"Joy Stealers"

"And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Numbers 13:32,33

When the Lord delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, He intended to bring them into their own land-- a land of freedom that flowed with milk and honey. There was great joy among them because after all that time in bondage it was finally going to happen- they were finally going into the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. On the verge of entering, Moses sent spies to check out the land. The spies told them that the land was indeed a good land-- flowing with milk and honey, grapes, houses, vineyards, etc. But they told them one other thing as well-- there are giants in the land. Even though they saw the good things that God had promised, even though they knew God could take care of the giants just as He had Pharaoh, the giants "stole" their joy. The fear of them outweighed the joy.

The Lord has given you a vision, a promise, a calling, a destination. You know it's from Him, you know this is where He is leading you, and it looks as though the door is finally opening and you are excited with great joy at the idea of "inheriting" and "fulfilling" the promise. You are ready to go in, you can see the potential, you can "see" the "milk, honey and clusters of grapes", but then you all of a sudden you see the "giants" and your heart begins to sink.

You know God has called you to start a business and it looks like the door is opening, but then you "see" the giants- the monthly expenses of rent, utilities, insurance, supplies, employee wages, etc. How will you pay them? You know God has called you to get an education in a certain field. The door opens to go to college, but then you "see" the giants-- the studying, the tests, Algebra. Am I smart enough? Am I too old to learn it? You know the Lord has promised to restore your marriage or to save your children, but then the giants appear-- you discover he/she is seeing someone else; your child gets arrested. In every promise that awaits there is a giant there too.

When they went into the land to spy it out, they saw both-- the good things and the giants. Perhaps that is where you are, you can see the good things God has promised, but you also along with them see the giants. The spies focused more on the giants and therefore told the people "we can't do it". They let the giants steal their joy and promise. Don't let the giants steal your joy. Don't focus on them. As a matter of fact, don't even focus on the "milk and honey"- the promise. Focus and stay focused on God. When you do, the giants can't steal your joy, they can't stop you, they pose no threat to you, they are already taken care of and defeated by God.

Have a great day. Don't let the giants that you see steal your joy.

For further reading:

Numbers 13

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

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