A DIFFERENT SPIRIT
Scripture Reading: Numbers 13:17-33
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." - Numbers 13:30
After 430 years of bondage, Israel was close to the Promised Land. T They were camped behind the Jordan ready to move in. Moses sent out twelve spies to check out the land. Ten of them returned with a bad report while two encouraged them to go up and possess the land. Israel chose the report of the ten and thus rejected the door of opportunity. There were Five Wrong Mindsets the Israelites had. They were:
- Slave-Minded: Unable to act independently.
- Scarcity-Minded: Unable to see abundance.
- Simple-Minded: Unable to deal with complex issues.
- Small-Minded: Unable to think big.
- Selfish-Minded: Unable to see beyond their personal interests.
Caleb and Joshua saw things differently. Caleb was commended in Numbers 14:24, “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” Why was Caleb said to have a different spirit?
- He followed the Lord wholly: He was sold out to God's word and not the prevailing circumstances.
- He followed his heart: His conviction was that they had what it took to possess the land. They being outnumbered did not deter him.
- He saw the big picture: The God who brought them out of Egypt with all the miracles and preserved them through the wilderness had a purpose for their lives and would accomplish it.
Prayer: Lord, help me to look beyond my circumstances and to hold fast to your word. Like Caleb, let me have a different spirit.
