“I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possessed the land.” (Ex 23:29-30) As the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, the place of their bondage, God was leading them to a land flowing with milk and honey. (Ex 3:7-8) God is up to the same thing in the lives of His children today. He is in the process of making us like His son (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29).  He is taking us from the place of bondage to the place of freedom (John 8:36).  Could He do that in an instant?  Yes. But this Old Testament illustration in Exodus 23 gives us some insight into God’s ways… There is value in the process. The journey from bondage to freedom affords many opportunities for God to reveal Himself to us.  The journey itself strengthens us in ways that are necessary to sustain our freedom.  God sustains our freedom but we must walk in it. The journey teaches us how.  Little by little is often frustrating to us because we want to posses the land “now” but God has the bigger picture and can see the dangers we cannot.   Rest assured He is up to something in your life.  He is up to something in your journey from bondage to freedom.  The journey itself is part of His sanctifying grace in your life.  “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick.  In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.