When you enter the Canaan expe rience you might not understand some of the things they do and say but you can testify, “That is all right; I am your property, Lord; You take care of it!" Commit your whole life to Jesus Christ. Launch out in faith, giving Him all that you are and all that you will ever be. In this way you can know real satisfac tion and experience daily victory. The experience recorded in the Scriptures concerning the Israelites' journey from Egypt to Canaan is a striking picture of the normal Chris tian life. Out of bondage by the shedding of blood has been the born-again believer's experience. Led into the land of Canaan by the Holy Spirit is precisely what God has for those who have trusted Christ by faith. Israel spent 40 years in the wil derness, grumbling every day of it. We need to remember that it was never God's intention for them to wander in doubt. Such experience for us in no way depicts the nor mal Christian existence. What we can and should desire is Canaan life. This is signified by victory and blessing. It was after the death of Moses that the people were ready to go into the land of promise, crossing the Jordan by faith. Is it not strange that Moses should be considered a hindrance? He was the one person whom God said He would use. Yet, out of sheer unbelief, when he struck the rock rather than speaking to it, he be came the difficulty. Unbelief is the one big thing that is going to keep you out of Canaan in terms of your everyday, normal Christian exis tence. The early chapters of the book of Joshua show the deter mination of their renewed faith.
What conquests were theirs when they ceased doubting and had an absolute commitment to the living God. So we need a total identifica tion with Jesus Christ today. Joshua simply listened to what God said. When they came into en emy territory they still triumphed. We read in Joshua 5:13, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." Joshua was asking this man, "Are you on our side or theirs?" He replied, “ I have not come to pick sides. I have come to take over." What a fantastic thing to think about! Jesus Christ has not come to take your side. He has come to take over! So many people react nega tively to that because there is a mechanism within us that says, “ I am not letting anyone have control of my life." Someone else telling us what to do rubs us the wrong way. God has redeemed us not just to take us to heaven, but to be our Lord and Master. We dare not give Him any less a place. It is interesting to notice what Joshua did. He "fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou stand- est is holy." Whether you know it or not, right here at this point in the commander's life was the most crucial. Is he to obey or to disobey?
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