“The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said.”
Deuteronomy 31:3
Good morning and welcome to the Spirit of Stress newsletter! It’s a pleasure to be with you in spirit this morning. I hope you have your Bible and coffee, tea, or favorite drink. I pray you’ve moved courageously throughout the week to take possession of what God has given to you, but if you haven’t, I hope today’s newsletter will help you to do just that.
June 23rd will mark two years since I moved from New York to North Carolina. I moved to a place with no job, family, or friends. There was nothing I was certain of or familiar with in North Carolina that I was moving for. The only thing I was certain about was that I didn’t want to stay in New York any longer. When people ask me why I left New York, as they often do, my answer is always the same: “Everything, taxes, cost of living, weather, and quality of life.” I had no idea how anything would work out, but I was excited to see how God would show up. I had no expectations of the details, only an expectation that God would provide. I knew that if he had brought us to the decision to move to North Carolina, then he had already gone ahead of us. I firmly believe God is in the details of our lives, sovereign over every atom and every second, and nothing happens without him ordaining it or allowing it to occur for his purposes. The Lord spoke through Isaiah, saying, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Isaiah 46:10 Our God is in control. This is good news for us! Our times are in His hands. Do we want our destiny determined by anyone else? Could we orchestrate our future in such a way that would be best for us? Do we know how to discipline, consecrate, and sanctify ourselves? Can we defeat our enemies apart from God going ahead of us and destroying them? Now, we know we do not war against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world. Today, we will talk about our journey into a land far more important than North Carolina. We’ll talk about how God has gone ahead of us to destroy our spiritual enemies and bring us safely into the promised land. But first, let’s pray.
Opening Prayer
Father, we magnify your name today. You are the only One true living God. There is none like you. You are the Creator of all things. There are no greater nor equal powers in all the universe. All power is yours, Lord. We submit to your sovereignty. Come with power into our hearts this morning and make ready our ears to hear your word. Go before us and bind up our enemies. Strengthen our ankles and our knees. Make level paths for our feet as we seek to grow in understanding and faith. Come and awaken our spiritually dead senses. Draw us near to you today, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Understanding Spiritual Allegory
I find no reason to spend much time highlighting the truth that the Old Testament points to Christ. But, there is a blinder set up in many, no doubt by Satan, when we read the Old Testament as if it were an old and dead text with only literal meaning and significance for the people of the time. We miss the spiritual significance of the ancient stories. The Old Testament is not an old, dried-up well. It is full, and we can draw faith, hope, assurance, courage, and endurance from it. Let’s see what we can draw from it today. Knowing that we do not war with flesh and blood, but that our enemies are indeed spiritual, we can apply this truth to the text at hand, “The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said.” Deuteronomy 31:3 God has gone ahead of us. Christ has gone ahead of us, and for what purpose? To bind up our enemies so we can cross the spiritual Jordan and enter into the promised land.
Listen to how it’s written, “God himself will cross over ahead of you…” Do you have the same view of God as Moses did? God himself! God, The God, the Creator of all things, the great I am, the Alpha and Omega, Jehova, El Shaddai. God help us to have a right view of Him. There is no one better to have in your corner. The ally we have in God ensures our success. Is there doubt in your mind about who your God is? If so, then your faith is limited, and you will find that in times of hardship and testing, doubt reigns. Take heed, Satan is crafty in his effort to cause us to doubt, even using scripture, pastors, and brethren to sow it in the hearts of believers. Our rest and our freedom hinge on faith. God himself crosses over ahead of us! What is there to fear?
Read Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Joshua again. You will find that wherever God wanted to bring his people victory, they had victory. Run from the notion that God cannot have his way. Let us sooner admit we lack understanding before we conclude that God is not almighty and sovereign.
Understanding Inheritance
inheritance: the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations Merriam-Webster
I’ll begin with the easier task of identifying the Lord’s inheritance because few will debate it. He is indeed deserving of his inheritance, and the Father is indeed willing and able to give it to him. Scripture tells us, “For the Lord’s portion is his people. Jacob, his allotted inheritance.” Deuteronomy 32:9
Now, is Jacob, the son of Isaac, the only person who is the Lord’s inheritance? No. Are the natural Jews the only people who are the Lord’s inheritance? No. Scripture tells us, “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” Romans 9:6-8
It is the spiritual Jew, those born according to the promise, “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a man’s will, but born of God,” (John 1:13) who are the Lord’s inheritance. The spiritual children of God were born as part of a promise - a promise that who made? God. These people, born of the spirit, come from all over the world — all nations and languages.
Jesus said, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37
We can easily conclude that God will deliver on his promise to give Christ his inheritance, a people, a bride, his church. At the beautiful wedding that will take place, God the Father walks Christ’s Bride to the altar, and the two become one in the sight and presence of God. This is the great mystery Paul speaks of at the end of Ephesians 5: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:31-32 Christ left the Father in heaven to court his bride-to-be, and he will succeed in gaining her “I do.” In a beautiful courship, the Husband, the Lord, proves himself to be worthy of her “yes.” He proves to be an able provider and protector. He proves himself to be faithful and trustworthy. He proves himself to be a place of comfort and rest, and he gains the will of his bride.
Take great caution not to miss the spiritual allegory throughout scripture.
Our Inheritance
What a professing Christian calls his inheritance is a tell. It’s a tell of who he belongs to. Ask a man what he believes belongs to him because he is in Christ. If his answers are all temporal, worldly, and material, he is certainly not in Christ. The one who is in Christ replies like David and Jeremiah did.
“You are my portion, Lord; I have promised to obey your words.” Psalms 119:57
“I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’” Lamentations 3:24
The Lord is the true Christian’s inheritance. Men debate this constantly. The prosperity heresy that has lingered since the early church was born in the flesh of deceived men who believed the Lord’s promises pertain to our temporal state - worldly riches, and it continues today. Health, wealth, and happiness, they shout. We find nothing of the sort in the Bible. In the great faith chapter of Hebrews, we find our ancestors commended for their faith, faith that was shown by their suffering. As for Moses, it says, “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Hebrews 11:25-26 He was looking for his reward! It could not be found in this world. It goes on to say, “There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawn in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.” Hebrews 11:35-38 The Lord is the Christian’s portion. His affections have been set on heavenly things.
Assurance of Victory
Another point of contention in Christianity is the perseverance of the saints. Will they be victorious? Who gets the credit for their victory? In keeping with the text and understanding the spiritual allegory within the word of God, we can see that the Lord provides the victory, and he never fails. We can have assurance of being carried to the promised land if indeed we are in Christ Jesus. Scripture tells us:
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
The work is not ours to begin, nor ours to complete, lest any man should boast. Our coming belongs to the Lord. Our remaining belongs to the Lord. Our good works are not so we can remain - that’s the curse of the old covenant. Our good works are evidence that God began a work in us. Our endurance and perseverance are evidence that he carried us, not evidence that we carried ourselves. The enemies God has given into our hands are not enemies to our flesh, but enemies of our spirit — spiritual Anakites, giants we could never contend with unless God has gone ahead of us. God has given us the victory against our spiritual enemies and will be faithful to keep us from stumbling.
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 1:24-25
There is One who is able to keep us from stumbling. Paul’s comfort, and our comfort is this:
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Men do not sanctify themselves, God does. Men do not keep themselves blameless, God does. He is able and faithful to do it. What can be said of those who “fall away”? John tells us in his first epistle:
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” 1 John 2:19
Pursue with Confidence
Time and time again, the Lord told his servants to be courageous and not to fear because he would be with them and would not forsake them. He speaks the same words to us today. Press on, cast your sin aside, confess your weakness, and his strength. Know that the Lord is with you. Do you have conviction? Do you long to be sanctified? Do you love what God loves? Do you hate what God hates? Is the Lord your portion? Have your affections been set on things above? Beloved, you are born again. You have evidence. You have fruit. The Lord has gone before you. The Father has given you to the Bridegroom. He has set your affections on him. Be confident that he will finish the work he began. Rest not in yourself. It is not your work to finish, it’s God’s. You need only to cry out for mercy and grace. You need only to pray for evidence of your adoption. You need only to rely on the one who is able to keep you from stumbling. He will answer your prayers and equip you with everything you need. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13 Let’s pray.
Closing Prayer
Lord, thank you for beginning a good work in us. Thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for never leaving or forsaking us. We need you, Lord. Without you, our enemies overwhelm us. Be our defense, Lord. Bring us into a spacious place. Continue to go before us and make a path. Bind up our enemies and cast them down before us, for your namesake. We know that apart from you, we can do nothing. Cover us, Lord, with your mighty hand. You are our rock and our refuge. You, Lord, are our portion. Set our affections on holy things, heavenly things, and cleanse us of our own will. Help us to remember that our inheritance is you, and that this world is not our portion. You alone are able, Lord. Come with power and might, Father. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Until next time, God willing, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
Spiritual Tip
Find the spiritual allegory in every story and scripture of the Bible. In order to do this, you must read more. It’s difficult to see the deeper things if you’re only reading a verse a day or doing a five-minute daily devotion.
Exercise Tip of the Week (ETOW)
Not every muscle that’s tight needs to be stretched. Some muscles are long and tight. These muscles do not require length. Identify a series of assessments you can use to determine which muscles are short and tight, and work on lengthening those.
Summer Schedule
There’s only so much time in the day. I know you all can relate. It’s difficult to do all the things. So, this newsletter will be the last weekly newsletter. For June, July, and August, the newsletter will be monthly. During the summer, I will be allotting more time to work on my manuscripts. I plan to return to a weekly schedule in September. But, as I said above, read more. Don’t rely on a weekly newsletter or anything else to supplement your fellowship with the word of God. I will continue to pray for each and every one of you throughout the summer, and I look forward to getting back to weekly communication!
“But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”
Deuteronomy 8:18
