Obedience to God’s word has been key for me to experience all that God has for me. 

 

From the moment that God called me into ministry in January 2002, I was all in with Jesus. I said, “Yes, send me; I will go.” And I meant it. Everything in my life began to revolve around fulfilling the ministry Jesus called me to fulfill. My calling to reach and teach women God’s word so that they could experience the life transformation I experienced lit an inextinguishable fire in me. 

 

The first three months, I literally said, every day, “Lord, send me I will go.” But I didn’t know what to do, where to go, or how to even begin walking this ministry thing out. So, I prayed every day and repeated the words, “Lord, send me I will go.” 

 

I will tell you that other than my husband, I told no one. I didn’t want anyone to speak into what God wanted me to do other than God. So, I kept it to myself because I wanted obedience to God’s word to rule what I did. 

 

Sometimes God Speaks To Us Through Other People

 

My mother-in-law had been a spiritual mother and mentor to me. But for the first three months, I did not tell her God called me into ministry. Then one day, when we talked on the phone, “I got the courage to tell her that God called me to ministry and how I had prayed daily for those three months saying, “Lord, send me I will go.” I told her that I had heard nothing from God about what He wanted me to do. 

 

She asked me if I had talked to my pastor and told him that God called me into ministry. When I told her I didn’t want anyone to speak into my calling other than God, she said, “Pat, God put your pastor in your life to be a spiritual leader and to help guide you. You need to go talk to him.” 

 

It was time for me to take action. 

 

So I went. 

 

And that is where and when my journey of pursuing my spiritual promised land of leading women in their spiritual journey to grow in their relationship with Jesus and to grow in their knowledge and love of God’s word began. 

 

Before we step into Scripture, I need to know that you identified your promised land. So right now, ask yourself and answer the question, “What is it that God has deeply rooted in my heart and given me a deep desire to see fulfilled in my life?

 

Got it??? Say it is out loud. I want you to be fully aware of every detail of this. 

 

Now let’s turn our attention to Scripture. 

 

A couple of weeks ago I started focusing on Pursuing Our Spiritual Promised Land. 

 

We looked at the Old Testament story of God getting His people ready to enter their physical promised land. God raised up a new leader named Joshua. He told Joshua what He wanted him to do in Joshua 1:2. 

 

Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, 

to the land which I am giving to them – the children of Israel.

Joshua 1:2

 

The inference was, the promised land was theirs for the taking, they simply needed to do what God told them to do to have their promised land. Entering into our spiritual promised land will also require our obedience to God’s word. 

 

Obedience to God’s Word

 

What did God tell them to do? “Arise and go to the land I am giving you.” “Arise” in the original Hebrew language means rise up, stand, stand up. “Go” in Hebrew means to pass over, cross, cross over and it denotes a continuous movement. “Go” is a flow out of arise. It seems God is saying, “Get up and get going.”

 

Maybe it is because I know the context of the story. But, I can’t help but think God is like, “Let’s do this!”  God’s people had been on a journey to get to their promised land for several decades at this time, i.e. nearly forty years. That just seems long enough, if not too long, to take to get anywhere. 

 

Not only is entering and experiencing our spiritual promised land going to take obedience to God’s word, it is also going to take action. 

 

 

Parallel Old Testament Obedience To God’s Word To The New Testament

 

 

I think it is interesting that God’s words in the Old Testament to Joshua about experiencing their promised land were so similar to times in the New Testament when Jesus healed. 

 

And He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 

Matthew 9:6

 

But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 

Matthew 17:7

 

I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." 

Mark 2:11

 

Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," 

which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 

Mark 5:41

 

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"

--He said to the man who was paralyzed, 

"I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

Luke 5:24

 

But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, 

“Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood.

Luke 6:8

 

Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. 

And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."

Luke 7:14

 

But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise.”

 Luke 8:54

 

And He said to him, " Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."

Luke 17:19

 

Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."

John 5:8

 

 

Do What God Tells You To Do 

 

The Old Testament physical promised land parallels our spiritual promised land. And so much of the time our spiritual promised land is based on a need for healing that we can experience wholeness in some area of our life. But it can also parallel God’s promises to us. 

 

Early on in my journey with Jesus, I experienced spiritual healing from a sin-filled past that brought me into a place of spiritual wholeness, I never experienced before. Then God called me and gave me a promise that He would use me to lead women to grow spiritually. 

 

In both instances, to enter the promised land, I had to do what God instructed me to do. I had to Arise and go, to walk in obedience and enter into all that God has for me. 

 

I want to encourage you today to take what you identified as your promised land, and do what God tells you to do. Arise, get up, and go, get going. Walk it out. Don’t stop until you have experienced fully everything that God has for you.