A strong breakthrough spirit was on Caleb and Joshua-Number 13 and 14. Moses had sent 12 spies, including Caleb and Joshua, into the promised land. Ten of them returned with bad reports; they let their mind and emotions heighten fear among the people. In Numbers 13:27 – 29, they highlighted every difficulty the Israelites would face in conquering the land:
We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people on the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites long land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the mountains; in the Canaanites to by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.
Caleb tried his best to decrease the tide of terror that was building in the camp, but to no avail, as we read in verses 30 – 33:
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. But the man who had gone up with him said, we are not able to up against people, for they are stronger than we. And they gave the children of Israel a bad reportedly in which they had spied out, saying, the land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the Giants(the descendents of a neck came from the Giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their site.
The next day, Joshua added his voice to Caleb’s in one last attempt to convince his countrymen to step into the breakthrough that God had promised them – Numbers 14:6 – 9:
But Joshua the son of nun and Caleb the son of jephunneh, who are among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the gender of Israel, saying: gladly pass through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then he’ll bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.
Nothing the enemy did had turned those spies into grasshoppers – instead, they had carried that mindset with them into the promised land. Ten men managed to derail the plan of God, turning their friends and neighbors into grumbling, rebellious unbelievers. In their fear, they even contemplated returning to Egypt; after all, it was better in their minds to live in bondage than to die in battle.
Likewise, soulish Christians believe that is simply costs too much to get free from the things that bind them. Better to stay as I am, they think to themselves. They settle for mediocrity in their relationship with God, their friendships, their marriages, and their churches. They would rather sit in bondage than pay the price to get free. They fail to realize that Jesus himself has already paid for that freedom on their behalf; they simply have to walk with him through the journey into that promised land.
Joshua and Caleb manifested what God had put in them: courage and faith. They knew everything came down to one simple issue – if the Lord delights in us… That was the question they wrestled with. Is God please with us or not? If he is, nothing can stop us.
I can answer that question for every believer. He is. God is very pleased with each and every one of us. Why? Because he only sees us in Jesus. He cannot see us separated from his son. Why wouldn’t he be pleased with you?
Joshua knew this instinctively. He beseeched the other Israelites to stay the course. Instead, they rebelled against God and the leadership he put in place. The Lord had no choice but to remove his hand of protection from them, leaving that rebellious generation to wander the desert for decades until every one of them had died – except for the faithful Joshua and Caleb.
Fear leads to rebellion. Faith, however, leads to occupation of the promises God has given us. Ten spies denied an entire nation access to the fulfillment of prophecy. Only two men from an entire generation inherited. Those terrified, soulish spies prevented people from realizing their destiny. They stole the dreams of those people because they lived in their souls, not in their spirits.
Joshua and Caleb had one thing in common. They both practiced a level of intimacy with God. Caleb was a man of a different spirit because he loved the presence of God. Likewise, Joshua would remain in the tabernacle after Moses had left. Intimacy intimidates the enemy. Intimacy is the key to successful warfare. Both men cherish their relationship with God. They knew how to live in the place of delight and affirmation.
God loves to confirm his nature to us. Our intimacy with him is built upon his intimacy with us. He loves to be close. He loves to declare who he is for us. His intention is always about a deeper relationship. He is totally committed to upgrading our experience of him and of bringing us into a deeper place of rest, joy, and assurance in him. He adores confident people and seeks to develop the capacity in us for trust and faith at a high level.
Intimacy is the key to warfare. It puts us into a place of faith before God as we lean into his Majesty. All of heaven is confident and full of rejoicing about the sovereignty of Almighty God. On earth as it is in heaven – Matthew 6:10 – was the example of real praying that Jesus used to mentor his disciples.
Intimacy engages with God where he rules in heaven. It is the joyful discipline of a resurrected lifestyle. We are focused on the life above, not the one beneath – Colossians 3:1 – 2. Worship is focused, worship is focus- powerful focus. There is a discipline to worship, a retaining of our spirituality to empower us for a life of renewed focus. We are in the business of reinventing the way we live our lives before God. We are being renewed in the spirit of our mind.
All discipline has the potential to be enjoyed as we learn to focus on what we are gaining, not on what we are losing. Joshua and Caleb were looking forward to a fight that they knew they could not lose. They had such confidence in the personality of God! Intimacy breeds trust and confidence. This intimidates the enemy who hates worship, because when people fully engage in rejoicing, they become vulnerable to the Lord and immovable to the schemes of the enemy.
Worship fixes our heart. Intimacy inspires a steadfast spirit – psalm 7:7. We cannot lose when our focus is God. Rejoicing and giving of thanks inspires us to stand in the shadow of the Almighty.
Assignment – what upgrade have you received in your relationship with the Lord? What upgrade is he planning for you? What are you facing in your current circumstances that would try to prevent you from inheriting from the Lord?
Commission – it is vital to retain yourself in rejoicing and giving of thanks. Where will you start? Pick a situation in your life. Lay it down before the Lord. Step away from it and turn your back on it. Begin to worship God for who he is. Resist the urge to draw him into your circumstances. Instead let him draw you into a place of majesty. Record what changes this makes in your spirit.