Go up at once, Mr. President, and possess your promises. You are well able to overcome the evil reporters who hope you fail.
The 13th Chapter of Numbers records the instructions God gave Moses regarding the process the children of Israel were to use in order to receive their promises. Moses sent twelve spies on a reconnaissance mission within the land God had promised to restore to Israel. All twelve spies saw the same setting: a land flowing with milk and honey, with impressive fruit, with walled cities, and with strong people, men of great stature, giants. The spies agreed that the men of Canaan made the men of Israel look like grasshoppers. Even though all twelve spies made the same observations in the land, ten of them interpreted the intelligence differently from the other two and gave an "evil report." The ten spies believed their own report and convinced a great number of people that Israel must not fight to reclaim their land.
On the contrary, Caleb and Joshua, having seen the same sights as the ten, gave an alternate report. They believed that the giants in the land were no match for the God who had already performed so many miraculous acts of deliverance on their behalf. Caleb, focusing on the promises of God advised in verse 30, "Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." Those who had given the evil report had incited the wrath of the people against Moses, Caleb, and Joshua. Those who had believed the "evil report" wanted to kill those who had believed God.
At my house growing up, when we passed along doubtful information among ourselves, we would verify outside sources. We would caution the listener about the story's reliability with the disclaimer, "Consider the source." Those who pass along "evil reports" usually have a secret motive. Evil reports are designed to divide, anger, deceive, incite, discourage, embarrass, intimidate, and humiliate the reporter's adversary or target. Evil reports can make followers lose confidence in their leaders. This tactic is most affective during turbulent times; times when everyone, including the leader, struggles with doubts of better days ahead.
It is when the evidence from our eyes foreshadows darkness and doom that the children of God and the leaders of God must depend most upon our faith, for our faith in God is the only evidence we need (Hebrews 11:1) for victory. Like Caleb and Joshua, I choose to believe God's report (Romans 10:16). When those times come in my life, no matter how evil the reports may be, I will "go up at once and possess" each of my promises. I count every evil report against me and against God's promises to me, (however painful their impact) joy.
