In scripture, when Moses sent the 12 spies to check out the Promised Land, 10 of them came back with a negative report. Sure they saw the lush, fruitful land, but they also saw the inhabitants—giants! They said, "We look like grasshoppers to them!" They were afraid and discouraged. That negative report spread throughout the entire camp. They believed the worst, and it affected their attitudes. Can you imagine that the more they talked about it, the more they thought about it, the more anxious they got? However, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, came back with a different report. They saw the same scene as the other spies, but they had a different attitude. Instead of focusing on their problem, they focused on God knowing that He would bring them into victory!
It's interesting that when these two gave their positive report, the negative report had already come out, and the two went, "Shhhh!" They hushed them and tried to silence the negative report. I believe they knew the power of words. They didn't want that negative report to cause them to lose focus. The other spies and the people who listened to them, well, they didn't make it in to the Promised Land. They complained and they remained. God had been giving them opportunity after opportunity to trust Him, and they wouldn't take it. They couldn't see what God was doing because they focused on what was negative in their worlds. Joshua and Caleb, on the other hand, focused on God and led the next generation into their promised land! Remember, hush the negative report and keep God first place in everything that you do!