Standing

Being outnumbered is not a good feeling. I know that being in the minority can be intimidating.

The best way to not fall prey to intimidation (which sometimes can include bullying) and manipulation is to be a God pleaser and not a man pleaser.

Studying God’s Word can give you the encouragement needed to have faith and to obey God which sometimes can make you feel as if you are in the minority or alone. Two out of twelve is a rather lonely number. Wouldn’t you agree?

Joshua and Caleb, 2 of the 12 spies sent into the “Promised Land” to explore and report back to Moses and Aaron, are great examples of not bowing to intimidation. God had already promised the Israelites the land yet Joshua and Caleb found themselves in the minority upon their return from spending 40 days spying on the inhabitants.

All twelve agreed it was a land flowing with “milk and honey” but Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who said, “We can defeat the giants that lived there.” The other 10 strongly disagreed and were afraid. The Israelites believed the majority (the 10) to the point that they wept, tore their clothes and grumbled to Moses and Aaron.

The 10 spies lack of faith spread like an infection throughout the entire congregation of Israelites. If you read on in the story you find that Joshua and Caleb and their descendants were the only ones who actually got to enter the Promised Land. Why?

Well…this is what the Lord said in Numbers 14:24, “But because my servant Caleb has a DIFFERENT spirit and FOLLOWS ME WHOLEHEARTEDLY. I will bring him into the land he went to and his descendants will inherit it” [emphasis mine].

Obeying God can often put you in the minority. A close, intimate relationship with Jesus provides the courage and the “recognizable” voice that will drown out all others…especially the majority. To lead a life of significance in God’s eyes doesn’t necessarily mean you will be famous or known by many people, but it does require courage and faith to obey, no matter the “odds.” Often in Scripture we see that rewards follow obedience!

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