FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY!
Part 7
“He that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land” (Isaiah 57:13).
We have discussed together 12 descriptions of the land that God wants us to experience. Now we are going to look at six things God wants us to do about this land.
YOU HAVE TO POSSESS THE LAND
There are some who despise the land of motherhood. Others come into it but stay around the edges. They keep their feet in two worlds, the land of motherhood and the land of the working world. Thus, they never have time to venture into all the land of motherhood. Can I encourage you to go in and possess it? Possess all of it, not just the fringe of it. There is so much more that you have not experienced. Search for the truth and find out all that there is in the land (Joshua 18:3-4).
God gave the land to the children of Israel. It was given to them by a divine decree. But although it belonged to them, they had to go and possess it. God has also given us our land, but we will not experience its fullness until we possess it.
A friend of mine tells the story which his dad (who was a real estate agent) told him. A farmer became bored and dissatisfied with his farm life and therefore decided he would put it up for sale. He contacted the real estate agent, who after inspecting the land, advertised it as beautiful farm land with rolling hills. Nice home, three barns, several out-buildings and two ponds. A delightful investment for someone wanting to make a good living from the land.
The owner read the advertisement in the Sunday paper. That’s just what I’ve been looking for all my life, he thought, but then realized that it was his own land that was advertised. He immediately called the agent to take it off the market! He already had what he wanted but had become dissatisfied.
Are you dissatisfied with motherhood? You’d like to get out and do something for yourself instead of slaving for everyone in your home every day!Stop for a moment and take inventory of the blessings you have—the security of home, husband, children etc. My daughter Evangeline often says, “My children are not an obstacle to my dream; they help to make my dream a reality!”
Is the adversary attacking your marriage? Don’t let him defeat you. Go after your marriage. Possess the intimacy in your marriage. Maybe you are suffering from guilt from past sin or hang-ups in your mind from your upbringing. Don’t let the enemy deprive you of God’s perfect plan for you. Don’t let the adversary take hold of one little foothold. Rise and possess your marriage in the power of the name of Jesus, the power of the promises of the Word of God and the power of the blood of Jesus. (Leviticus 26:13)
WHAT KEEPS US FROM POSSESSING THE LAND?
Murmuring keeps us from possessing the land.
Deuteronomy 1:26-27 says, “Ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God: and ye murmured in your tents.” While we complain about our husband and groan about things around the home we will never enter into the wonderful world of wifehood and motherhood that God has planned for us. Murmuring keeps us utterly miserable. Complaining keeps us in a straight jacket. We become boxed in rather than walking in the freedom God intends for us.
A whole generation of Israelites missed out on the blessings of the Promised Land because they murmured. Numbers 14:27-35 tells the story, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me… Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein.” Did you notice that when we groan and murmur about things in our home, we are actually murmuring against the Lord? No wonder God takes murmuring very seriously.
Unbelief keeps us from possessing the land.
Psalm 78:19-22 says, “Yea, they spake against god; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness...can he give bread also? Can he provide flesh for his people? Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; because they believed not in God, and trusted not in is salvation.”
When we don’t believe that God can look after us in our land, we deny the God whom we say we believe. May God help our unbelief.
More next week.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
“Father, please convict me of murmuring in my home. Help me to be thankful for all that you have given to me and please increase my vision to go in and possess all the blessings you have destined for me as a wife and mother. Amen.”
AFFIRMATION:
I’m counting my blessings each new day.