“Then the ten scouts who had incited the rebellion against the Lord by spreading discouraging reports about the land were struck dead with a plague before the Lord.  Of the twelve who had explored the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.”      Numbers 14:36-38.

Why do we think that sin is only when we do something bad?  Sin can be good things, great things even.  Sin is whenever we do something that is disobedient to what the Lord has told us to do.  So can eating be a sin?  Yes, if He has told us to fast.  So can singing in the choir be a sin?  Yes, if He has told us to stop.  So can sharing the complete facts about a piece of land that you have been told to go an explore be a sin?  Yes, if you cause everyone around you to doubt the Hand and Word of God and encourage them to flee and disobey instead of trust.

These spies were not bad people.  They didn’t lie about the land, they did not even mislead the people about what or who was there.  They said that the land contained strong people (giants) and large, fortified cities.  These statements weren’t untrue… however, they forgot one game changing fact: the Lord had said it was already theirs for the taking.

The Lord God had called His people to faith.  The spies were stated to have “incited a rebellion” and were “spreading discouraging reports”.  Have you been known to spread discouraging reports among the people of God?  Even if what you were saying were true to the physical world…. were your words true to the spiritual side?  Yes, giants lived in the land.  Yes, the cities were large fortified cities.  Yes, in the physical realm it would have been impossible for the Israelites to overcome the people living there.   But God called them to have faith.  God called them to trust Him, even when all looked lost and all looked dark.

We, as believers of Jesus Christ, are called to live in the spiritual truths of life.  God calls us to have faith and to believe in Him.

Today, will you be struck with plague to never enter into the fullness that the Lord has in store or will you live in the freedom of trusting Him to do what He said He was going to do?  The choice is yours.