“But because my servant Caleb has a
different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I
will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:24
Caleb was one among
twelve spies but he stood head and shoulder above the rest! He prospered when
the ten faithless spies perished!
Over the last few
days we have been learning why:
·
He
was a devoted servant
·
He
had a different spirit
And the third thing
different about Caleb is:
·
He
was dead to self
As you look at this
story it is obvious there were two different spirits at work in the ten spies
than in Caleb and Joshua.
If you are going to
have a different spirit as Caleb did why not have God’s Spirit? You cannot have
God’s Spirit and your selfish will co-existent in the same heart. Your sinful
nature must die in order for God’s Spirit to fill you with His presence and
power.
The Apostle Paul
said it this way:
“Therefore,
I urge you, brothers
and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and
proper worship. Do not
conform to the pattern of
this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2
When you look at
the difference in Caleb’s report and that of ten other spies you have to
wonder, “Wow! What a difference! What’s that about?”
They saw the same
things but they saw them with a different spirit.
The difference was
about seeing Canaan through eyes of faith rather than eyes of flesh. And the
difference was having the confidence of a victor instead of cowering as a
victim.
The difference was
about Caleb being dead to himself and alive to God! He wasn’t worried about
anything except pleasing God. He didn’t have to b defensive or fearful or
timid, he just had to size up the enemy, measure them against God and share the
optimistic report.
The difference was
about Caleb sensing God’s presence, God’s peace and God’s protection as he
scouted behind enemy lines.
It was a big
difference and it raises a big question. If they knew they were going to spy
out God’s Promised WHY didn’t the other spies prepare spiritually as well?
How about you?
Are you spiritually
prepared for the next big thing God has for you?
Have you died to
yourself?
Do you have a
different spirit?
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