Dare To Believe

You are called to be more! You are called to be a giant slayer You would think that nothing could have kept Israel from entering the Promised Land after being so close to it for forty days. They waited on the borders of Canaan for the return of the spies. They were poised to enter Canaan Land. They had the assurance of success. They had witnessed God's Divine power, miracles in the wilderness and God’s divine presence. They had been slaves in Egypt, yet God delivered them and showed himself to be all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present. This lesson shows us how easily Believers can vacillate between faith and doubt. What you believe can change everything! Noone expect the report of the spies to promote distrusted in God's power and promise. How much we are robbed by our own doubt, unbelief and mental attitude!

When the messengers returned; the greater part discouraged the people from going forward into Canaan. The Israelites placed more confidence in the judgment of men than they did in the word of God. They had found the land as good as God had said, yet they doubted could have it as God had promised. The Bible calls the ten men unbelievers. Their unbelief caused them to doubt the promises and power of God. They magnified every danger and difficulty and filled the hearts of the people with discouragement and fear.

Caleb and Joshua encouraged the people to go forward. Caleb does not say, “Let us go up and conquer it; but, Let us go and possess it.” Difficulties that are in our way, will dwindle and vanish before our lively, active faith in the power and promise of God. All things are possible, to him that believes. We must trust God and his promises more than our carnal senses. Those who trust the promises of God and follow his directions will find that His promises are true. Caleb looks on the situation as being already done. Let us go up and possess it! There is nothing to be done, but to enter without delay, and take the possession of that which our great God is now ready to give us!

This report was given publicly in the audience of the people. We must be careful when reporting to a crowd. Crowds can be easily swayed or mislead. The report began accurately enough, they said, we found the land just as God said, "surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." You can almost hear the excitement of the crowd, as their eyes beheld the fruit of the land. Then they said, "the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great:" Even that was an accurate report. But they concluded their report with an opinion and a recommendation, they said, "We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." And further, "And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature."

In spite of all they had witnessed, these leaders of Israel allowed the size and number of the giants to cause them to question the power, and truth, and goodness of God. In order to possess the land, you will have to slay some giants. If we are become a giant slayer, we must not get our assignment twisted. These spies were sent to investigate the Land so that a plan of attack could be developed. God had chosen the land and gave it to his chosen people. God said, Go up and possess it. Giant slayers must not allow the opinion of others to keep them from following God. Giant slayers must be daring! They must have guts! Why, because giants of the land will not leave on their own. Giants don’t go away; they must be faced and defeated! Giants come to steal the peace of God’s people; Giants come to stop the progress of God’s people and seize the possessions of God’s people, so Giant slayers must recognize who they are and be daring.

1. Dare to Reject the Contradictory Opinions of Others. Reject those opinions come to prevent us from following God’s plan for our lives. God commanded Moses to send the spies so that they could develop a plan of attack. The size of the men and the challenges of the land was not a surprise to God. Men will always have an opinion about the giants in the land, about the prospect of success, and about limits of your ability. Yet, we must remember what God said and not allow the opinion of others to keep us from following God. Others may see the giants as invincible. They may see themselves and you as grasshoppers. God knows who you are, what you can do and what he has for you. You are more than grasshoppers, but you will only rise to the level of how you see yourself. Dare to reject those opinions that would contradict what God has said. Choose to follow God. God saw His people as a giant slayer when they were in Egypt. The giants in the land were not a surprise to God.