God’s Modus Operandi

Daily Devotional – Wednesday, January 17, 2024
I will not drive them out from before you in one year...Little by little, I will drive them out from before you until you have increased and you inherit the land.
Exodus 23:29-30 (NKJV)

According to Paul, we are all addicts to sin. He asserts, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (Romans 7:19). Like any other addict, we feel the urge to overcome sin. We wish for a miracle that would emancipate us once and for all from the shackles of evil.

The Lord’s Methodology

Thankfully, Paul tells us where to find the power to overcome. He affirms, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ, our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). Does that mean that we suddenly lose the tendency to sin? On the contrary, we begin a process of fighting and overcoming sin. It does not happen overnight.

That is God’s modus operandi in human battles. We find this principle in God’s message to the Israelites years before they entered Canaan. Concerning the Canaanites, he stated, “I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little, I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.” (Exodus 23:29-30).

God’s Approach to Victory

Theirs was to be a steady victory. There were risks of complacency, pride, and an attitude of self-sufficiency if God gave them a sudden victory. They would not appreciate the value of cooperating with Got to defeat the enemy. In His wisdom, God planned that they would have to fight battle after battle until they had enough numbers to occupy the land fully.

God deals with the sin in our lives the same way. He wants us to depend on Him for wisdom and strength to overcome our frailties. Sin takes time to entrench itself in our lifestyles, hence requiring a process to get rid of it. The technical term for this process is ‘sanctification’. It entails the gradual inculcation of God’s character or image in believers by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

God’s Modus Operandi

In essence, if you are frustrated because you find it hard to overcome some of your weaknesses, trust the process that God started in you when you believed. As long as you cooperate with God and allow Him to lead you, you will gradually overcome sin. That is God’s modus operandi in human battles.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach me to be patient and to cooperate with You for me to gain victory over sin.