Just less then a month, 2020 will be here. It seems these holidays go by so fast with planning, shopping, hosting, gathering, and so on. Amongst all of it, how's your attitude?
How does your thinking really affect things?
Today I want to share in the story of Caleb in the scouting report found in Numbers. I've been recently posting a couple in depth stories to learn from the Bible, and find I have another one to share. But don't worry, i'll be posting more of my homestead and health/wellness updates again soon!
I myself am still going through the book of numbers, but I encourage you to dig a little deeper as many of the stories have a lesson. I'll be focusing on chapter 13 in this post.
The Scouting Report
Now God had Moses lead the Israelites to the promise land (with God's help). But It took 40 years to get there. Now Moses (hearing from God), sent out men to explore the land of Canaan and give him feedback. This is where the promise land would be for the Israelites. Moses told them in verses 17-20 to see what the land was like. If the ground was fertile, if the towns had walls, if there were trees, and if they could bring back some crops. This was all so he could make a decision. These men spent 40 days exploring the land. They were able to gather lots of info and feelings about this place. When they came back, they reported all they saw. The land was rich and fertile and God has promised it would be. 10 out of 12 men that scouted the land gave a bad report. They also said that the people living there were powerful and the cities large and fortified. There was also giants! These 10 men decided to focus on the fear they felt and saw. Talk of giants and fortified cities make it easy to forget about God's promises. God had promised that this land would be the Israelites'. They let the negativity overrule anything encouraging they did see. They let the enemy speak through them. Satan and anyone influenced by him focuses on what is wrong and blows it out of proportion so that it seems bigger than it really is. These 10 men convinced the crowd right away that it would not be a good land to over take. They worried about what would happen.
Worry
Maybe you've heard the phrase "more good things will happen to people who expect them than to those who don't". Do you always expect the worst or the best? Do you find yourself being negative or worrying all the time? The word worry is useless, powerless, and simply doesn't help us. It never changes anything, but us. Just like the 10 men, they worried. They also let the community of people be worried. Realize when you actually say the words, "I'm worried that such and such will happen, or I'm worried that my situation won't change", those are the words you don't want to give Satan power to use. Instead of worrying, "pray right away and don't delay", (in the words of Joyce Meyer). It's true that worry will immobilize us, it usually does nothing good for our situation. It steals our peace and joy. It makes us feel obligated to always be worried for our job, children, family, etc. Replace worry with trust. When we can trust God, it releases his power to work in us. God wants us to aggressively look for and expect good things.
God Is Bigger
There were 2 men out of the 12 that knew that God was bigger then their adverse circumstances. Caleb, who is mentioned in verse 30, decided to look at what was good. He kept a positive attitude. Verse 30, "But Caleb tired to quiet the people before Moses and said 'let's go at once to take the land, we certainly can conquer it!"
The 10 negative men disagreed and eventually when the Israelites did cross over into the land, they did not go. They didn't enter into what God prepared for them. When we magnify something, we make it larger. Why not magnify the good things so it stands out above the bad? This is exactly what Caleb did. Are you willing to voice an unpopular opinion like Caleb and stand against fear? It didn't make sense in the natural, but Caleb obeyed what God commanded him and had promised, even though there was much negativity from others.
What We Say Has Power
What we say will lift up or tear down. It will declare or despair. Don't agree with anything negative that is said about you or your situation. Many times, it's our human nature to accept opinion as fact, (like the Israelites hearing from the 10 negative men) but we need to be careful when voicing our negative opinions. If we can say more good things, we will be more confident, be filled with joy, and have the right attitude, even when things seem to crumble around us. You can defeat every negative thought that comes your way by wielding the power of God and His word. Even if words don't change your circumstances right away, they will change you into a more pleasant and joyful individual. The things we see, think, and feel around us are so real and we consider them to be truth. But, they are not truth, they are just the facts. Facts can change, but truth does not. When we speak right words, we are blessing ourselves and fulfilling our lives and the atmosphere we are in, with life! Remember to think about what you say, it may affect your life more then you know. Don't let fear rule you.
Share a positive word to someone today!