When One Is a Majority

“Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”—Numbers 14:9

Sometimes when believers experience a little discomfort or some hardship, the first thing they want to do is abandon their faith. But the Christian life isn’t a playground; it’s a battleground.

God doesn’t want us to run from our giants. Rather, He wants us to attack them. When the twelve Israelite spies returned from Canaan, ten reported that “giants” were living there (see Numbers 13:33). But these so-called giants were not your fairy-tale variety; they were just big people.

So Joshua and Caleb told the Israelites, “Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Numbers 14:9). In other words, “Yes, these guys are big. But guess what? God is even bigger.”

  We all have giants that we face in life, whether it’s an obstacle, a person, or opposition. Whatever our giants may be, they loom large in our minds every day, seeking to control our lives, hurt us, torment us, and destroy us.

  Maybe you wake up in the morning only to find yourself face-to-face with a giant that says, “I will make your life miserable today.” You feel defeated and paralyzed by fear. What should you do? Force that giant into the light of day.

  Remember the story of David and Goliath? David was just a shepherd boy, while Goliath had been a warrior from his youth. Yet David sized up his giant and ran toward him. He didn’t retreat; he attacked his giant and defeated him. And that is the way to face your giants.
Romans 8:31 reminds us, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Remember that with God, one is a majority.

Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Greg is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA and is the host of the daily radio program, “A New Beginning”. Daily devotionals can be received via e-mail by subscribing at www.harvest.org.