Possessing Your Promises

"But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.'" - Numbers 13:30 (NKJV)

Moses sent out a committee, a team of twelve individuals who would spy out the land and see what it looked like. Ten of them came back with an evil report, a report of doubt, a report of "I can't do it." These ten spies came back and they said, "Oh, the land is beautiful. Oh, the land is wonderful, but there are giants. There are people there that are too big. We can't defeat them and take the land."

Yet two spies, Joshua and Caleb, saw the same giants, saw the same people, came back with a report that was a good report full of faith, and they told the nation of Israel, "Listen, they're not too big that they'll defeat us. They're too big for us to miss. They're right there. We can take them. God is for us. Who can be against us?"

What's fascinating is that all twelve spies saw exactly the same thing. They all saw the beautiful land flowing with milk and honey. They all saw the abundant fruit. They even brought back a cluster of grapes so large it took two men to carry it. They all saw the same cities, the same people, the same giants.

But ten of them focused on the obstacles while two focused on God's promise. Ten of them said, "We can't because..." while two said, "We can because God said so."

Although the two were full of faith and prepared to take possession of the land, the nation faced forty years of wandering in the wilderness because they followed the ten spies who said, "We can't do it." Despite God's promise of the land, the people chose to listen to the spies' doubts. As a result, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years until that generation passed away.

Can you imagine the heartbreak? God had already given them the land. The blessing was theirs. All they had to do was walk in and possess it by faith. But instead of faith, they chose fear.

And guess what? In the next generation, we have Joshua and Caleb. Joshua leads the people into battle as they proclaim victory. At this point, Caleb is quite old, but even after forty years of wandering in the desert, he sees a mountain and tells Joshua, “Give me that mountain. It’s full of giants, but I can take them” (see Joshua 14:12). Why? Because he believed in God.

I admire Caleb's attitude. At 85 years old, he is requesting the most challenging part of the land - the mountain where the giants live. While most people his age might prefer a retirement village or an easier task, Caleb boldly states, "Give me that mountain because I serve God, and He is bigger than any challenge that I may face."

Promises are brought to you, but you have to take advantage of them. You have to possess them through your faith.

Reflection Question: Are you focusing on the obstacles or on God's faithfulness to His promises?

Heavenly Father, give me the faith of Caleb to see giants as opportunities, not obstacles. Help me stop wandering in the wilderness of doubt when You've already given me the Promised Land. I don't want to miss out on forty years of blessings because I'm focused on the size of my problems instead of the size of my God. Give me courage to step forward and possess by faith what You've already provided. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "Blessed Beyond Measure" (Ephesians 1:3): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/mdjxjmb/2-blessed-beyond-measure-eph-1-3