Numbers 34-35; Deuteronomy 1

Moses was giving a history lesson. Most of his audience had not lived the entire wilderness-wandering years. God wanted them to understand what had led them here on the threshold of the Promised Land. (Educators; there is much to be said for teaching history as it happened, not as we wish it had happened.)

God thought it was important for them to understand why it had taken their ancestors 40 years to make an eleven day trip. So Moses aired all the dirty laundry.

One particularly dirty sock was 12 spies. I won’t retell the story, I hope you read it in Deuteronomy for yourselves. Just let me say the ten spies who came back with a frightening report had reason to be afraid.

The people WERE large, their cities WERE fortified. On the surface it looked like an impossible situation.

But here’s what they neglected to remember: God was on their side! Their fear might have been understandable. But it was not justified because Almighty God had already promised them the land.

Their focus on the negative resulted in a contagious fear that affected thousands of God’s people. They began to act like deer in headlights or chickens crying, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”

It was their refusal to trust God, who had proven His power and faithfulness repeatedly in dramatic fashion, starting with the exodus from Egypt.

Are you facing an impossible situation? Good! Review Moses’ history lesson and know that the same Almighty God has promised to fight with and for you. Learn to trust the One who is 100% trustworthy. Stop focusing on the negative and remember His promises to you will never fail!

Your fear and hesitation might be understandable. But hear me when I say it’s not justified if you are a child of Almighty God through the blood of Jesus.

If God is for (you), who can be against (you)? (Romans 8:31)