Twelve spies left the wilderness to go inspect the promised land God was giving them.
Ten came back focused on the giants.
Two came back focused on the promise.
Ten died in the wilderness and they only saw the promised land from a spy’s point of view.
Two not only entered it, but helped lead the nation into it.
We are all spies.
We are all looking at a land God is giving us.
We all would love to enter it and live there.
What we focus on will determine what happens.
So…what are you focused on?
What type of spy are you?
Perspective
Madeleine L’Engle
We would like God’s ways to be like our ways, his judgments to be like our judgments. It is hard for us to understand that he lavishly gives enormous talents to people we would consider unworthy, that he chooses his artists with as calm a disregard of surface moral qualifications as he chooses his saints. Often we forget that he has a special gift for each one of us, because we tend to weigh and measure such gifts with the coin of the world’s marketplace. The widow’s mite was worth more than all the rich men’s gold because it represented the focus of her life. Her poverty was rich because all she had belonged to the living Lord.
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Vance Havner
When you make alliance with the Almighty, giants look like grasshoppers.
Vance K Jackson
Storms did not bother Christ. In fact, Christ had dominion and authority over the wind and waves. The wind and waves were no competition for Christ. As they vehemently crashed upon the disciples’ boat — Jesus was walking on water. Notice that in the same environment that the disciples were struggling in — Jesus was thriving. Christ wants you to thrive in the midst of the storm. Don’t let the wind and waves of the world serve as distraction.
Matt Stinton
There is a constant battle in our alliance between fear and faith. Our decision is always to either interpret our circumstances through the character of God or to interpret the character of God through our circumstances. One leads to life, one does not.
C.S. Lewis
We must learn to live on the heavenly side and look at things from above. To contemplate all things as God sees them, as Christ beholds them, overcomes sin, defies Satan, dissolves perplexities, lifts us above trials, separates us from the world and conquers fear of death.
Sally McClung
Some years ago my husband bought me a telescope for our living room so that I can look out and enjoy the ocean. When I look through the lens, I can see the ocean……but I have to adjust it and focus in on things to really enjoy the beauty of what I’m seeing. I think this is what is happening as I look for God in difficult moments. It has given me a new “guideline” of what to do in my times of need. I look to Him I focus on Him. lifting up my need to Him. I choose to direct my attention to His goodness and mercy instead of concentrating on what I need. The change of focus is powerful.
Katherine Walden
Hope lives under the cloud of impending good
It’s up to you to choose your perspective.
How you look at tomorrow directly impacts the way you live today.
Bill Johnson
The greatest shift of seasons in the history of planet Earth came with an announcement given by angels—Peace and goodwill toward men! (See Luke 2:14.) This plan had been in waiting since before the worlds were made, but it needed to be withheld until the right moment. Sin filled the earth, people were out of touch with God’s perspective for their lives, and there was little passion to know the one true God throughout the world—the timing was perfect. Most of us celebrate this message at Christmastime every year. This decree revealed God’s heart more clearly than ever before. It redefined God’s intent for humanity, which so far has lasted two thousand years. But after all these years, many of us have not shifted our thinking to be consistent with His announced plan—one of peace and goodwill.
Richard Sibbes
Measure not God’s love and favour by your own feeling. The sun shines as clearly in the darkest day as it does in the brightest. The difference is not in the sun, but in some clouds which hinder the manifestation of the light thereof.