Have you ever been excited about a new thing you feel God wants to do in your life? Maybe it’s a possible promotion or a relationship that you think is going to work out or a new step of faith you want to take. But then all of a sudden, negative voices start telling you that it’s never going to happen. How do you shut down that negativity before it creates fear or doubts that hold you back?
In Numbers 13, Moses sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan, which God had already promised to give to the Israelites. The people must have been excited at what was coming. The spies reported back that the land was just as promised, rich in produce and flowing with abundance, even bringing back a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two men to carry it on a pole between them. All twelve spies also agreed that the people were strong, with large walled cities, and, yes, some giants.
But ten of the spies brought back a negative attitude that said, “There are giants in the land. We’ll never be able to conquer those people. In fact, we look like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we are in their sight.” However, Joshua and Caleb tried to silence the bad report. They declared, “If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into the land and give it to us.” They had what the Scripture refers to as “a different spirit,” an excellent spirit. They looked beyond the impossibilities and chose to believe and obey according to what God promised. They looked beyond the giants and saw an opportunity to trust Him to fight their battles for them and possess the Promised Land.
That shows how important your attitude is and how a negative attitude can have devastating consequences. In the shadow of the giants, the ten spies couldn’t see the miracles that God had done and the good things He had promised. Their bad attitude spread to all the people of Israel and kept them out of the Promised Land. But Joshua and Caleb, whose faith never wavered, were still strong enough forty years later to lead the next generation into the land God had promised.
When you have the right attitude, you can look at your most challenging situation and make it through by choosing to set your eyes on God’s promises. You’ll quiet the discouraging voices that come against you by looking through eyes of faith, not fear, and by believing that God will lead you into all He has for you.