SCRIPTURE: Numbers 13
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. [Matthew 10:16]
Jesus spoke these words to His twelve disciples when He sent them on their first mission.
Moses could have said the same thing to the twelve tribes of Israel as they were preparing to enter Canaan.
The spies come back from their first foray into Canaan and confirm that it is a land flowing with milk and honey… and grapes!
But there are giants!
When Caleb suggests that they should go in faith, the others reply, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” [Numbers 13:31].

Are we up for the challenge that the Lord calls us to?
Do we have what it takes to succeed in His mission?
Well the answer is NO and YES.
NO, we do not have it in ourselves.
We are like sheep before the wolves, like grasshoppers before giants.
On the other hands, YES, we do have God with us.
We can be confident not because we are up to the challenge, but He is.
God in Jesus has taken on and defeated the powers of hell.
He is with us, He is in us, and greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world [1 John 4:4].

Jesus tells His disciples not to be afraid when they are called before the wolves, because the Spirit of God in them will give them what they need to stand up and speak up for Jesus!
We have this same assurance.

But notice the power of fear.
Notice how the majority are more convinced by their fear than their faith.
And notice how their report is believed sooner than Caleb’s.
The truth is, we are naturally inclined toward doubt and fear.
We spend a lot of time reflecting on the powers of sin, death and hell.
We meditate on them, dwell on them, worship them.
We put them in God’s place, and are convinced that they are greater than He is.

The fact is, we are sheep, and there are wolves out there.
And there are no guarantees that we will survive the mission physically, or without pain or suffering (ask the disciples on this).
But as disciples, we are more committed to the mission, than to our survival.
We know that our eternal rest is secure.
We are dedicating ourselves to secure others. And for that, we may suffer, we may even die (ask Jesus about this). But our efforts, our service, is never in vain.
The victory is won, we are guaranteed!
He will use us, He will make us successful.
The grasshoppers will win… will we choose to believe this?

PRAYER:
Lord, forgive me for worshipping my problems. Help me to spend more time meditating on You, than on the size or severity of my problems.