8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly (when we seek Him with all our heart) followed the Lord my God.
9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God.
10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims (giants) were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.
15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.
Joshua 14:8-15
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:13-19
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Like I’ve written about so many times before, I had learned to believe so many lies and they were killing me. I didn’t really know how to believe God.
What we believe makes all the difference in our world, in our lives.
When the land is at rest, the lies have been silenced. They’ve been replaced by God’s Word and promises. You learn the Word so that you’ll be ready the next time lies test God’s Word in you (the land He’s given you), the next time your faith in Him is tested and provides you with the victory.
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He resisted the devil with the Word and Satan departed until a more opportune time. We have to keep our shield up and sword drawn which is the Word and faith to take off the heads of the lies whenever they come back – and they will come back.
Don’t continue in a thought life or lifestyle that keeps you vulnerable to Satan’s tactics and lies. Repent. Stay away from anything that would make you compromise including fearful thoughts and the works of the flesh like anger, impatience, etc. Get in the Word and learn how to resist the enemy – how to use The Word as the weapon it is – so he’ll flee from you.
Any attack the Lord permits is to strengthen, prove and improve you.
God gave us specific verses (His promises) in Oregon in the mid 80s. He is what we asked for in our La Crescenta apartment in 1979. He moved us to Oregon to give us Him. He was going to put His Word, His promises, in our lives so that we could enter His rest. We had to learn to believe Him so we could enter His rest (His love – perfect love casts out fear) – His rest is the eradication of enemy lies that produce fear (torment), doubt, confusion and unbelief. And the journey continues to this very day.
When you are in His rest, you’re the strongest.
Thanking and praising God in all things,
Mark
Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.