Twelve spies were sent into Canaan, the Promised Land. All twelve had seen the mighty hand of God feed and sustain the Children of Israel, for years. They had even marveled at how God miraculously preserved their clothes and shoes from wearing out. Although witnessing divine miracles and provisions was ordinary in their lives, their faith still failed when it was called upon to be exercised. Can it be, that people can be surrounded by God’s goodness and still live unprepared for the future? Did they expect that they could always live on the coat tails of those that exercised true faith, but never have to do it themselves? We know the story well, only two of the twelve had the faith and courage to take God at His word. Their faith was more than a concept, it had substance, grit and strength. Our modern culture has a crisis of real faith. They claim they trust God, but when they are called to stand strong, they run. Why is this? As parents we must be careful to not rescue our children from every hardship. We need to let them ask God for help, not us. They will learn patience in faith, perseverance in faith and discover the great reward of KNOWING that God answered their heart’s cry, not us. The church has a role to play, too. They must not think the people are too frail to talk about the hard topics. If we protect them from evil they will never know how to stand against it. If we fail to address the issues that they come face to face with each day, church will become ineffective and appear uncaring about the toll it takes on the people each week. Prepare them. Talk to them of great faith in the face of hard times. Encourage them that God made them with “feet like hind’s feet,” meant to go into hard places and scale hard, jagged mountains. God doesn’t create weak people - man creates weak people. Prepare them. Caleb and Joshua are great examples of what true faith, lived out, looks like. They weren’t mere adrenaline seekers looking for a new adventure (as we see today); they were bold in their belief. They took God at His word - His whole word. THAT is what gave them hearts of conquerors. Their victory wasn’t in their own abilities, but in the One whose word never fails. Friends, may we rise up in faith that takes God at His word. Recognize that He made you strong because you’ll need to stand against great evil… “In the end perilous times will come,” and they are here… but so is our faith. It is enough when it’s rooted in Him. Stand strong. “Could it be that you were created for such a time as this?”
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