The subject of “Territory Taking” is a key area of focus in my role as a life coach.  As a life coach, I strive to be an active listener and your ally in problem solving, goal setting and accountability.  YOU CAN DO IT is the inner voice that drives me as a life coach.  Personally, I have a very difficult time turning that inner voice off.  Just ask my kids!  As a mother of four, I’ve experienced their reactions (yes, even the yawn with a practiced eye roll) as I would try and speak into uninvited areas of their lives.  Please understand, I do see all the reasons why failure is possible in any given situation, but I’ve chosen NOT to give that VOICE my attention. 

Practice Step – Listen to what fear is saying and then ponder the opposite.  If fear is speaking, it’s actually a CLUE.

If you don’t know this, then let me explain.  Fear isn’t just a feeling, but a spirit assigned to highjack your identity, destiny, joy, peace and anything else you hope for or value.  Fear doesn’t play nice and he doesn’t play fair.  Fear is a LIAR. 

 Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…

2 Timothy 1:7 God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  [NKJV]

Fear doesn’t show up by coincidence.  It’s a sure sign you are near a breakthrough, divine connection or a TERRITORY TAKING event.  What fear says sounds true, looks true and “yes” actually feels true in the natural.  But remember, as Believers, we are supernatural beings with the ability to tap into supernatural wisdom, power and insight through the Holy Spirit.

Territory, in my mind, is taking back something that was originally yours, meant to be yours and/or could be yours.  Let’s consider what a “stolen” territory might look like.  Some practical examples are someone who won’t fly due to FEAR of flying.  Another individual might not enjoy boating for FEAR of drowning.   Finally, loving parents pushing religion down their children’s throats for FEAR they will never come to know the Lord.  Fear is usually the culprit in stealing most of our God given dreams and desires.  If fear has “stolen” a part of your life experience, then fear has that territory.  That territory was yours until fear convinced you it wasn’t.  Fear is the bully on the block that no one believes they can ever take down

Let’s look at a biblical example for context.  This whole idea of territory hit me early in my study of God’s word.  I was deep into a study by Beth Moore entitled “The Patriarchs.”  In this study, I had a birds-eye view of the Hebrew people as they are being mentally prepared and readied to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land.  Remember, they’ve wandered for 40 years in the wilderness until the unbelieving generation before them died off.  The twelve spies had been sent out to scout the land with ten crying “giants in the land,” and with only Caleb and Joshua saying, “we can take’em!”  Side note – Caleb and Joshua are natural born life coaches.

I’m thinking intently, “You, Oh Lord, could EASILY wipe out all the enemies blocking the Hebrews on their journey, and then the land flowing in milk and honey would be a real gift.”  Just as I was falling into the “accusing God” ditch, the Holy Spirit drops this revelation in my heart.  This was a “foreshadowing” of our New Testament life as “born again” Believers.  This ragtag group of former slaves with very few worldly resources was going to have to defeat people group after people group in order to live and flourish as God intended.  They had to do this physically, like we are intended to do spiritually.

In order to possess and enjoy the land the Lord is giving them, it will take hand-to-hand combat, plus blood, sweat and tears.  To succeed, they will need to listen to the voice of God spoken through Joshua.   The same is true for us spiritually.  We must hear the voice of the God and we must obey that voice.  If we truly desire to live out the days written for each of us [Psalm 139:16], then hearing and obeying God’s voice are absolutely essential.

We live in a fear driven society where it’s actually a “badge of honor” to have anxiety.  We have to tap into the truth that living in fear and anxiety should not be the norm for a Christ follower.  There are some forms of healthy caution, but fear is NOT our friend!   Heavens to Betsy – STOP THE MADNESS!  Ponder this, the more you THINK with fear, the more you GROW fear, the more BONDAGE you create for yourself and the cycle only continues.  Fear should not be a personality trait for a Believer. 

The SIMPLE truth is this, if you want to retake stolen territories in your life you must begin TODAY by managing your MIND, your WILL and your EMOTIONS.  Take responsibility for what you are “thinking” and do something about it.  Become a “Territory Taker!”

My motto stands true – Change your mind and you will change your life.

Practice Step – Take RESPONSIBITY for what you are thinking and choose to ONLY think what the Lord says about you, your situation, your identity and your purpose.