Possessing The Future

God has a plan. He sees all, knows all, and works in all areas of the world. Just as He had and has a plan for the nation of Israel so does He have a plan for His followers. Our great adventure includes discovering and possessing that plan by faith.

Recently I sat in a worship gathering and something the pastor said that day sparked something in me. For a few moments I checked out of the service as I went to a scripture his comment reminded me to read.

Deuteronomy 1:21 (ESV)
²¹  See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’


This is reiteration of another verse found in that same chapter.

Deuteronomy 1:8 (ESV)
⁸  See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’


For Israel God put a promised plot of land they were to possess in their future. For you and I the future may look differently than real estate but there is something we are supposed to believe Him for. Along the way we will be tested. We might be distracted. We might even be tempted to give up the plan and quit.

Possessing the land is not easy. God did not just give Israel the promised land. They had to fight to possess it. Should we expect that we will not have to fight in faith, sacrifice, relentless prayer, and tireless labor to possess the future God intends for us.

The word possession in our texts means to occupy and to drive out the previous tenants. How do you possess or occupy something spiritually that does not exist in reality? You obey God in faith. You take the steps He leads you to take no matter how impossible. You also pray through. You pray into reality what you may have only seen by faith. This means tenacious travailing. It means persevering prayer.

Possessing the future is not for the faint of heart. Satan has set up camp all over the land stealing, killing, and destroying. The Devil is deceiving the masses into an eternity of damnation without Jesus. Satan's demonic forces will not give up a square inch of their territory without a life and death struggle. That means there will be resistance and spiritual attacks. There will be opposition and push back.

Do we so yarn to possess the future God has called us to we will fight for it spiritually? Possessing the future will take a lot more than wishful thinking and a catchy slogan. In the past possessing the future costs some people everything. Read about Adoniram Judson, William Carey, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, and Lottie Moon.

Is the future you are pursuing the one God intends for you? Is it a future worth fighting for in faith?Mine is and I renew myself to prayerfully possessing it.