In the book of Numbers chapter 14, Yahweh said that His servant Caleb has a different Spirit.

A different Spirit….. think about that. I sure have been lately.

Why was Caleb pointed out by God saying he had a different Spirit?

This is a quick recap of what was going on. God spoke to Moses in Numbers 13, and told him to send out spies into Canaan to see what the land and people are like there, because God was going to give that land to the children of Israel. This was the land God had promised to them and the land they had been waiting for after years of wandering in the desert.

The spies returned with some fruit and said, “”The land certainly does flow with milk and honey and fruit! But the people who live there are huge and strong! The cities are fortified and very large. We saw the descendants of Anak there as well as the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites too!”, which were known enemies of the children of Israel.

This was not the report the children of Israel wanted to hear and it created quite a stir.
Caleb quieted them down and said, “We should by all means go up and take this land, for we shall surely overcome it because God said so! The LORD is with us; do not fear them.” It seemed to be a no brainer for Caleb. He had total confidence in what God said.

The people hated what Caleb had to say so much, they wanted to stone him. They lashed out and said, “We are not able to go up against these people, for they are too strong for us. It is a land that devours it’s inhabitants; and the men are huge! We were like grasshoppers in our own sight and in their sight too.”

By this point, the whole community was so freaked out about the thought of all of this, they started yelling and weeping, wishing they could of just been left in Egypt to die. They cried out, “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land just to have us be killed?” There was even talk about finding a new leader to take them back to Egypt. Back to bondage and slavery! Hello!

Because of a bad report given by a few people, the whole community flipped out and completely disregarded God and what He said, and chose fear instead. Terror and emotions escalated quickly. They didn’t hold onto faith. They didn’t think about or reflect on God’s faithfulness. They didn’t remind each other of all the miracles and provisions they had witnessed and been apart of for many years. Just to name a few- their deliverance from slavery, the parting of the Red Sea, manna falling from heaven, being lead by a cloud in the day and fire by night, God bringing water from a rock and many more!

They chose fear over God’s promise.

But there was one person, of all the thousands of people there, who had a different Spirit. That was Caleb.

Why? What was different about his Spirit?

Caleb believed God and followed Him fully!

Caleb had a deep trust and love for God. He took Him at His word. Caleb saw the giants and everything else that looked “too big for God”, but His trust was not in what he saw or didn’t see, but in who God was and what He said.

My encouragement in these days is to know what God is saying in His Word. Know the times. Soak your mind in His Word and His promises. A good place to start is to read the gospels.

Another thought too, is when we are triggered by fear, a normal human reaction could be either fight, flight or freeze. May we in those moments, hold onto truth and take all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and MIND! Redirect your thoughts to line up with the truth of who God is, which is found in His Word, and decide you will not agree with fear. Wait for His voice and direction. His voice is clear. Remember His faithfulness! 2 Thessalonians 2:3 says, “Let no man deceive you by any means.”

May we have a different Spirit like Caleb! God knows this world needs plenty of Calebs!

But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different Spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. Numbers 14:24