We learned that we are only limited by our Capacity to Believe God! Jesus said, Nothing is impossible to him that believes (Mark 9:23).

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1 Living By Faith (Lessn Seven) The Curage f Caleb Ricard Rick Pina Victry Gspel Experience (VGE), Camp Victry, Iraq Wednesday Night, 5:30pm (February 18 th, 2009) Intrductin: Last week we learned that Gd wanted the Israelites t walk int the Prmised Land. It was their land, it was already prmised t them, but they required the ability t BELIEVE they culd take it and the COURAGE t actually d it. They sent in 12 spies, but nly TWO f the 12 believed! We learned that we are nly limited by ur Capacity t Believe Gd! Jesus said, Nthing is impssible t him that believes (Mark 9:23). Qutes n Curage: Curage is resistance t fear, mastery f fear - nt absence f fear -- Mark Twain. Curage is never t let yur actins be influenced by yur fears -- Arthur Kestler Curage is being scared t death... and saddling up anyway -- Jhn Wayne The Rest f the Stry: (Genesis 14:3-4, 23-24, NIV) Num 14:3 Why is the LORD bringing us t this land nly t let us fall by the swrd? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wuldn't it be better fr us t g back t Egypt?" Num 14:4 And they said t each ther, "We shuld chse a leader and g back t Egypt." Num 14:23 Nt ne f them will ever see the land I prmised n ath t their frefathers. N ne wh has treated me with cntempt will ever see it. Num 14:24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and fllws me whleheartedly, I will bring him int the land he went t, and his descendants will inherit it. Num 14:29 In this desert yur bdies will fall every ne f yu twenty years ld r mre wh was cunted in the census and wh has grumbled against me. Num 14:30 Nt ne f yu will enter the land I swre with uplifted hand t make yur hme, except Caleb sn f Jephunneh and Jshua sn f Nun. The Israelites brught this upn themselves Gd was giving them the land Gd wanted them t be blessed Gd wanted them t enjy His best Gd tld them it was theirs But the CHOSE t disbey Gd, they CHOSE t disregard Gd, they CHOSE t disrespect what He said, they CHOSE t believe smething else! And they reaped what they chse t sw! (Gal 6:7) Be nt deceived; Gd is nt mcked: fr whatsever a man sweth, that shall he als reap. Glden Nuggets: Yur life is a grand-sum-ttal f yur decisins. Just because Gd wants yu t be blessed, it des nt mean that yu have t receive it! It s nt Gd s will that any man perish (2 nd Peter 3:9). But nly they that call upn the name f the Lrd are saved (Rm 10:13). Whsever believes in Him shall nt perish (Jhn 3:16), but what abut thse that dn t? 1

2 Yu and I are Free Mral Agents. Our decisins DO matter. If yu want Gd s best, yu must frce yurself t believe what He desire fr yur life! The emphasis f this mnth is t Expand Yur Capacity t Believe Gd! Only tw ut f an entire generatin made it in because they BELIEVED GOD! Fast Frward 45 Years: Js 14:6 Nw the men f Judah apprached Jshua at Gilgal, and Caleb sn f Jephunneh the Kenizzite said t him, "Yu knw what the LORD said t Mses the man f Gd at Kadesh Barnea abut yu and me. Kedesh Barnea was a place f decisin. This is where they were when they chse t fllw the 10, instead f the 2. This is where they were when they chse t disbey Gd! They made their chice and they received their reward. It is 45 years later and Caleb still remembers the Stand he tk at Kadesh Barnea! D yu remember sme f tugh chices yu have made fr Gd? D yu remember when yu chse Gd, even when it was nt ppular? D yu remember when yu chse Gd, even when it was nt easy? D yu remember when yu chse Gd, even when it wuld cause public ridicule? Have yu ever had a Kadesh Barnea mment? I ve been laughed at fr refusing t drink. I ve been talked abut fr refusing t cheat n my wife. I ve been called a fanatic fr wanting t g t church when thers are ging t the club. But I ve have t make my stand even when it has nt been ppular and then BELIEVE that my Gd wuld reward me fr the stand I tk! He remembered the Stand and he remembered the Prmise that came alng with it! Glden Nuggets: Be a persn f strng cnvictins. Say what yu mean and mean what yu say. Stand fr what yu believe in and dn t let anyne dissuade yu frm what Gd said. Jshua and Caleb made their stand. Caleb publically spke against the reprt f the 10, even while the millins were ging with them. Caleb kept believing Gd, even when n ne else wuld! And guess what happened? He received a Prmise frm the Father, thrugh Mses! (Duet 1:34-36 NIV) When the LORD heard what yu said, he was angry and slemnly swre: "Nt a man f this evil generatin shall see the gd land I swre t give yur frefathers, except Caleb sn f Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet n, because he fllwed the LORD whleheartedly." Why did Gd prmise this land t Caleb and his descendants? Because f his stand! Because he believed Gd! Why did the 10 nt get the same prmise? Because they did nt believe. 2

3 They saw what he saw. They ate what he ate. They walked where he walked. They had the same chance t believe that he did! But they CHOSE t believe the wrng thing! They believed the wrng vice! They believed the wrng message! Gd message: This land is yurs! Yu can fight and with Gd yu will WIN! Satan s message: The giants are t big fr yu! Dn t even try t fight, because yu will lse! The devil wants t get yu befre yu ever get started! He knws that if yu take the first step IN FAITH that Gd will shw up! He tries t beat yu by keeping yu frm perating in FAITH! *** If the devil can get yur faith, he can get yu! (James 1:2-4 NIV) Cnsider it pure jy, my brthers, whenever yu face trials f many kinds, because yu knw that the testing f yur faith develps perseverance. Perseverance must finish its wrk s that yu may be mature and cmplete, nt lacking anything Yu need curage t Live By Faith. Yu need curage t face trials head n! Yu need curage t live the life Gd wants yu t live! Once yu are in the FAITH stage, it s t late fr him! Say, The nly way I can lse is if I quit! We knw why the 10 did nt make it in, but why did the multitude nt make it in? They had the same chance Jshua and Caleb did. They may nt have been there, but they heard what Caleb said abut it! They embraced the wrng message. Be careful what yu allw thrugh yur ear gate and yur eye gate. Heb 4:2 Fr unt us was the gspel preached, as well as unt them: but the wrd preached did nt prfit them, nt being mixed with faith in them that heard it. The gspel the Gd News was preached! Everyne heard the same message But nt everyne reacted the same way! Are yu an US r a THEM? The Wrd preached prfited US, but it did nt prfit THEM? Why? Because they did nt mix faith with what they heard! Yu must be READY t RECEIVE every time the Wrd is preached! Yu must cme with GREAT EXPECTATIONS! Never expect t leave the same way yu came. Never expect NOTHING t happen. Even if NO ONE ELSE gets blessed, yu need t get blessed! Cme IN FAITH, ready t receive! 3

4 Heb 4:3 Fr we which have believed d enter int rest The writer f Hebrews was preaching abut rest Wh was ging t receive rest? Only thse wh believed! What abut thse wh did nt believe? They did nt receive! And it wuld nt be Gd s fault! Rest is available! The Blessing is available? The Grwing f yur Faith is available! Cnfidence is available! Curage is available! The life changing pwer f Gd is available! Are yu ready t mix what Gd is saying with FAITH? Caleb mixed the message with Faith it preached TO him, befre it preached THROUGH him! Caleb was prmised all the land that his feet stepped ver fr him and fr his descendants! This land was his reward! It was Gd s way f shwing him that He was pleased with his actins! Gd was pleased with his faith (see Heb 11:6) D yu want t please Gd? Yu must act in faith and nt fear! Yu must believe and nt dubt! Yu must stand and nt waiver! The land was prmised t him, but guess what? He was ging t have t WAIT FOR IT! Hw lng wuld he have t wait? 45 Years! Hw lng are yu willing t wait? Nuggets: There is a reward laid up fr the persn that is nt afraid t make a stand fr Gd! If yur beliefs dn t affect yur actins, then yu might want t recnsider what yu say yu believe! Just because the majrity is ding it, it des nt mean that it is right! Knw what yu believe, and live by what yu knw! Strng Cnvictins: Js 14:7 I was frty years ld when Mses the servant f the LORD sent me frm Kadesh Barnea t explre the land. And I brught him back a reprt accrding t my cnvictins, What are yur cnvictins? What d yu believe? What are yu standing n? Hw cnvinced are yu that this thing is ging t wrk? Hw cnvinced are yu that yu are ging t be blessed here in Iraq? Hw cnvinced are yu that yu are where yu are suppsed t be? Hw cnvinced are yu that the Hand f Gd is upn yur life? Are yu truly cnvinced? 4

5 D yu have Staying Pwer? (James 5:10,11 MSG) Take the ld prphets as yur mentrs. They put up with anything, went thrugh everything, and never nce quit, all the time hnring Gd. What a gift life is t thse wh stay the curse! Yu've heard, f curse, f Jb's staying pwer, and yu knw hw Gd brught it all tgether fr him at the end. That's because Gd cares, cares right dwn t the last detail. James tells us that the prphets f ld went thrugh challenges, they faced adversity, and they NEVER ONCE QUIT! They hnred Gd by living ut their cnvictins! Life is a gift t thse that STAY THE COURSE! Thse that dn t stand fr ANYTHING will never get ANYWHERE! Jb had staying pwer! Caleb had staying pwer! D yu have staying pwer! Are yu ging t stand r are yu ging t quit? Js 14:8 but my brthers wh went up with me made the hearts f the peple melt with fear. I, hwever, fllwed the LORD my Gd whleheartedly. Even when everyne else was melting. Even when everyne else was in fear. Even when everyne else was quitting! Caleb chse t fllw the Lrd whleheartedly! Yu must decide t fllw the Lrd with Yur Whle Heart! Either He is Lrd OF all r He is nt Lrd AT All! Js 14:9 S n that day Mses swre t me, 'The land n which yur feet have walked will be yur inheritance and that f yur children frever, because yu have fllwed the LORD my Gd whleheartedly.' He never frgt the Prmise f Gd! He never stpped expecting the prmise t cme t pass. He never gave up hpe! He never relaxed his hld n his belief! -- Fr 45 Years! Js 14:10 "Nw then, just as the LORD prmised, he has kept me alive fr frty-five years since the time he said this t Mses, while Israel mved abut in the desert. S here I am tday, eighty-five years ld! Js 14:11 I am still as strng tday as the day Mses sent me ut; I'm just as vigrus t g ut t battle nw as I was then. Ok, I knw I am suppsed t wait n Gd, but HOW shuld I wait? Yu wait with expectatin! Never lsing hpe. N matter hw lng it takes. D yu still expect it t happen? Yu wait with anticipatin! He saw himself walking in that land. He envisined himself taking that muntain. He envisined his family and his grandkids running arund n the land. Can yu still see yurself with it? Only as high as I reach I can grw, nly as far as I seek I can g, nly as deep as I lk I can see, nly as much as I dream I can be! (Karen Ravn) 5

6 Yu wait with preparatin! Yu must be ready when the time cmes. Can yu stand t be blessed? Are yu really ready? What if Gd wanted t give it t yu tday? Are yu ready fr it? Caleb remained ready. He was physically, psychlgically, emtinally, mentally, and spiritually ready! He was fit t fight the fight f faith! Js 14:12 Nw give me this hill cuntry that the LORD prmised me that day. Yu yurself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and frtified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them ut just as he said." There were still giants n the land. The cities were still walled. The land was still frtified. But Caleb said: ME + GOD = VICTORY! Every time! And 85 year ld man said, Give me my muntain! This is what was prmised t me. I have waited until the right time. I waited and anticipated, but nw it s MY TIME! Clsing Cnfessin: Father Gd, I want everything Yu want me t have. I want t maximize my time in the earth. I want t die empty. My desire is t leave here after having cmpleted my assignment. I declare, by faith, that I will find, fllw, and finish Yur purpse fr my life, befre I die. I perate in cnfidence and curage. N matter hw big the bstacle, n matter hw hard the challenge, I face it all head n. It s nt that I dn t have any reasn nt t fear, but I vercme fear. I master my fear. I resist it, by faith. Whenever I have a Kadesh-Barnea mment, I chse the path Yu want me t take, n matter hw hard it lks, and I trust that Yu will see me thrugh it. I have strng cnvictins, I backup my cnvictins with actins, I expect t see Yur best manifested in my life. Lrd, Give Me My Muntain! I want everything Yu have destined fr me and I will wait fr it, n matter hw lng it takes! In Jesus name. Amen! 6