Another Spirit

But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went; and his seed shall possess it. – Numbers 14:24

There’s a spirit within people which could properly be called the status quo spirit. That’s the frame of mind which settles, stays with what’s comfortably familiar, and never considers conquering new territory. It doesn’t dream; it doesn’t dare, and it craves the comfort of the predictable, so there it sits, safe and calm.

Then there’s another spirit, which says There’s Got to be More! Daring to believe the nature and promises of God, that spirit enters the arena while others recline on their sofas.

Caleb, God love him, had another spirit, making him a hero in this story and a beneficiary of what the others threw away. When Israel was brought to Canaan’s borders God directed Moses to send out twelve spies, one representing each tribe, to assess the land and its people. Note the wording here:

Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.  (Number 13:2)

Notice the phrase “ — the land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel.” That wording’s not an accident. God didn’t say “Scope out the land, see how dangerous it is, and based on that I’ll decide whether or not you should take it.” Rather, He said “I’ve already given it to you. Your job is to assess it, then strategize how to take what I’ve already promised you.” As usual, God was allowing His people to participate in His work, with guaranteed results.

Only they forgot the guarantee, and, by extension, the very nature of the One who’d brought them so far. The chosen twelve entered the land and all saw the same picture:  it was fertile, produced incredible fruit, and was inhabited by formidable, even gigantic citizens who clearly wouldn’t surrender their territory without a fight. (Number 13: 21-25) But seeing the same picture and emphasizing the same details are two very different things.

So ten of the spies saw the glass half empty; Joshua and Caleb saw it brimming with potential. The ten emphasized the adversity – fearsome inhabitants; hard battles to fight – while the faithful two emphasized the potential, describing the beauty of what was theirs to possess, and recalling the past faithfulness of their God who’d called them to forge ahead. (Number 13: 28-33; and 14: 7-9)

And the people freaked. In fact, amazingly, they clamored for a new leader to take them back to Egypt, in lieu of following their God appointed leader who wanted to take them forward. (Number 14: 1-4)

How much has changed; how little has changed.

For all our technological progress we’re still bound by the tendency to cling to the familiar and cower before the new and good, obsessing over  giants while ignoring potential, and insulting the Father who’s history with us is nothing if not chock full of faithfulness.

So today untold numbers of believers sit on the sidelines of the abundance God has for them, if only they’ll take their eyes off the giants and refocus on the promises. So many innovative ministries could be established, so many relationships might be healed, so many great things accomplished, if only we considered the passions and potential He’s placed within us, both of which are so often discarded or dismissed as old and unfeasible dreams we’ve dropped because too many obstacles discouraged us.

So when reading about another spirit, I ask myself four questions today:

1. What’s still on my heart to try, and to achieve?
2. What sort potential has been placed in me to achieve it?
3. What are the obstacles, and why have I let them keep me from moving ahead?
4. Is God the God of my future, or only the God of my past?

I’m as stressed out and discouraged about the state of things as anyone I know, and blast it all, I want another spirit. I’m tired of being tired, turning into a lame old guy mourning what’s wrong, worrying about what’s coming, and neglecting what’s there to conquer. So I’m going to ask myself those 4 questions above. I hope you join me. Who knows what new spirit could develop in all of us if we did?