HOLINESS HABITS

Distributing The Inheritance
Even though Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, he had a pretty good understanding of how the land would be divided and put it in the record before he died. When Joshua took over, God gave him more specific boundaries for dividing the land. We should never discount the divine component of this conquest. It was all written in the mind of God long before it happened. So is OUR inheritance.

Joshua 13:32 - "These are the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward."

Give Me This Mountain!
Joshua and Caleb had been the only two men among 600,000 who really believed they could take the Promised Land. "Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God," Joshua 14:9. At 85 years old, Caleb boasted that God had kept him strong, and he was still ready to take the land. He and his descendants inherited Hebron.

Joshua 14:12 - "Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day."

Caleb's Son-In-Law
Joshua 15 contains a tedious description of the land God assigned to the tribe of Judah. Caleb received a portion including a place called Kirjathsepher and offered his daughter as wife for any man who would conquer it. Othniel volunteered, took the city, and won Caleb's daughter, Achsah. Caleb's new son-in-law became a great hero - the first Judge in Israel after Joshua and Caleb died. Heroes tend to inspire other heroes.

Joshua 15:17 - "...Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife."

Joseph's Inheritance
From his childhood, Joseph seemed to be under the powerful influence of prophetic destiny, due to his favor with God's chosen man, Jacob. Once inside the Promised Land, Joseph's inheritance included some famous places: Bethel - where Abraham and Jacob met the Lord; Jericho - first city taken; and many other cities. This land of Ephraim and Manasseh stretched from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, lush and well-watered; the choicest of properties.

Joshua 16:1,3 - "And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan... and the goings out thereof are at the sea."

Holiness Habits

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. – John 14:21

There's a dimension of living you can only experience when you make a decision to please the Father in every activity of your life. In that dimension, Jesus becomes real to you and manifests Himself to you. Just after the turn of the 20th century, God poured out His Spirit and started a revival on Azusa Street. It was an awesome time, a time when people's entire lives were turned inside out. Everything else in their world seemed to lose importance. Supernatural things were happening. God was manifesting Himself in their presence. The people involved in that revival soon began to be known to the world as "holiness" people. They got that title because they were so obviously different from everyone else. They would let go of anything they thought didn't please God. They were so caught up in the power of the spiritual realm, they lost interest in natural things. Few believers today even know what "holiness" means. Even fewer understand the outpouring of God that comes to those who dare to step into it. Holiness simply means "separated to God." It's what you do with your life day by day. It's ordering your conduct according to the Word of God and the promptings of the Spirit. Holiness is the habit of being one mind with God, of turning away from the ways of the world and living instead in agreement with Him. Holiness doesn't happen to anyone by accident. It requires a decision of the will. Make that decision today. Love God with all your heart by keeping His commandments. He'll show His love to you by manifesting Himself to you in powerful new ways. He'll pour Himself out on you just like He did on those believers at Azusa Street—and revival will truly begin in you.