Imagine having to go through challenges or remaining in the same season for a very long time because of the mistake of others. Imagine having to remain in that failing business just because your partner will not step out in faith and follow what God is telling you.
How would you feel if you had to go through a lot of suffering just because a family member will not step out in faith and trust the journey that God has prepared for you as a family?
Caleb believed God and knew that he was able to do what he had promised them. But he had to continue being in the wilderness with the rest of the Israelites because they believed the report of the 10 spies instead of Caleb and Joshua’s report. God wanted them to go and possess the land immediately, but because they believed what the 10 spies had told them, Joshua and Caleb had to wait for many years to possess the promised land. (Numbers 13)
Disappointing right?
But much as it was disappointing for these two spies, it did not deter them from continuing to believe in God. Are you about to give up just because you have to go through a certain season because of someone else? Do not give up. Keep on holding onto the promise like Caleb.
Here are three lessons you can learn from the life of Caleb :
Follow the Lord wholeheartedly
Life has its own share of ups and downs. Sometimes you’re going to experience a delay because of your own mistakes or other people’s mistakes. We need to be ready for anything.
Remember this despite what life throws at you always follow God wholeheartedly just like Caleb did. Believe in his promises and do not let what others do or say cause you to fall back on your faith. When you do this God will reward you abundantly just like he did Caleb in Joshua 14:14
Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed Yahweh, the God of Israel wholeheartedly. Joshua 14:14
Start Strong
Always start strong in everything that God is telling you to do. Doing this will enable you to finish strong. See, how you start something determines how you finish it, at least most of the time. The 10 spies started with fear, and they ended up dead before they could possess the promised land.
Caleb, on the other hand, started strong, and we see that even though he was 85 years old when they finally enter the promised land, he was still strong.
“Now, behold, Yahweh has kept me alive, as he spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that Yahweh spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, behold, I am eighty-five years old, today. Joshua 14:10
In fact, Caleb was not ready to settle for less. He wanted to possess that which God had promised him, and he was not going to let anything deter him from enjoying the promise of God.
It doesn’t matter how big that project looks, what matters is how big God is. Start that project strong, knowing that God is with you, and he will cause you to prosper in all that you do no matter what obstacles are on your way.
Dwell on the Promise, not on the Giants
The truth is it is hard to focus on the promise when all you see are giants around you. The enemy will try as much as he can to discourage you from possessing that which God has promised you. He will keep on bombarding your mind with thoughts of how big and fierce your giants are instead of how God is big and faithful.
But no matter how much the enemy attacks your mind, you need to remain focused just like Caleb. Always remind yourself that God is bigger than the giants in your life. Do not be afraid of them for he who is in you is greater than those that are against you.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
In conclusion
Just because God has promised you something does not mean that it will be easy for you to access it. You might have to undergo some challenges and battles before you can get the promises of God in your life.
Caleb is a good biblical example of someone who held on to the promise of God despite all the setbacks he faced. Like him, let us hold on to the faith that we profess, knowing that God is faithful. He will never disappoint us.
Always start strong, trust in God wholeheartedly, and focus on the promise, not the giants. When you do that God will reward you abundantly for your faithfulness just like he did Caleb.
