Claimin' it!

Joshua 18:3
Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?

“...How long will you neglect...”; it’s a pretty good question to ask, especially given all that the Israelites had been through. Some translations use the word “remiss” instead of neglect while others use “be slack”; whichever version of the Bible you are reading the question and its implied meaning are pretty much the same. How long will you be lazy and unmotivated to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?

My wife came up with a great motto for our family this year, “Claimin’ it!” (It’s pronounced as if it were all one word [kah-lame-in-it].) But living into that saying isn’t as easy as just letting it roll off the tongue. There is work involved. She’s claimed financial freedom, but in order to succeed in it we’ve had to buckle down on our spending habits. (I’m not good at that.) I’ve claimed health and wellness for us all, but there’s work involved with that too. Things like eating right and exercising are a big part of the equation. We’ve both claimed prosperity and spiritual growth, but there’s work involved there as well.

You may be asking yourself, “I thought Jesus finished all the work at the cross? At least that’s what you’ve been blogging about for the past year! Why are you suddenly telling us we have to work in order to receive?” I am so thankful that you have asked these questions. Now I get the opportunity to answer them.

Jesus did finish all of the work at the cross. He fulfilled all of the Ten Commandments as well as the rules concerning all of the Levitical sacrifices, cleanliness of the body, etc. He became all of our sins, diseases, problems, and burdens as he suffered and died. But herein lies the paradox of grace: the blood of Christ at the cross removed us from the curse of the Law and the punishment it brought. But, because we still live in this world, we are still subject to the laws of nature and of this world. For while we are no longer citizens of this world (John 17:14), but rather we are foreign nationals, we are still subject to the rules and regulations imposed on our physical bodies based on the science that God Himself created. What? Jesus Himself says that His kingdom isn’t of this world (John 18:36). He sets the example of how to be in the world (subject to physical and scientific “laws”) while at the same time being totally out of this world!

In short, every action has an equal and opposite reaction (thank you, Sir Isaac Newton). If I spend all of my money I’m going to no longer have money (rich / poor). If I eat like a pig and sit on the couch I will not retain my youthful (ha) figure and will become a large, sickly individual (healthy / unhealthy). If I choose to stop searching the scriptures for Jesus Christ, then I will cease to be as close with Jesus Christ (spiritually satisfied / spiritually malnourished). It’s really pretty simple. There are specific consequences for our actions. Let me be very, very, very, very, very clear: these are NOT punishments from God, but consequences based on His perfect design and our imperfect nature.


The choice to follow Christ is ours. Likewise, other choices are ours, such as the choice to be in debt or get out of debt. We are blessed, loved, and highly favored by the King of Kings. We are restored to a right relationship with God through the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. All the sins of all mankind were borne upon his shoulders. All of our sicknesses and infirmities were placed in Him as each stripe was laid across His back. All of our troubles and worries, our discouraging thoughts and foolish habits, were driven into His head as the soldiers pounded the crown of thorns on Him.

You see, we’ve been given it all though Him, but in some cases we’ve just neglected to go and possess it! We’re quick to latch onto the “gonna go to heaven when I die because of the Blood” part, but we’re not going out to get all of the rest that Christ died for. In essence, we’re insulting the sacrifice He made by not “claimin’ it”. Just like in the Garden of Eden, where God graciously provided all of the fruits and vegetables ready to go for man’s taking, and the only work that needed to be done on their part was reaching out and “claimin’ it”, the same holds true for us. Everything was already prepared and ready to go when Christ said “It is finished!” The relationship was restored, the disease was cured, the financial bondage was erased, whatever struggle existed was washed away in a deluge of Holy Blood. All we have to do is accept that fact, reach out, and claim it. I don’t know about you, but I’m “CLAIMIN’ IT!”

Here is a list of scripture that will help you understand:
Genesis 1:26-30
Isaiah 53:4-5
Matthew 19:23-26, Matthew 21:22
John 1:29, John 10:10, John 19:30
Romans 10:9-10
Philippians 4:13
Revelation 21:5

I know that there are plenty more scripture references out there to illustrate this point, but hey, just get a Bible and get to know Jesus. Discover His encouraging words on a daily basis. Recognize His love for you and His desire for you to have a more abundant life. Claim it; claim it all in His name!