I Want to Be Like Caleb

My favorite character in the bible (next to Jesus, of course) is Caleb. That might sound strang since we know almost nothing about him. He's mentioned in Joshua 13 and 14, Deuteronomy 1, Numbers 13, 14, 26, 32, and 34. We know he was the son of Jephunneh the Kenazite, he was one of the 12 spies Joshua sent to spy out the promised land, he was 40 when he did that, he was from the tribe of Judah, and he had three sons. The one thing he's best known for is his trust in God. When God told the Israelites to spy out the promised land He was giving to them, they sent out 12 spies. Two were Joshua and Caleb, and there were 10 others. Ten came back reporting the fears and problems, claiming to have seen giants in the land, and they described the hardships to taking over. Maybe they expected to just walk right in because they thought the land was an easy gift, one without anything required from themselves. Only Joshua and Caleb returned and reported that it was flowing with milk and honey, it was going to be good land, and once God gave them victory over the people there, it wood be wonderful. Ten saw the giants and were afraid. They let fear stop them from seeing all God had in store for them. Two trusted God, believed it was already handed over to them, and were willing to go to war to take it from those people that were already in it. Caleb (and Joshua) understood they would have to go to war for it, there had to be a struggle, a fight, to take what was given to them by God. Their response? "Let's go take it at once!" The bible goes on to say that because of the fear of the people, no one would be able to enter the promised land except for Joshua and Caleb. For 40 years, the Israelites were not allowed to enter it. Only at the age of 80 was Caleb allowed to enter the land promised so long ago. The generation of doubters who feared instead of trusted had to die off. Only their offspring would be entering the new land. Back to today...we all have certain fears or things we have to face. In our modern society, it may be entering or committing to a relationship, entering a new job, going back to school, managing risks to venture out and start a company, invest in something you hope will be there in your later years, let go of your now grown child as they venture out on their own, cut off ties that are toxic to your mental health, bravely walk away from bad habits or addictions, the list is endless. What we do with that fear determines if we're more like Caleb, or more like the other ten spies. Which one are you? Which one am I? To be more like Caleb, there's a few things that must take place. The first is obedience to God. You have to trust Him and believe that He has given you the victory when you're doing everything you can to live for Him. God is very good at letting us know when we're on the right or wrong path - it's up to us to listen to Him, to be alert for signs God gives us, and to pray for His discernment. Once we know we're on the right path, and we know that God will bless what we're trying to do, then it's time to be like Caleb and trust Him for the victory. It's about acting, doing something, whether it's without fear or in spite of it, but you must use action to overcome this fear. I have found over the years the faster we jump in with both feet, the easier it is to get through the battle. Don't give yourself time to mull over the obstacles, to worry about what might happen. Act before you have time to think about it. When God's already given you direction, MOVE on it. The next thing that we can do to be like Caleb is to be honest about the problems. We know we'll face obstacles. We know it won't be easy. Knowing what the problems will be, and planning a strategy to overcome them is not the same as not trusting God. It's simply being prepared for what you will be facing. Know what to expect, create a plan of attack, then move on it...quickly. The last thing we can do is to remind our self and focus on what we know to be true. Know that God has a plan to prosper and not harm us. Know that He's always on our side. Know that the victory is ours if we're living out what He's revealed we should do in our life. Don't let the giants get in the way. Don't give in to fear. Don't be surprised that you have to fight the battles to win the prize - they aren't just handed to you. I want to live a more meaningful life, a life more abundant, a life of overcoming fears, not being stopped by them and settling for mediocre. I want all God wants to give me if I'm willing to do the work required to earn it. I want to be like Caleb.