That question has reverberated throughout history. For example, the Israelites who had been freed from the Egyptian slavery in the book of Exodus faced the same dilemma. They had been roaming around in the desert for many years, when God signaled it was time to enter the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. He said, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan which I am giving the Israelites." At God's command, Moses sent in twelve men to spy out the land and ten of them came back with this report:
"We went into the land which you sent us and it does flow with milk and honey! But the people who live there are powerful, the cities are fortified and very large." (Numbers 13:27, 28) The men went on to say they were like grasshoppers compared to the giants who lived in Canaan. However, two of the spies, Caleb and Aaron, believed God and retorted,"We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." (12:30).
Guess whom the people believed? They believed the "evil report" and failed to take the land because of fear. They only saw the giants, but failed to see Almighty God. God had already given them the land, the people simply had to move forward and possess it. But instead of moving into the Promised Land, they wandered in the desert for many more years. Caleb and Aaron were the only two who inhabited the Promised Land. The others died in their unbelief.
I don't want to be like those Israelites who didn't believe God told the truth. Do you? Let me ask you a few questions. Are you going to allow Congress to shut you down and paralyze you from moving into the land flowing with milk and honey and take the promises found in the Bible and make them yours? Or, are you going to believe the evil report and continue wandering around in the desert - free from slavery, but missing the Promised Land? Whose report are you going to believe?
There’s a song we used to sing in church: “Whose report shall you believe?” The next line says, “We shall believe the report of the Lord!” The chorus then confirms, “His report says I am healed! His report says I am filled! His report says I am free! His report says victory!” (Song by Becky Fender.)
We as Christians need to realize that we can take God at His Word and run with it, The Word of God is filled with promises and we can believe Him, not the government, the President, Congress, but our God, Jehovah Rapha, our Provider for whatever need we need. With everything I have been through personally, I can’t emphasize it enough that it is essential that you pray the report of the promises of God.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that all of Your blessings will come on us because we hear and obey Your Voice. Thank You that: Blessed is the fruit of our bodies (our children); Blessed is the fruit of our ground (our possessions); Blessed is the fruit of our cattle (our businesses); Blessed are the flocks of our sheep (those we have authority over); Blessed is our basket and our store (our finances). Lord, You have commanded blessings on us, our storehouse and in all we set our hands to. You have blessed us in the land that You gave us. You have established us as a holy people unto You as You promised us, as we keep Your commandments and walk in Your ways. We are blessed because we refuse to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor will we stand in the way of sinners, nor will we sit in the seat of the scornful. Our delight is in Your Word, and on Your Word do we meditate day and night. We are like a tree planted by rivers of water that bring forth its fruit in its season; our leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever we do shall prosper according to Psalms 1:1-3. Lord, Your goodness and mercy shall follow us every day of our lives according to Psalms 23:6. In You, we will praise Your Word and put our trust according to Psalms 16:1. We will not fear what flesh and blood can do to us according to Ephesians 6:12. We know that all things work together for good because we love You and we were called according to Your purpose according to Romans 8:28. According to Romans 8:31, if You are for us; who can be against us? You are on our side; we will not fear what man can do to us, according to Psalms 118:6. Now Lord, I bring our requests to You according to Philippians 4:6.
Heavenly Father, I ask that You give us knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding and the strength and might of You, to be involved in what you want us to be involved in, and not to be involved in the things You don’t want us to be involved in according to Colossians 1:9. Your Word says if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of You, and he will receive wisdom according to James 1:5. I ask for wisdom in every decision we have to make. We are always choosing between fear or faith. Fear produces substances of things not hoped for, the evidence of this world’s circumstances: evidence of things we can hear, see, smell, taste, and touch. These things are temporal according to 2 Corinthians 4:18. God did not give us a spirit of fear according to 2 Timothy 1:7. Faith produces substances of things hoped for, the evidence of things from the Word of God: things we cannot hear, see, smell, touch or taste according to Hebrews 11:1. Now these things are eternal. From both of these reports, we choose to believe the report of the Lord according to 2 Timothy 1:12. We are not conformed to this world, but we are transformed by the renewing of our minds to Your Word according to Romans 12:1-2. Lord, You are on our side. We fear no man according to Psalms 118:6. We are over comers in Christ Jesus Name we pray, Amen!