Firstly, if you are going to be effective at sharing faith you need to know about the God who is sending you. Obvious? You would think so, but I wonder if we always remember who God really is? 

There is a story in Numbers 13:25-14:10 that brings this assumption under scrutiny. Shortly after witnessing miracle after miracle and delivery from slavery from the Egyptians, Israel, are wandering in the wilderness. Moses, commissions 12 men to spy out the promised land and report on what they find.  Over time, ten of the twelve spies come back with a negative report concluding that, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” Whereas Joshua and Caleb came back stating “We should, by all means, go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”

What was going on in this account? How did two reports end up with such different conclusions? Did the men split up, get lost or visit different locations? There is no indication of this, the men visited the same places at the same time and saw the same opposition. Did Joshua and Caleb lie about what they saw? Did the other 10? Again, there is no indication of this as Caleb and Joshua never objected to the claims that the cities were “fortified and very large” or to the men who occupied those cities being “very strong” and even Amalekites (the tribe Goliath descended from)! So how did two contradictory conclusions come from a group of men that saw the same thing, in the same place, at the same time?

I believe the answer can be traced to perspectives. Joshua and Caleb saw their obstacles through lenses that rested on the foundation of God’s covenant promise to Israel (Genesis 15:12-16). Whereas the ten spies saw things at a very shallow level. They were viewing their opposition through human lenses, they forgot that Yahweh was fighting their corner and their conclusion was that the odds were firmly against them.

Joshua and Caleb knew their God, His awesomeness and the promise he had given their ancestor Abraham. These were the lenses through which they viewed life. When spying out the land they didn’t see fortified cities and giants as an obstacle, they saw a God who is the the Alpha and Omega, the King of kings and Lord of Lords. No wonder Caleb flippantly dismissed the report from the other ten (Num 13:30)!

I believe we can often forget who our Father is! We see things through distorted glasses as our obstacles and oppositions become overwhelming. As a result, we can fail to walk in the freedom and liberty of the Holy Spirit.

Knowing God as He really is will have a profound effect on us personally, as well as on how we share our faith. In turn that will have a huge impact on our friends and our Universities:

• Action – When we know the love of God, we are compelled to go and share the good news.

• Boldness and Peace – When we know that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave dwells inside us (Rom 8:11), what can we not do?

• Equipping – We know are called and empowered by Jesus to go and make disciples.

So the question today is, which lenses are you looking through? Is it God that is your giant or is it fear of sharing your faith, of being rejected, or even fear of failure? God wants you to be liberated and filled with His power.

Do you need to book in for a new prescription today?

Modern Day Saviour | yesHEis from CVUK on Vimeo.