It is imperative to create an atmosphere of belief if we are going to see the family strengthened and fully functional the way the Father intended. We know, without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6, KJV). The core of faith is belief, which means we have to believe God in order to walk by faith. An atmosphere of belief encourages faith to be active in the lives of family members. “Belief” means to have full persuasion or to trust, and is the root word of faith. When family members firmly trust God, they will have confidence in Him to be Who He says He is, and what He says He will do. When members fully trust God, they are firm in their belief that He loves them, which gives them confidence in their relationship with Him. Even the earthly model of a family shows us that those children who firmly believe their parents love them, tend to have more confidence than those who do not. When people are confident that the Father loves them, self-esteem issues quickly disappear. Confidence breeds courage, and courage activates boldness, and with boldness comes exploits. Just as Daniel says, “The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32, KJV). That means when God makes a promise, believers are persuaded they He will make good. When He says, “Take the land,” they charge boldly into the promise land and occupy it. Those families that believe are blessed.
What can unbelief to do a family? The children of Israel in the wilderness serve as an example to us. Numbers 13 and 14 give the account of the 12 spies who went into the promise land to spy it out. When they returned, only two gave a good report, while the other ten gave an evil one. Caleb said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30, KJV). Meanwhile, we read in verses 32-33, “And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 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” (KJV). What was the people’s reaction to the two differing reports? “All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt (Numbers 14:1-4, KJV). Ultimately, they rebelled against God. What was God’s response? “As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against Me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb . . . and Joshua . . . But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness” (Numbers 14:28-32, KJV). In due time, even Moses would also be excluded from entering into the land of Canaan, although, he would at least get to see it from a distance. This part of Moses’ story will not be addressed here. So, what are some observations we can take away from this event?
Tragically, not only did a generation fail to enter into the promise land, they did not get to see their own children enter into it. They did not witness their children or their grandchildren enjoy the blessings of God found in the land. Secondly, it delayed the promise and caused the children to wander 40 years before even seeing it (see Numbers 14:33-34). What are some lessons we can learn from this incident? Murmuring creates an environment of unbelief, which causes rebellion. It places stumbling blocks before others, and provokes them to wrath, especially children. Unbelief causes hardship! God has a very dim view of an unbelieving heart. Hebrews 3:7-12 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted Me, proved me, and saw My works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known My ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God (KJV). As a suggestion, take time to read chapters three and four from the book of Hebrews. Finally, it is time to see families flourish in the faith, therefore encourage one another to believe God. Believe!
