Negative Ninnies And Nincompoops

Negative Ninnies and Nincompoops

Deut 1:8

8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers — to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — and to their descendants after them."

19 Then, as the LORD our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful desert that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20 Then I said to you, "You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, ’The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’"

29 Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

34 When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 "Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers

NIV

What is a negative ninny or a nincompoop? Webster’s defines a ninny and a nincompoop as a fool or simpleton, one lacking common sense.

As Moses is recounting the history of Israel in this first sermon to the next generation he details this 11 day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-Barnea. Upon arrival at Kadesh-Barnea, the very threshold of God’s promise, The people sent spies in to survey the land.

Jump back with me to verses 26-28…

Look at what God promised

I. It was a gift…v. 8.

II. All they had to do was go and possess it - v. 21.

III. Moses encouraged them v. 21 & 29.

The people let NN talk them out of the great and wonderful blessing God had given them.

Example: someone telling you that you don’t look very well today…

How many dreams have you seen flushed because someone told you it was impossible or was crazy.

There are four kinds of Negative Ninnies and nincompoops that I want to warn you about.

1. The Alarmist – motivated by fear and exaggerate the risks

2. The Traditionalist – doesn’t like change. Motivated by custom and routine.

3. The Defeatist – Always see the problems

4. The Antagonist – fear that they will lose control and will try to stand in your way.

Are you standing at Kadesh-Barnea waiting to possess the blessing God has called you to? Are there people telling you it’s too hard, or you’re not qualified…