“Giants on the Horizon? In the Promised Land???”

“Now the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.”  Joshua 8:1

Late last year, I began reading through the book of Joshua, and I found a similar strand of truth boldly weaved throughout this faith-filled book – taking hold of God’s ongoing promise of freedom. Each time the Israelites were given a promise of new land, I noticed two things: 1) God promised to give the city into the hands of the Israelites, and 2) God required the Israelites to strike down their enemies in the city. Do these sound contradictory to you? Too frequently, I am deeply familiar with God’s promise of personal victory; yet, discouragement sets in as I survey the lack of said victory within my borders. Can you relate with my struggle? Perhaps, we are persuaded that God will do His part; but, we miss the land flowing with milk and honey, because we fail to see that we also have a part in the fulfillment of His promise. After all, there are GIANTS in the land that He has promised us…

Many of you know that I have battled an illness for the last four years. Sometimes, physical healing occurs in the time it takes to inhale, and other times, healing comes layer by layer. The latter has been the case for me. Through the ongoing help of a naturopathic doctor, I have been greatly helped. Last fall, I received a gift which has made a monumental shift in my health, namely understanding nutrition through proper food combining. Two years ago this month, I believe that I received a promise from the Lord that I would be healed of this ongoing illness. Now, my idea and His idea of how the healing would unfold were “slightly” juxtaposed… It has become evident to me that there were foundational truths related to a healthy lifestyle that the Lord wanted me to learn and implement. So, as He heals me, my body will be more capable of maintaining the healing He provides.

Taking hold of a promise of healing required me to be willing to slay some enemies who sought to keep this promise just outside of my reach. Living a healthy lifestyle was something I really thought I knew a great deal about. However, I had to choose to be open to learn some new things…(pride, out you go). Also, I had to make lifestyle and nutrition changes, which required considerable time initially, accompanied by a somewhat steep learning curve. Is there an area of your life where you know that you are not walking in the land of freedom that God has promised? If so, what is God’s promise to you in this area of your life? And, what enemies do you need to slay in order to enjoy the freedom that He came to give you? He has done His part, will you do yours?

Knowledge does not heal, though knowledge accompanied by tough decisions can create the very environment ripe for His healing.

P.S. Because my body has become so much healthier from implementing a proper nutrition lifestyle over any therapies I have received, I have asked the Lord to open doors for me to share with others that which could be monumental in their pursuit of health. Please feel free to contact me by email to learn more about my journey to health. Occasionally, I will refer to recipes within this blog, as well. And, feel free to follow me on Pinterest for healthy recipes our family enjoys – https://www.pinterest.com/jreisersmith/

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23