I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out...
-Exodus 23:29-30
THE ISRAELITES FACED a formidable enemy. We face a daily enemy too as we battle against our flesh. The flesh has real strongholds in our lives—-fortresses surrounded by high walls. Giants dwell in our land. But God wants us to enter in and possess all of His promises. He wants us to live a life of blessedness and victory. To do so, we have to battle the flesh.
How do we do that? We can learn to battle our flesh by observing the principles God set forth for Israel. Notice that He didn’t give Israel victory in one year. Instead, He conquered their foes little by little.
GOD WILL NOT GIVE YOU VICTORY OVER THE FLESH IN ONE YEAR. SUCCESS HAS NO SHORTCUTS—IT IS A LIFELONG BATTLE.
As long as you live in this body you are going to be troubled with the things of the flesh. God doesn’t show us the whole battle at once, because He knows that would discourage us. So He shows us one territory at a time.
Just as Israel never completely took all the territory that God promised to them, we will never have complete victory over our flesh until we stand before His throne. But we can rejoice in the territory that we have conquered so far, and rest in the knowledge that He will continue that work—little by little.
Lord, help us not to be satisfied with a partial conquering of the land, but may we press on until we have taken all that You have promised.
Amen.