“And now, behold, the LORD has kept
me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this
word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this
day, eighty-five years old. “As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that
Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war,
both for going out and for coming in” Joshua 14:10-11
Caleb
was one of the few from his generation to enter the Promised Land and gain his
inheritance. According to the Scriptures, this happened because he had a “different
spirit”!
So,
we are looking at several significant ways this “different spirit” manifested
itself.
First,
he had a Visionary spirit!
Second,
he had a Vigorous spirit!
When
God’s people finally returned to the region of Canaan after forty years of
additional wandering, Caleb was now an 85 year-old man! But no ordinary
octogenarian was Caleb! By his own testimony: “As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just
as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and
for coming in”
Wow!
How
can that happen?
I
can offer several observations!
Caleb
had a purpose!
Living
for a purpose much bigger and better than your self is very invigorating! Caleb
was living to fulfill God’s purpose for his life and for God’s people. When you
have a godly purpose for your life every day matters and every deed matters!
Even when Caleb was wandering for those forty-five years he was doing it on
purpose!
No
wonder he had a “different spirit”!
Caleb
had a promise!
God
had promised Caleb an inheritance for him and his family! There was a place in
Canaan with his name on it, it was a better place, it was a belonging place and
Caleb was determined to possess it! That’s invigorating!
No
wonder he had a “different spirit”!
Caleb
had a presence!
By
Caleb’s own testimony, God had kept Him alive! It’s not a bad idea to have a
personal relationship with the Source of Life, is it? Because Caleb believed
God and knew God and trusted God and obeyed God, God’s Spirit lived in him!
Caleb had life everlasting and abundant!
Now
we know what that “different spirit” was!
How
do you get to your eighty-fifth year with the same vigor you had in your 40’s?
Discover God’s purpose, claim His promises, and receive His presence into your
life by faith!
It
worked for Caleb!
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