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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Numbers 13:30
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
One of the great themes or ‘Rings of Truth’ throughout the Bible could be called ‘Against All Odds’.
Time and time again, God places people in situations where they have to make a choice - God or man. The seen or the unseen. The reality or the potential. The present or the future.
God will give you the same choices and it will be up to you to decide. He won’t force His will on you nor make the decision for you. He entrusts it to you. The question is - Will YOU trust God or your judgement and strength?
Today, you may be facing just such a choice. What is your decision going to be? What are you going to base it on? Circumstances or faith?
Read this list of men: Shammua, Shaphat, Igal Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi and Geuel. Ever heard of them? (see v 4 - 15) They are largely forgotten, but does one of them represent you? There were two others - Caleb and Joshua. But those 10 represented most of the people, both then, and dare I say, now? They went into the Promised Land, tasted of its fruit, brought back some of its (blessings) abundant produce and then convinced the people that none should go in.
They always represent the majority. Play it safe. Don’t ‘rock the boat’. Why must we change? How do we know it will be a change for the better? So these things may be good but what if they are only temporary? What about all the negatives? It is always possible to look at the issues with a grasshopper mentality. “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (v 33).
How did they know? Did they ask them? I bet they didn’t. If you read Joshua 2:9, you will find that Rahab told the new spies that when they heard that God had parted the Red Sea and dealt with Og & Co, “their hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you.” (That was for 40 years.) Have you noticed how one negative word can destroy all the good that is said? If not, try thinking of that one word ‘but’. How many encouragements are destroyed by that word? “That was terrific - but ...” “Your performance was excellent but ...”
Oh how we need to watch our words. “We went into the land - it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. BUT the people who live there are powerful ...” (v 27 - 28). Then Caleb silenced the people. That took courage. He was on his own now. He was going against the flow, against the tide, against the majority. That makes you vulnerable.
Caleb lost the battle (and had to endure 40 years’ hard labour because of it).
But he won the war. He went in - they died in the wilderness.
Hey, God makes lists of names. Which one will you join? The 10 or the 2? Oh, we all want to be with the 2 but you have to stand up and be counted to join them.
What about you? What about today?
What about those choices you have to make today?
Will you talk yourself into being the grasshopper or live as the prince or princess of the King, which God has ordained you to be?
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