BIBLE PASSAGE:
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said,
“We should go up and take possession of the land,
for we can certainly do it.”
But the men who had gone up with him said,
“We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”
And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land
they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those
living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.”
(Numbers 13:30-32)
MEDITATION:
A children’s chorus begins with the words,
“Twelve men went to spy on Canaan, ten were bad, two were good.”
Can you name the two that were good?
The answer, of course is, Caleb and Joshua.
But can you name any of the others?
There was a speaker who would at times get out his wallet
and offer to pay a dollar for each of those names a person could recall.
He never gave away a single bill.
As he put away his wallet with all its dollar bills intact, he would say…
“We remember the people who stand for God, but not the ones who don’t.”
Joshua and Caleb stood for God;
Shammua, Shaphat, Igal and the others did not.
Their collective voices drowned out the faith of the other two.
It was not just a matter of a majority vote, but a choice of rebellion.
When the people listened to the ones without faith and decided not to do
what God wanted, it was a rebellion that resulted in 40 years of wandering
(plus the death of all but the younger generation).
But Joshua and Caleb were spared (they ultimately entered the Promised Land).
ACTION:
The message for believers is clear:
“Stand for God, regardless of the numbers in opposition”.
There may be times when you have not stood boldly for the Lord.
You may experience something today where you will
have to make a choice to either speak up, or remain silent.
Even if nothing happens, remember that others are watching
to see if your faith is real, or if you are just a ‘religious’ person.
Others observe your language, your anger, how you treat others, etc.
Make a decision today to stand up for Jesus from this day forward.
We all have many opportunities to be a ‘living witness’ for the Lord.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I have failed to stand up
for You. Encourage me to always stand for You regardless of the
opposition. It is You who made me, it is You who sustain me, it is
You who love me, it is You who forgive my sins, it is You who bless
me, it is You who provide for my needs, it is You who gave me salvation.
Help me to express my unmovable faith so that I can be a witness for
You. Whenever I am challenged to stand for You, remind me of Your
presence and how You have blessed me.”
blog: UTVOLWOODY.WORDPRESS.COM
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
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