But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Numbers 14: 24

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Exodus 14:13-14

Lately, I’ve come face-to-face with the stealer of joy: comparison. I’ve been learning the slow teaching of comparison leading to doubt and unbelief. Thankfully, we serve a God who is patient, quick to listen, and merciful. I have often found myself being that wayward sheep, caught in its own little world, going after the wildflowers and ignoring the Voice of the Shepherd. Praise Jesus that He leaves the others and cares enough for that single lamb. One such lamb was Caleb. In Numbers 14:24, it is recorded that Caleb would see the Promised Land because he had followed the Lord (fully) and had another spirit. Now what does that mean, “another spirit”? Before I go there, here are a few verses that I have found helpful when following the Lord fully.

• Psalm 37:4-5,7
  • Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. …. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
• Isaiah 30:21
  • And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
• Luke 9:23
  • And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Another Spirit

In the Old Testament, it mentions the Lord putting His spirit in the hearts of men – not the Holy Spirit, for He did not come (how I currently understand it) until Pentecost. However, God did put a spirit that was godly and obedient in the hearts of those particular men. Some helped build the Tabernacle; others were Moses, King Saul (in the beginning), David, etc. The meaning of the word spirit in Hebrew is completely separate from the Greek word for Holy Spirit in the New Testament. One is a spirit that is placed, while the other is breathed into the heart of man.

Caleb had another spirit. He was among eleven other men. One other, Joshua, stood by him. It was two against ten. Two faithful testimonies against ten fearful doubters. Doubt kills faith. Doubt precedes unbelief. That is why we are called to protect our minds with the promises of our faith: the helmet of salvation. We must always remember His faithfulness because when we reflect on what He has done, our question is no longer “when” but “What are You trying to teach me in the waiting?”. When we come to Him in total submission to the Holy Spirit, our spirit can communicate, and we can obey while believing in His Promises. We can live in expectant hope as we live out our beliefs by acting out in faith. Faith without works is dead because faith is an outward thing; it’s an action.

The Lord gave us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) – not one of confusion, doubt, unbelief, fear, etc. When we doubt God’s promises, we start doubting His faithfulness. We doubt His timing; we doubt if prayer is working; we even doubt if we are following Him. I promise you that if you surround yourself with His promises and if you know you are born of the spirit and God has placed His Spirit within you, you shall see the harvest. It may be a long wait, but often the waiting season is also the growing season.

God promised them the Promise Land. They even walked in it. They had the residue on them. The grape juice was still on their clothes, but all they saw was that they would have to trust God with the giants. Caleb and Joshua both knew the Lord would fight their battles. They remembered the red sea and the darkness surrounding them as they escaped through walls of water. They believed. Yet, the others forgot. They trembled because they forgot who their God was. They forgot His faithfulness. So they wandered for 40 years. They could have had the promise, but they doubted.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. ~ James 1:6

We have the gift of coming before God’s throne; Jesus is our Mediator. Seek and ye shall find. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. We must commit our way to Him, so that we may see the land of Promise. I am not preaching a prosperity gospel but rather one of extreme dedication and hardship. Jesus tells us that

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 11:13

The Lord promised the Israelites a land they did not have to toil for. Vineyards they did not plant. Cities they did not build.

‘I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

Joshua 24:13

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

When we ask for something from our Father aligning with His spoken will, why do you not think He wants to give it to you? “Wait” does not mean “No”; it means not yet.

If you wish for something good, expect to wait. The great men and women of God had to wait for their promises to be answered. Our faith is all that is required of us. The work belongs all to God. The gifts are from God alone. He brings it to pass. We merely believe. Faith shows our belief that the thing we hold onto will come to pass. We are to keep persevering in the fight. Remember the God whom we serve as we step out. We must continue in His Word, committing our path to Him. Do not wander through the wilderness because of unbelief. Don’t ever give up praying for the promise you heard in Scripture. Especially when it’s been confirmed over and over.

Trust His timing, Beloved.