Joshua and Caleb, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “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. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.
Numbers 14:6-10
Turn to Faith Not Fear (:9)
One of the things negative voices can do is create a climate of fear. But Caleb doesn’t stoop to that, he says in verse 9, do not be afraid of the people in the land. Don’t be afraid!
In fact, he insinuates if you want to be afraid of something, you should be more afraid of rebelling against God and not doing what He says. That’s where the real fear should lie.
So I ask you
Where are you giving in to fear instead of walking in faith?
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Maybe you are experiencing fear over a conversation you know God wants you to have or someone you need to forgive. Maybe you’re feeling trapped or held hostage by your emotions and you’ve been hiding in fear, just putting things off, and trying to be distracted. Fear often causes us to procrastinate from doing things we know are right.
Maybe your fear involves taking a risk. Maybe it’s stepping in to a new ministry role or project you’ve never been involved in before. Maybe there’s something going on with your health that God is asking you to face head-on, but it feels scary to you. Maybe it’s stepping in to an accountability relationship or seeking out some Christian counseling. Maybe it’s attending 12-step group to try to come to grips with an addiction that has too much control over you.
Maybe God is calling you to reveal yourself to another person and be truly vulnerable, and you’re scared to death about doing that. Maybe God’s calling you today to acknowledge the truth about your sin and that terrifies you. Maybe God is saying it’s time for you to get really serious about confronting a spiritual doubt, and you’re nervous about where that will lead, or what God might ask of you. Or maybe He’s calling you to finally get your finances in order by seeking some outside advice.
In ministry these things can feel daunting and even disqualifying. They can feel like an admission of ultimate failure, a throwing in of the towel. Caleb reminds us, don’t let fear debilitate you.
Because here’s the conclusion we must come to. It’s the same one Caleb came to as he was trying to motivate his people. It’s scarier to not obey God. Isn’t living outside the will and favor of God scarier than this little risk that he’s asking us to take? It is – I’d rather climb out on a limb with Him than hugging the tree by myself.
Remember, Jesus doesn’t combat our fear with a lecture or a change of circumstances, he combats it with Himself. With his own presence. As a general rule, Jesus does not say to human beings, “Okay, I’ll take away whatever it is that frightens you. I’ll take all of your obstacles out of the picture. You’re right, you can’t handle it, so I’ll make things safe and easy for you.” As a general rule, He does not say that. What usually happens is God follows up the command, “do not fear,” with the promise, “because I will be with you.” God says to human beings, “You need to go face this fear, and here’s the plan, I’ll go with you. Together, you and I can handle it. You’re going to grow really strong in the process, but you’ve got to trust me, and you must act in faith.”
