Sure enough - every day that we were in this Persian Gulf country, people came to Christ. In fact, there was a greater opportunity to preach the gospel than I had ever imagined. I kept pinching myself saying, "Is this really happening?" After concluding the meetings, I thought to myself, "This opportunity has been here for a long time. I just didn't know about it." The reason I didn't know about it was because I had never placed my feet on the soil of that country. I had no clue what God was up to in that nation.

Thousands of years ago, God told Joshua, "I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses" (Joshua 1:3 NIV). God had promised Abraham and his descendants to give them a land where they would be greatly blessed. The time had come to enter that land. God wanted to bless the children of Israel mightily, but there was one condition. They had to put their feet in the land. The land couldn't be captured from a distance. It could only be taken by ground troops.

Many people have spiritualized the meaning of the "promised land." Some refer to crossing the Jordan River as crossing into heaven. Others refer to the promised land as the place of victory. I believe that those are legitimate analogies of the land promised to God's people. However, in its most direct meaning, I believe that the "promised land" is simply the land promised to God's people. It is a place to be taken for the glory of God.

Often as I travel into countries, I spend time walking, praying, and claiming the land for the glory of God. And I've become convinced over the years that there's no place too difficult for God. There are several principles of Scripture that indicate how we can take the most difficult lands for the glory of God.

First and foremost, the children of Israel could take the land because God had promised to be with them (Joshua 1:5). If God has clearly made a promise, He will clearly make His provision to fulfill that promise. If God is "for us, who then can be against us?"

God, also, gave them clear instructions on the principles of spiritual warfare that would be needed to defeat their enemies in the land. All they needed to do was read, meditate, and implement those principles (Joshua 1:8). The holy Scriptures were their guide to victory and success. Their enemies were certainly formidable, but they could not out maneuver God. His strategy guidelines would bring success to His people.

God also clearly defined their responsibilities to them. God would give them the victory, but the children of Israel had to be prepared (Joshua 1:10). Some people seem to think that because it's God who gives the victory, then the believer doesn't need to do anything. That's not true. The victory was 100% God's. However, the children of Israel needed to first prepare themselves for battle. They, also, needed to take a step of faith and cross the Jordan River. God would give them every place that their feet would go. But go there, they must. Finally, they would have to follow God's instructions carefully. Every time that the children of Israel did what God said, they found success. When they disobeyed God, they fell flat on their faces. The victory was the Lord's, but they had to fight under His command. It was imperative that they obeyed His instructions.

There are nations, cities, and communities that can be taken for God. He is simply looking for humble holy men and women who are willing to take a risk. He wants men and women of faith. He's seeking a people who will trust Him and follow His leadership. He'll do the rest. There's nothing too difficult for God.