Numbers 13: 26 - 33 (NKJV)
"Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” 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 men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land 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 whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants[d] (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Numbers 14: 1 – 9 (NKJV)
"So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the 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.”
We see in these verses of scripture the follow on to when the Lord commanded Moses to send out men to spy out the land of Canaan, on behalf of the rest of the children of Israel.
12 men went out and 10 returned with a good report about the land but a bad report about the children going into this land God had promised them.
2 of this men, Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report about the land and about the children of Israel being able to go in and take it.
Why was this? Fear gripped the heart of the 10 and the heart of the other 2 was filled with faith. Faith in who, the God who had promised them and delivered them from Pharaoh and brought them out of Egypt.
The 10 were filled with a spirit of fear and the 2 – Joshua and Caleb were filled with a spirit of faith, The 10 spoke out their fears and infected a whole nation, causing them to doubt God, complain and rebel against God.
My dear sister, what is coming out of your mouth? Are you creating ungodly fear in the hearts of others – your spouse, children, family, other believers or are you igniting faith in God with your speech? Are you the kind of person who always sees the negative side of things and dwells on the worst case scenario?
In contrast, the 2 tried their best to ignite faith in God in the children of God. They understood that God was with them and if God was for them who can be against them. They understood that the promises of God are yes and Amen.
Negativity in speech, sarcasm, doubt, being overcautious, lack of trust of God or even people, lack of obedience to God’s command, unbelief - can all be symptoms of a heart filled with ungodly fear. It is important that we take these to God and ask Him through the searchlight of His Word and His Holy Spirit to search us and know if this is the case. Once we do that, we can then ask our loving heavenly to set us free through is great power.
God has good plans for us His daughters. We must be careful to not allow ungodly fear stop us and stop others as well from entering the Promised Land.