24th December, 2025
A Fountain Publication
The Lodestar
Online Magazine for the Thinking Christian
Devotional
When Fear Clouds the Promise
“Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Numbers 14:9)
By Paulson Pulikottil
Read: Numbers 13:1—14:12
Moses sent the spies to Canaan with the specific task of exploring the demography, type of dwellings, fertility of the soil, vegetation, and so on (Num 13:17—20). The spies travelled from the south to all the way to the north and collected minute details. They carried some bunches of grapes to support that it was truly a land “flowing with milk and honey.”
Though the report validated God’s promise that they were heading towards a prosperous land, the people were not excited to move on to possess it. The description of the giants in the promised land was so dispiriting that they decided that conquering the land at the expense of their lives was not a risk worth taking.
God was not happy with their refusal to move forward because they trusted in their power, unable to believe that God was the one fighting their battles. They had to believe that if God had promised, he would give it to us if we moved on in faith to claim it.
Promises cannot be ours unless we trust in the greatest of his promises to be with us.
This week, identify one area where fear has kept you from stepping into what God has promised. Pray over it. Surrender your doubts. And take one bold step forward in faith, believing that the God who promised is the God who provides and defends.
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