Fear vs. Faith #3 - Facing Giants....

For 430 years, the people of Israel were enslaved under the tyrannical Pharaohs of Egypt. One of the things that kept them going was the promise that God gave to their forefather, Abraham – one day, the Land promised to Abraham would be theirs to inhabit, to cultivate, to raise families, to live in. And this land would be rich & fertile, a place where God’s blessings could be tangibly experienced on a daily basis.
 
When God delivered Israel from Egypt, His appointed leader, Moses, led the people to the Promised Land, a land “flowing with milk & honey.” It was theirs for the taking. And yet after spying out the land, verifying how incredible & lush it was, the people took a vote & decided they’d rather go back to Egypt than continue into the land God had promised to them. Why?
 
They were afraid.
 
There were giants a.k.a. the Nephilim (Fallen Ones) living in the land. These half-human, half-fallen angels were 9 feet tall & bigger, with strengths & abilities that left the Israelites quaking in their boots, estimating that they were like grasshoppers compared to these monsters. God’s word & promise to Israel was sure – this is YOUR land. I will go before you, & in My strength you will conquer these giants. Then, you’ll know that I’m the One who gave you this land, Who fought on your behalf, & did the impossible because you put your full trust, faith, & reliance on Me.
 
However, because of their fear, an entire generation of Israelites died in the desert over a 40-year span. Their children were the ones who took God at His word and, by faith, stepped into their inheritance. I get why the Israelites were afraid – they were facing an impossible task… but that was the point.  God didn’t call Israel to take the Land & conquer the giants using only their own resources – He called them to believe & trust in Him. To not put their trust in their fears & what they could see standing in front of them, but rather in the One who had proved Himself over & over to be faithful & able to bring about His promises in their lives.

In this message, we’re going to be talking about this in greater detail - & we’ll touch on:

• How to build our faith so we can stand firm in the face of our own giants
• Eliminating sources of fear & doubt in our lives
• What it means to enter God's rest