A Fearless Perspective
Pastor Erickson preaches from Numbers 13 and 14, contrasting the ten spies who saw themselves as grasshoppers with Joshua and Caleb, and from Joseph's words in Genesis 45 that God sent him ahead for a purpose. He calls the church to ask God for his view of their trials, face the giants that come with big blessings, and speak out in faith that they are well able.
The message in 6 points
Ten names nobody remembers
He opens Numbers 14 with a quiz on the names of the ten spies, men no one ever tells stories about. Only Joshua and Caleb are remembered, because they told the people not to rebel and not to fear, since the Lord was with them.
1:02:12Fear can mar our perspective
He reads from a survival guide full of strange fears to show how fear grips people. Some fear is a healthy reaction God gave us, but some people fear the wrong things, and in our walk with God we must be fearless because God is for us.
1:06:53Joseph's view: God sent me
Joseph was hated, sold, slandered and forgotten, yet in Genesis 45 he tells his brothers that God sent him ahead to preserve life. Pastor Erickson says to love our enemies, remember God's ways are higher than ours, and pray for God's perspective on our problems instead of only praying to get out of them.
1:16:33A cry and a taste of freedom
In Exodus 2 nothing changed until Israel cried out to God in their bondage. Then God brought them out and sent twelve spies into Canaan, like a palate cleanser, to give them a taste of the promised land.
1:28:08The grasshopper perspective
Ten top leaders brought back an evil report and saw themselves as grasshoppers, and he says the enemy sees us the way we see ourselves. Big blessings come with big giants, and every great work the church attempts will face opposition.
1:37:40Speak out that you are well able
He applies it to personal battles in marriages, children, finances and relationships, saying desperation opens the door to breakthrough. Like Caleb, we must speak out that we are well able, because we have not received the spirit of bondage to fear.
2:01:02
In his words
“Instead of saying God get me out of them or even God get me through them, I begin to say God allow me to see your perspective of my problem.”
“God help us to not let fear turn us into grasshoppers, because you know what, as we see ourselves that's how the enemy sees us.”
“Desperation is the door that breakthrough walks through, and if we can get desperate enough I promise you it'll open that door.”
Taken word for word from the video, with punctuation added.
Scripture
He reads
Numbers 14:6-9
6And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
King James Version.
Genesis 45:5-8
5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
King James Version.
Matthew 5:44
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
King James Version.
Isaiah 55:8-9
8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
King James Version.
Exodus 2:23-25
23And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
King James Version.
Numbers 13:26-33
26And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32And 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. 33And 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.
King James Version.
Romans 8:11
11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
King James Version.
Romans 8:15-18
15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
King James Version.
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