Suffering a Faith Failure

“Thus they told him, and said, ‘We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.’ Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, ‘We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.’

So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’” Numbers 13:27-33

“Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!’” Numbers 14:1-2

Of the millions of men, women, and children who trudged through the wilderness, only two (Caleb and Joshua) saw “the promise” of the Promised Land. The millions suffered a faith failure. Like the sinning Israelites, we too hesitate when facing a challenge, allowing the obstacles to frighten us and even immobilize us. Our objectives are not reached, and our faith sags instead of stretching us.

The key to a growing, confident faith is a consistent focus on the power and might of God. Caleb and Joshua saw imposing giants - as did the rest of the Israeli spies - but they measured them against the power of the Most High God. The focus that develops faith to tackle life’s challenges comes from sustained, concentrated meditation on the Word of God. Remember God’s instructions to Joshua: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night...” (Joshua 1:8).

Joshua and Caleb kept their gaze on God in an unwavering faith in His Word. Then when the challenge came, they drew their conclusions on the basis of God’s unlimited resources - not theirs. Nourish your faith for tomorrow’s challenges by renewing your mind in God’s Word today.

“If you are slack in the day of distress, your strength is limited.” Proverbs 24:10