600,000 Israelites came out of Egypt. But only two of them - Joshua and Caleb - entered Canaan. About the same proportion of Christians (2 in600,000) enter into a life of victory also. Joshua and Caleb entered the promised land because they had this attitude:"If God has told us to occupy the land, we can do it." That is faith. Faith reckons only with the promise of God and never with the difficulties facing us.

The other Israelites said, "This is impossible. The giants are so big and powerful." Today also Christians feel it is impossible to overcome anger and lusting with the eyes, because these lusts are so powerful and have ruled them for so long. Such believers remain defeated all their lives and (spiritually speaking) perish in the wilderness.

The river of the Spirit that flows from heaven through us must not find a polluted channel in our heart to flow through - a channel polluted by dirty thoughts, murmuring, complaining and the love of money. No. It must find a clean, pure channel that is free from sin. Then that river can bless people around us with the clear water of heaven. The great tragedy in Christendom today is that its preachers are not pure inside. They have not overcome sin in their hearts and in their private lives. They have not overcome the love of money, the lust of the eyes, bitterness, the spirit of competition with other Christian leaders/organisations, jealousy, telling lies, shouting at their wives and unrighteousness in many other areas. Yet they preach to God's people. What can they teach God's people? Only what they are practising - namely, how to shout at one's wife, how to be bitter, how to be jealous and how to compete with others! Anything else they teach will only be hollow theories. All the Bible-knowledge that you acquire through study is useless if you are not an overcomer in your life.

The Lord assured Joshua "I will be with you." This was why no man would be able to stand before Joshua. We do not overcome sin through believing some doctrine or by having some experience. No. It is the constant presence of the Lord with us, through His Spirit, alone, that can enable us to overcome. God is looking for such leaders in Christendom today whom He can support and endorse, because their hearts are pure.

The Lord told Joshua, "Be strong and courageous. You will lead these people to possess this land which has been ruled by their enemies for so long" (Joshua 1:6). We are not to be afraid of any sin. We are to go out and enable God's people to overcome sin in their bodies - bodies that have been ruled by sin for years. It's not enough merely to bring them to faith and the two baptisms - putting the blood on the doorposts, crossing the Red Sea, and being enveloped in the cloud. That is just the beginning. That is only the kindergarten lesson. Do we stop our children's education once they have passed the kindergarten class? No. But that's what's happening in Christendom today.

The pillar of cloud - the baptism in the Holy Spirit - came to lead them into the promised land. They should have entered in, in 2 years, but they didn't enter for 40 years, because their leaders were unbelieving. "Faith comes by hearing" (Rom.10:17). If believers are not taught these truths in the church-meetings, how can they believe? Then how can they overcome sin?