By Vicki Dowell

A Different Spirit for a New Year

Numbers 14:24: “But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went and his descendants shall possess it.” WOW!! Do you realize this is GOD saying this to Moses about Caleb? I want him to say that about me, don’t you?

So what different spirit did Caleb have that caught God’s attention? Well, remember in Numbers 13 Caleb was among the scouts that Moses sent to check out Canaan, the land which God had already promised to give them. While all the other scouts came back with reports of large, well fortified cities inhabited by monster men who made them look like grasshoppers, only Joshua and Caleb came back with a faith filled report. In Numbers 13:30 we read Caleb’s report. “Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.” That was certainly faith talking.

So we can see that one of the characteristics that gave Caleb a different spirit is faith. There were two reports brought back to Moses. One said we can’t, the other said we can because God said we can. One report looked at the circumstances, the other looked at God’s promise. Do you walk by sight or do you walk by faith? What will you believe?

Caleb also had trust in God. Trust is confidence in the character of God. He had seen God faithful every day, providing every single thing they needed, the opening of the Red Sea, a pillar of fire by night, a cloud by day, manna, meat, water from a rock. What reason was there not to trust him? Just as God provided for the Israelites, he will provide for you. He knows everything about your circumstances. He knows how to meet your need. Trust His character.

Courage is another trait possessed by Caleb. Even though the circumstances looked insurmountable and Caleb’s fleshly emotions may have caused his knees to quake and the hair to stand up on the back of his neck, he did not let that fleshly fear overwhelm him. He chose to trust God’s promises.

Another characteristic in Caleb was purity. Joshua 14:14 says “Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb…because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.” There it is again…wholly followed the Lord. Wow! I want that.

Caleb must have also been a worshiper. There is tremendous power in your praise and worship. It keeps you focused on the greatness of God. David said in Psalm 32:2, “When I kept silence my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” If you’re feeling dried up, maybe you need a praise check.

Another quality we need to have the spirit of Caleb is patience. We all need it. Can you imagine waiting 40 years to inherit the promise you believe just because everyone else isn’t where they need to be? Most of us get upset waiting in a traffic jam or in a long line at the grocery store. But still, as he waited, Caleb had patience and still fully followed the Lord. We must trust God even when we don’t see the promises fulfilled as quickly as we think they should be.

Last but certainly not least is obedience. James 1:22 tells us “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Obedience is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22-24. When God commended Caleb as fully and wholly following the Lord, you know obedience had to be a part of that.

So, if you’re not there, where Caleb was, how do you get there? There have been times when I’ve felt like I needed to be gutted like an old house and restored. Have you ever been there? Ask God to give you a new spirit. He will. He wants to. He wants more Calebs.

Here are some ways to help:

Communicate with God

Become a worshiper

Practice patience

Exercise your faith

Trust God’s character

Be obedient

Live pure

Be courageous

I want God to say about me, see my servant? She followed me fully. What a great word to begin a new year with a new spirit.

We were blessed this morning to witness the dedication of Benjamin Oliver Dowell to the Lord. It’s always a joy to see parents commit to teach their child the ways of God, to keep him always in prayer and also for the church to keep the entire family in prayer. Parents, Donald and Victoria Dowell, grandparents, Ray and Jamie Hale,Vicki Dowell and Benjamin’s Aunt Faith all joined in dedicating little Benjamin to the Lord.

If you’re looking for a church where the word of God is preached without compromise, you will be welcome at Family Worship Center. Sunday services: Morning service at 10:30 a.m., Prayer service at 5:30 p.m., Revelation study at 6 p.m. Wednesday night Bible Study at 7 p.m., currently studying 1 Corinthians. For more information call (606) 365-2257.