March 6th
1 Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. 2But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. 3Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you? 4Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me.
Joshua 18:1-4 NKJV
God offers every person that calls on the name of Jesus Christ power to break free from the sins that hold them down. This account in Joshua reminds me of my own life as a Christian porn-addict. I had crossed the Jordan River so to speak, by inviting Jesus into my life as a child, but had never taken possession of the land of freedom God promised me. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32 NKJV). Part of my problem was that I was not abiding in God’s word. I was not reading my Bible nor applying what it said to my life. I was instead pursuing success in my job, looking for marriage prospects and feeding my lust with porn. It took several years for me to realize I was in trouble.
I can think of many times when God held me back from going further into sin. In his mercy and love, he was calling me back to himself even when I was deep in my porn habit. When I finally surrendered to him and asked for help in breaking free from porn, he did an amazing thing. He freed me from the compulsion to look at porn and then began to teach me how to keep my thoughts pure. As I practiced what he showed me in the years that followed, I began to have victory over the tempting thoughts and memories of sexual sin. I was able to start living in the land of freedom that Jesus purchased for me with his blood.
If you feel like the Israelites who had not moved into their promised land, you can start moving into your freedom right now. Begin by asking Jesus into your heart anew, and confess whatever has been keeping you from inhabiting the freedom he purchased for you. Then, meet with God each day in a quiet time to pray, worship God and study the Bible. The Bible and the Holy Spirit will teach you how to live in freedom practically. Through your time with Him, you’ll become sensitive to His leading for how to move into the land. There are sinful strongholds that will have to be torn down. God will help you find them and destroy them. Soon you’ll be looking back, wondering why you did not move in sooner!
Questions for further thought:
What reasons do you suppose the Israelites had for neglecting to take possession of their land?
What are the obstacles that keep you from living in the land of freedom?
How will studying the Bible help you with the practical issues of life? (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
How is Bible study like surveying the land of your inheritance?
Prayer:
“Dear Jesus, Thank you for dying for my sin and clearing the path for me to receive a wonderful inheritance through my faith in you. Please forgive me for not moving into the land of freedom that you had already purchased for me. Please lead me into my inheritance and strengthen me to live in it each day. Thank you, Jesus! Amen.”