Go! Gain Ground!

We are standing on the threshold of a new year. We are peering out of the end of the year 2010, and facing a new land called 2011. Listen to the Word of God: “Be strong, and go in and posses the land. Prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give . . . . For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden. But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys which drinks water from the rain of heaven. A land for which the Lord your God cares, the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.” (Deuteronomy 11:8-12)

1. Go in . . . !

Zoom out a bit, and retrace your steps over this year – 2010, Have you been plowed with famines, failings, fears, hardships. losses, sorrows or grave disappointments? Now move forward in faith as you peer through God’s window of promise for a new land waiting for you to enter – waiting for me to enter.Take God at His Word; loosen the tent-pegs of our past circumstances; break camp and get ready to move towards what God has planned for us in 2011. Come with me. Go with God! He tells us, “Be strong, and go in and possess the land.” (v.8) What a promise for 2011! What excitement ahead – we are going in to possess our new land in the New Year! When doubts come – be strong! When fears arise – be strong! When tempted to remain where you are – be strong! “Go in . . . possess!”

 

2. Go for . . . !

“Prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give . . . “ (v.9) In the previous verse God said, “Go in and posses the land!” Now He goes farther and says, “Prolong, – extend, for a long time – your days in the land He is giving us for a possession”. Not just a few days, a few months but, "Possess for a prolonged period of time”. Hang onto “possess, prolong” and “go in and go for . . . a prolonged period of time”. God is giving us a land, which we will possess for a long period of time. Right, if that is the case and those are God’s instructions, then let us not be slack, but let us go for it!

 

3. Go out . . . !

 In order to go into some place, we have to go out from somewhere. Let us go back to the Word. “for the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt FROM WHICH YOU HAVE COME. . .” Okay, here we have two activities “Go to” possess – and “have come” – in other words – have “gone out”. Where will we “have gone out from?” Our Bible verse says, from “Egypt”. Egypt, for God’s people represented hardship, slavery, oppression, great stress, insecurity, poverty, fatigue, unhappiness, shattered relationships, poverty and huge struggles. It represented a place of enemies, a godless country and state of being a foreigner, and not a popular one at that, and many other difficulties.

Now God comes to His people and He says, “Now therefore, behold, the cry of (my people) is come up to Me I have surely seen the oppression of My people, who are in Egypt and have heard their cry, because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them . . . .” (Exodus 3:9,7 and 8)

Leave Egypt behind and all that it represents. God is telling us: “the land which you go to possess” . . . . and listen to this – “is not like the land of Egypt”. He is bringing us out of our past trials and tribulations. We’re moving to a New Land!

Well, what was this “Egypt” like? Egypt was not watered by rains, but from water that flowed from the Nile River. Conduits or furrows were dug and a small sluice opened and closed by foot, allowed a certain amount of water to flow down the furrows and so water the crops. And so the vegetables were watered – a laborious and a tedious task. It signified hard labor and added to all the other troubles in Egypt, epitomized the life in that land. Does that resemble your circumstances during 2010? You have now looked back. Turn around! Look – there is your New Land right up ahead.

“The land which you go to possess – (you’re on your way) – is not like the land of Egypt!” (v.10)

 

4. Go to . . . !

Go to? that sounds exciting! Where are we going to? We’re on our way to the year 2011! But what will it be like since we had so many troubles during 2010? Well, God has told me that I am on my way to a land He has promised me – and He has promised you new experiences and opportunities, too, during 2011. Let us examine carefully what He is telling us.

God has led us out of “Egypt” – the year 2010, and before us, we can see our New Land, with new visions, new opportunities to serve the Lord, new heights to reach in our Christian lives. Some of us will be going to a new country, or tackling new projects that God has assigned to us. Listen! We’re headed for – “going to” "”The land which you cross over to posses” . . . We are about to “cross over”. Come step over from 2010 to 2011 with me. Egypt is gone. What is lying ahead of us? What is it like? " . . . a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven” (v.11). No more watering by foot? Well I cannot say, all I know is that on a large scale over a large terrain, God is going to rain down His blessings, in the land where He is sending us.

What a contrast! Water by foot – hills and valleys? Never! Only a vegetable garden! When God takes us to our New Land, it will be extensive territory – over hills and into valleys; not watered by self-effort and a small area, but watered by God Himself, and enough to water large lands that lie ahead of us. The New Land will be watered and flourish, whereas the land of Egypt (2010) may have yielded only a garden of vegetables in comparison.

 

5. Go over . . . !

“The land which you go over to possess . . . . “

"”The land” – 2011 – is looming up ahead. It’s our new land of new experiences and opportunities, “which you” – yes, that is you and I. “go over” – there is no doubt, we are going over into a new area of our lives; “to possess” – it’s a promise from God. We will personally possess what God has in store for us this year. It is going to be exceptional and exciting. Do you believe that?

 

6. Go with . . . !

“. . . a land for which your God cares”. “A land” – that’s a given. We are moving into 2011 – new territory. ”For which your God”. Let us pause right there for a moment. This little phrase has a very important word – “your”. God is here promising to give us a New Land, if we have made Him “our” God. The land that God give us, His children, has the greatest promise – “God cares for it”. That implies that “God will go with us”. He will take care of every detail in our New Land, in 2011.

 

7. Go with confidence . . .!

“ . . .the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it”. Yes, what confidence we have – God is caring for our New Land, and He is closely watching every detail, every moment of 2011! Claim with confidence this promise: “My presence will go with you . . .” (Exodus 33:14). What more do we need?

 

8. Go through . . .!

“ . . . from the BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO THE VERY END OF THE YEAR.” (v.12) What assurance we have! God is going to be with us from the very beginning of 2011, right through the year “to the very end of the year”. We will ‘go through” this year to our New Land with God!

 

9. “Go! Gain Ground!

Take a look at a preview of 2011, by claiming Deuteronomy 11:8-12 as God’s promise for your future. (1) “Go in” – enter your New Land; (2) “Go for” a prolonged period of time; (3) “Go out” of your present circumstances; (4) “Go to” the place earmarked for you by God; (5) “Go over” when God directs you to your New Land; (6) "Go with” God; (7) “Go with” confidence with the God who will never disappoint you; (8) “Go through” 2011 – “Go! Gain Ground!”

 

Guarantee to Go!

“For you will cross over the Jordan and go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you will possess it and dwell in it.” (Deuteronomy 11:31) God go with you in 2011.

I’m on my way!

God bless you in 2011!  . . . . . . . . . . . . Dawn.