Men And Women Of A Different Spirit: A Seven Day Devotional To Greater FaithSample

How fully we obey God reveals how much we trust Him.   

Joshua and Caleb knew the cost of following God’s commandments, and they had decided to go all in. Interestingly enough, one of the ways that God knew their commitment to Him was authentic was how the regarded the Sabbath. (Ouch—heart check anyone?) Whether or not the Israelites followed the Sabbath rule was one of the most telling signs if they would stay true to Him in every other area of life. The same is true for us. Over and over again we see God encouraging His people to a life of obedience by reminding them of how it would benefit them (because He knew what was best for them).
 

Remember the passage from our first week? Pay close attention to the warning in Caleb’s words:

 “If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:8-9)
 

Did you catch the warning? We don’t have to be afraid because of our commitment to the Lord. We know that God takes care of those that love Him. But what about those who choose to disregard His wisdom, His will, and His goodness for their lives? Those that want to go their own way, because they believe they can do it better?

Our God is One who is only in pursuit of authentic love, He never once has forced someone to obey out of fear—only love. Because of this, if we choose to disobey God’s guidelines for our lives, He gives us freedom to do what we want. And we are allowed the control we desire and in our finite wisdom and short-sighted vision, we often find ourselves in places of giants without the Lord’s protection, because we’ve told Him with our choices that we don’t want it. And that, friends, is where a spirit of fear takes over where faith should be reigning. When we rebel, we communicate to God that we don’t trust Him. Our faith has been replaced by pride and we are left vulnerable because we’ve given up our shield (Ephesians 6:16).
 

Are you feeling anxious about something? Have you been holding back, when you know God has been asking you to just let go and be all in? Is there any area in your life that you haven't been 100% obedient with? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, take a second and ask yourself if you’ve dropped your shield. What have you been putting your faith in? Is it the things you can control? Someone else? (Take a few minutes and think about those areas that cause you to hold your breath unknowingly—where is the tension in your life right now? Tell God you trust Him with it. And then show your renewed commitment with whole-hearted obedience to do it His way.)