Drive Them Out

"One Year Bible" Old Testament History Passage
Numbers 33:40-35:34
"But is you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell."  Numbers 33:55 (NKJV)

The story of Israel as they conquer their Promised Land is our story, too.  Just as they took physical territory, so we are called to lay hold of spiritual territory.  This is the story of spiritual growth.  We are all called to "possess the land."

Every one of us, however, encounters challenges and blockages that threaten to halt our progress in God.  Most people have one or two persistent challenges that seem to be designed specially for them to keep them from fullness of life.  These can be "life-defining problems." 

God, however, has equipped us and now calls us to move into our inheritance and not settle for "peace at any price."  He calls us to overcome, to conquer our enemies.  We must not ignore them; placate them; co-exist with them.  We must overcome.

The Bible says that if we do not "drive out the enemies", those enemies will become worse.  They will destroy our vision (irritants to the eyes).  They will be points of hurt and weakness (thorns in our sides).  Praise God that He has given us weapons for conquest.  We can and must win the battles of life.