“And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?  And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.  And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only: But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.” (Joshua 17:14-18)

The tribes of Joseph complained to Joshua about how little they had to meet their needs, but they failed to make the most of what had already been given to them.  Joshua’s response to them was that since they were a great people, they should exercise their greatness to conquer the inhabitants on their God-given land and work to cut down the forests in their way.  They then continued their whining by saying the forested hill would not be enough and the inhabitants of the land were too powerful.  Joshua then had to encourage them that if they would take the actions he suggested, their inheritance would be doubled.

This scripture reminded me of how we as Christians often handle our situations.  God has blessed us with all types of spiritual blessings and instead of us putting them to use to make up for what we lack, we want to sit on our lazy butts and complain as if everything we need is just supposed to fall in our laps without any effort on our part.  Until we get up and use the resources God has given us, we cannot realize the full range of how much his blessings will provide for us.  Our complaints about what we lack hinder us from enjoying our blessings.  If we take a close look at our behavior in some cases, our hardships can be traced back to our own laziness.

Instead of making the best of our one talent, we want to bury it since it isn’t five talents.  Whether this refers to our skills, opportunities to improve ourselves, chances we have to render services, or taking advantage of things that give us godly enjoyment, there is no excuse for us to complain prior to making the most of them.  As we put these things to good use, they help us to improve as individuals and serve to strengthen us where we may be weak.  Taking advantage of what we already have will lead to new and better developments in the future.

God has told us time and time again that since we are in Christ, we are a great and mighty people.  We are more than conquerors through Christ and all the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” in him.  So why should we let our enemies stand in the way of our goals just because they may have “chariots of iron”?  Our God is greater than whatever weapons they may have.  Don’t you know that greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world?  God has given us his grace which is not only his unmerited favor, but is also his power in us to do what he has called us to do and be what he calls us to be.  Much is required of us because much has been given to us.  This means our service, sacrifices, and obligations in this dark world must be greater.  We must be willing to move forward to achieve what God wants from us and not wait around looking for handouts and special favors from others.  That’s not to say we should turn them away if they do come without ungodly strings attached.

After we reach certain goals along the way, we should not rest on our laurels.  As long as we live on this earth, we have to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling.  This means there will be more obstacles in the future that we will have to struggle against, so don’t ever lay your armor down.  Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood and there are devils who would try to stir up situations to take away ground that you have already conquered.  It is imperative to remain sober and vigilant.  “See then that ye walk circumspectly [alert and aware of your surroundings], not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15,16).

I recently went through attacks from an enemy who for no justifiable reason decided to declare a personal war against me.  I kept asking God to do something about my enemy and after several times of praying to God for relief, he told me that the victory was already mine.  All I had to do was to take action by using the resources he put within my reach.  So I moved forward and wrote letters to people who I knew had the authority to deal with the situation.  I did not receive any immediate response, so I continued to persist in contacting them whenever this individual came after me, and I had tangible proof that the attacks were occurring.  Eventually, something was done and my enemy has now backed off and I thank God for the victory.  At the same time, I am always on the lookout in case more subtile attacks come.

I don’t know how all of this may apply to your situation(s), but I pray God will give you the wisdom to apply it to whatever you’re going through.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–