Keep the Right Perspective
I know this lady who is always bent toward the negative. If I ask her, “How are you doing today?”, I know she is going to tell me all the things that are going wrong in her life. While the facts are true, I also know there’s a bright side to her life that she’s not seeing. For instance, when she mentions something negative about her husband, I know he’s a good man who works hard and has a good job. He loves to take the kids out on Saturdays so she can have the whole house to herself. But instead of looking at the richness in her life, she chooses to look at the negative.
In Numbers 13–14, the twelve spies that Moses sent into the Promised Land all saw the same things—the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, but there were giants in the land and heavily fortified cities. Ten of the spies saw themselves as grasshoppers and spread a negative report among the two million Israelites that they could never conquer the land. Joshua and Caleb, however, brought a good report that they should go in and take the land at once. They declared, “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid.”
That negative report kept the people of Israel out of the Promised Land for forty years, but God gave Joshua and Caleb a second chance because they were of “a different spirit.” One version says, “An excellent spirit.” Because they had the right perspective of who God is, they not only survived, but they thrived in the wilderness. Forty years later, Caleb said, “Listen, I’m stronger and more determined than ever to take this land. Bring on the giants.”
When Joshua and Caleb were about to lead the younger generation into the land, this was Joshua’s leadership vision: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” He was saying, “Every day choose your attitude. Every day you can choose the way you see life. Choose today how you’re going to see your journey into the Promised Land.” And he added, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” They were going to choose to see beyond their circumstances, to quiet the discouraging voices that would come against them, and believe that God is a big God who would go before them and help overcome every challenge.
If you’ll be like Joshua and Caleb, you’ll outlast anything the enemy brings you. You’ll go in and take the land that God has given you because He is with you!
In Numbers 13–14, the twelve spies that Moses sent into the Promised Land all saw the same things—the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, but there were giants in the land and heavily fortified cities. Ten of the spies saw themselves as grasshoppers and spread a negative report among the two million Israelites that they could never conquer the land. Joshua and Caleb, however, brought a good report that they should go in and take the land at once. They declared, “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid.”
That negative report kept the people of Israel out of the Promised Land for forty years, but God gave Joshua and Caleb a second chance because they were of “a different spirit.” One version says, “An excellent spirit.” Because they had the right perspective of who God is, they not only survived, but they thrived in the wilderness. Forty years later, Caleb said, “Listen, I’m stronger and more determined than ever to take this land. Bring on the giants.”
When Joshua and Caleb were about to lead the younger generation into the land, this was Joshua’s leadership vision: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” He was saying, “Every day choose your attitude. Every day you can choose the way you see life. Choose today how you’re going to see your journey into the Promised Land.” And he added, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” They were going to choose to see beyond their circumstances, to quiet the discouraging voices that would come against them, and believe that God is a big God who would go before them and help overcome every challenge.
If you’ll be like Joshua and Caleb, you’ll outlast anything the enemy brings you. You’ll go in and take the land that God has given you because He is with you!