There are all kinds of amazing phenomena that occur when people get together. Things can go from calm to raucous in a matter of seconds. Things can be transformed from somber to jubilant just as quickly. Things can escalate to a point of being beyond control. And things can become calm and quiet and receptive to influence.
People can also influence one another to the point of changing our vision. We literally begin to see things differently. Im talking about the abilitiy and the impact of negativity on a person or people. The quote at the title of this blog is spot on I think. We are nearly always in complete control of our ultimate outcomes in life. We may not be able to control the circumstances but we have exclusive control over our individual response to those circumstances. The external evidence may be that things are not good. That things are in fact very bleak and our personal situation is becoming darker and darker because of these circumstantial clouds rolling in. Its then that when our control kicks in.
Unfortunately that control is not limited to only help us to see or find the positive in our situation. No, very unfortunately it would seem that our natural human response would be to take the low road of interpretation and anticipation. We would look at the clouds and feel a complaint rise up in our spirits - something to do with the rain that is coming , or the cold that will follow, or the impact all this has on our plans for today and beyond. A favorite perception is that this kind of thing always happens to me. Like that old Hee Haw Show song, "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all". I mean we are wired by our old nature to see things like a victim sees things. Not like someone in control or someone who can take the proverbial lemons and make lemonade.
The scripture reference in the title is just a part of an interesting story from the old testament. As a little background (Cause you need to read this chapter for your self and reflect on it), Israel was standing on the doorstep of the promise of God. They had been traveling out of Egypt and gone through a little bit of testing and sorting along the way, but here they were. The whole reason they left Egypt was to get a land that one of their dead ancestors had walked around and all over to claim the promise the His God had made and given to Him. It had been a long time ago though. They had some bones that went a long way back, but they were just bones. Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith in God and the promises bestowed on generations were first laid on this patriarchs shoulders like a mantle. And here they were getting ready to spy out the land.
In short they did spy out the land for a few days and brought back evidence of this land that flowed with milk and honey. Amazingly though the thing that stuck in their minds the most and that colored their account of the land was not the plenty but rather the strength of the current inhabitants of that land. It would be one thing to just call it like it was. The land was well fortified and their were some really big dudes their and end it at that, but they went on to comment on their stature as well. In fact they said that ,"We were as grasshoppers in our own sight". After that admission the expeditions outcome was sealed.
There is no record of the days and nights spent in the land during this recon trip, but I would imagine that around the fire at supper the 10 low thinkers would recount how high the walls of the city were. How many guards there were on the walls. How big the men seemed to be, I mean giants they were. They took note of the blessings that waited and brought some back, but I think that was only because Moses had told them to do so. What dominated their thinking and I would imagine their conversations was the size and difficulty of the challenge that faced them. Dont forget (if you read this chapter) that these were not youngsters who hadn't seen a thing or two already. The instruction was to select leaders out of every tribe to spy out the land. We can assume that these were wise men and they were God fearing men but they were more fearing of what they saw. So afraid that it changed the very perception that they had of themselves. WE WERE LIKE GRASSHOPPERS IN THEIR SIGHT. How did they know that was how they saw them?? They took counsel with their own thinking I am afraid on the matter.
So each night around the fire the conversation would turn to hand wringing and woe is me talk about this beautiful and dangerous land. I can also imagine that two of the spy's at some point couldn't take it any more and would get up from the fire and go off somewhere out of ear shot and talk about the possibilities and the promises. They would recount what they had seen and how God had promised all of it to them. I would imagine that they were house hunting as they spied. Thats the one for me! As soon as I can I am movin into that one!! But they couldn't talk like that around the 10. That conversation would have been quenched by the majority so they got up and built up their faith while the other 10 slowly and personally dismantled their own faith bit by bit by the negative imaginations and confessions of their own lips. Lets look at a few definitions of the word NEGATIVE and see of any of them apply:
- expressing or containing negation or denial - YES
- refusing consent, as to a proposal - YES
- Expressing refusal to do something: - YES
- prohibitory, as a command or order.
- characterized by the absence of distinguishing or marked qualities or features; lacking positive attributes ( opposed to positive) - YES
- lacking in constructiveness, helpfulness, optimism,cooperativeness, or the like - YES
- being without rewards, results, or effectiveness - YES
The question that you have to ask yourself was were these men aware of what they were doing to their own personal faith in God? Joshua and Caleb must have felt the effects begin to have an impact, because somehow they insulated themselves from the negative aura that the 10 created and carried with them throughout the spy mission. Lets say it again. These were not novices. These men were selected for maturity and for their experiences, in life and with the Almighty. If the people who saw the Red Sea parted and Pharaoh destroyed could conclude that God could not deliver these people into their hands then something had taken place in their hearts that was not there when they started their mission.
I dont think that we are always aware of when we are thinking or speaking negative words. Believe me negative words have their own kind of faith attached to them as well. Henry Ford said, "whether you think you can, or you think you cant, you are probably right". Powerful words really. Faith to believe or faith to accept defeat. We are instructed in James about the power of the tongue, but I would suggest that before a word is formed by the tongue it is conceived and gestates in our spirit until it reaches a state of maturity and then it comes forth. Its hard to put tooth paste back into a tube and its hard to un-believe a negative thought that has come to fruition as a word spoken that you believe.
What constitutes a negative thought is the question that we will explore in the next blog, because as I said I dont believe that we always know when we have given over our faith to unbelief. Simple words yes but powerful words that hammer our spirit and faith into a certain shape. Simple words that strike harshly on the parts of our tender soul that trusts God. The onslaught is constant too and unless we shelter our faith from the attack a dent can become a bend and bend can become an entirely new angle on things.
If we believe ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. That is what the Master said and that is the truth. But I know from experience that no sooner has the prayer of faith left my lips that I have looked at the one prayed for and thought " They dont look any better" and my faith takes another hammer strike and as the quote said "we dont see things as they are, we see them as WE are".
God Bless you and lets pray that the Master can build us up in this reflection. If we can believe, then All things are possible to us!!! That is a promise for sure!! I will return to this for at least one more night. Thanks for reading. Jim
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