God has planned freedom, triumph and victory for His people. Most of us have had areas in our lives where we faced great challenges. Some of those challenges came from personal sins, needs, failures, or weaknesses. Some challenges came from family, associates, school or even people we do not know. We have had many challenges.
With every challenge, God has a plan for His people. It is important to know that God is never surprised with our challenges or struggles. God’s plan involves a successful end to our struggles and challenges.
God wants His people to be invincible champions. The Bible gives examples of people who went through various struggles, weaknesses, and challenges. We can learn much by looking at what God did for them.
In Exodus, the Israelites were God’s people, but they were in bondage in Egypt. When God made the covenant with Abram, He said his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs and would be afflicted for 400 years, (Genesis 15:13). They were beaten and starved slaves in a strange land. Egypt and slavery was not God’s covenant with Israel. It was not God’s perfect plan for His people to be slaves.
God planned and provided a land of promise.
In their distress, they cried out to God for deliverance, peace and freedom. God had a land of peace and promise provided for His people. God promised the Patriarch Abraham that He was going to bless these people and they would leave Egypt free and champions. God had a future and a hope for them that was outside of Egypt’s bondage.
Often our current situation blinds us to God’s great plan. God does not want you to be slaves to your enemy. He has made a covenant through Christ for your freedom. The key for their deliverance and God’s planned blessing rested in the actions of one man.
God put a challenge before Moses that was a most difficult thing for him to do.
God appointed Moses to lead His people out and the path appeared disastrous to Moses. There were perilous problems on every hand and his death seemed at hand. At first, Moses was unwilling to participate in God’s plan for freedom.
God sees something in us that we often don’t see in ourselves. Moses was God’s appointed instrument of deliverance.
Exodus 3:1 NIV84Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
In Exodus 3:2-5, the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush.
Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When Moses turned aside, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” God said, “Do not come any closer, take off your sandals, you are standing on holy ground.”
Exodus 3:6 NIV84 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
He was standing on holy ground in God’s presence when he was called, commissioned, and sent. Moses’ told God he was not able to do this, but God chose him anyway.
God knew something about Moses that Moses did not know.
You need to know that God knows things about you that you don’t know. God was sending Moses back to Egypt with His power and victory. Moses was made into a living testimony of the living and Almighty God.
Every sign, wonder, miracle and plague passed from God through Moses’ actions. God put in Moses the spirit of an invincible champion. By God’s power, water was turned to blood, and the land was covered with frogs, lice, flies, and locusts. Through Moses’ word, God brought severe plaques and pestilence on Egypt’s livestock. God’s judgment of boils, hail, darkness, and death of the first born fell on Egypt.
Then God used Moses to bring Israel across the Red Sea on dry ground.
Moses experienced freedom from the Egyptians, and victory over the wilderness.
He brought that great multitude through the wilderness to Sinai. At Sinai, the glory, presence, and power of God Almighty came down before all of the people.
Then God called Moses to the top of the mountain into His radiant glory and presence. Moses was a mediator between Almighty God and the people. He heard God’s voice and spoke to the people. Moses stood between God and Israel.
At the end of Deuteronomy, God called Moses to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, and showed him the Promised Land. Then Moses the servant of the Lord died. Their mediator and God’s representative was gone. God was not going to leave them without a leader, so He appointed Joshua.
Joshua 1:2 NIV84 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.
“Moses, my servant, is dead,” were hard words for Joshua to hear. Joshua had walked with that mighty man of God. He was with Moses when God came down. He came to know God’s presence by being with Moses. When Moses is dead, God told Joshua that He was going to make him an invincible champion.
Joshua 1:3 NIV84 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
Joshua 1:5 NIV84 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:6 NIV84 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.
Joshua 1:7 NIV84 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Now, Joshua was leading the multitudes of Israel into freedom. Be strong and very courageous addresses Joshua’s new calling and God’s plan.
- Joshua 1-11, God was with Joshua.
- Joshua 3, he led Israel across the Jordan River on dry ground.
- Joshua 6, the walls of Jericho fell flat and they took the city.
- Joshua 8:1-30, they defeated Ai.
God knows how to draw out your enemies and defeat them. Sometimes we don’t want our enemies to be drawn out. If we are going to come into God’s freedom, victory, and peace, we must conquer our enemies.
Joshua 9:1–2 NIV84 Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon …they came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.
In Joshua 10, five kings were defeated in one battle.
Joshua 10:6 NIV84The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
God was giving them victory and freedom from their enemies. Nothing their enemies did prospered. God was blessing them going in and coming out. You may not understand what God is doing, but He has a plan to make you an invincible champion.
Romans 8:31 NKJV What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
God wants to bring us into victory over every foe that will come against us. For that reason, do not be afraid when God draws our enemy out. God is going to bring us into greater victories. If the Lord is for us, who can stand against us?
Listen to how this played out for Joshua and in their lives.
Joshua 11:20–23 NLT For the Lord hardened their hearts and caused them to fight the Israelites. So they were completely destroyed without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Joshua 11:21 NLT During this period Joshua destroyed all the descendants of Anak, who lived in the hill country of Hebron, Debir, Anab, and the entire hill country of Judah and Israel. He killed them all and completely destroyed their towns.
Joshua 11:22 NLT None of the descendants of Anak were left in all the land of Israel, though some still remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
Joshua 11:23 NLT So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the Lord had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war.
Everything seemed to be going as planned. Their enemies were defeated and they had rest from war. Their needs were supplied. Now they could finally have a little rest.
There were only a few descendants of Anak in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod remaining. This seemed to be an insignificant thing.
What are a few giants when you have won so many battles? It is easy to count victories and ignore problems.
God has a plan for complete freedom for His people.
We cannot afford to be casual about unconquered areas in our lives. God gave Joshua and Israel victories over their enemies. But, they were tired battling evil. They wanted to have rest, peace and freedom from fighting at any cost.
What is so significant with three unconquered areas?
GAZA
Judges 16:1 NLT One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.
Samson was God’s called, chosen, and dedicated Judge of Israel. The Spirit of God came on him in might. By the power of the Spirit, he carried off city gates and their posts. Through the power of God’s Spirit, he killed a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. He was a mighty warrior and judge of Israel. Samson was brought low and destroyed because of Delilah of Gaza.
God told Joshua and Israel to destroy all of their enemies. We cannot have real freedom and make peace with the enemy in the house.
GATH
1 Samuel 17:4 NLT Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall!
We know the story of how Goliath of Gath defied, mocked, and cursed the God of Israel. Israel’s armies were greatly afraid when Goliath stepped on the battlefield.
Israel is a picture of the church. Satan will raise up any giant he can to take your freedom. Israel was blocked by fear in the valley. God wants His church to be mighty through God to pull down the strongholds of the enemy.
You are going to face some giants, but God wants you to be an invincible champion. If Joshua and Israel would have obeyed God and destroyed Gath, Goliath would have never been born.
God lifted up and put His Spirit on a young man called David to defeat Goliath. God had prepared David to defeat Goliath and Gath. When he arrived on the battlefield, he went down to the stream and gathered five smooth stones. David defeated Goliath with a single stone and sling.
2 Samuel 21:17-22 says four descendants of the giant from Gath fell by the hand of David and his servants.
ASHDOD was last of the three descendants of the giant.
1 Samuel 5:1 NIV84After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
The armies of Israel arose to battle against the Philistines. At this time, the Philistines took the Ark of God captive. The Ark of God was the place of atonement and covering. The Ark of God was the symbol of God’s presence. When the Ark of God was taken, the glory of the Lord departed from Israel. When Eli the High Priest heard the ark of God was taken, he fell backwards off his chair and broke his neck.
Ashdod was the enemy that seemed to never go away.
- Ashdod opposed the rebuilding of the temple and wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah 4:1-7.
- Sanballat and the people of Ashdod harassed the holy remnant that was rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.
For hundreds of years the children of Israel suffered because Joshua and the armies of Israel did not conquer every enemy that was before them.
God wants you to be an invincible champion who lives in liberty and freedom.
He has provided power, victory and freedom over every enemy of your soul. Through the blood of Christ and the power of the cross you can have no unconquered areas in your life. God has provided victory and covering through the blood of Jesus Christ for you. God has given you His Spirit, might and power to defeat the great mountain that has come against you, (Zecharaiah 4:6).
1 John 5:4 NKJV For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
If you have any unconquered areas in your life, allow Jesus to come in. Don’t hold anything back.
Joshua 10:6 NIV84 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
