You might think that a believer’s biggest challenges are sin and worldly temptation. But for many believers in the church, the battle is even more subtle. It is a battle over our soul, over ground in us — and what we set our mind on every day determines the outcome of this battle. While we may not think we are that sinful or even care much for the world, we do have many of our thoughts, concepts, desires, and opinions. On the surface, they might be entirely reasonable or justifiable; they may even be right. But in God’s eyes, there are only two sides in this war: Christ, and everything else. That means that it’s not just the “big” sins or bad things that can hinder us. Actually, the good concepts, considerations, and religious understandings are even more dangerous weapons in this war! Anything that is not Christ — no matter how good, how beautiful, how righteous — produces nothing but death (Rom. 8:6).
The Bible tells us that we are God’s cultivated land (1 Cor. 3:9). But, as depicted by the good land in the Old Testament, there are occupants in our soul that God desires to utterly destroy (Deut. 7:1-2). The Canaanites who dwelt on the land were descendants of Noah’s son, Ham (Gen. 10:6-20). If we hear Ham’s story, we might think the judgment was too harsh: he was cursed by his father, and yet all he had done was inadvertently seen his father drunk and naked and told his brothers (9:20-25). We might even think Ham was righteous, considering how far his father had fallen! But what was Ham’s fatal flaw? What was it about these Canaanites that God abhorred so much as to want to utterly destroy them? What is it inside of us that stops Christ from occupying the land?
Noah did not want to curse Ham or God to purge the Canaanites because they were bad people, or had outwardly committed many sins. In this battle, there are only two authorities: spirit and flesh. God wanted to utterly destroy the Canaanites because they represent a rebellion against the authority of God, a continuation of Ham’s rebellion against his father. Today the principle is the same: the Lord does not care how good or how “innocent” the things that occupy you are. If they are not of Him — if there is any other authority, anything not of Christ occupying the land — they must be purged!
Saints, are there Canaanites dwelling in you? What is your land occupied by? You may not think those things are bad, and you may think there is no problem for them to “coexist” with the Lord. But there is no compromise in this war! There is no flesh and spirit, no old creation and new creation that can enter into the New Jerusalem. There is only new creation! There can only be one authority reigning in the universe — including in this universe inside of you today. You may think the battle is hard, even impossible. But praise the Lord, He is the One in battle! Exodus 23:30 says, “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have become fruitful and inherit the land.” Brothers and sisters, today, the battle is already won! He is victorious. He is the one who overcame death in a powerful out-resurrection (Phil. 3:10-11). But is He victorious in you? Today, declare this victory; every day, live in this victory! In such a way, He has full reign and authority to gain that victorious ground in us, day by day replacing our natural life and transforming our soul to be His fruitful land.
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from gatherings on 11/2/2024 and 11/10/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)