“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they spread a bad report about the land they had explored.” Numbers 13:30-32
ISRAEL’S CHOICE
These verses refer to a time when the nation of Israel was near the border of the land that God had promised to give them. They had already witnessed God’s miraculous power as they were delivered from bondage in the land of Egypt. But as they camped near the border of the “promised land” they found themselves at a fork in the road both geographically and spiritually. They were faced with a choice between two different pathways—the pathway of faith and the pathway of fear.
THE PATH OF FEAR
The pathway of faith led to a prosperous land filled with incredible blessings and favor that God had promised to give them in that land. The pathway of fear led them away from the inheritance that God had promised and caused them to aimlessly wander in the wilderness for an entire generation. The people of Israel were not the only ones faced with that choice. We all know what it’s like to be on the border of a new season of life facing the choice between the pathway of faith and the pathway of fear.
THE PATH OF FAITH
The pathway of faith is not always easy. When the following generation of Israel stepped out in faith to cross the border of the promised land, they faced many battles along the way. But God was faithful to his promise to bring them into their inheritance of divine favor. That generation’s decision to follow God on the pathway of faith led to an unprecedented era of victory in their lives. The earlier generation’s decision to follow the path of fear caused them to forfeit their divine inheritance and waste their lives wandering in the wilderness of sin.
YOUR CHOICE
We have crossed over the border into 2023. But we are all still faced with a choice of which path we will follow—fear or faith. Being afraid to follow God’s plan will lead us away from our divine destiny and into a cycle of aimless wandering in the wilderness of chaos and emptiness. But if we choose to walk in obedience to God on the pathway of faith; God will lead us into the “promised land” of his perfect will for our lives. There will be battles along the way, but we will be blessed to live in a place of God’s favor as we walk in God’s purpose for our lives. The best choice you can make is to consistently follow God’s plan on the pathway of faith.
