When the Israelites left Egypt God did not permit them to immediately enter the land of promise for the above reason. The Jews did fight battles while they were in the wilderness. But when they came to Canaan they were facing ferocious warriors who were determined to protect their native land. This was a different matter from the skirmishes in the wilderness. But after their experiences with God in the wilderness the Israelites were prepared for this violent struggle.

So it is in the history of the Christian Church. It is only now, having two thousand years of Church history to instruct us, that we are ready to enter our land of promise.

Our land of promise, our Canaan, consists of the change of our personality into the moral image of Jesus Christ; untroubled rest in the Father through Jesus Christ; and the possession of the peoples of the saved nations. If we are to invade and conquer in these three arenas we shall have to overcome the fierce opposition of Satan and his forces, who consider the present world and all that is in it to be their personal possession.

So the time is now. We have the authorization of the Scripture declaring that since we have died with Christ we have been freed from sin, that is, released from any and all obligations having to do with our adamic nature. It is dead and we have been legally freed.

The Christian churches are being brought to the brink of Jordan, as it were. The enemy will do all in his power to deceive us or bluff us. But he shall be driven from every part of God's creation until he can be found only in the Lake of Fire.

Because of the spiritual danger found in such an attack upon the strongholds of Satan, the Lord Jesus has not given us in the Bible clear directions as to how we are to proceed. Rather—and I think this is of the highest importance to understand—Jesus Christ Himself is coming in the Spirit to conduct the war Himself.

There is much talk today, since spiritual war is in the air so to speak, about how we are to go forth and bind all the kings of darkness. I believe we would be wise to cease from our presumptuous, ignorant boasting about what we are going to do and begin to wait on the Lord. Satan is so wise and skillful that he uses all our proud talk to defeat us. We are not wise or strong enough to go to war against the ancient lords of the heavens.

But there is One who is wiser and more powerful than all, and He has the full backing of the Father. That One is Jesus Christ—King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He is the One who will deliver over the enemy to us. But we must learn to wait upon Him until we know what He is doing. We need to follow Him and not try to use "spiritual principles" to drive the enemy from the creation.

Can you see why it is necessary that we follow the Lord and not go forth according to our own ideas?

To be continued.