When Fear Sees Giants, Faith Sees God

Fear and faith can look at the exact same situation and see two completely different things.

That is what happened when the twelve spies returned from searching the promised land. They all saw the same land. They all saw the same fruit. They all saw the same cities. They all saw the same giants.

But ten of them came back afraid.

Caleb and Joshua came back with faith.

Numbers teaches:

“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

The others said:

“We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.”

Same land. Same obstacles. Same situation.

But one group focused on what stood against them. Caleb and Joshua focused on who stood with them.

That is a powerful lesson for your life. You may face hard things too. Maybe it is school, anxiety, temptation, family stress, loneliness, repentance, uncertainty, or trying to stand for what is right when it feels like everyone else is going a different direction.

Fear will always point out the giants.

Faith helps you remember the Lord.

Joshua and Caleb later said:

“Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land… and the Lord is with us: fear them not.”

That does not mean faith pretends life is easy. Caleb and Joshua did not deny that the challenges were real. They simply refused to believe those challenges were bigger than God.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught:

“Our testimony will be tested and tried. Faith is not faith if never tested. Faith is not strong if never opposed. So don’t despair if you have trials of faith or unanswered questions.”

Your faith will be tested. Your courage will be tested. Your trust in the Lord will be tested.

But when fear tells you, “You can’t do this,” faith says, “The Lord is with me.”

You do not need to know exactly how everything will work out before you move forward. You just need enough faith to take the next right step with God.

Reflection

What is one “giant” in your life right now that you may be seeing more through fear than faith?

Today’s Challenge

Write down one challenge you are facing. Then write this sentence underneath it:

“The Lord is with me. Fear them not.”

Keep it somewhere you can see it this week.

Closing Thought

The promised land was real. The giants were real too. But Joshua and Caleb understood something the others forgot: God’s promises are greater than the obstacles in front of us.

This week, ask the Lord to help you see your life with “another spirit” — the spirit of faith.

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