By Pastor Sharon Williams
Numbers 13:1-3
1-2 God spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the People of Israel. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true leader in the tribe.”
The Lord told Moses to send out one leader from each of the 12 tribes.
12 leaders; proven, mature people.
40 days to explore and report
The leaders report:
27-29 “We went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit! The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Canaanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan.”
Bountiful country – filled with milk and honey
The only thing …the people are powerful. Worse yet, Giants live there.
Caleb’s response:
30 Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.” Numbers 13:30
We can’t do this! The people are stronger than us. They chose to see the obstacles instead of the promise from God.
God took them back to the wilderness – they never ‘saw’ the land.
Running example: Purpose: trekking visa to Nepal. Calling: go into the world. Obstacles: heat, tired muscles, old age. What keeps me going? Wisdom and discernment is necessary to keep from being injured.
2 Kings 6: 17 “Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”
Seeing in the natural vs seeing thru God’s eyes.
Mentoring single missionaries: So ambitious to go. Then it is harder than expected. Ready to quit. See beyond the difficulties. Just because it is hard doesn’t mean you failed.
Don’t allow a reason to quit, don’t create a disclaimer of why you can’t win.
Stronghold – fortress of thought – break free so you can see.
“Your thoughts develop patterns of living. Patterns become strongholds. Thoughts have a source and a nature.” BP Zink.
We get so accustomed to seeing the obstacles, we can’t see past them. Change the pattern.
Better than a Nickel
A little girl approached her father and said, “Father, I want a nickel.” The father drew out his wallet and offered her a neat five-dollar bill. But the little girl, not knowing what it was, would not take it. “I don’t want that,” she said; “I want a nickel.” Are there times when we deal with our Heavenly Father as this little girl dealt with her earthly father? Do we sometimes ask for some small favor and refuse his offer of a blessing a hundred times more valuable?
Proverbs 3:25-26 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
Overseas, my life people say, ‘you are so brave.’ “No, I’m just obedient!”
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About the Author
Pastor Sharon has been in ministry for over 48 years. She and her husband Daniel are founders of Go to Nations, a missionary sending agency working in 106 countries. As an ordained minister, Sharon was a part of the Christ the Redeemer Church Executive staff for 20 years. In 2010, Sharon began Act 4 the Nations, a non-profit organization working on 5 continents to help women attain a better way of life by partnering with missionaries and Anti-Human Trafficking organizations. To contact Pastor Williams, visit www.act4nations.com.