Are you in the land of the giants?

Several years ago, I was walking along, pondering why there was so much hardship, suffering and trials in my life. I thought having victory in Jesus meant deliverance from all that bondage. I asked God why I was back in Egypt. Then His voice said to me, “You are not in Egypt. You are in the land of the Giants!” ….. Is that where you are also?

SO… how do you tell the difference between bondage and suffering in “Egypt,” and suffering and persecution, because you are in the Promised Land?

Why we end up in Egypt

1. Belief in a person, place or thing that gives you false assurance– the Hebrews originally went to Egypt because there was food there, and Joseph was still assistant to Pharaoh. Joseph was the key to their security. However, when Joseph died, and was long forgotten, they should have left, but they were too comfortable in this world they were in.

Sometimes, we end up somewhere for good reasons. A good job for example. But if circumstances change – a new boss, or new job policies, staff changes, this may not be the same as the original friendly setting you were originally in. If so, it is time to get out, or get hurt. This reminds me of the horrible suffering of the Jews in Germany. Early on, they should have left. Many did. Then, when things became worse, they were trapped, and could not get out.

Having to uproot oneself and leave somewhere, or a situation, is a hardship in itself, so wanting to stay is understandable. We must all develop proper insight into what our future will be in a situation, and plan to abandon ship and trust God to help us, if it looks negative. This applies to different situations – job, relationships, where you live, etc. For example, if a certain area has dangerous weather that you cannot handle, then it is wise to leave. Or, if someone who used to be friendly is turning against you, and becoming abusive, understand this and respond properly.

2. Sin in our lives. The history of Israel is a tragic one of people who repeatedly sinned, and ended up in bondage or under attack by their enemies. It their case, either the Babylonians or the Assyrians showed up. Sometimes, others did too. When unrepentant sin is present, God is not obligated to protect you, since you are out of covenant with Him.

What is the Promised Land like?

Yes, it has “milk and honey,” but it is also a time of spiritual maturity. One is no longer handed everything as a babe. One has to fight for it. Jesus indicated that the word of God is a “sword,” and demonstrated that there was evil in the world that had to be conquered with this sword.

Every soldier fights for his cause, and takes the chance that he will be hurt in battle. You will be beaten and bruised at times, or many times. You will have wounds in you, or on you. You may not win every battle, but your Commander has indicated that the war will be won. You are just supposed to be faithful in the “good fight of faith.” You are to be a good servant, and fight according to His rules, not according to the ways of the world.

It will look many times like you have lost in the physical, but in the heavenlies, you have won. You may be an outcast, and labeled a loser. You may be physically hurt. Everything you have worked for in a lifetime may be lost. Your reputation may be gone. Your physical body may have broken down under the stress. How is this victory?

We do not measure victory in the kingdom of God by physical standards. We measure it by satisfying God’s will on this earth. He measures success in repentant souls, and born again souls for the kingdom of God.

If we have lost a job fighting something that is evil, then before or after we leave, God will work some changes in that environment. We may or may not see what happened, but God is in control. Somehow, our finances will be adequate for what is needed. If we have lost a loved one to a bad situation, then somewhere in the loss, a change has occurred that we may not know about until later. It is possible that the grief over the loved one will bring another back to God. We need to keep our hearts strong, and our eyes on God, not man. Man will condemn us, but the Lord is the “glory and lifter of our heads.”

If you have repented of your sins, and turned back to God’s covenant, accepting his grace and forgiveness, and you are actively trying to do His will, then you are NOT in Egypt. You are in the land of the giants. There are giants (enemies and challenges) in the Promised Land.

Dealing with the giants in our personal world

There were no giants in Egypt. This was not necessary, since people put themselves into bondage.

Giants can be two types:

1. Unbelievers who oppose every move you make. They are driven by worldly competitiveness, selfishness, and possibly jealousy. Sometimes, they are just stupid, and ruin everything you do.

2. Truly demonic forces, who want to see you destroyed, and removed from the land of promise.

Both can be vicious and relentless, or just constant obstacles that seem “just too hard to overcome.”

Dealing with fallen humanity usually requires close contact with others for support, asserting oneself, making sure you are doing your best, so that there is no legitimate cause against you, networking for strength.

Dealing with the demonic element requires prayer and fortitude, using the Word of God (the “sword of the spirit”), and networking with other believers. Being isolated can be lethal, so keep someone around for support. There are different posts on this site to explore different situations. Use these resources and other websites for help.

What will help the most is to understand your enemy, and be able to see them quickly for what they are. Do not let yourself be deceived. Always be alert. If you falter, and they hurt you, turn quickly to God for spiritual shelter. If you are in “Egypt” or bondage, first leave there, and get out. Repentance and trust in God is needed for Him to help you.

Remember that the Land of Promise has nothing to do with physical, materialistic things. It is a spiritual kingdom, and the physical will only be perfected once Messiah comes. If you can understand that your “milk and honey” is spiritual, not physical, this will help you cope with physical losses, when they occur.

Remember that we all have different assignments in the kingdom. Some will seem to be more successful and “glamorous” in the physical world, but there is a divine reason for it. Do not be jealous of them. Their assignment is different, and it is NOT better than yours. You may be a “nothing” in the world, but you have something to accomplish in humility that the “successful” person is unable to do. Actually, both need to be humble before God to be successful.

Your assignment is just as important as theirs, so stop trying to be like them, and look around to see what God wants you to do.

Remember that God is not a respecter of persons, and we are all nothing compared to Him. He is the only one who is really “important.” Our identity comes NOT from what our assignment is – humble or “glamorous” – but how well we serve Him. At God’s banquet, some people buy the food, others serve the food. Both are servants to one God.

We are in the Promised Land to work it, and produce souls, the fruit of our “seed,” which is the Word of God. We are not there to be comfortable.

Dealing with the giants on a larger scale – world threats

Who were the original giants? Let us take a closer look:

Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.

Num 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, [which come] of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Deu 2:11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.

Deu 2:20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

Deu 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead [was] a bedstead of iron; [is] it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits [was] the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

Deu 3:13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, [being] the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.

Jos 12:4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, [which was] of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, Jos 13:12 All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.

Jos 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same [is] Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of Hinnom westward, which [is] at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

Jos 17:15 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.

Jos 18:16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of the son of Hinnom, [and] which [is] in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,

The nephilim were offspring of fallen angels and human women. Considering the fact that angels were spirits, accomplishing a physical mating has some interesting theories. One I propose, but you do not have to accept it, as it is only a speculative theory:

https://heavenawaits.wordpress.com/the-seed-of-the-serpent/

During the flood of Noah, the nephilim were destroyed. Yet, in the accounts of King David of Israel, they had returned. King David killed the last one, we think.

Thousands of years have gone by, and today, we have not heard anything about a race of giants. But does this mean the demonic forces are not active? No.

In modern times, there may be some of this evil activity going on, but we may not see physical giants as a result. The people may appear “normal.” They are still “spiritual giants,” and need to be defeated.

However, one activity has increased and that is witchcraft and other occult practices. Now, the demons do not have to mate with humans to get them to do their will. The humans are doing it voluntarily.

There are people on this earth now who are demon possessed. Some are obvious, but most are discreet.

Jesus said that the last days would be as in the time of Noah. And in those days, there was widespread violence, demonic activity and evil behavior. People that bring this to us, whether they are possessed or not, are our modern spiritual giants. They may be criminals, radically immoral people, terrorists, or people in government.

We need to be prayerful about the kinds of decisions we make, and who we trust with our countries and societies. Some “giants” are openly in our face, and yet we give into them. They should not get special rights or considerations, because we feel some strange need to be “fair.” They are not fair, and we need to stand up to them in our daily lives, our countries, our elections, our governments, our churches, and in the world.

This is where the sword of the spirit comes in. There is no way most of us can fight someone in a higher position than we have on our own. We have to use prayer, and communication, and cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus, and go out and fight. There may be some things we do in the physical, as in voting for the right person, or opposing some wrong activity, but we must do this in conjunction with our spiritual warfare.

If we do not fight, we will not keep the Land of Promise that is ours, and we will suffer for this. As long as we submit unto God’s perfect will, and resist the devil, we will keep what is promised us, even if we have many battle wounds to go along with it. The wounds will heal someday.

Maybe the crown of life that awaits us is a heavenly version of the “purple heart.” We might need to be wounded in spiritual battle to get it.

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Final thought. Maybe some of the offspring of the physical giants are still around too? Remember, King David only killed the male warriors, not the women: