We should never disobey God because of fear. Ten of the spies that Moses sent to scout the Promised Land brought back a bad report. They chose to follow their fear of the giants instead of following the Lord and doing what He said. Caleb and Joshua chose to follow the Lord and do what was right no matter what. The two men acted on God's Word instead of fear. Caleb and Joshua tried to encourage the Israelites not to be afraid; they said, "Do not rebel against the Lord, and don't be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don't be afraid of them!” (Numbers 14:9). The people were filled with fear and still chose to rebel against God rather than do what was right in His sight. James 4:17 says, "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.". We cannot let fear stop us from doing what we know is right; this can lead to sin. Psalm 56:3 says, "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you."

Should you only believe or trust in what you can see with your physical eyes? That is not living by faith. Aaron, Moses, Joshua and Caleb lived by faith, not by sight. They trusted in who they couldn't see - God. The rest of the Israelites chose to believe the bad report of the ten spies who focused on what they saw with their human eyes - not by eyes of faith. The people wept aloud in fear. They wanted to return to Egypt and refused to trust God. Aaron and Moses fell face down to the ground. Caleb and Joshua tore their clothes in response to their lack of faith in God's promise. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 14:1-8). 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we live by believing and not by seeing." This is how God wants us to live on earth. He wants us to trust Him, to have faith in Him over anything else. What we see with our eyes can cause us to have fear. This can lead us to giving up on God's promises as the Israelites did. They were not allowed to receive the blessings that God planned to give to them. Hebrews 11:7 gives us the definition of faith: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Will you live by faith or by sight? Living by faith gives us hope, confidence, and assurance of receiving all God has for us. Moses was able to serve God and do amazing things because of faith. Hebrews 11:27 says, "It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible." Is it always easy to live or walk by faith? Certainly not, we learned that with the Israelites in the wilderness! The good news is that God has provided the Holy Spirit to help us. Faith is one of the gifts that the Holy Spirit produces in us (Galatians 5:22). In the Bible, there was a man that asked Jesus to heal his son if He could. Jesus asked the man why he had some doubt about Jesus' ability to answer the request. "The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24). In our faith walk on this earth, we will at times struggle with unbelief or a lack of faith. At these times, we can ask God for help and trust that His Spirit is at work in us to strengthen is.

The ten spies were frightened by the giants in the Promised Land. Instead of trusting in God's might, they were filled with fear. The spies said that the giants were strong and could not be defeated. They saw themselves as grasshoppers next to the giants. Joshua and Caleb believed that the giants could not stand against them because God was with them! God and His promises never change. No one can stand against us when we trust in God. "What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Jesus told His disciples that He gave them authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). This verse applies to us today; we are given Jesus' power and authority to defeat the enemy. 1 John 4:4 says, "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." Isn't that exciting? The victory has been won. The victor actually lives in us! We can live a victorious life on this earth; not by our own strength and might, but by the Spirit of God who lives inside us! God's children can only be defeated when they don't trust Him - like with the Israelites in the wilderness. When we trust in God, no one can stand against us!

The words of the ten faithless spies brought fear and disbelief to the Israelite camp. "Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night." (Numbers 14:1). There is power in our words; our words can tear down or they can build up. What we say can build faith or steal faith. God showed Moses the Promised Land on the other side of the mountains. It was now time to possess the land! Instead, the Israelites chose to listen to the words of the ten spies. Fear and unbelief robbed God's people of His promised blessing. Ephesians 4:9 says, "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." As followers of Jesus, we must choose our words carefully. We must not tear down, but rather build people's faith by our words of love and encouragement! Let us always look for opportunities to share God's promises with others. May we choose to be like Caleb and Joshua and live by faith, possessing all that God has for us until Jesus comes back again! As people see our walk of faith, let their faith be built up! As they listen to our words, let them be strengthened and encouraged! "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25).

God reached His limit with the Israelite's disbelief and rebellion. God told Moses that He was going to destroy them with a plague and make Moses an even greater and mightier nation. Moses pleaded in prayer for God to be merciful and show love to the people. Praying for other's needs is called intercession. Moses interceded for the Israelites even though they did nothing to deserve God's mercy! (Numbers 14:12;19). We need to follow Moses' example and pray for others. Our prayers should not just be focused on ourselves. Moses was frustrated and angry with the Israelites, just as God was, yet, he still prayed for them (Numbers 14:5). Can we only pray for our friends and family? Do we need to pray for people that anger and frustrate us too? Jesus said in Matthew 5:44: "But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!" That isn't an easy thing to do, is it? The only way that we can do this is by God's love in our hearts. 1 Timothy 2:1 says, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them." Intercessory prayer is not always easy, but it is something God calls us to do. What if we don't know what to pray for someone? That is a very good question!. God has placed the Holy Spirit in every believer. Yes, He lives inside of us! The Holy Spirit will help us to pray. The Spirit knows the will of God and actually prays through us! When we don't know what to pray, the Holy Spirit knows exactly what to pray! His prayers are perfect prayers that please the heart of God (Romans 8:26-27). "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (Ephesians 6:18)