Those famous children of Israel who were constantly complaining were actually living on the left over grace that the Lord had given to their forefathers.   The first generation came up to the very edge of the land that had been promised to them and baulked.  They said we will not go in to this land; it will be sheer suicide.  They had more faith in the evening news than in the promises of God.   As the result of the nearly unanimous unbelief they were led back into the wilderness to traipse around until all but three of them were dead.   Forty years later they were to again enter and possess the land flowing with milk and honey that the Lord had promised would be theirs.   There were a couple of drawbacks: they must fight and they must fight exactly as God directed them.

Even after entering the promise land we can observe some reluctance to fight.   Look at the request of the sons of Joseph:

¹⁴ The tribe of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, Why have you given [us] but one lot and one portion as an inheritance when [we] are a great [abundant] people, for until now the Lord has blessed [us]?
¹⁵ Joshua replied, If you are a great people, get up to the forest and clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the Ephraim hill country is too narrow for you.
¹⁶ The Josephites said, The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who dwell in the valley have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and in the Valley of Jezreel.
¹⁷ And Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, You are a great and numerous people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot
¹⁸ But the hill country shall be yours; though it is a forest, you shall clear and possess it to its farthest borders; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.                -- Joshua 17:14-18 (AMP)

These were the same people that had seen the manna of God as their daily provision for forty years and watched the mighty hand of God supernaturally dispose their enemies as they went into battle, but they wanted a softer an easier arrangement.   They wanted more land but less resistance.    Earlier in this same chapter we learn that these same folks had not driven out the Canaanites from the land that had already been given them.

What do you think?   Were they focused on the power and victory promised to be provided by God or were they focused on the strength and weapons of those who already possessed the land?   It had been a few years and several battles since they had seen the miracle of Jericho.   Did they remember the strength and weapons of God?

Before we are too hard on the children of Joseph, perhaps we should take a brief glance into the grace under which we currently reside.   Many who have gone before us have been faithful.  The spiritual faith of our founders was strong and exceedingly wide spread.   The bible was the text book of their children, and the Ten Commandments were honored and considered admirable to attempt.

Have any of us gone whining to our God asking for more benefits and less battles?   Do we desire that God would change our Nation so that we can have more personal profit and little creature combat?   Are we willing to sacrifice, or even trust that He will lead us in the battle to take back this land for His Name?

Joshua did not cater to the whining of the children of Joseph.   Can you see God in heaven saying the same thing to His American children today; if you crave for this country to turn in a constructive spiritual direction, then get on your boots and get into the battle?

Do you believe in prayer?   Do you believe that if one million believers would pray the same prayer at the same time that God would hear and answer?   What if one million people would humble themselves and pray and seek the face of God and turn from all wickedness all at the same time?   Yes, I believe that God would hear from heaven and He would forgive our sins and He would heal our land.    What if the million was only one hundred thousand?   Or perhaps it was only twenty thousand?   Would you be willing to be one of ten or twenty thousand?   Are you thinking, how much is this going to cost?   Is your mind going to the all the trees that need to be cleared or the high powered iron chariots?

Dr. Charles Stanley states in his “Life Principles to Live By”   Principle number eight:  Fight all your battles on your knees and you will win every time.   He reminds us that in a certain battle Joshua prayed for God to make the sun stand still and it stood still for about the time of a full day while Joshua and his troops finished off the enemy.   (Josh 10:13)  How would you compare that weapon to a few trees or some iron chariots?

If we want to win back this country from the gargantuan grip of the enemy of our souls we must first begin to pray warfare prayers.    What are warfare prayers?    Jesus taught us to pray ….. Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.   Anything that is going on in your life, your family, your church, or your community that is not consistent with the revealed will of God needs to be fervently prayed against.    All things that are consistent with God’s will and His kingdom should be fervently prayed for.

So let’s stop leaning on the grace of God and asking for His goodies.  Let’s start some serious prayer for the furtherance of His kingdom, for His will to be done in our lives in our communities and in our land, NOW.  God is ready and waiting for us to get serious about His plan to pray.  He desires to bring a cultural changing revival to our land.   But we must pray, pray like soldiers.   Yes, God desires us to settle down on the family farm, but first and foremost we must shoulder the role of a soldier and fight, fight on our knees and bring down the power of heaven upon the problems that plague our nation.   Isaiah tells us of the amazing things the Lord has planned.   These are not planned for whiners, but forsoldiers, He will make a way!  But we must fight!

¹⁸ Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  -Isaiah 43:18-19 (AMP)

Can He count on you?   You are as critical today for the survival of this Nation as the Minutemen of old.  Will you fight on your knees?   Will you build your section of the wall with warfare prayers daily?