What fears hinder us from trusting God as seen in Numbers 13:28? Key Verse “Nevertheless, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.” — Numbers 13:28 Fears Exposed in the Spy Report • Fear of overwhelming strength: “the people … are strong” • Fear of impregnable defenses: “the cities are large and fortified” • Fear of the unknown and legendary: “we even saw the descendants of Anak” (giants) • Fear of comparison: measuring their own smallness against visible greatness • Fear of loss: imagining defeat, slavery, or death if they obey God’s command to enter Canaan Why These Same Fears Still Surface Today • Visible obstacles feel more concrete than God’s invisible promises • Human evaluation outweighs divine assurance when we walk by sight, not by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) • Past failures replay in the mind, amplifying doubt (Numbers 14:3-4 shows Israel’s panic) • Culture idolizes safety and success, feeding anxiety about risk and reputation Lessons from Other Scriptures • Giants fall when God fights: David faced Goliath “in the name of the LORD of Hosts” (1 Samuel 17:45-47) • Fortified walls collapse at His word: Jericho fell when Israel trusted and marched (Joshua 6:20) • God cancels comparison: “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15) • He equips the inadequate: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6) What Trusting God Looks Like Instead • Listening to divine promises above human reports (Numbers 13:2; Hebrews 3:12-14) • Remembering past deliverances—Red Sea, manna, water from rock (Psalm 78:11-16) • Acting in obedience before feelings of confidence arrive (John 14:21) • Speaking truth to fear: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7) Practical Steps to Silence the “Nevertheless” 1. Name the specific giant—strength, walls, reputation, failure. 2. Match it with a specific promise of God (Isaiah 41:10; Romans 8:31). 3. Recall a personal or biblical testimony of God’s past victory. 4. Thank God aloud for what He has already declared, shifting focus from obstacle to Omnipotent. 5. Move forward in the small next act of obedience, trusting Him with results. Closing Encouragement Numbers 13:28 shows that fear fixates on giants; faith focuses on God. When we choose to see the Lord’s power rather than the land’s problems, trust overrides terror, and promised territory becomes present testimony. |
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