Thought for Today: “Possessing the Promises”

Are we truly taking possession of God’s promises?

I’ve been studying how the tribes of Israel inherited the Promised Land. When it came to Ephraim, even though they received some of the best land, they didn’t fully take possession of it. It says, “They did not drive out the Canaanites.” (Joshua 16:10).

Although they inherited it, they did not fully take ownership.

The same applies to their sister tribe, Manasseh. They received more land than initially assigned, but they still longed for more because of the size of the enemy living there (Joshua 17:12). It seems they wanted the promise but hesitated to do the work or make the sacrifices necessary to attain it.

How about us?

We have been given great and precious promises that we often like to quote, but have we claimed them as our own? Remember that the bigger the promise, the more opposition we will face to possess it. So, are we willing to fight the battles and make the sacrifices needed to receive what God has given?

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:3-4a)