Without a doubt, God puts everything we need to have a full life at our disposal: spiritual, physical and material. A faith that is sacrificial and intelligent is the key that opens all doors and gives us access to the tools that help build a life of quality.

It is not easy, because everything God promised “must be conquered.” It becomes even more difficult for the fact that we are crossing the desert.

The journey of the people of Israel, from the moment they left Egypt until they conquered the Promised Land, was a preview of what Christians would have to endure to conquer the Kingdom of Heaven.

We know they could have been taken to the Promised Land through a route parallel to the desert, where they would not have been exposed to the dangers of that place. But God chose the desert to prepare a nation, because a multitude of people placed in an abundant land does not represent a nation. They had to receive the rules and laws, the identity of citizens and, above all, understand that they would live under a Theocratic regime (the Government of God).

God chose the desert as the place where His nation would be formed. However, the desert revealed stubborn, rebellious and unbelieving hearts, which caused God to let that proud generation in the wilderness, except for Caleb and Joshua.

So the Lord’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, ‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord. Numbers 32.10-12

However, two and a half tribes, specifically the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, were able to “thrive” in the desert. They used their faith and had a very great multitude of livestock (Numbers 32.1). The truth is that the desert may be unbearable for many, but there are those who, by faith, find opportunities and end up being extremely prosperous there, as in the case of Isaac and his financial success in a land that was punished by the lack of rain. There is nothing wrong with conquering in the wilderness, when the conquest does not make them overlook the wonder of being able to enter the Promised Land, which in our case is the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord Jesus.

In Numbers 32, we find the children of Reuben and Gad urging Moses to allow them to take possession of the land “on the other side” of the Jordan, because, according to them, it was excellent for the livestock they owned. Moses even thought they were afraid to enter the Promised Land and fight the people who lived there, and conditioned the granting of their request: Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Numbers 32.6

He continued: If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. Numbers 32.20-22

But, to Moses’ surprise, they showed that it was not the fear to fight that encouraged them to stay on this side of the Jordan, because they were admittedly brave men of war, as described in 1 Chronicles 12.8 and 5.18-22.

The problem was much more serious: their hearts were in the large amount of livestock they owned. Their wealth became more important than the Promised Land!

They did as promised to Moses, because they went with the other tribes and conquered the Promised Land, and even after seeing the wonders of God during the conquest of the land, and also its beauty, they still decided to remain on the other side of the Jordan.

Many Christians have been behaving the same way. They have achieved great things, and today their heart remains in their achievements, to the point where they no longer prioritize the Promised Land, but the administration of what was achieved and maybe even achieve some more. Again, it is not wrong to prosper, this is how God wants His people to live, but when the time comes to cross the Jordan and enter the Eternal Promised Land, it must be done WITHOUT looking back. Do not follow the bad example of Lot’s wife.

You can read more about these tribes and discover that they faced many problems, and were even taken captive.

In 1 Chronicles 5.24-26, it says the tribe of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh were taken captive by the Assyrians because of their deviation to idolatry, a sin that God abhors.

So, are you going to stay on this side of the Jordan with the “livestock” or cross the Jordan and take possession of the Eternal Promised Land? It’s your choice!