During our debrief in Hua Hin, Thailand, before our month in Vietnam, our former Squad Leader Sean Smith proposed to us that we are “already in the promise land”. As Christians, we are all in the promise land, we just don’t always see it. Here are my thoughts from that day:
“What am I seeing?
If we are all in the promise land, why am I not seeing it? It’s because I’ve built up walls around myself. On the walls are crooked mirrors that lie to me about who I am. There are paintings hung that flaunt past mistakes and sins. I have been camped out in the promise land, but unwilling to explore beyond the shack that I have built.
… I am tired of living in this place.
The whisper of the greatness all around me has now turned into a SHOUT. I refuse to ignore it any longer.
I pick up a sledge hammer, ready to demolish the walls surrounding me, but suddenly am halted by God. “Don’t waste your time. Simply step outside, and start exploring.”
I step outside and suddenly taste something in the air that I have not tasted for awhile…
freedom
love
hope
faith
The promise land has a great and never-ending abundance of these things and more. I am going to keep exploring.”
Often times we get stuck. Through some sin in our life, we allow the enemy a foothold. Then the enemy lies to us, telling us we need to live in guilt and condemnation. We start to think that we have to fight to break down walls, and fight to get back to God. The truth is, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. The truth is, we don’t need to fight to break free, for we are already free. We are children of God, and are welcome to meet with our Father anytime! We don’t need to work our way back to God, we just need to humble ourselves before Him, and in faith, go to meet Him. When we take that step of faith, we find that Jesus has been there waiting for us the entire time, with open arms.
Since that time, I have been truly walking in the promise land. I have been drawing closer and closer to God, and have been experiencing love and faith and hope in new ways. This past month in Vietnam has been amazing. I am back to simply being me. I am back to thriving in ministry. And it is AWESOME!
I encourage you to examine the world you are living in. What are you seeing? Can you see the promise land, or is there something blinding you from it. Don’t waste a moment fighting to break down walls. Getting back to God is simple. Confess your sins, and then thank Jesus for forgiveness. Now, step outside into the promise land and start exploring. God has the most amazing wonderful plan for you, and its time you start walking in it again.
