Day 21: In Christ I Have Overcome the World!

When God promises something, you take His word pertaining those promises and expect them to materialize and come to pass. God’s nature is being faithful and true to His words. When He speaks the words, those words would not come back to Him void and their intended purpose(s) would be fulfilled.

Remember, for instance, when God promised to Moses that He would give the Israelites “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:17). When the Israelites was freed from the bondage of Egypt, and they were about to enter God’s promised land to them, Moses sent twelve men to explore the land of Canaan. When he sent the men, he specifically told them to see what the land is like – whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many, whether the land is good or bad, with trees or not, whether their cities have walls around them or not, whether the soil is rich or poor, and to bring back some fruit samples from the land.

So the men explored the land for forty days, and came back to give report to Moses and the Israelites. While all twelve were in agreement that it really is a land flowing with milk and honey, and the fruits are abundant, ten focused on reasons why the land cannot be theirs: the people living there are strong, the cities have walls and are very large, descendants of Anak (giants) live there. Meanwhile, two men – Caleb and Joshua, rooted in God’s faithfulness to His promise, saw the opportunity to seize and possess the land, making it their own.

Caleb said to Moses and the people, “Let’s go now and take possession of the land. We should be more than able to conquer it.”

Numbers 13:30

The other ten who had gone with Caleb and Joshua were fearful and unsure. They said the people of Canaan were too strong for them. They even began spreading lies among the Israelites to quell their fervor to seize and possess the land. Caleb and Joshua, meanwhile, continued to assure the Israelites:

“Don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread. They have no protection, and the Lord is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.”

Numbers 14:9

But fear has already taken root in the whole community’s hearts. The Israelites were complaining, and God was not pleased. So God declared: whoever complained will not enter the promised land. True enough, anyone who complained, in the next 40 years while roaming in the desert, those Israelites met their end.

Of the twelve who were sent by Moses, only two – Caleb and Joshua , entered the promised land. Both possessed their inheritance because they held fast to their belief and saw God as faithful and true to His words. For Caleb and Joshua, it didn’t matter what the circumstances and challenges are in the promised land – rather than look at the giants inhabiting the lands, their focus was on God, and He’s definitely much bigger and more powerful than any and all the giants combined.

Because we live in a fallen world, there will always be circumstances and challenges that may seem overwhelming. The operative word here is “seem.” In the natural, that may seemingly be the case, but we are not of this world, and God has promised Christ-believers that we will overcome the world (1 John 5:4). So as we continue to live life in faith – filled with the belief that because God is faithful and true to His words, despite the situation – any situation for that matter, He will see us through and carry us to victory.

Reflection Question:

Are there promises that God has spoken over you and in your life? Maybe it’s a promise about family restoration, healing, provision, or protection. Are you holding fast in your belief that He who promised is faithful, able and willing to see through those promises come to pass in your life?

Radical Faith in Action:

When God promises something, His words would not come back to Him void, unless those words and promises are fulfilled. We serve a faithful, capable and willing God. And He is bigger than any “giants” hounding you and your life. The circumstances and challenges may be overwhelming, but Jesus has overcome it all, and God has gifted us the inheritance of being overcomers through Jesus Christ in us. So we continue to hold fast in our faith, rooted in the truth that in its due season, His word and promises will come to pass. Amen!