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.” Numbers 13:30 (NKJV)
To win in life, you have to believe you already are who God says you are.
Over the past few days, we’ve been talking about the new identity you received the moment you gave your life to Christ. This identity is yours, but you have to believe it to begin to live it.
This topic reminds me of the story in Numbers 13. The Israelites had just been delivered from slavery in Egypt. Roughly ten to fifteen generations grew up with this slave identity before they reached the edge of the land God had promised to them.
To claim this land, the Israelites had to fight the current inhabitants, so Moses sent twelve spies to scout it out. Caleb and Joshua were among them. When they returned, they were ready to fight for their Promised Land. They knew who they were and were confident that God was with them.
The other ten spies spread fear among the Israelites. They said, “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” (Numbers 13:31), and “Next to them we felt like grasshoppers and that’s what they thought, too!” (v. 33, NLT). They had an identity crisis. They still saw themselves as slaves instead of the land owners God said they were. Although they had been delivered from slavery, they weren’t really free. Real freedom comes when you realize your true identity.
Are you facing a battle? You need to know, as Joshua and Caleb did, that God is for you. Actually, you have an even greater advantage. He’s in you because of Jesus! You can overcome!