Facing Your Giants-Day 2
Fear Magnifies Giants; Faith Magnifies God
Numbers 13:30 (NKJV)
"Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.'"
Additional Reading: Numbers 14:1–10; Hebrews 3:16–19
Devotional
Perspective changes everything.
Twelve men walked into the Promised Land. They crossed the same rivers, climbed the same mountains, tasted the same fruit, and looked upon the same fortified cities. Every one of them saw the same giants. Yet they returned with two entirely different conclusions.
Ten spies declared, "We cannot." Two spies proclaimed, "God can."The difference was not eyesight—it was faith.
The ten spies were not lying when they described the land. It truly was flowing with milk and honey. The cities really were fortified. The descendants of Anak were genuinely intimidating. Their report was accurate as far as the facts were concerned. The problem was not what they saw; it was what they believed.
They allowed the size of their obstacle to overshadow the greatness of their God.
The Bible records their fearful conclusion: "There we saw the giants...and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
Notice where defeat began.
It did not begin on the battlefield. It began in their minds.
Long before a single sword was drawn, Israel had already surrendered internally. Fear convinced them they were too small, too weak, and too incapable. They forgot that the God who had divided the Red Sea, destroyed Pharaoh's army, provided manna from heaven, and brought water from a rock had not changed.
Fear has a remarkable ability to erase yesterday's miracles.
Isn't that true in our own lives?
God answers one prayer, and we praise Him. Then another challenge appears, and suddenly we begin wondering if He is able to help us again. We remember the problem more vividly than we remember God's faithfulness.
Fear always shortens our spiritual memory.
Caleb saw exactly what everyone else saw. The towering giants did not disappear because he had faith. Their cities did not become smaller. Their weapons did not become weaker.
Instead, Caleb remembered Someone the others had forgotten. God.
With remarkable confidence he declared: "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
Humanly speaking, Caleb's statement sounded absurd. Israel possessed no professional army. They had spent centuries as slaves in Egypt followed by years wandering in the wilderness. They had no military experience comparable to the Canaanites.
Yet Caleb was not measuring Israel's strength. He was measuring God's. That is the difference between fear and faith.
Fear asks, "How big is the giant?" Faith asks, "How great is my God?"
Too often we spend our days rehearsing every possible way something could go wrong. We imagine conversations that have not happened. We anticipate failures that have not occurred. We create giants in our minds that become larger than reality itself.
Satan delights in that process because if he can capture your thoughts, he rarely has to fight your actions.
The Apostle Paul later instructed believers to take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). Why? Because every spiritual battle begins in the mind. The enemy knows that a discouraged believer, a fearful believer, or an unbelieving believer is often ineffective long before the battle ever begins.
Joshua and Caleb understood something the other spies missed. God had already promised them the land.
Their responsibility was not to determine whether victory was possible. Their responsibility was simply to believe God's Word and obey His command. That principle still governs the Christian life.
God has never asked His children to calculate the odds before obeying Him. He asks us to trust Him.
Perhaps your giant today is not a towering warrior but a diagnosis, a financial burden, a fractured relationship, an uncertain future, or a ministry opportunity that seems impossible. Like the spies, you have a choice.
You can stare at the giant until your heart is filled with fear.
Or you can look beyond the giant and fix your eyes upon the God who has never failed.
Remember this truth: Fear magnifies the obstacle. Faith magnifies the Lord.
The circumstances may remain exactly the same, but when your focus changes, your courage begins to grow. Giants lose their power when God occupies the center of your vision.
Today, refuse to live like one of the ten spies. Choose the perspective of Joshua and Caleb. Choose faith.
Reflection Questions
What circumstances in your life are tempting you to focus more on the obstacle than on God?
How has God demonstrated His faithfulness to you in the past?
Are there victories God has already given you that you have forgotten during your current struggle?
What fearful thoughts need to be surrendered to Christ today?
What would it look like to respond to your present situation with Caleb's confidence instead of the ten spies' fear?
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Forgive me for the times I have allowed fear to shape my perspective instead of Your promises. Too often I focus on the size of my problems while forgetting the greatness of the God who walks beside me. Help me remember Your faithfulness in the past so I can trust You with the future. Teach me to see every challenge through the eyes of faith and to obey You even when the obstacles seem overwhelming. May my confidence rest not in my strength but in Yours alone.
In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.