The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Rest of God, #10

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (II Timothy 2:3)

The past two thousand years of Church history may have sufficed for the wandering of the Lord's congregation in the wilderness of the world. Now it is time for the Body of Christ to be organized into a spiritual fighting force. We must come under the discipline of the Holy Spirit. The day is over for running to and fro according to the impulses of our fleshly mind.

There is a shout of war in the Christian camp. We can hear the sound of an army on the march (I Chronicles 14:15). The spiritual host is ready in the heavenlies. It is time now for the saints, God's judges, to die to the world, to sin, and to self-will in order that they may be used by the Father to destroy completely the kingdom of Hell.

. . . unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. (Joshua 1:2)

There is a goal, a mark associated with the Christian redemption. The Lord did not suggest to the Israelites that they pick out some country, such as China or India, and then invade it at their pleasure.

So much of today's preaching and teaching is like that. The concept is that Christ has given us a "blank check." We can employ our faith to get or attain whatever we like. The Christian salvation is not a blank check. God has a specific plan for each of us. We are not supposed to run about as we choose, doing whatever we like. Rather we are to present our body as a living sacrifice in order that we may prove what God's will is for us, making a sober estimate of ourselves according to the degree of faith the Lord has entrusted to us.

There is a "land" that God has given to the Body of Christ, and there is a specific part of that land that has been assigned to each saint. We must go across Jordan and fight with all the saints and then we will be assigned our own portion, our own inheritance.

There is nothing vague about our goal or about the area we are to conquer. It is not up to us to choose.

The Lord called us out of the world in order to bring us into a specific place, a place chosen and ordained by Himself. He prepares us carefully so that when the hour of attack comes we shall not falter or fail. Then the Lord guides us in the crossing of Jordan and in the conquest of each city. Nothing is left to chance. Nothing is left to our ingenuity or creativity. The entire operation is of the Lord.

The "Canaanites" whom we are to destroy are, first of all, God's enemies. They have broken God's holy law. Figuratively speaking, we, as did Israel, are bringing God's holy laws into the places where the Canaanites have worshiped their demon-driven lusts and have burned their children as sacrifices to Molech. We worship sexual lust today and murder our own offspring in abortion.

To be continued.