Faith to Move Forward - Numbers 13 & 14

How can we have the faith to move onward from here?

Story of riding a bull at summer camp

The only way that I was able to get on that bull is faith. Faith is what moved me forward.

In Numbers, we are about to read the account of the Israelites, God’s people, and scouts they sent out to lay eyes on the magnificent, fruitful, Promised Land

Yet there is something in the way of the Israelites and that Promised Land that God wants to lead them into… that is fear.

Discuss narrative

Read Numbers 13-14

Discuss narrative

Who experiences fear in their life? Who is experiencing fear right now?

Talk about about army and how they’ll “destroy the Israelites”

Who knows what fear actually is?

Fear is a lack of faith in God

Fear is not trusting God

We are to fear God and trust Him and His Word… We aren’t to fear man or anything else.

So, some fear is good. Fear of falling off a cliff is good fear.

Wouldn’t y’all agree?

But good, Godly fears can be hijacked and distorted

The fear we often experience keeps up from trusting God’s lead. It can be paralyzing.

Contrast the people we often are, standing on the shallow end with floaties on because of fear, to Stephen boldly declaring the coming of God’s Kingdom through Christ in the face of death

There’s a gap in between the people we are (often ruled by fear) and the people God is calling us to be

The Israelite men went out to scout.. and believed they couldn’t conquer the land because of the people already living there

“They make us look like grasshoppers”

Really? Exaggeration much??

Something powerful and evil that fear can do is distort our perception of what is real. It leads us to believe lies.

Israelite scouts said, “Land is flowing with milk and honey. It is a great land. It is indeed the land promised to us by God, and He said he will be with us all the way.”

Yet, they let their fear rule them.

Are you allowing fear to rule you?

Didn’t you hear God?? Romans 8:28

In our lives, we often cry out and say, “I can’t! It is impossible..”

Matthew 19:26

Who has a goal, dream, or path that God has set before you? … Does it seem impossbile because of obstacles in the way or fear that grips your heart?

John 16:33

There will be difficulty, rest assured.

Yet when God calls you according to His Will, He provides.

Lets be clear, this isn’t a ra-ra message to encourage you that God will give you everything that your heart desires

Jeremiah 17:9

No- where GOD leads, God provides

So we see this- God asks us to take one step at a time by faith in Him

This is how He operates

Ben Stuart, “If you always do what you always have done, you’ll always be where you always have been”

What does that even mean?

Definition of insanity?

While learning to swim… naturally, we flop and flounder

Yet there’s this image of a good father who is asking the child to spread their arms and tread water… you may feel my lands let go, but I am not leaving or forsaking you. I am right here.

No failure is ever final with the Father

Story of college… Engineering… now here I am with you all. Y’all are OK, I guess…

What do you need to do today to walk in obedience to God? To walk by faith?

Many of us in here are at a new beginning. I’d argue all of us.

Applications

Discern God’s will

Romans 12:1-2

Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act

Leave comfort and fantasyland behind

Leave the desire to have control behind

Stop saying know and say yes to things that you know you can glorify God through

Pray