Little by Little

Deuteronomy 6:22-23

 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the Lord, your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 

The setting of these two verses in Deuteronomy is at the point where the Israelites are poised to enter the promised land. Moses is giving them the final instructions he received from the Lord. He reminds them of the Ten Commandments and recounts the true story of the deliverance God engineered to free them from Egyptian slavery. They needed the reminder because these were the children of the adults who were not allowed to enter because of their great disobedience. 

The Israelites who died out in the wilderness wandering didn't believe God would fight for them to gain the promised land. They continually disregarded God's miraculous overthrowing of the Egyptians which set them free from bondage. They simply would not believe what God had promised he would do for them and as a result, they would not be able to enter.

This morning as I read the two chapters surrounding this passage, I sensed God telling me how these verses apply to us thousands of years later. I saw how it applied to me, but it's for all believers. 

I believe most people who are born again experience an awakening in their minds and hearts. There is a dynamic shift in outlook and gained faith in their salvation by God's grace. In other words, there is usually a response of both great joy and peace when we accept Christ into our hearts. It is palpable. Not everyone does. Some come to a gradual recognition they are saved, but they know with certainty salvation is theirs. 

I know my moment of accepting Jesus as my Savior was an amazing event that brought not only relief but freedom from bondages that had ruled over me. I cried as I felt the chains fall away from me. Yet, no one is immediately made perfect. We are given salvation that is as certain as God's word is. We are given the Holy Spirit to transform us into Christlikeness. But who among us can claim total victory over all the flesh? Who among us can claim to have never sinned again? I can't. I John says if we say we have no sin, we make God out to be a liar. I don't know about you, but I'm not calling God a liar. Yet scripture also promises if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive them throughout our days on earth, because we will never be completely perfect until we see Jesus face-to-face. 

So how does Deuteronomy apply? I fall into the trap of feeling shame every time I miss the mark. I feel I've let the Lord down; that I shouldn't ever stumble. Then I get anxious in prayer, doubting whether God is transforming me, or he's simply not doing it fast enough. I want the broken places fixed now. Today. In others words, I want to be victorious all the time. But even the heroes of hall of faith fame were not perfect. Not in their lives on earth.

God said he would give victory little by little. My besetting sins, my wrongful attitudes, my lack of giving his love toward the difficult people I encounter, and if I am totally honest, my frustration with God over his timetable, are not going to be changed overnight. The mountaintop salvation experience leads to a long journey of gradual transformation. We simply are not going to be totally Christlike the moment we are saved. That would render us independent from God for the rest of our lives, just like Adam and Eve tried with disastrous results.

In my current unfinished broken condition, I need God. Just like the old hymn, I need Thee, O I need Thee, every hour I need Thee. God created us to be dependent on him. And I believe that will be the case throughout eternity. He never wants us to be independent of him. That is a lesson that takes a lifetime to learn. 

Little by little, we will gain victories. Little by little, we will recognize and overcome the traps our enemy lays for us. Little by little, we will become like Jesus. 

Zechariah 4:10 says do not to despise small beginnings. God reveals only what we need to know on a need-to-know basis. Do not be anxious about your imperfections. God is not through with you. The Word promises when Jesus returns, we shall see him as he is, and we will be like him. God's promise. So hold onto his grace and do not forget what he has already done for you, for little by little you will be ready to face him.