God will never send you into a battle that you are not already equipped to win. And yet the reality is that we have all had battles we have lost.
Are you ready to see it turned around?
How we view “the land” God has called us to take is an important part in the equation of whether we successfully walk in the Promise Land God has given/called us to or whether we walk in a cycle of discouragement and destruction.
Do you have an area of your life that has been a cycle of destruction or loss? Or perhaps it has been a generational curse upon your family, your city, your people, your organization? This can be changed. To see how, we need to first look at a day that has prompted a cycle of destruction historically and why.
Because this time is marked as a time of turnaround for you.
It’s time to TAKE THE LAND.
August 10 at sundown marks the 9th of AV, Tisha B’Av on the Jewish calendar. It is a dark day in Israel’s history and known as a day of destruction. Let’s look back over history to see the cycle.
It commemorates the destruction of the Holy Temple. Five hundred years later, on the exact same day, the destruction of the Second Temple took place. That cycle of destruction, on that day in history, has continued.
In 136, the Roman emperor Hadrian established a heathen temple on the site of the Temple and rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan city which was renamed Aelia Capitolina and which the Jews were forbidden to enter. Their holy site had been stolen.
1290 – Jews were banished from England.
1492 – Jews were banished from Spain.
1914 – The beginning of World War One when Germany declared war on Russia.
1942 – the Jews were removed from the Warsaw holding ghetto and taken to the death camps.
There is more. But there is no denying that this is not just coincidence. There has been a cycle of destruction, but there is a reason why.
It is important to note that while this day through history has brought calamity after calamity, God’s original intent for the day was to be one of victory and the fulfillment of Promise.
So how did the curse begin? Through disobedience.
The root of destruction on that day began when the Israelite spies returned from scoping out the land. All the spies except two came back and spoke out what they saw with natural eyes. They were fearful as they reported, And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who come of the giants. And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight (Num 13:33).
Their report discouraged the people and planted fear. The result? They took their eyes off God as their protector and provider.
However, He told them to go take the land! He had already decreed victory!
Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel” (Num 13:1-2).
It’s important that we understand that God will never send us into a battle that we are not equipped to win.
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The Lord told them in advance the outcome. He planned for their success. This was their Promise Land and a fulfillment of His promise to them. Yet all the spies, except for Joshua and Caleb, saw only with natural eyes. All that time in the wilderness and they hadn’t yet learned how to trust God.
There are many reading this who have been in a wilderness season. But while the wilderness looks like a bad place, it is not. It is a place of intimacy, healing, preparation and restoration.
Why did God take them into the wilderness? Because He knew that after all those years in Egypt, they were lacking identity. They didn’t know who they were. They didn’t know who HE was. The wilderness was an opportunity for relationship. It was to provide them with time to get to know that God was their protector, provider, and the one true God. It was an opportunity where they could learn His ways; not just know His acts.
Sadly, they missed it.
He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever (Ps 103:7-9).
What made the difference? Relationship.
Moses spent time before the Lord and developed intimacy with Him. The people of Israel were content to let Moses simply convey to them what the Lord was saying. They wanted what God could do for them. But weren’t interested in relationship with Him.
What about you?
Has God spoken to you of a Promise Land that instead all you see is a cycle of destruction and disappointment? As the 9th of Av approaches, this is a time to spend before Him and ask Him about it.
Break the Cycle of Destruction and Loss. It’s Time to Take the Land
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There is an anointing up this season and even upon that day. It does not have to continue to be a day of destruction! The cycle can be broken.
Is there a particular month or season that year after year you fear? A particular place which has been a place of destruction rather than success?
Here is how it can be broken:
- Ask.
Spend time before the Lord and ask Him what is at the root of this place of destruction. Let Him speak into it and give insight.
- Repent.
Perhaps the reason is not something you did personally, but it is in your family line or heritage. This cycle of destruction can happen in churches, businesses, or organizations in which there has been an area of sin or disobedience that has opened the door for the curse.
Perhaps you don’t even know where it happened, but you see the continued results. Repentance is still necessary to break the cycle and restore blessing.
- Fast.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (Is. 58:6).
Fasting brings our bodies and minds under submission to the Lord. It is an act of humility and repentance. Aug 10 from sundown to Aug 11, the 9th of Av, is historically a day of destruction because of disobedience. May we go before the Lord in fasting and prayer to break off that cycle of destruction and ask for His wisdom, help, instruction and mercy—and that the cycle from disobedience will be broken and the blessing restored.
Timing is important.
If you recognize that there has been a place of disobedience, where the Lord said to “go take the land” and because of fear you did not, go back to that place of disobedience and after you have made it right before the Lord, then hear His word on how you can move forward in His timing to take the land.
Once we recognize that we have not followed His instruction to take the promise land that He has spoken to our heart, it is essential we don’t foolishly rush back in without His blessing.
We need to be in HIS timing. After the Israelites were disobedient and refused to take the land, after it was brought to their attention, they then decided they were going to rush in and take it. But Moses warned them against such foolishness for the Lord said, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated before your enemies”’ (Deut 1:42).
In the end that generation of Israelites never possessed their promise land because of fear and disobedience. May our lives not be marked by such tragedy.
The question we need to ask ourselves, as the 9th of Av approaches is “How do we view the land?”
How do you view the word God has spoken to your heart of His promises to you? Are you walking in the supernatural or natural regarding that word? Or have you allowed the “giants” or what appear to be insurmountable issues to dictate what you have said and thought about the land (your place of destiny) He has promised you?
Remember, He will never send you into a battle that you are not equipped to win! When he sends you into battle, it is because He has already declared your victory!
For some, your Promise Land may actually be a physical piece of property. For others it is about your mandate and call into a specific area of business, ministry, etc. God is dealing with many right now about entering into areas that you have never considered before. Don’t be afraid. This is a day of new wine and new wine skins.
This time in history is no different than what the Israelites from days of old faced. Are we willing to believe God’s voice that He has given us the land? Or are we going to believe and fear the giants that stand before us and the obstacles that stand in our way?
As we approach this day in history, it is time that we reflect back on the words the Lord has spoken to our hearts. What “land” has He promised you?
It’s time we take the land.
