Kathemerinosatos

Yesterday we read about God commanding the Israelites to leave Mt Horeb and enter the Promised Land. In today’s text, It Moses reminding people of their rebellion against God’s command. After being warned of their overstaying, they decided to embark on a journey to occupy the Promised Land and there came up with a strategy of how they were to occupy the Promised Land. Remember this was not an unoccupied land, there were people who were already established in the land and had built cities with fortified walls for their defense and protection. Therefore, entering the Promised Land was not going to be a walk in the park. Wars were supposed to fought and strategic planning was needed. Brethren in Christ, achieving goals is not an easy thing. There are wars to be fought, obstacles to be overcame, and discipline to be maintained. Strategy is also vital in reaching your goal. The Israelite strategy was to send spies to spy the land and its people in order to have a clear picture of how the occupation was going to be carried out. There was no wrong with their strategy but the problem came when the spies returned back to give a report. We have two sets of spies here, first, those who only see negative things. Instead of bringing good news of the beauty of the land, they instilled fear in people by bringing the bad news of the strengths of these people. Second, were those with a positive mind who brought some produce of the land as testimony of the beauty and abundance of the land. Unfortunately all this good news was shattered by bad news and people were afraid to go. People decided to ignore the positive news in fear of the strength of those who were occupying the land. Brethren, the biggest obstacle in achieving our dream is fear. We want to stay in our comfort zone in order to accommodate our fear. The biggest achievers in life are those people who manage to overcome fear. What is your fear today that affects you from achieving your dreams in life? Is it fear of learning new things? Is it fear of creating new relationships? Is it fear of challenging the status quo? Is it fear of relocation to new territories? Is it fear of failure? Let us pray that the Lord may help us to overcome fear in our lives and pursue our God-given dream. Amen.

Prayer

You know that we live in a crazy and chaotic world. You also know my struggles in my daily life. When life gets to be too much, please help me come to you. Calm my thoughts and emotions and open my heart to your peace, comfort, and wisdom. Help me not to live in fear. Please reduce the feelings of fear and anxiety that plague me. Help me rest in You and trust You as I navigate through this broken world. In Your name I pray, Jesus. Amen. (Carrie Lowrance)