Belief That Changes Reality
In Numbers 13, we find the Lord telling Moses to gather men to scout out the land that He was giving them to see what it was like. Notice the Lord Himself had already said, “the land I’m giving to the Israelites” (Numbers 13:1). Not the land He was thinking about giving to them—but the land their all-powerful God had already decided was theirs. Despite knowing this, ten of the twelve men came back with a posture of fear and doubt.
“…’We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!’ 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. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”” Numbers 13:31b-33 NLT
What about the other two men who traveled with the group? They saw the exact same things the others saw, but had a completely different perspective:
“Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”” Numbers 14:6-9 NLT
The perspective we choose to view our circumstances through is so important. Did Joshua and Caleb notice how big the giants were? Of course. But they kept their minds fixed on their bigger God and had grateful hearts—hopeful and eager to see Him carry out His promise to bring them into this land “flowing with milk and honey.”
Why does that matter? Same circumstances, different perspective, same outcome… right? Wrong.
Because the other ten men responded with such fear and disbelief about what God was going to give them, they ultimately missed the opportunity to enter the land. But because Joshua and Caleb chose to trust God, He made an exception for them (Numbers 14:20–24). The others lost out on a miraculous opportunity because of their doubt.
Even if God had not removed His hand of blessing from their lives, simply embracing fear and doubt alone would have been enough to prevent them from ever possessing this beautiful gift. I don’t know about you, but when I’m afraid of something, I avoid it at all costs. Their fear had them avoiding the greatest miracle and breakthrough of their lifetime. And the same principle can be true for us today.
After God declared that no one would enter the land except Joshua and Caleb, the Israelites regretted their decision and tried to force their way in. But it didn’t work, because the Lord was no longer with them (Numbers 14:41–45).
It’s so important that we keep a positive outlook in our circumstances and trust that God is working all things for our good. What we believe determines our reality. Twelve men, all given the same opportunity. Ten believed they couldn’t do it, and they didn’t. Two believed they could, and they did.
What opportunities has God placed before you? Where do you sense Him leading you? Does it seem too good to be true? Are there “giants” that need conquering along the way? If God is in it, nothing can stand against His plan—except our own disbelief.
May we, as followers of Jesus, always have faith like Joshua and Caleb—who noticed every good thing in what God was giving them and stepped forward unafraid, with great faith and confidence, assured that if God is in it, it’s already done.
