It’s called ‘taking possession of the land’, and it is what God wanted that first generation of Israelites to do after He delivered them from slavery in Egypt centuries ago under the leadership of Moses. You now the story…the plagues, the great escape, the crossing of the Red Sea and then a short passage through the wilderness where God delivered the 10 Commandments to them. It was never a final destination for them to inhabit this inhospitable land, it was merely a ‘testing ground’ on their way to a better place (Deut. 8:2).

The problem was…the people failed the test in multiple ways, capping it off by refusing to go in and to take possession of the land God had for them; a land I might remind you that was fertile and fruitful, flowing with ‘milk and honey’. But the people just didn’t think it was remotely possible that life could be that good, or that they could take the necessary actions to ‘overcome the enemy’ and live as conquerors which God had promised them would happen. Sounds like many professing believers today who refuse to believe they too can conquer and overcome all sin in their lives solely by the grace of God that has been freely given to us. You might review Numbers 13-14 when you have time.

God certainly did not intend for them to cross the Jordan River on day one and then take full control over the land of Canaan; but He certainly had a plan laid out to deal with the enemy nations ‘little by little’. Friends…here’s the harsh reality of what it means to follow Jesus in this ‘walk of salvation and sanctification’ – we are either going to go in and take possession of the land and clear it, (purify our hearts), or the enemy will come in and take possession of us, which is why we are admonished to not give him any ‘foothold’ or place (Eph. 4:27).

If you continue to struggle with the same ‘sins’ that you did when you first ‘came to Jesus’, can I just tell you…that something is terribly ‘wrong with this picture’. Yes, as ‘babes in Christ’ there will be ‘carnal messes’ to clean up in the early days as we ‘learn to walk’, but God expects us to follow Him and overcome (Phil. 4:13). Those ‘babes’ in 1 Cor. 3 were rebuked for dragging their rears and remaining petty and carnal, incapable of maturing in the things of God.

I don’t share these things to condemn or sound judgmental, but I’ll be honest with you…we have a huge problem in the ‘church world’ today because so many have ‘grown at ease in Zion’ (Amos 6:1) and comfortable with carnality and sin…yet they have no idea what is ‘coming down the pipe’ …and is already here upon us (Hosea 4:6).

That pronounced ‘warning of woe’ offered up by Amos there falls in line with other words of exhortation made by the prophets of old. You might make note of Zephaniah 1:12-18 where another rebuke is issued for those in ‘Jerusalem’ (a type of the church)…who are ‘settled in complacency…and who say in their heart that the Lord will do neither good nor evil…” a chapter that speaks in sobering terms regarding the ‘great Day of the Lord’. You might also read Isa. 32:9-11.

When I speak in general terms regarding the ‘church world’ …please know I don’t see myself as some self-appointed prophet of any sort; rather…I just feel compelled to keep sharing what I am seeing laid out in our Bibles as clear as day; and I do believe others are ‘seeing it as well’…that a lack of ‘seriousness’ runs rampant in many of our church settings today. I would go as far to suggest that this ‘complacency’ is rooted in unbelief, meaning we don’t really believe many of the things God has declared to us in His word; especially when it comes to this idea of ‘cleaning house’…which is what we have been talking about the past few days.

Listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, admonishing them: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from ALL… filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1).

Have you ever asked yourself – what did the early church know that we don’t seem to ‘get’, when it comes to living in the ‘fear of the Lord’? We know that the ‘fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom/knowledge’ (Prov. 1:7;9:10)…and we are reminded that is why many fail to walk in the ‘way of peace’ today- because there is ‘no fear of God before our eyes’ (Rom. 3:17-18). And let’s be clear on this one thing: there is a huge difference between having a ‘fear of God’…and ‘being afraid of God’. I ‘fear Him’, but I have no reason to be ‘afraid’ of Him…for He loves me so.

Complacency towards sin and carnality can spread like an undetected disease that hardens our hearts and causes us to ‘drift’. (Heb. 2:1; 3:12-13). Consider other passages laying there in our Bibles for us to read and take to heart… that admonish us to ‘work out our salvation with fear and trembling’, and to ‘conduct ourselves throughout the time of our stay here in fear’ (Phil. 2:12; 1 Peter 1:17).

It was Peter who exhorts us to ‘be vigilant, sober and clear minded’ because of an enemy who he identifies as ‘the devil’…and this enemy goes about like a ‘roaring lion seeking to devour’ (1 Pet. 5:8). Do you know what he’s on the prowl for to ‘devour’ so that he can ‘come to steal, kill, and destroy’ (John 10:10)? The same thing a natural lion would be hunting for….’flesh’. Why do you think we are commanded to ‘put it to death’ or to ‘clean it up’? (Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5-8; Gal. 5:24)

I kid you not…it is one of the biggest deceptions passed down and has spread through many ‘church’ circles convincing us that we will always have this ‘flesh nature’ around until we ‘get to heaven’. Where do you think such deceiving lies come from? First of all, it is through the flesh nature that this spiritual enemy of ours works in and through (Eph. 2:1-3). You might say it’s his ‘food source’…and the longer we keep it around and alive, the more of a draw it will be to all kinds of dead flesh eating critters. What do you think Jesus was talking about in Luke 17:37, and how vultures gather around a carcass?

Friends…we are no longer talking about cleaning up ‘paper clutter and dirty clothes…around the house’. And yes…it is way more serious than many folks want to admit or bring to light. But all I can do is point you back to God’s word and study these things out for yourselves (Acts 17:11). I’ll be back tomorrow…Lord willing.