Chapter 12 is a review of all the kings and kingdoms defeated under the leadership of both Moses and Joshua. Later, in chapter 13:7 it will become clear what makes this military conquest different than any other, for Israel wasn't just taking the land, they were inheriting it!
Scripture tells us that the land Joshua and Israel occupied was the result of a promise from God to Abraham, the father of the entire nation of Israel. His descendants inherited, not by force but by faith, a peaceful existence in perhaps the most desirable land on the face of the earth. God had set apart the land and prepared it for Israel. All Joshua had to do was help the nation claim it.
Likewise, the battle for our spiritual inheritance has already been fought and won by Jesus Christ. The question we must ask ourselves is, have we claimed it? The Bible tells us that, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life" (Johne 3:16). It's that easy, believe on His name and you become a child of God, and as such hire to His heavenly kingdom.
The Truth: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4)
