Possessing the Promised Land

“Go, get the land flowing with milk and honey.”
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

“What we do not conquer, we do not possess.”
Andre Gide

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.”
William Blake

“Nothing is given to man on earth—struggle is built into the nature of life, and conflict is possible—the heroic man rises superior to the ills of life.”
James Royce

“We fail to conquer because we were not audacious enough at the outset.”
William McFee

God’s call to the Israelites to take possession of the Promised Land was not just an invitation to kick back and soak up the milk and honey. It was a charge to step into their divine inheritance through obedience, courage, and spiritual tenacity. For us today, possessing the proverbial “promised land” is laying hold of all God has in store by embracing the opportunities and challenges before us with the same valiant spirit.

Unlocking Our Inheritance: The Everyday Journey
Even in the most ordinary rhythms of life, there are lands to be possessed. The fruitful relationships, rewarding work, and personal growth we desire do not just fall into our laps; we must actively engage and take possession of them. Defeating the giants of complacency, fear, and doubt requires the same brand of faith and persistence modeled by Caleb when he boldly declared at age 85, “I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming” (Joshua 14:11, ESV). Staying focused on one purposeful pursuit at a time while trusting God’s sovereignty over the rest, allows us to wholly invest ourselves in that undertaking without dissipating our energy. Samuel Smiles said, “The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once.” Whether striving to be a more attentive parent, mastering a new skill, or deepening your prayer life, a steadfast, undivided heart positions you to progressively claim ground.

The Higher Call
For those who sense a higher call, whether to full-time ministry, entrepreneurship, or championing a cause, the mandate to take possession heightens in intensity. Perhaps you have gotten clear directives from the Lord about a certain path or assignment, yet have not fully stepped into that sphere. Doubts, delays, or diversions threaten to keep you wandering in cycles rather than propelling you forward into your Promised Land potential. Answering that upward call often involves a protracted journey of pulling down spiritual strongholds, reshaping your mindset, gathering provisions, and enlisting fellow sojourners. But like the Israelites, we cannot linger in preparation mode indefinitely. At some point, we must go in, however daunting the path appears, and trust God to make a way where there seems no way. Isaiah 43:16 reminds us that the Lord “makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters” (ESV). We need only “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6, ESV). Even as we await God’s perfect timing to fully realize the call on our lives, we must not sit idly by. He desires our faithful stewardship and fruitful service precisely where He has planted us until that appointed time of transition. Just as the Israelites were charged to honor the Lord in the wilderness through obedience to His precepts, so we too are to do what our hand finds to do with our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16, ESV). “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). Whether tending to our families, excelling at our current vocations, or ministering to our local communities, our posture of attentive obedience keeps our hearts plowed and prepared to readily perceive and follow the Lord’s leading into the fuller scope of our Kingdom inheritance when that season arrives. He initiates, but He awaits our first step of responsiveness.

A Frontline Faith
Whether facing literal or figurative giants, possessing our Kingdom territory demands a frontline faith that refuses to cower. When opposition mounts or the road grows rugged, it is easy to pine for the “leeks and onions” of past comforts and crave a return to safety, just as the Israelites grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?...There is nothing at all but this manna to look at!” (Numbers 11:6, 20). However, playing it safe, in reality, is vastly riskier than the tremors of stepping out in courage. Though the manna was a miraculous provision directly from God’s hand, the Israelites became dissatisfied, forgetting their bondage in Egypt, and yearned for what was familiar. Similarly, when the journey of obedience and faith becomes wearying, we can be tempted to long for the comforts and certainties of our former captivity, but returning to that perceived abundance would mean sacrificing our deliverance and inheritance as God’s people. Learning to savor the spiritual manna, even when challenging, keeps our faith vigorous for the frontline work of claiming our Kingdom territory. Breaking free from the confines of familiar, mindsets, situations, and cycles, is hard work and can feel like a shattering of your world as you have known it. But like a chick emerging from its shell, that shattering precedes the unfolding of new life, new purpose, and greater frontiers of freedom and fruitfulness.

For the Daring and Diligent
“He who would valiant be, ‘gainst all disaster; Let him in constancy follow the Master” (John Bunyan). 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV), “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self- control.” Inheriting all God has prepared for us was never intended to be a passive prospect. It is a vigorous quest demanding diligence, tenacity, and a daring spirit. The good news? Just as God preserved a remnant to recapture the Promised Land, He has supplied us with all the resources, equipping, and rear-guard protection to establish unshakable footholds in our Kingdom assignments. No matter where you are starting from, the critical step is to start. Do not descend into analysis paralysis or get plagued by feelings of inadequacy or timing reservations. Push forward into your next, however small or imperfect, while fixing your gaze on God’s upward call. With every obedient stride, every risk embraced, every stand in faith taken against opposition, you progressively secure more ground. In due season, through persistence, covenant-keeping, and God’s enabling power, you will raise the banner over new realms of promise and inheritance. Galatians 6:9 (ESV), “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Practical Steps to Possession
While the call to possess our God-given territory is deeply spiritual, it must also find traction in practical, grounded ways. However, possession is not about creating our own reality through positive confession or empty hyper-faith formulas. Rather, it is about discerning and cooperating with the Spirit’s lead through wisdom and disciplined action.

1. Make a Sober Assessment – Take an honest inventory of where you are at and what is hindering you from laying hold of all God has for you. Prayerfully examine areas like your use of time, attitudes and mindsets, spiritual disciplines, relationships, habits, and overall life prioritization. Ask God to help you identify any weights and sin that need stripping away (Hebrews 12:1). Cultivate a listening posture to discern any course corrections.
2. Map Out Measurable Mileposts – Break down the big-picture vision into achievable, mapped-out goals. If it is being a more present parent, you might implement set phone- free hours or designate special outings. Quantifiable mileposts allow you to track your progress and make adjustments. Whether it is a faith step of launching a company, planting a church, or starting a new job, outline some pragmatic steps, gather a core team, secure a location, etc.
3. Leverage Your Unique Pathways – We each have distinct motivational bents, skill sets, backgrounds, and life circumstances that shape our possessing journey. A busy professional may need to creatively weave purposeful pauses into their daily grind. A budding entrepreneur may tap into captivating vision-casting. Discern and optimize the unique strategic advantages God has graced you with.
4. Surround Yourself With Support – Very few possess new territory entirely alone. An obedience-rooted support tribe can provide spiritual coverings, wise counsel, accountability, and empowering encouragement. Identify like-hearted companions who have navigated similar journeys or can impart needed insights. Do not neglect to forge key partnerships and alliances.
5. Persevere Through Adversity – No significant undertaking is without resistance. Delays, setbacks, failures, naysayers, these are par for the Kingdom-advancement course. During grueling seasons, draw strength from your motivating “why” and celebrate every incremental, hard-won step of progress. Stubborn perseverance has a wearying way of outlasting opposition.

The blessing will come not through some supernatural instantaneous transfer, but through the patient outworking of faith through intentional, persistent obedience to God’s Spirit and wisdom. As you put your hand to the plow, refuse to look back (Luke 9:62), for there is a yield of fruitfulness and life ahead that is well worth possessing.

Hebrews 10:36 (ESV), “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” So to all you dreamers and doers, movers, and shakers: Go in the direction God is nudging your heart. Defy the voices suggesting you are unqualified, ill- equipped, or too far down the road of discord. Start wielding the swords sharpened through your struggles and face down those looming giants. I challenge you to claim every inch of soil the Lord has apportioned for your valiant stride and to summon the daring faith that calls those seed promises into full bloom. Refuse to accept life in the wilderness when there is a land of milk and honey awaiting your possession, but “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14, ESV). I dare you to go in.

“The grand prospect was entirely closed and an unknown landscape lay exposed to my view.”
Joshua Slocum