Have A Different Spirit
". . . not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." Numbers 14:23-24.
Of the twelve spies who went to explore the Promised Land, ten came back with a bad report and discouraged the Israelites. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, insisted on moving forward. Caleb said: "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us." (Numbers 14:7)
Of the twelve spies who went to explore the Promised Land, ten came back with a bad report and discouraged the Israelites. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, insisted on moving forward. Caleb said: "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us." (Numbers 14:7)
Whilst others were instilling fear and rebellion into the hearts of God's people, Caleb took a stand for God. His faith in God was absolute in the face of giants on the land! Caleb knew that God is a Promise Keeper and would deliver on His word. He had a different spirit and God rewarded him with an inheritance in the Promised Land.
The Promise was fulfilled in Joshua 14 when Caleb said to Joshua:
"Today, I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey . . . So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said." So Joshua blessed Caleb . . . and gave Hebron to him as his portion of the land. (Joshua 14:10-13 NLT)
The promises of God are definite and sure, but it takes a different spirit to inherit those promises. Often, those marvelous promises are met with staunch resistance from the adversary. His sole goal is to drive fear into our hearts and tempt us to question God's faithfulness and ability. But, when God finds a person with a different spirit, God will fulfill His promise to him no matter how long it takes. So at eighty-five, God gave Caleb the strength to overcome the same giants he had seen forty-five years earlier and inherit their land.
These are days of much skepticism about God. Many are acting as if God is dead. They serve God half-heartedly and do not take His word to heart. But the truth is: God has not changed. Those who have a different spirit are still being given "mountains" to take for the glory of God. So, in the face of all the mockery around us, would you present a "different spirit" to God and watch Him use you? It takes a different spirit to stand up for God in this day and age. But the rewards are sure!
The Promise was fulfilled in Joshua 14 when Caleb said to Joshua:
"Today, I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey . . . So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said." So Joshua blessed Caleb . . . and gave Hebron to him as his portion of the land. (Joshua 14:10-13 NLT)
The promises of God are definite and sure, but it takes a different spirit to inherit those promises. Often, those marvelous promises are met with staunch resistance from the adversary. His sole goal is to drive fear into our hearts and tempt us to question God's faithfulness and ability. But, when God finds a person with a different spirit, God will fulfill His promise to him no matter how long it takes. So at eighty-five, God gave Caleb the strength to overcome the same giants he had seen forty-five years earlier and inherit their land.
These are days of much skepticism about God. Many are acting as if God is dead. They serve God half-heartedly and do not take His word to heart. But the truth is: God has not changed. Those who have a different spirit are still being given "mountains" to take for the glory of God. So, in the face of all the mockery around us, would you present a "different spirit" to God and watch Him use you? It takes a different spirit to stand up for God in this day and age. But the rewards are sure!
Prayer: Father, help me to have a different spirit and to believe you to use me to take "mountains for your glory." Amen