God told Joshua, ‘You will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.’ The Promised Land already belonged to God’s people. But when He told them to ‘take possession’, that meant they’d have to fight for it. There were thirty-one kings living there – each with their own tribal armies. There were seven major cities to conquer and giants to overcome. If we’re going to ‘take possession’ of what God has in store for us, we firstly need to believe God has given us the gifting, resources, and strength to fulfil our purpose. And then we need to be willing to fight for it. Just because it’s something God has for us doesn’t mean we won’t have to fight to get to it. The fight teaches us to trust God, and helps us remember in the future how God helped us to overcome things in order for us to reach our potential. We won’t win in our own strength. We need to rely on God. He says: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you’ (v.9 NIV). Also, if we’re stepping out and taking hold of God’s plans for us, we’ll often face the attack of the enemy who wants to stop us being effective for the kingdom, and wants to stop us from getting closer to God. We need to take all our struggles to God, and ask for His help. Whatever God calls us to do, He will give us the ability to do, but we must work to develop that ability. Sometimes we have to pursue what He promised us – and that means we need to have passion, patience, and persistence for the fight.

What Now? 

Ask God to help you have the passion, patience, and persistence you need to overcome what’s standing between you and God’s plans for you.