HEY DAD,

I’m about a month into my yearly Bible reading plan, and I recently read the section where Moses and the Israelites had left Egypt, traveled through the desert, and were on the edge of entering into the Promise Land. Before going into the land, Moses sends out twelve spies to look it over, but when they come back ten give a bad report and only two, Joshua and Caleb, give a good report. Now all twelve agreed on one thing, the land that God had for them was incredible, but where they disagreed was believing that God could do anything to help them get into that land. Eventually, the ten sway the whole community to their way of thinking and as a result, God keeps the Israelites from the promise land for forty more years.

However, God says this thing about Caleb that as I read it, I highlighted it in my Bible. In Numbers 14:24 he says, “But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.” Sometimes I read things like this and I’ll talk to God and say, “God, I hope you can say that about me.” What a cool thing to have the creator of the universe say about you! So how do we get there? I submit that there are two thoughts that you have to make your own, that will give you the attitude of Caleb. One is, God will do what He said He will do. Two, God is with you.

One of the reasons why I like to read my Bible every year is because it reminds me of so many of the promises that God makes to us as His children. There are many things that I can claim and pray for because God said that those things are mine. Things like, healing, peace, prosperity, wisdom, direction, and so much more. And here is the thing about God, if He said that He will do it, then He will do it. We can’t lose sight of the promises of God, which is easy to do when you are in the thick of life. It becomes very easy to question God’s promises when you are facing an obstacle that tries to make you forget them or tries to convince you that they are bigger than those promises. At one point in Numbers, Caleb speaks to the people of Israelites, and He tries to remind them that God said that He would bring them into the Promise Land. So, like, Caleb, let me remind you that you are a son of God, Dad, and He has so much for you. He has a great life laid out for you; He has given you a marriage that is supposed to be healthy and growing, and He has given you all the wisdom that you need to navigate this life. He has promised to bless the work of your hands and to even make your enemies live at peace with you. If you don’t know what God has promised you, then start reading your Bible, commit to consistently going and serving in your local church, and get around guys who are already living out the Bible. In that process, you will begin to be awakened to the great life that God has promised you.

Caleb also believed that God would be with them as they took the land. Listen, God is not just up in Heaven, and we are down here. God is everywhere because He is God, and so not only has He promised you great things, but He has also given you His presence. God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in you as well as to lead, guide, and direct you. Caleb knew that. He believed that the moment they stepped into the new land, they would not be alone. God would be with them, and so they could do anything. It’s very easy to go through life with all the pressure that is on you and forget that God is with you. I know the feeling, it is very easy to think you are on your own here, and it is on you to make it all happen. That is not true. God is with you, Dad, and you are not alone. Don’t forget that!

Caleb believed these two truths about God, it gave him a different attitude, and as a result, God gave him and his family their part of the promise land. I’m not putting too much pressure on you Dad, but I do want to emphasize how important your attitude is to God. So this week, keep these two truths in your mind. Write them down somewhere for you to see regularly, rehearse them over and over. Let them be the mental ju-jitsu moves that you use when a negative or overwhelming thought hits your brain.  

Last thought, a dad’s attitude impacts the atmosphere of the home. In this account, ten men’s bad attitude kept an entire population of people out of the promise land but one dad’s good attitude paved the way for him and his family to receive what God had promised them. Praying for you this week, Dad.