the Lord wholeheartedly. That was and still is one of the most important things to God, that we can serve him wholeheartedly and live the life he has promised us. That threat is not just to be moved aside, or knocked down temporarily. It is serious. It is to be completely destroyed. His people (me and you) are so precious to him that he doesn't want anything standing between us and his love for us.
He led the Israelites through each battle. He went ahead of them. He fought for them. He showed them they really didn't have anything to fear as he did exactly what he said he would do. He proved his faithfulness over and over again as they did the work of battle, but God fought with them and for them when they faced their giants.
TRUTH: Giants have to be destroyed, but he never expects you to do it alone. He will always fight with you and for you.
- What steps would you take today if you knew God was going to give you what you needed to destroy your giants?
3. GIANTS WILL ALWAYS BE A THREAT.
Even when we destroy the giants, whether it's sin in our lives, lies we are believing, or simply a lack of trusting God and his promises, Satan will work hard to resurrect them. They will always be a threat we have to watch out for. I believe that's why years later, when there were many battles won and the Israelites had been assigned their own portions of the promised land Joshua recounts their journey and concludes his time as their leader by giving the people a choice.
"So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14-15 (NLT)
I am, as I'm sure we all are, familiar with that final verse. I have seen it many times from coffee cups, to artwork in homes, but I must admit, I didn't know the context surrounding it. I couldn't have even told you Joshua was the one who said it. I know it now, and it will never be the same. It will forever be my reminder that today and every day, I choose to not let these giants I defeat come back and deter my heart from the Lord.
It will make its way to a piece of artwork in my home and be a prominent reminder every time I see it that I choose the Lord. I choose to believe his promises. I choose to believe he will fight with me. I choose to believe I can defeat my giants today and forever!
TRUTH: Giants will always be a threat...
"But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15b
- What will you choose today? Will you choose to go back to your old ways? Will you choose the gods of your giants? Or will you serve the Lord?
