A Different Spirit
Scriptures For Meditation — Joshua 14:6-15; Philippians 4:13
“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.”
You can STILL take your mountain!
Our main scripture text (Joshua 14:6-15) introduces an encounter between Moses and Caleb, where Caleb was making a demand of Joshua, referencing an event that had transpired between them 45 years earlier.
God’s faithfulness to His promises have no expiry date!
As we read in yesterday’s scripture text, God had revealed His plans to Israel, in which He instructed them to go in and possess the land that He had promised and given to them for an inheritance. The children of Israel however, had the bright idea that maybe God did not really think His promise through, and chose instead to send men to spy out the land and determine if what God asked them to do was sensible or possible. (Numbers 13:17-25)
God allowed Moses to accede to their request, and he consequently sent in 12 men to spy out the land and bring back their report to the people. Ten of the spies unfortunately, brought back a discouraging report to the people. (Num 13:26-33):
Same Information, Different Perspective
Even though Caleb and Joshua saw the same things that the other ten men saw and had access to exactly the same information as they did, they processed things from a different perspective, looking through the eyes of faith:
We are well able to go up and take the mountain
“30Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, saying, “Let us go up and occupy it, for we are well able to conquer it.” 31But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against these people, because they are stronger than we are!” 32Then they presented the Israelites with a discouraging report of the land they had investigated, saying, “The land that we passed through to investigate is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there are of great stature. 33We even saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we seemed liked grasshoppers both to ourselves and to them.”
What is your perspective on the mountains that are confronting you?
The unbelief which had spread throughout the camp resulted in disunity and rebellion — as fear and unbelief always do. The LORD was angry with the people and vowed that none of their generation would enter the Promised Land, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua.
“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it” (Num 14:24).
Right now precious child of God, I need you to raise your voice and declare out loud:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
Let’s return to our main bible text for today and focus on an extraction which I shall paraphrase from Num 14:24 that we read earlier:
“My servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly..”
You need to have a different spirit from the spirit of fear, unbelief, doubt and discouragement that the enemy may have flooded your thoughts with, for you to inherit the promises of God in this season. You need to be at that place, when your heart is fully committed to following Jesus, and fully set to obey His instructions and commandments to you!
See how Caleb’s faith is showing and speaking through in his conversation with Moses:
“Just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years … so here I am today, eighty-five years old!” (10a).
“I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then” (11).
“Now give me this hill country (NIV; KJV “mountain”) that the LORD promised me that day” (12a).
“You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said” (12b).
Notice that in three out of the four statements in this section, he mentions the name of the Lord. “The LORD promised… The LORD promised… the LORD helping me.”
Caleb had learned to trust in the promises of God and hang his faith on the inevitability of their fulfilment. He knew what it was like to have the LORD help him, and he was confident that the LORD will continue to be faithful to keep His promises.
Caleb’s convictions were properly aligned with the word that God had spoken, and was therefore supremely confident that his situation will also align with God’s promises for his life.
Listen again, to God’s testimony concerning Caleb:
“He followed me wholeheartedly”
Can God say the same about you?
PRAYER FOCUS:
Start today’s prayers by again meditating on Philippians 4:13.
Remind yourself of all the promises of God concerning your life and make a good warfare with your prophecies.
Ask God to revive the right spirit in you, and to give you the strength to follow Him wholeheartedly, as you rise up and move forward to claim His promises.
Focus on the month of April and claim the release of every blessing and the fulfilment of every promise for that month, for yourself, your family the church.
God bless and keep you in His favour in Jesus’ Name.
Pastor Wale Ola