Wed.’s Devo - Giants in the Land

Read: Dueteronomy 7:2-8:20; Luke 7:36-8:3; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 12:1
Everything in the Old Testament is foundation that we should walk on in the new covenant. It was pictures and types and shadows of how we should live. In Canaan, they fought real people who carried real spirits and sins that God did not want his people to inherit. We don’t fight real people but principalities and powers of the unseen world. Every one of the seven nations that were in the promised land were spirits and giants in our land also.
Here is a list of the nations and what they mean to us:
Hittites - terror and fear. These lead to confusion, anxiety, bondage, worry and faithlessness. They give us an unhealthy fear of death and love of life.
Gergashites - fornication, slumber. These cause us to walk in guilt, gluttony, whoredoms and the evil imaginations of the heart. They cause us to have a low self image and the desire to conquer.
Amorites - sorcery and witchcraft which leads to rebellion, control, anger infirmity manipulation. These cause us to have an unhealthy drive to be independent and to love to dominate.
Canaanites - idolatry and error. These lead to rejection, heaviness, anti-christ spirit, and the desire to reason. These will cause us to have an unhealthy love for money and wisdom.
Perizzites - poverty spirit, envy. These will lead to hatred, jealousy, unforgiveness, bitterness and the desire for revenge. It can eventually lead to murder and slander.
Hivites- liars. Lying leads to deception, exhibitionism, divination and craftiness. It will lead to the love of self-image and self-deception.
Jebusites - despising, haughty. These will lead to strife, a critical spirit, spiritual blindness, and the desire to accuse others. It will eventually cause self-justification and the love of self-esteem.
These are also the giants in our land that we have to get rid of. God promised to drive these enemies out little by little and that is how he does it with us. We can read this list and get discouraged as we see ourselves in it or we can get encouraged as we remember that it is the Holy Spirit who is working in us to perfect us to the image of Christ. Sanctification is a work that takes a life-time. Our job is to cooperate with the spirit of God and not rebel against it.
In Luke, we see a woman who had many of these spirits and in one encounter with Jesus, had her sins forgiven. We hold on to our sins like we have to pay pentance when all we have to do is ask forgiveness and receive it by faith. The devil wants us to wallow in our mistakes and sins; Jesus wants us to rise up and walk in newness of life.
Lord, help us to walk in the overcoming power of the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit who helps us be victorious.