Ted Arthur Ministries

11/20/11                             INVADE CONQUER POSSESS

                                                                  part two

Exo 23:27 "I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.

Exo 23:28 I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

Exo 23:29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.

Exo 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.

Jos 2:8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof

Jos 2:9 and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.

Jos 2:10 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.

Jos 2:11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

We see two things here. First we see that God keeps His word. Look at verse 27, then Joshua 2:8-11. God did what He said He would do, He sent terror ahead of them to throw into confusion the nations they would encounter. God told them what He would do, but they had no evidence that he had done it. God wanted them to enter the land in faith, believing He would do what He said He would do.

The next thing that we see is the wisdom of God. He knew that they could not conquer and possess the land quickly, therefore He was going to help them to possess the land incrementally. This teaches us that we sometimes have to possess the promises of God a little at a time. In most cases it would be God's will for you to have it all at once, but if you not able to believe for all of it, believe for part of it. When you see victory in small things you will be encouraged to believe for more, and eventually you will have it all.

Look at verse 28. God was making preparation for the Israelites to succeed, He will do the same for you. God will go before you and do what needs to be done for you to succeed, but you have to be willing to invade. Preparation had already been made for the Israelites to invade, conquer, and possess, but they refused to invade.

Rom 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Rom 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Rom 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

In verse 2, it says to to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, it's a process, it doesn't happen all at once. In verse 3, you are told to evaluate yourself, don't try to exceed your faith. Look again at verse 2. If the Israelites had renewed their minds they would have understood the plan of God, because He told them His plan Exodus 23:30. The devil keep them thinking about the giants, but they should have been thinking about a little at a time until we conquer, and possess it all.

2Co 10:3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

2Co 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

2Co 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

You are suppose to bring every thought under subjection of the Word of God, but it may overwhelm you to try to bring all of them at once under subjection. Therefore choose the thoughts that are causing you the most trouble, and bring those thoughts under subjection. You must continue to do this until you have conquered and possessed all of you thoughts. Don't get discouraged, don't quit, realize it may take a long time, so be prepared for a long battle. If you leave this world before you have complete victory, that’s OK because you departed doing what you were suppose to be doing. I believe if you do this you will hear well done on the day of judgment. That's better than hearing you were lazy.