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In the introduction, I explained that in our hearts ‘we long to find courage to stand for the right in the face of fierce opposition’.  Based on what was explored in the previous blog posts, to stand, we would need to confront our fears in God’s power, and we would need to have a correct view of the external as well as a correct view of ourselves.

In addition the account reinforces the power of words, and also cautions us to be very careful about whom we allow to speak into our lives and who provides us with information for our decision making.

Having reached such a low with their hopes being crushed, ‘the people wept that night’ (Numbers 14:1).  The people were sad and depressed.  It seemed like in their minds they had lost everything that they had dreamed of achieving.  They were at a dead end.  They did not know what to do.

I believe that the events unfolded very quickly, and they were not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that they found themselves on.

Fortunately, we have their experiences to learn from.  During stressful times, having the reassurance from God’s Word is key to stopping us from going down this slippery slope of despair.  Anywhere along the slope that we may find ourselves, we need to be lifted up and out.  So praying for God’s perspective is definitely required.

When a lot of a person’s energy and time has been consumed fighting negativity and they end up not knowing what to do, the person may then find themselves in a stagnated and limbo state; and for some persons the next step may be to do nothing positive. 

But rising above what we feel and intentionally using our time in simple productive activities may be the stimuli we need to shift our focus and our feelings.

Though at times we may try and yet see no immediate results, that does not mean that the seed will not grow.  During the apparent barren times, it is the vision of what God has shown us in the past that we need to keep at the forefront of our minds. 

Like the farmer and the builder, let us keep the vision of the harvest and the finished building ever in our minds, while we are confronting feelings of doubt.

As we intentionally turn to God and His providence, the things that bother us will lose their sharp focus, and God’s Word like the light will overtake every negative thought and we will be at peace.

The focus of the next blog post is about ‘Blame’.

Be Blessed.

(To listen to the podcast for this blog post, click here)

Following on from the previous blog post, Inflated Account of the External, having confirmed in their minds that the opponent was bigger than they, their thoughts shifted to ‘how much smaller they were.’  They saw themselves ‘as grasshoppers’ (Numbers 13:33) and they even went one step further to say, ‘as we were in their sight’ (Numbers 13:33).  At that point, every ounce of hope was gone from their minds. 

In our own lives, can we think of a time when through a series of our logic, we ended up feeling so hopeless that we decided how we look to our circumstances,  and how our circumstances would just consume us?

When we reach a point of despair, fortunately that does not have to be the end.  In prayer we can run to God and ask Him to help us to see things through His eyes.  Interestingly in Isaiah 40:21, 22, the inhabitants of the earth are described as grasshoppers when compared to God.

The story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6:15-17 is one of encouragement. When they were surrounded by the opposing army, Elisha was calm through the entire ordeal because he saw what the servant could not see initially – God’s intervention.  When the servant’s eyes were finally opened, he saw ‘horses and chariots of fire’ (2 Kings 6:17) protecting them and the servant’s hope returned.

The enemy is happy when we see ourselves as helpless and stop there.  But the enemy is not happy when we see ourselves as helpless and we run to God to lead us through.

As explained earlier, we should never deny or ignore the magnitude of the issues we face, or the strength of the enemy, but we must always keep in mind and live with God’s assurance.  He will not leave us.  In the context of our individual potential, we also have to be careful not to doubt our own capabilities, when others believe that our abilities are limited, or when we think that others believe that our abilities are limited.

Let us today determine to see ourselves through God’s eyes, then as we move forward, we will correctly see ourselves as ‘more than conquerors through’ Jesus Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37).

The title of the next blog post in this series is Pessimism and Weeping.

(Please note that Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.  Public domain.)

Be Blessed.

(To listen to the podcast for this blog post, click here)

In my previous blog post, I wrote about Confronting our Fears.

In Numbers 13: 31, 32, the informants saw their opponents as stronger than themselves.  This is the key reason why they felt hopeless and helpless.  At that point, in their assessment they did not factor into the equation God’s presence and God’s assistance.  They had forgotten that God was the one who had led them that far.

Because of the crippling fear that the environment was so big and intimidating, the previous account of the good produce in the land (Numbers 13:26, 27) was distorted and then the 10 spies presented an ‘evil report of the land’ (Numbers 13:32). The opponent most likely was strong, but the Bible has reassured us that ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world’ (1 John 4:4).

Similarly as we go through our situations, in the areas of our lives where we previously believed that God had called us to move forward, are there things that we now identify that are causing us to second guess God’s calling and His leading in our lives?

In life we are always in need of ensuring that we do not let our fears distort the reality. The good news is that once we are aware of this, we can ask God to give us the right perspective and the objective assessment of each situation. This is also key for us to address real issues in the environment, with the view of going forward as God ordained.

Then instead of seeing the magnitude of the opposing environment, we would see the providence and provision of a faithful God; instead of seeing ourselves intimidated by a big world (which many times can be very non-supportive to what God is calling His people to do), we would see the world subjected to our God who made the universe.

(Please note that Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.  Public domain.)

The title of the next blog post is: Seeking Correct View of Self.

Be Blessed.

(To listen to the podcast for this blog post, click here)

In the previous blog post, I wrote about The Account of the 12 Spies. I believe that the people were excited at the thought of moving forward.  But before they did, they had to address some critical things.  One of these things was their fear.

All transitions are not easy.  When we come to a crossroad, having made our plans, and having done our preparation, we look forward to all the positive things related to the planned change.  Similarly, seeing the fruit of the land (Numbers 13:26, 27), and with the positive account, the congregation must have felt excited and motivated.  But what transpired after confused the whole congregation.

In Numbers 13:28 there was a change, a shift in the thinking, and a reduction in the confidence level.  The obstacles (‘the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great:’ Numbers 13:28) were identified and placed before the congregation.

During changes, though we have a positive vision of what could be, we are also faced with the real possibilities that what we hope for may not becoming a reality.  During these times, with the threat of failure looming, the thought could arise, what if the critics are right?  What if I don’t make it?  This can be a turning point depending on how we deal with such questions and doubts.

As we embark on change, there are generally something(s) that we did not plan for and did not consider; and how we address these uncertainties is a critical point that can determine if we retreat in fear or move forward in faith.

I have looked at the saying ‘ride and whistle’ to explore some practical ways of how to address this phase – this turning point.  Whistling can represent the process of getting all the facts – good and bad – favorable and unfavorable.  So the noises (including the negative facts) in the environment could cause us to retreat in fear.  But thankfully it does not have to be that way. 

Instead of thinking ‘what if they are right?’ and we will not make it, we can think, what if they are wrong?  Of course this does not mean that we go ahead carelessly without consideration for the dangers.  But instead at these junctures, we can ask the Holy Spirit to infuse us with the voice of reason and we can ask the Holy Spirit to still our fearful minds and help us to use our energy and time constructively – really asking God to help us to do all that can be done to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Knowing the potential issues before hand reveals the challenges that we need to be aware of, so that the mitigating plans can be put in place; but they should not be a reason just to pack up and not even try at all.  Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing, so to overcome fear, we need to soak and immerse our minds in the Word of God. So with God our fears can be changed to faith that looks to God to help us through.  So we can feed on God’s Word and be reminded that God has told us that He will never leave us, not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). 

Then our response would not be based on presumptuous actions, but instead on seeking to move forward for God in whatever sphere of life we may be.  This brings us to another obstacle that we will need to overcome to ensure that our faith in God grows; and that obstacle is how we see the world around us – the focus of the next blog post (Inflated Account of the External).

(Please note that Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.  Public domain.)

Be Blessed.

If you have not as yet, I invite you to read the first blog post or listen to the first podcast in this series entitled, United Within – Introduction.

In Numbers 13:17-20, we read that Moses gave the 12 spies the same command. And they obeyed, and they returned after 40 days (Numbers 13:25). The 12 spies returned together and stood before the entire congregation, who were waiting in anticipation to hear and know what the 12 spies saw.   The initial account, that the land ‘floweth with milk and honey;…’ (Numbers 13:27) was positive. Then the spies went on to describe the strength of the enemy and the fortified walls of the city. Then Caleb one of the spies, as the voice of reason, sought to reassure the people and to reaffirm that they would be able to take the land.

But the 10 spies countered Caleb’s affirmation and said no they would not be able to successfully possess the land (Numbers 13:31).  The report from the spies continued to deteriorate to the spies saying that the land ‘eateth up the inhabitants ….; and [that] all the people … [they] … saw in it … [were] … men of a great stature’ (Number 13:32).

Then in their own eyes, the 10 spies saw themselves as grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33).  True there was real danger, but it was important for the parties involved to see things in the correct context.  Sadly, ‘all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night’ (Numbers 14:1).  So after the meeting the whole camp would have returned to their tents with very heavy hearts.

And then as one thing led to another, murmuring was the next thing that happened (Numbers 14:2).

Then the things that God had done before became the subject of distrust and the people even spoke about dying ‘in this wilderness’ (Numbers 14:2).  They started to doubt God’s intention for their lives and even went as far as to discuss the idea of appointing a new leader to take them back from whence they came (Numbers 14:4).

At this point Moses and Aaron were in distress, and Caleb and Joshua tried to bring some balance to the conversation and implored the people not to rebel against God (Numbers 14:5-9).  Then the congregation turned on Joshua and Caleb with the intention to stone them and at this point God intervened (Numbers 14:10).  

Based on this account, imagine if such conflicting sentiments are held by one person; then the ensuing mental trauma is evident.

When we face challenges, do we oscillate between different feelings?  And when pieces of information are shared with us, do we go from feeling confident, to feeling doubtful to distress and even feeling to give up at times? 

As I explore this story, I am prayerfully seeking to address and highlight the events that occur and the revelation of how information when absorbed and processed can create or trigger varying reactions or responses. 

From this account, we are introduced to barriers that we need to overcome in order for us to achieve unity within ourselves. The next blog post in this series is entitled, ‘Confronting Our Fears‘.

(Please note that Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.  Public domain.)

Be Blessed.