December 2020 Email Archive – Do You Have a Different Spirit?
Why did God say Caleb had a different spirit?
But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
Numbers 14:24 (NKJV)
Do you remember the event?
- At God’s direction, Moses sent 12 spies into the land that God was giving his people. All 12 saw the same things there.
- But Caleb perceived the blessing of God for his people in that place, while most of the other spies came back with fear instead, which they allowed to lead them—and their community—into sin against God.
- (You can read the account here, in Numbers 13:1-14:3.)
What led to the difference between Caleb and the other spies?
- All of the people in that nation had experienced God’s repeated, powerful rescues of them in the past (Numbers 14:22). But they did not all respond the same way.
- Caleb followed God wholeheartedly (Numbers 14:24). He believed that God’s people could go where God was sending them, and he urged them to obey right away (Numbers 13:30).
- But others in the same group of people disobeyed God—repeatedly—and treated him with contempt (Numbers 14:22-23). They succumbed to fear… and began spreading lies that carried their fear to others (Numbers 13:31-33).
What does it matter to you?
- Just as God had a place of destiny to which he was leading his people in Caleb’s time, God has a place of destiny for you in your lifetime (Ephesians 2:10).
- God wants to lead you into your place of destiny. For your whole life, he has been preparing you; and this season—as unusual as it may be—is no exception (Romans 8:28-30).
- The account of the 12 spies—and of what happened as a result of their actions (it was a train wreck; see the details in Numbers 14)—can serve as both an exhortation and a warning about how we, as individuals, should and should not respond when we see challenges standing between us and our God-ordained place of promise.
1. We can do what Caleb did.
- Follow God wholeheartedly
- Believe God
- Encourage others to do the same
2. We can avoid doing what the others did.
- Disobey God or treat him with contempt
- Lie
- Spread fear
What spirit will you have in the rest of 2020?
In a minute, I want to share something I believe God is doing in the remainder of this year. Some of it is quiet but extremely powerful work, being done without fanfare in the places of intimacy with God.
But before I get to that, let me reiterate an invitation God is holding out to each of us at this moment in time:
- If you are already in the kingdom of God, you can usher in more of God’s kingdom on earth (see Matthew 6:10; Luke 10:9; and Luke 17:21). In the recommended reading and resources below, you’ll find some timely tools.
- If you are not yet in the kingdom of God, come in now. Believe in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31). Make sure to check out the video teachings on “16 Reasons Jesus Had to Die,” in the recommended reading and resources below.
Enough days and hours remain in 2020 for your different spirit—of the kind that God commended in Caleb—to work with God to bring you into your God ordained destiny, as Caleb’s did (see Numbers 14:24).
Recommended Reading and Resources
- Are You Experiencing Battle Fatigue? – This beautiful pastoral message from Leif Hetland gives practical help and encouragement for winning the spiritual battle you’re in. Watch on YouTube. [NON-WORKING VIDEO LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED.]
- Could Your Hope Use Some Fresh Hope? – Jean-Luc Trachsel has a new weekly online show called Hope & Healing that I really appreciate. Last week’s episode was especially rich. Watch on YouTube
- The Lord Will Provide – Here’s how I’m declaring the truth about God as provider—and you can, too. Read the new blog post at AmyLu-Riley.com
- Is There More Good News About Jesus Than You Realized? – Randy Clark is giving free online teachings from his new book, 16 Reasons Jesus Had to Die. If you’ve heard that Jesus died to save you from your sins, but you haven’t heard the rest of the good news about why he died, this will be a life-changer.
Feeding on Scripture
Did you miss any of these recent Scripture reflections on my Instagram and at the amylu-riley.com blog?
You can see all of them at the website:
- Keeping Our Eyes on Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:2)
- Listening to the One Who Is Speaking to Us from Heaven (Hebrews 12:29)
- He Healed Them All (Luke 10:19)
- Keeping in Step with God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:25)
Parting Words
I believe God is very intent in this season on preparing his people for what is next in the destiny of each of us as individuals, and in the forward movement of his Kingdom overall. That often looks like new levels of healing and freedom in every part of our being. It also looks like deeper intimacy with him than we’ve ever known in the past.
When we search for God with all our heart, we will find him (Jeremiah 29:13) and when we draw near to God, he will draw near to us (James 4:8).
(If you missed last month’s email discussion about the Lord speaking to us through dreams and visions in these days as Peter stated in Acts 2:14-19, check out this recent blog post.)
What are you intentionally doing in this season to draw nearer to God? How is he drawing nearer to you?
I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply to send me an email.
To your freedom, health, and wholeness,
AmyLu
P.S. My newest book, Faith with Wings, makes a great gift for yourself and others. I believe the message of this book is powerful, and that sharing it is a way to expand God’s kingdom in the hearts of believers.
P.P.S. To make inspirational gift-giving even easier, you’ll find special prices in effect by this weekend on all my books: paperbacks $9.99, ebooks $2.99.
Faith with Wings by AmyLu Riley
Faith with Grit for the Not-Yet Healed by AmyLu Riley
Stay: Why I’m Still Here, A Spiritual Memoir by AmyLu Riley
Jesus as Healer by AmyLu Riley
What I’m Writing Next: Inspirational Fiction
If you like inspirational Christian fiction series, small-town fiction, or gentle reads, I hope my upcoming book will delight you. I think that fans of Miss Read, Jan Karon, or Agnes Sanford will especially enjoy it.