Giants in the Land: Volume 1 (War for Possession) — Post 3 of 33
Part I — The Summons & the Stakes
The Threshold God Will Not Cross For You
Jordan stands in Scripture as a boundary line — not between earth and heaven, but between wilderness and inheritance. It marks the line between God’s provision and God’s intention. Many Christians meet God in the wilderness; few cross over to possess Canaan.
The wilderness proves the believer; Canaan enlarges him. But Jordan confronts him. At Jordan the issue is no longer deliverance from Pharaoh, nor survival under chastening, but obedience unto possession. This is why Jordan always appears as water in motion — it is not to be admired, but crossed.
“He brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in…”
(Deut. 6:23)
Egypt was bondage. The wilderness was schooling. Canaan was destiny. But destiny demands confrontation, and confrontation demands obedience.
Jordan Is Not Death
A persistent error in Christian imagination equates Jordan with physical death. Spiritual songs and sentimental preaching have assigned Jordan to funerals, as though the Christian crosses that river into heaven.
But if Jordan is death, then heaven contains idols, backsliding, taxation, partial obedience, tribal forfeiture, and enemy occupation — for Canaan contained all of these.
- Heaven has no giants.
- Heaven has no battles.
- Heaven has no idols.
- Heaven has no taxation.
- Heaven has no forfeited territories.
- Heaven has no partial obedience.
But Canaan had them all.
Jordan is not death; Jordan is obedience. Canaan is not heaven; Canaan is inheritance. The believer does not die to enter Canaan — he obeys to possess it.
Jordan as a Threshold God Refuses to Cross for You
God delivered Israel out of Egypt without their cooperation — salvation is of the Lord. He sustained Israel in the wilderness despite their murmuring — mercy endures. But God would not carry Israel into possession. He demanded obedience.
The threshold of inheritance must be crossed by faith. The Lord will part the waters, but He will not step into them for you.
“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests… were dipped in the brim of the water…”
(Josh. 3:15)
He parts after they step. Faith precedes miracle; obedience precedes enlargement.
Many wait for God to move, not realizing God waits for them to step.
The Wilderness Is a Place Where God Works for You
In the wilderness:
- God fought for them
- God fed them
- God clothed them
- God shielded them
- God instructed them
The wilderness was survival. Inheritance is possession. Survival asks nothing of the enemy; possession demands the enemy yield.
This is where many Christians halt. They are kept by God, but never enlarged by God. They survive by manna, but never taste the fruit of the land. They remain children of promise, yet strangers to inheritance.
Canaan Is Where God Works With You
In Canaan:
- God no longer fought alone
- God no longer fed apart from their labor
- God no longer shielded without their swords
- God no longer instructed without requiring obedience
Promise remains God’s. Warfare becomes theirs.
Grace does not negate warfare; grace makes warfare possible.
The Tragedy of Refusal
Refusal at Jordan is refusal of destiny. Israel refused the crossing once (Num. 14), and God swore they would not enter His rest (Ps. 95:11; Heb. 3:11). A whole generation died in the wilderness, not because they were unsaved, but because they were unwilling.
They believed God for deliverance; they did not believe Him for inheritance.
The tragedy of that generation is summarized in seven words:
“He could not bring them into…”
(Josh. 24:17)
Not because God was unable, but because they were unwilling. God will not drag unwilling men into rest.
The Psychology of the Threshold
Every believer meets Jordan in his obedience. Jordan asks questions sermons cannot answer:
- Will you obey when obedience demands warfare?
- Will you possess what God has already given?
- Will you fight the enemies within?
- Will you cross from survival to enlargement?
This is why many remain in the wilderness. It is safer to eat manna than to fight for vineyards.
The Believer’s Jordan Today
Jordan confronts:
- comfort
- convenience
- timidity
- anxiety
- lust
- presumption
- passivity
- fear of loss
Jordan exposes whether we prefer God’s provision or God’s intention. Many love deliverance; few love inheritance. Many want to be free from Pharaoh; few want to reign in Canaan.
The Enemy Behind Sin
If Canaan must be possessed by warfare, then sin must be confronted as an invader, not merely as a defect. Scripture personifies sin:
“…sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire…”
(Gen. 4:7, KJV)
Not its desire — his desire. Modern translations neuter the text, but Scripture preserves the masculine pronoun because sin is energized by a person.
“He that committeth sin is of the devil…”
(1 John 3:8)
Sin is not merely failure, but foothold — and footholds become strongholds. Refusal to confront sin is refusal to possess the land.
Jordan Is a Summons to Courage
The command at Jordan is always the same:
“Be strong and of a good courage…”
(Josh. 1:6–9)
Courage is not a feeling, but a decision to obey God against opposition. God supplies encouragement — He does not supply evasion.
Overcomer’s Checkpoint
At which river do you stand today?
- Egypt — bondage
- Wilderness — survival
- Jordan — obedience
- Canaan — possession
Most remain at survival because obedience looks like confrontation. Which giant waits on your banks?
- Fear?
- Convenience?
- Lust?
- Passivity?
- Unbelief?
God parts waters — but not for hesitation. He parts for obedience.