Undefeated Lands
In the book of Joshua, we see a people driven out to conquer the inhabitants of the land promised to their forefathers. The people were victorious in nearly every battle and the fear of Israel’s God overwhelmed the hearts of their enemies. But in the thirteenth chapter we read that the people tired of war and began settling down in the lands they had taken from their enemies while there were lands that remained inhabited by their enemies. In these lands, tribes of wickedness remained an ominous threat to Israel.
Isn’t it just so with Christians today? That in all the work of spiritual warfare we have seen our work remains incomplete; there remains an unconquered people throughout the land whose hearts are bent toward evil. Today, many have bought the lie that it is acceptable to settle for what we have achieved rather than carry out the word of the Lord in its entirety. Is it too impossible to believe that the undefeated lands may be yet won for God and His people? Is it any more impossible to believe that blind men can be made to see, or that the dead can be raised to life, or that from nothing God creates all that is? No - nothing is impossible with God.
In our settling to let alone the undefeated lands, we have not only disobeyed the Lord’s command, we have allowed the enemy access to influence our people with godless ideals; corrupting them with wickedness and abominations of all varieties. And is this not what we see that has become of the Church today in the West? That the inhabitants of these undefeated lands have now made their way into our churches and homes and has corrupted the minds and hearts of our people with godlessness?
This is the consequence of leaving undefeated lands. Not that we should go out and slay those who do not live in obedience to God, but that by His grace, we should be determined to see their hearts of stone be made alive and delivered from their chains to sin and destruction through the relentless preaching of the Gospel. Our campaign should be one of love and truth that drives evil away from their hearts and minds in order to claim them for the Lord! But if we grow tired of war and would rather find contentment to live in a land where the enemy still occupies the land, we should not be surprised at the day of our demise. If there are undefeated lands, our work is not yet done!