There is rare land that exists that few people ever experience. It's a land that is marked by faith, obedience, and self denial. It's marked by tenacity, faithfulness, and perseverance. It's marked by God's favor.

What I've discovered is there are MANY people who either want this land or have convinced themselves they are in it. But they are not. Most people settle with their life, whether a Christian or not. They settle with their circumstances in their life. They get to a point in life where comfort becomes more important than the cost of faith. They put their dream on a shelf and convince themselves it was just a dream. Its the state the enemy wants every person to slip into. The devil loves to show you a dose of reality. It makes sense doesn't it? We are "sheep" as Jesus called us. Easily distracted. Easily discouraged. The scary part for me are those who settle. What if...they pushed on?

Four prerequisites to enter this rare land:

1. Give God permission to expose who you really are. Allow God to show you the "acceptable sins", the "shortcomings" of your life, which you have reasoned within yourself as being "not that bad." Ask God to show you those wonderful areas. You can't enter that rare land without resolving those areas. It's not about your perspective of yourself, but God's perspective of you.

2. Resolve to stand strong in Christ Jesus. Make a firm stand to stay on the path of Jesus Christ and His teachings. The only way you can be the person God has called you to be is IN Christ Jesus. Victory, freedom, abundant life, is all found in and through Jesus Christ. No other avenue.

3. Ask God about the Balsam trees. In 2 Samuel 5:24, God tells David, "when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then act promptly." Wait for God to move, and listen. Waiting is the operative word.

4. Focus on your spiritual strength today. God will not allow you to enter the promise land unless you are strong enough to endure it. God will never compromise process for the promise. Your full obedience (heart, mind, soul, and even actions) today will create opportunities for you in the future.

I want to encourage you to enter this rare land. You will set yourself apart from the many who say "it can't be done", or those who say "nice dream". But God hasn't called you to accomplish things with your own resources. God isn't calling you to be someone that you could muster up yourself. God is calling you to the Abraham experience. Where the future is full of unknowns and your walking by a promise. God is calling you to be a Joshua. Where you know the past mistakes, but God wants you to go forward. God is calling you to be a David. Where it doesn't make sense that He would use you.

I dare you to enter the rare land. It's not for wimps, nor the prideful, nor the know-it-alls. It's for those who want to make a difference into eternity. God loves you!