Lose All Things to Gain Everything

By Cyndi Kay Green

During my study of the book of Joshua, I began to understand many things about the promised land and the wilderness. Hoshea (Joshua) and Caleb were the only two scouts that truly believed the Israelites could take the promised land since God was going to be with them (Numbers 14:6-9). Because of their faith and obedience, they would be the only two leaders from all the tribes of Israelites with Moses that would actually be able to walk in the promised land (Numbers 14:30). Forty years after being in the wilderness and living in a place where God didn’t want them, Joshua and Caleb were stepping into the promised land. There are times in our lives that we are in a place, the wilderness, that God does not want for us. We don’t always see it in the beginning, but when it’s time to be delivered, God always finds a way to get our attention. We find ourselves living in the wilderness because we just don’t believe that we really deserve or belong in the promised land. We have God in our lives, but we don’t actually have Him in the center of everything we do or say. By this I mean that we haven’t sold out completely to the promises that because of obedience not works, we can have the promised land; we feel we aren’t “holy” enough or “anointed” enough to have the ability to live in the promise land.

Sometimes it is actually a physical thing we have been living in a place that God didn’t plan for us. This may sound strange but when you truly think about it, if we are living in a place God has planned, wouldn’t there be peace? I mean, sure the adversary will still try to bring trials and place things and even people in our lives to disrupt our peace and steal our joy; but the peace and security that God covers us with will only strengthen us and help us learn to understand that the battle is not ours and when we absolutely trust in God, He will be the one to fight the enemy. When living in peace, you don’t want to get away from the house to be able to relax and focus, it’s the exact opposite, you want to stay home to relax and focus on how God wants you to live.

Being in the wilderness is being in a place different from what God had planned. It’s being in a place of wondering and unsettling. God knows where we should be and He knows what our purpose is as well as our needs; therefore, he wants us to live in peace and not focused on wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. He has promised each of us the promised land, but the key question is this; do we want to be obedient and follow Him? What we may think we don’t deserve or are to weak to have, may be the very place that God wants to take us. But in order to step into it, we have to totally sell out to God. Give him all of ourselves, and abide in Him, trust Him, love Him, worship Him and lean on Him.

Sometimes when we are being delivered from the wilderness, we don’t see it as being delivered. We see it with carnal eyes and see it as a failure. But in actuality, God is bringing us out of the shadows of the wilderness and into the light of the promised land full of security, peace and blessings.

Losing everything of the wilderness (a place we weren’t supposed to be) and gaining everything of the promised land (the place God had planned and given us) is hard to understand, but it’s not for us to always understand. It is simply for us to trust that God has the perfect vision for our journey with Him as we live in obedience to Him and follow the path He has placed before us. When we fully allow God to lead our lives and mold us into His vessels, that is when we begin to be brought out of the dry wilderness, and we truly recognize who God is and what He can do. He didn’t make promises that are empty, but you have to desire Him to find Him.

When I say gaining everything, I am not talking about the material stuff of the world. It’s not about the cars, houses, clothes, makeup or most recent iPhone release. The gain is the fruit that comes with abiding in the vine. The peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7); the hope of Abraham when all seems hopeless (Romans 4:18); faith when you can’t see (Hebrews 11:1); love when you feel unlovable (Psalm 36:7); joy when sorrow surrounds you (Habakkuk 3:18); the kindness of God’s heart that he would bring salvation (Titus 3:4-5); and the pursuing goodness and unfailing love of God that will pursue us always (Psalm 23:6). How amazing is it that we have these riches within our reach? These are the things that money cannot buy, yet they will change our life the minute we stop seeking the “stuff” of the world and seek the true heart of God. When we let Him tend the soil of our soul, He will allow us to find that those things we need most in life are the very things we cannot find neatly stacked on a store shelf or in a fancy neighborhood. Thank goodness for us, walking away from the wilderness of the world and into the promised land of living a life following God doesn’t have to be a 40-year process, unless we just choose to continue to wander aimlessly through life not knowing the fullness of God. We can choose to step out of that desolate place and into one that is full of hope, faith and love. And the amazing thing is, we are promised that God will always supply our needs when we are obedient in His ways (Philippians 4:19).

Losing everything is sometimes a very scary thing to think about. Our flesh has a hard time letting go of “stuff” because we get caught up in the way the world views success and happiness. We get lost in the race for the best and we lose focus on the love and peace that God has been holding out for us to grab onto as we navigate through this life. The great thing about God and His “everything” is that He is always quick to hear our call and answer our prayers. He is just waiting to be our everything.

The greatest love ever known to man is waiting for us to lose our things so that He can become our everything. He is waiting just outside the wilderness to lead us in to the land of our milk and honey. We do not need to wait for the spies to return to tell us that we can take the land, we already have possession through God. Join me friend, as we step out of the wilderness into the promised land of this beautiful journey with Jesus.