Have you ever been given a task that seemed impossible… but the person assigning it didn’t seem worried at all? That’s the scene in Numbers 13.
God tells Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites” (Numbers 13:1-2). Did you catch that? Their mission was to explore the land — not conquer it, not secure it, not figure out a battle plan. God’s job was to give them the land.
Their job was to go see what He was giving.
When the Mission Feels Bigger Than You
The instructions in verses 17-20 are pretty practical: check the land, note the people, see the towns, examine the soil, bring back fruit. It was like God said, “Take a preview tour of the blessing I’m about to give you.”
But when the twelve spies returned, they had two very different reports.
The difference wasn’t in what they saw — it was in what they believed.
Faith Changes the Lens
The ten saw obstacles. The two saw opportunities. The ten saw giants. The two saw God’s promise.
Faith doesn’t ignore reality — Caleb and Joshua knew the cities were fortified. They’d seen the same walls, the same warriors. But faith factors God into the equation. And when you do that, the odds change dramatically.
This is why Jesus says in Matthew 17:20 that even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. The power isn’t in the size of your faith — it’s in the size of the God your faith is in.
Why We Doubt God’s Promise
We’re not so different from the ten spies. We doubt when:
Living Like Caleb and Joshua
So how do we respond to God’s assignments — the ones that stretch us, scare us, or seem humanly impossible — with faith instead of fear?
1. Remember Who Your Faith Is In
Faith isn’t about psyching yourself up with positive thinking; it’s about placing confidence in God’s character. Ask yourself: Has He ever failed me? Has He ever broken a promise? The track record of God is perfect.
2. Pray Big, Specific Prayers
Praying specifically isn’t testing God — it’s trusting Him. When you bring Him a specific need, you’re saying, “Lord, I believe You can work in this exact situation.” The ten spies prayed small or not at all; Caleb and Joshua trusted big.
3. Take Faith-Driven Risks
You don’t have to have all the answers before you obey. In fact, you never will. Faith steps into the unknown because it knows God is already there.
The Cost of Fear vs. The Reward of Faith
Fear doesn’t just keep us from trying — it robs us of what God already intends to give us. For Israel, listening to the ten spies meant 40 years in the wilderness. The Promised Land was right there, but unbelief put it out of reach.
Faith, on the other hand, doesn’t guarantee an easy road — but it does guarantee you’ll see God’s power in ways you never would otherwise.
Right now, God may be asking you to “explore the land” in some area of your life — a new opportunity, a bold step in ministry, a conversation you’ve been avoiding, a sacrifice you’ve been resisting.
You may be tempted to focus on the giants. But remember — the land is His gift. Your job is obedience; His job is fulfillment. The ten spies looked at the land and saw, “We can’t.” Caleb and Joshua looked at the same land and said, “God can.”
When God gives you an assignment, He’s not asking you to figure it all out. He’s inviting you to trust Him to do what only He can do.
Reflection Questions:
God tells Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites” (Numbers 13:1-2). Did you catch that? Their mission was to explore the land — not conquer it, not secure it, not figure out a battle plan. God’s job was to give them the land.
Their job was to go see what He was giving.
When the Mission Feels Bigger Than You
The instructions in verses 17-20 are pretty practical: check the land, note the people, see the towns, examine the soil, bring back fruit. It was like God said, “Take a preview tour of the blessing I’m about to give you.”
But when the twelve spies returned, they had two very different reports.
- Ten spies: “The land is good… but the people are too strong. The cities are too big. We can’t do it.”
- Two spies (Caleb and Joshua): “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
The difference wasn’t in what they saw — it was in what they believed.
Faith Changes the Lens
The ten saw obstacles. The two saw opportunities. The ten saw giants. The two saw God’s promise.
Faith doesn’t ignore reality — Caleb and Joshua knew the cities were fortified. They’d seen the same walls, the same warriors. But faith factors God into the equation. And when you do that, the odds change dramatically.
This is why Jesus says in Matthew 17:20 that even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. The power isn’t in the size of your faith — it’s in the size of the God your faith is in.
Why We Doubt God’s Promise
We’re not so different from the ten spies. We doubt when:
- We forget Who gave the assignment – If God is the One sending you, then He’s already made a way for it to be done.
- We measure by our strength, not His – The ten spies were right in one sense: they couldn’t defeat those giants. But they were wrong in thinking God couldn’t.
- We focus on the “what ifs” instead of the “what is” – God had already promised them the land. That was the “what is.” Everything else was a “what if.”
Living Like Caleb and Joshua
So how do we respond to God’s assignments — the ones that stretch us, scare us, or seem humanly impossible — with faith instead of fear?
1. Remember Who Your Faith Is In
Faith isn’t about psyching yourself up with positive thinking; it’s about placing confidence in God’s character. Ask yourself: Has He ever failed me? Has He ever broken a promise? The track record of God is perfect.
2. Pray Big, Specific Prayers
Praying specifically isn’t testing God — it’s trusting Him. When you bring Him a specific need, you’re saying, “Lord, I believe You can work in this exact situation.” The ten spies prayed small or not at all; Caleb and Joshua trusted big.
3. Take Faith-Driven Risks
You don’t have to have all the answers before you obey. In fact, you never will. Faith steps into the unknown because it knows God is already there.
The Cost of Fear vs. The Reward of Faith
Fear doesn’t just keep us from trying — it robs us of what God already intends to give us. For Israel, listening to the ten spies meant 40 years in the wilderness. The Promised Land was right there, but unbelief put it out of reach.
Faith, on the other hand, doesn’t guarantee an easy road — but it does guarantee you’ll see God’s power in ways you never would otherwise.
Right now, God may be asking you to “explore the land” in some area of your life — a new opportunity, a bold step in ministry, a conversation you’ve been avoiding, a sacrifice you’ve been resisting.
You may be tempted to focus on the giants. But remember — the land is His gift. Your job is obedience; His job is fulfillment. The ten spies looked at the land and saw, “We can’t.” Caleb and Joshua looked at the same land and said, “God can.”
When God gives you an assignment, He’s not asking you to figure it all out. He’s inviting you to trust Him to do what only He can do.
Reflection Questions:
- Where do you feel like God is asking you to “explore the land” right now?
- Which “giants” are tempting you to say, “I can’t”?
- How would your response change if you truly believed God was already making a way?
Posted in Wilderness