“But” … Is a Word Used by Spiritual Wimps!

Numbers 12; Numbers 13; Psalm 90; Mark 2
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Scripture

Numbers 13

25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”
31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

Observation

In today’s Bible reading there was great stuff to write about in every chapter; it was all so very good. I am amazed as I read this story, but I shouldn’t be because the giants in my life seem just as big and just as real as what those twelve scouts faced! We have giants to face in our lives just like the children of Israel had. It is no different today than it was back then. Your giant may be an addiction, it may be a messed up relationship with your spouse, it may be a rebellious or prodigal son or daughter, it may be the loss of a job, it may be a broken relationship with someone at church or at work, none of have a life void of these kinds of giants.

The God that had walked them through the Red sea on dry ground and had destroyed all of their enemies was the same God that would walk with them into the Promised Land, but… The scouts were ok until verse 28, until they used the “B” word then it was all down hill from there. Once they took their eyes off of their God and put their focus on the giants and would you notice that the shift came with the use of one little word, “But”. We do the same thing every day. We read God’s word and all of His promises and we know that our God can take care of us, but our circumstances, our giants become bigger than our God and we begin making excuses and letting the “B” word fly…

Can I say this without you getting offended, “Why don’t you ask God to kick your “Butt” if He catches you using the “B” word. In God everything is “Yes” - there are no “buts”.

In Christ everything is “I can” - there is no giant too big for our God.

“For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.” Philip. 4:13

Application

I will remember this passage as I face today’s Giants!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me be a man of faith. It is my desire to be a man like Joshua and a man like Caleb. I don’t want to be a spiritual wimp. Help me be a man of Faith. Give me the wisdom that I need for this day. God I pray that you help me to see You at work in everything I do today. You are an awesome God. You are worthy to be praised. Thank you for the men of our church. Help them to be Joshua’s and Caleb’s! Help them to be men of Faith!

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