“And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight,” (Num. 13:33)

When I was a little boy, there were things I perceived as gigantic. These were very big trees around my village that the community would sometimes gather under for rituals and some rocks that are scattered around the area. They looked so big to me. They also had about themselves some kind of atmosphere that was intimidating. So in the night I avoided going near those places. But when I grew up, some how the same land mark did not appear as gigantic as they were when I was a little boy. Neither were they as intimidating as they were then. When I became born again and I understood the spiritual power I have, those very features that used to cause fear in me no longer do so.

When Joshua and eleven others were sent out to spy the land of Canaan which God had already given them, only Joshua and Caleb brought a good report about it. The rest brought a threatening report. They said that the people of that land were stronger than Israel and that they even saw giants there and that in there own sight they appeared as grasshoppers and they were sure that that is how the people of Canaan perceived them.

Because of this evil report, the people of Israel rebelled against God and missed their blessings when they were at the brink of it. It is one of the saddest story in the Bible. It had to take another 40 years for the next generation to take what their seniors missed. What was their problem? Perception! They perceived things from the wrong point of view. They forgot that it was God that was taking them to possess their promise land. So they should have looked at the situation from God’s point of view.

Sometimes when faced with a big challenge, you can be tempted to look at yourself or your ability from your own eye, when you make such a mistake, you will only see a grasshopper’s vision. Everything else will become too large or big for you to handle. And that will lead you to a sure failure or defeat. Look at your situation the way Caleb did theirs. He told these people that: “Let us go at once, and posses it, for we are well able to overcome it”. Unfortunately, they did not listen to him nor to Moses and they lost their blessings.

As we begin a new year, a new project etc, be careful about what you are seeing in yourself and in your situation. Your perception will cause you to grab the opportunity as a blessing or to abandon it as an impossibility.

My encouragement to you is; grab it as a blessing and know that all things work for the good of those who love God.

God Bless you

Study Scripture:  (Joshua 1:6-9)