Have you ever wondered “What is the will of God for me?” Well Matthew 12:47-50 says “Someone told Jesus, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you’” Jesus asked, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ Then he pointed to His disciples and said, ‘Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!’” God wants you to be obedient to His will!
We want to share with you about a couple of people who were really good at doing the will of God, Moses and Joshua. Moses led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and Joshua picked up where Moses left off. He led them into the promise land. We believe that if you really examine these two in the Word of God you will find out so much about their character. This will also give you more insight into the character of God!
In Numbers 13 God asked Moses to send out 12 spies. He picked 12 of the best men among the Israelites, each with leadership experience, and sent them into the land God had promised them to check on the land. The spies spent 40 days in the land and the majority (10 out of 12) brought back a very troubling report. The land was filled with giants! They went so far as to say in verse 33 “we were like grasshoppers in our own sight and so we were in their sight.”
What are the giants in your life? What or who tells you that you can’t have what God says is yours? What or who is telling you that Jesus isn’t who He says He is? What has you terrified of the very things God has promised you? As you continue reading hold these questions as well as their answers in mind so that you can apply the Word!
These same men had seen plagues in Egypt that passed over their own homes. They had seen deliverance from slavery. They had seen God part the red sea. They had eaten mana straight from Heaven and had their thirst satisfied in a desert wasteland. And yet, when faced with the stature of these giants, they didn’t even consider God’s stature in comparison. They instead compared themselves. While considering the giants in your life, are you identifying with your flesh or with your spirit? Your flesh says “The problem is too big, I am too small”. Your spirit boldly cries out 1 John 4:4 “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”!
When faced with struggles and obstacles it can be tempting to say “I’m just a grasshopper in my eyes, and the eyes of my enemy.” But when we do that we forfeit our promise land. Your promise land is living the life God has planned for and with you! To overcome this mindset you must apply the Word of God which says you are more than a conqueror!
Numbers 14 begins with all of Israelites groaning and complaining. They cried and wept throughout the night. They spoke against Moses and they accused God of taking them out of Egypt just to kill them in the wilderness. The 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb, who believed differently from the 10 spoke out. In verses 7-9 it says “and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: ‘The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord or fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.’”
After Moses died God called on Joshua to rise up and Caleb to be his right hand man. They were chosen because they had faith that God was bigger than any giant! They believed the report of the Lord over what they saw with their very eyes. They had seen the protection and provision of the Lord over and over again. And instead of comparing the giants to their smallness, they held the giants up next to God Almighty!
Spoiler Alert: they are the only 2 of their generation who made it to see the promise land in the end. All those who had whined, complained, and continuously doubted did not enter the promise land again. Use this as a place of self-examination. What “land” did you once see as promised but now doubt you’ll ever enter into? It’s time to shift your mindset from flesh to spirit! It times to get out of religious, rigid thinking and get pliable for the promises of God!
We are believing that as you read this the tight constraints of fear and torment begin to loosen. We are believing for the tight restrictions of “How can I fix this?” and “What do I do?” to be released at the feet of Jesus. We pray that you’ll hand all of your burdens to Him and rest in His wonder-working power! We encourage you to pray over yourself Philippians 4:6-8 which says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The will of God is that the life of God would be made manifest in His children. We pray this will be carried out in and through YOU!
