A previous Bible study explains that Israel learns how to follow God. In this lesson from the Book of Deuteronomy we learn how spies are sent to the Amorites, shattering that trust.
Today, we discover what the spies found!
Facing Giants – The Amorites
All of us sometimes have trouble when it comes to trusting in God. And, this rings especially true when the decisions we have to make are major ones.
Think about how the Israelites felt when reports from the spies told of facing giants in battle along with heavily fortified cities.
Today’s Christian devotional comes from the Book of Deuteronomy 1:19-46. It tells about how to overcome fear and obstacles when doing God’s work.
Do you sometimes have trouble trusting God? I’m not talking about the small, everyday occurrences — I’m referring to the really “BIG” decisions. Yes, I have trouble giving up control too!
Overcoming Fear Facing Giants – Learning About Trust
So did the Israelites as we will see. In this lesson from Deuteronomy they are facing the giants in the land of the Amorites and God tells them to trust in him.
Did they? Let’s find out..
Book of Deuteronomy – Spies are Sent to the Amorites
“Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; and you grumbled in your tents and said,
‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.
Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven.
And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there.”’
Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them.
The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’
But for all this, you did not trust the Lord your God, who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go. – Deuteronomy 1:26-33 NASB
Trusting God – But There are Giants in Them Hills!
When the spies were sent into the promised land, the report brought back was discouraging. They delivered negative news of heavily guarded cities with fortified walls which would be near impossible to scale.
Also, there were giants, known as the Anakites, who could crush the little Israelites in a conventional battle.
In a Word – Impossible?
The word we hear all throughout Scripture is “impossible“.
And, this is many times true when looked at through our human eyes. But, God doesn’t see things this way. He knows that anything can be accomplished when it’s in His will.
Where is Our Focus? Fear or Faith?
The people of Israel listened to all the things that could not be done instead of trusting what God could do. The negative thinking was taking control of their situation.
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said:
“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.”
Yes, it’s easy to see the difficulties facing us when we have decisions to make in our lives.
But God focuses on the positive. If we only trust God and have listened to what He wants us to do, we can go forward with the plan. We have faith that He can overcome all obstacles in our way.
The next time God asks you to do something, trust that it will work. No, trusting God is not always easy. But, it is always the best way to make important decisions.
Love in Christ
– Bob
To find out more about Christ’s’ gift to you, please take a moment to read this verse.