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Believe from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

When the Lord brought the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, they crossed the desert and came to Kadesh-Barnea.

It was an oasis with at least four springs of water. After traveling through the desert, I am sure they were happy to see it. Remember, anytime you see the word "wilderness" in the Bible, it typically means desert.

The whole exodus for Moses had to be like taking a bunch of whiny kids on a road trip. "We have no water! We have no meat, and I am sick of eating this 'manna every day!' Let's kill Moses and go back home to Egypt!"

It would be difficult for Moses to become very close to them with that attitude. So Moses told the people, Here is the land the Lord is giving you. Go up and possess it. But they were fearful and asked Moses to send spies into the land and scout it out first.

The only truth that mattered was that the Lord had told them to do it, and He would be with them. What they would encounter during the journey was irrelevant. But to satisfy the people, Moses chose twelve men, one from each tribe, and sent them to spy out the land. Let's read the account of Moses:

(Deuteronomy 1:20–21 NKJV)  And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’

(Deuteronomy 1:22–25 NKJV)  “And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’ “The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’"

(Deuteronomy 1:26–28 NKJV)  “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; and you complained 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 discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’

(Deuteronomy 1:29–32 NKJV)  “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God...

"The Lord hates us! There are giants in the land! They will kill us and take our wives and children!" I can picture them shouting, "Hey Moe! We won't go!" In all its hilarity, don't miss the meaning of the final line: "you did not believe the LORD your God." What a costly mistake.

Remember the words that Jesus spoke to the ruler of the synagogue whose daughter was sick?

(Mark 5:35–36 NKJV)  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

"Only believe." Two short words that will rip you apart inside. Every fiber of the Hebrew's anatomy told them to cut and run, or they were going to die. They didn't have to choose between fight or flight. For them, it was just all flight. I find the sheer panic they were in refreshing to read, as I am not the only one who has been up all night:

(Numbers 14:1–4 NKJV)  So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”

Though Joshua and Caleb tried to encourage the people, they prepared to kill Moses, appoint a new leader, and return to Egypt. The Lord had to come down and stop them.

(Numbers 14:10–11 NKJV)  And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?"

How long, Moses? Notice the Lord's words, "How long will they not believe Me?" How long? Believing the word of the Lord brings a reward, but unbelief will get us a prize as well. Here was the Lord's judgment on them:

(Numbers 14:26–29 NKJV)  And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

That is exactly what happened. For forty years, they wandered in the desert while that whole generation died off, except for Joshua and Caleb. Then the Lord took their children into the promised land. He used the next generation. That sounds harsh, doesn't it? But compare that to what Jesus told us:

(Matthew 12:36–37 NKJV)  "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

I didn't write it. I read it. But I suggest we get control over our lips and don't curse our own lives. Learn to believe and trust Him. How do you do that? If you can't think of anything else, start with tithing 10% of your income. It takes faith to take some of what you have, give it away, and trust Him to take care of you. Things like this build our faith. If we don't believe Him enough to take action, we will not reap the rewards, and we will not grow in faith. He that can be trusted with a little can be trusted with a lot. If you cannot be trusted with the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with true riches? Learn to believe Him.

(Mark 9:23 NKJV)  Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Believing in God and His word is a choice we each have to make. Even when every fiber of our being is screaming the opposite. Faith is when you believe in something enough to take action, not just flapping your lips. Our words are just hot air until we take action on them.

God rewards faith. It's the currency of heaven. "Lord, I believe You want me to do this, so I will. Stop me if I am wrong." Only believe. 

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for ever doubting You! Help me overcome every area of unbelief in my life. I want to live an overcoming life like Caleb, Joshua, and Jesus. Root out everything in me that doesn't follow You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!