Deuteronomy 9:1-3 - Hear, O Israel. You are
now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess
nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The
people are strong and tall--Anakites! You know about them and have heard it
said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?" But be assured today that the
LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a
devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them
before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.
They were camped…ready to cross the great
river Jordan…into the Promised Land. Moses wanted to be very honest about the
giants that lived there…. the strong people that lived in even stronger cities…but
he also wanted them to know that Jehovah had already made plans to wipe them
out….to go before them and devour the land. This would be the easiest fight
they had ever fought…because God was doing all the fighting.
New land…new start…Moses spoke to the
people he loved and led for 40 years…of hope...of faith…of leaving fear behind…and
grasping the promise of God. He wanted
them to grasp the full promise that God would fight for them and drive out even
the giants of great walled cities. It
would happen quickly…as God had promised…just because he made a promise to
Abraham so many years ago.
We all have our giants to fight. Some of us have been battling on our own for
way more than forty years….and some of us will see them for them first time
today. The giants don’t look like people anymore…they manifest themselves in sickness…and
loneliness….and fear of the unknown.
Some giants are the baggage of many years of abuse….or the fog we
retreat into with alcohol or drugs…because the pains of the past are too
horrible to feel without a bit of numbing.
Satan has fortified the giants in well
planned …walled cities…imaginary only to our eyes…for our hearts feel the brick
walls as Satan tricks us into stopping our fight…of giving into the world and
planting our feet on the East side of the Jordan…and just sitting there…arms
empty of the promises God is waiting to give us when we accept God’s hand…and
begin to move forward with his help.
It’s clear here folks…God has already created
the battle plan…he is just waiting for us…to take his hand…and follow him into
a great battle...where he will destroy every sickness…every heart filled with
loneliness….every fear that keeps us bound to our giant. God is waiting on us to sound the battle cry…that
we believe in his power to save us from anything Satan has us trapped in….and
take those first steps toward him in faith.
He will do the rest…devour them like a fire consumes it’s fuel of wood
or gas or coal.
Those first steps are scary…I admit….but
the spoils of this war are so great you can’t afford to miss out. The peace and joy that consumes your heart as
those giants leave your presence…well no words truly describe it. God’s promise
to hold you in the palm of his hand…and carry you through anything he allows
you to face is just a New Years’ resolution away. I sure can’t think of any
better promise to make this New Year ’s Eve…than to let go of my remaining giants…and
let God battle them right out of my life…for good.
Father…you are so wonderful…and I thank you
for the promise of a complete life…with no giants to torment me or trick me
into the things of this world. I thank you first for the giants you have
already battled out of my life …and I ask your help to identify the giants that
I know I still need to battle…for Satan has tricked this old woman for many
years….and those remaining giants will remove any power he still has over my
heart. Help me this morning to grab hold
of your hand…and let you uncover the giants hidden deep within my soul…so you
can devour them…and subdue Satan …so I can move forward with your plan for my
life. Amen.
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