Fear or Faith?

Today, in my devotions, I was reading in the book of Numbers about the twelve scouts from the tribes of Israel sent to explore the promised land. Of the twelve, only two gave a report filled with faith, while the others told tales that filled the people's hearts with fear.

Caleb and Joshua told Moses that that land was good and that the Israelites, with God's help could take it from it's inhabitants. The other 10 scouts, agreed that the land was good, but stated that the inhabitants of the land were too big, too strong and their cities were too fortified. The people were quick to believe the report of the 10 over the report of the two.

True to form, as soon as the people were up against an obstacle, they wanted to back down. They actually wanted to go back to Egypt. They would have rather returned to a life of slavery than to confront an obstacle.

Many of us are still like that. Rather than obtaining victory over the obstacles in our lives through Christ, we would rather stay right where we are, or worse, regress back into the old habits and thought-patterns that once held us captive. We choose to believe the reports that say, we are not good enough, not knowledgeable enough, not strong enough or not worthy enough to achieve victory. Guess what, we aren't! The Israelites were not all of those things. They would have had God on their side, fighting for them, if they only exercised their faith. We serve the same God and he fights for us and shows his strength in our weakness.

I've always imagined that seeing God part the Red Sea would have been a faith-building experience. Yet the Israelites still cowered every time the going got tough. How many Red Sea experiences have we had and yet we are still tempted to cower at the obstacles that lay before us? God did bring the Nation of Israel into the promised land - a generation later. Don't let a lack of faith cause you to miss out on what God has for you.

What is the primary factor that determines your decisions and belief? Is it fear or faith?

Doors

I must admit, I've gotten used to looking at doors, especially closed, locked and even barricaded ones. Looking, watching and waiting for it to open. There is merit in waiting for the right door to open; however, when we wait for a particular door to open, wanting to go through that specific door, all the while ignoring all other doors, we may miss God's leading.

I wonder if we watch a particular door, wanting it to open because it would be easy to take that step. Maybe the door that God opens may look anything but easy. I'm reading the book, "In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson. He writes about failing God, sins of ommission and ignored opportunities. Perhaps those opportunities are the opening doors that we are choosing to ignore because they don't fit the mold we've perceived and created for ourselves. Maybe, the opening door will make us stoop low to get through the doorway - acknowledging that it is only by God's power that we can succeed in the purposes behind that door. Maybe, behind the door is the lion that has been chasing us all of our lives. Do we dare miss the opportunity to slay it?

God, help me to walk where and when you lead, help me to face my fears and give you all the praise and glory for the victory over those fears!