CONFRONTING YOUR GIANTS - Whenever the Lord gives us a great “territory” to take, there will always appear to be insurmountable obstacles in the way. The problems we face may be bigger than us. But they definitely aren’t bigger than our Lord! Financial concerns… struggles in your family… a problem with your health or emotions… or fear of failure? Whatever your giant may be, you can overcome it. Be bold - no matter what kind of giant you may be facing, victory can be yours in Jesus’ name - God desires to bring His people into the Promised Land. He instructed Moses to send 12 spies to view the land. After 40 days, the spies returned and brought a mixed report. The first 10 spies reported that God had indeed given them a wonderful land of “milk and honey” and abundant crops. But they saw no way the Israelites could actually possess such a land, for it was inhabited by strong enemies and impregnable fortresses. You’ve heard about a fantastic place of victory and abundance that God has prepared for you, but the obstacles seem too great… the enemies too intimidating… the cost too high. Caleb and Joshua gave the people a much different report, which unfortunately was disregarded by the cowardly and unbelieving spies. God’s people were at the very brink of the Promised Land. They were poised to enter into their destiny. Yet they allowed fear and disobedience to keep them in the wilderness for 40 more years!

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Confronting Your Giants.

Whenever the Lord gives us a great “territory” to take, there will always appear to be insurmountable obstacles in the way. The problems we face may be bigger than us. But they definitely aren’t bigger than our Lord! Financial concerns… struggles in your family… a problem with your health or emotions… or fear of failure? Whatever your giant may be, you can overcome it. Be bold - no matter what kind of giant you may be facing, victory can be yours in Jesus’ name

by Ben Cerullo

 

Numbers chapters 13 and 14 tell a sobering story of God’s desire to bring His people into the Promised Land.

He instructed Moses to send 12 spies to view the land before the rest of the Israelites entered it.

After 40 days, the spies returned and brought a mixed report:

“We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large… There we saw the giants…and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:27-28, 33).

The first 10 spies reported that God had indeed given them a wonderful land of “milk and honey” and abundant crops.

But they saw no way the Israelites could actually possess such a land, for it was inhabited by strong enemies and impregnable fortresses.

Does this sound a lot like your life today?

You’ve heard about a fantastic place of victory and abundance that God has prepared for you, but the obstacles seem too great… the enemies too intimidating… the cost too high.

Caleb and Joshua gave the people a much different report, which unfortunately was disregarded by the cowardly and unbelieving spies:

“Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.’”

“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature’” (Numbers 13:30-32).

God’s people were at the very brink of the Promised Land.

They were poised to enter into their destiny.

Yet they allowed fear and disobedience to keep them in the wilderness for 40 more years!

What Went Wrong?

How could the 10 spies get things so wrong?

They gave a “bad report” because the obstacles to their destiny seemed like “giants.”

Is that how your problems look today – enormous and overwhelming?

The story of the 10 spies who brought back a fearful and negative report provides a sobering warning for us today.

Instead of cowering in fear and intimidation, we must aggressively take the battle to the enemy.

You see, whether in the physical or the spiritual realm, passivity and accommodation never bring victory in warfare.

Jesus repeatedly spoke of the need to be on the offensive against the enemy: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

Remember: You will never “take ground” from the enemy or reach your destiny without a fight! 

Checking Your Vision

The 10 cowardly spies had a “vision” problem.

They saw the obstacles (the so-called “giants”) as BIG and God as SMALL.

Do you see how foolish that perspective is? It will always rob us of obeying God and pursuing the dreams He has given us.

Whenever the Lord gives us a great “territory” to take, there will always appear to be insurmountable obstacles in the way.

Unless we clearly see God as BIG and the problems, in comparison, as SMALL, we will inevitably draw back and remain in the wilderness.

Unless we see God correctly… we won’t have faith.

Unless we have faith… we won’t be able to obey.

Without faith and obedience… we won’t be able to do battle and enter into the destiny God has for us (Hebrews chapters 3 and 4).

Notice that when the Israelites saw God incorrectly, they saw themselves incorrectly as well.

The 10 fainthearted spies saw themselves and their countrymen as mere “grasshoppers” in comparison to the enemy “giants” in the Promised Land.

Just two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, saw God instead.

What do you see when you look around you today?

Lots of believers are still locked in the “Grasshopper Syndrome,” failing to see who they are in Christ.

Sure, the problems we face may be bigger than us. But they definitely aren’t bigger than our Lord!

What’s Holding You Back?

Friend, is there a “giant” that has been keeping you out of your Promised Land God’s place of blessing and destiny for your life?

As you consider your life’s purpose and mission, is there something that is holding you back from truly entering in?

Financial concerns… struggles in your family… a problem with your health or emotions… or fear of failure?

Whatever your giant may be, you can overcome it in the same way David defeated Goliath.

The young shepherd boy faced a giant who was nearly 10 feet tall probably almost twice his size.

Yet David’s eyes weren’t on the size of his enemy, but rather on the size of his God! 

No wonder David could have such audacious faith. His confidence was in the strength of the Lord, not in his own strength.

When taunted by his massive enemy, he fearlessly replied: “The battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

Be bold, my friend. No matter what kind of giant you may be facing, victory can be yours in Jesus’ name!

Ben Cerullo has been named by Charisma Magazine as one of the “30 Emerging Voices” who will lead the church in the next decade. Traveling extensively, both domestically and internationally to more than 27 nations, his ministry carries a powerful anointing and prophetic message. God continues to use Ben to reach people with the Gospel, confirming His Word with signs following.

Ben has a rich spiritual heritage. His grandfather, Morris Cerullo, has a worldwide ministry and continues to preach the Gospel as he has for more than 50 years. Ben’s father, David Cerullo, is chairman and CEO of Inspiration Ministries (which reaches more than a billion potential people daily through its worldwide television networks, video-on-demand, online streaming, and other media outreaches).

Ben grew up in San Diego, California with a passion for action sports. Although he sensed God’s call on his life as a young boy, during his teen years, he rebelled and ran from this call. Soon after, Ben’s drug and alcohol abuse became so serious that he was hospitalized. But this hospital experience proved to be life-changing, and sparked his return to the Lord.

https://inspiration.org/christian-articles/confronting-your-giants/

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You Could Outrun Goliath

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The Grasshopper Syndrome

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The Man Who Desired a Mountain

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CALEB - The Man Who Desired a Mountain - When we come to the record of Caleb’s personal inheritance in the land of Canaan we find him at eighty years of age asking of Joshua, “Now therefore give me this mountain.”

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The Man Who Desired a Mountain

Caleb : son of Jephunneh

“Now therefore give me this mountain.”

²⁵ At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land.²⁶ And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey,and this is its fruit. ²⁸ However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. ²⁹ The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”

³⁰ But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:25-30 English Standard Version (ESV) 

Caleb was one of the chief spies sent out by Moses. He was courageous and persevered when the other spies became discouraged.

He was invincible in driving out giants, completely devoted to God and vigorous in old age.

Six times it is recorded of Caleb, “he hath fully followed the Lord.”

²⁴ But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Numbers 14:24

⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. Numbers 26:65

³⁸ Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive. Numbers 14:38  

¹² none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ Numbers 32:12

³⁶ except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’ Deuteronomy 1:36

¹⁴ Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed theLord, the God of Israel. Joshua 14:14 

His consecration was thorough. What magnificent adverbs are used to describe Caleb. He followed faithfully, wholly, fully. He never lowered his standards, but was perpetually wholehearted.

His courage was unfaltering. Giants did not disturb Caleb nor did those dastards who were ready to stone him.

His request was answered. To Caleb, whose life was woven of one piece throughout, reward crowned his faith and faithfulness.

Through autumn winds and premonitions of snow, he brought forth fruit in his old age.

When we come to the record of Caleb’s personal inheritance in the land of Canaan we find him at eighty years of age asking of Joshua, “Now therefore give me this mountain.”
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¹³ Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Joshua 14:13 .

Caleb was a man of altitudes. He was not content with the average or the commonplace. He never thought in terms of fences or walled cities.

It was the heights for Caleb, and although the mountain he wanted was filled with hostile Anakims, he refused defeat and claimed his inheritance.

14 And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. Joshua 15:14 

At long last a worthy recompense came to this noble man for “to patient faith the prize is sure.”

³⁰ not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. Numbers 14:30   

All the Men of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer

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CREATURES IN THE BIBLE - There are certainly many strange creatures mentioned in the Bible. Some descriptions are symbolic and are simply meant to represent certain nations, people, or ideas in prophetic visions These creatures were never intended to be taken literally. Other passages are indeed describing a real beast, although the names provided by translators were sometimes taken from mythology.

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Mythological Creatures in the Bible

There are certainly many strange creatures mentioned in the Bible.

Some descriptions are symbolic and are simply meant to represent certain nations, people, or ideas in prophetic visions

These creatures were never intended to be taken literally.

Other passages are indeed describing a real beast, although the names provided by translators were sometimes taken from mythology.

The King James Version, translated in 1611, contains several mentions of mythological creatures, including the unicorn, the dragon, and the fearsome cockatrice.

Beasts in prophetic visions
The apocalyptic portions of Daniel and Revelation contain famous visions of strange creatures.

Both books describe four creatures with the heads, bodies, limbs, and wings of different combinations of animals -heads of lions with wings of eagles, etc.

These are not mythological but symbolic descriptions of angelic beings.

Revelation predicts “locusts” with human faces, women’s hair, lions’ teeth, and scorpions’ tails, topped off with wings.

Also, in Revelation 9:13-19, an army of 200 million horsemen ride horses with the heads of lions, breathing fire and sulfur, and sporting tails like serpents with heads.

The descriptions of these strange creatures are figurative -in other words, the visions are symbolic of real beings, nations, or judgments in the future.

Dragons
Today, we associate dragons with storybook fare and medieval folklore.

There are many mentions of “dragons” in the Old Testament (e.g., Psalm 148:7; Isaiah 43:20; Micah 1:8), mostly in the KJV.

As we mention in our article on dinosaurs, the obscure Hebrew word tanniyn indicates some kind of very large or hideous creature.

This animal is mentioned 18 times in the Old Testament as both a land and sea dweller.

Other versions translate it variously as “great sea creature” or (in other contexts) “wolves” or “jackals.”

It is most likely a general term for undesirable creatures, possibly a reference to dinosaurs and other now-extinct reptilian creatures.

Revelation 10 mentions a dragon, as well.

In this context, the dragon is identified as Satan (Revelation 20:2).

Since his appearance as a serpent to Eve, Satan is often characterized in a reptilian manner.

The dragon metaphor helps us picture Satan, who is all too real.

Mythological Creatures in the KJV
The King James Version of the English Bible was translated in the early 1600s.

While the translation is commendable for its overall accuracy and beauty of style, it has a few weaknesses.

One is that, when the translators of the Old Testament came across a Hebrew word of uncertain meaning, they sometimes used an exotic English word to replace it.

Satyrs
In Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14, the KJV and RSV translate the Hebrew sa`iyr as “satyr.”

The Hebrew word is translated 55 times in the KJV as “he-goat” or “hairy.”

However, the word was also thought to imply demon-worship associated with goats, and so we find the word translated “devil” twice and “satyr” in the aforementioned verses.

However, based on the context of each passage in Isaiah, it is almost certain that wild goats are intended by the Hebrew sa`iyr, not the goat-man creature of legend, and certainly not the faun of classical myth.

Unicorns
Hebrew word re'em, signifies a horned animal similar to the aurochs, a now-extinct ancestor of today’s domestic cattle.

For some unknown reason, the translators of the KJV chose to substitute “unicorn” for the name of this horned animal each time it occurred: (e.g., Deuteronomy 33:17; Psalm 22:21; and Isaiah 34:7.)

The Bible, in its original languages, never actually mentions unicorns.

Cockatrices

The cockatrice is a legendary monster, half-rooster and half-snake, with the ability to turn people to stone at a glance.

It may not be so well known as other mythological beings today, but, at the time the KJV translation was made, the cockatrice was a pervasive myth in Britain.

The word cockatrice was used to translate the Hebrew tsepha, which properly means “poisonous serpent or viper,” in four of its five occurrences: (Isaiah 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; and Jeremiah 8:17.) 

John Wycliffe used cockatrice in his 1382 Bible translation, and the KJV translators retained the term.

Behemoth
In Job an animal called “behemoth” is described as an example of the many things God has accomplished that Job could not even fathom (Job 40:15-24).

Behemoth is almost certainly a real creature, although some Jewish scholars hold it is a symbol of chaos.

The beast is most popularly identified as a hippopotamus or elephant, although some of its physical characteristics, particularly the tail “like a cedar,” do not match up with either animal.

Most young-earth creationists believe behemoth is a dinosaur similar to the apatosaurus or diplodocus.

Leviathan

The leviathan is described in Job 3:8 and 41:1-34, immediately after the behemoth and for the same purpose.

Isaiah 27:1 and Psalm 74:14 and 104:24-30 also mention the leviathan.

The name itself means “coiled one,” and its description indicates a monstrous, serpentine sea creature.

The leviathan breathes fire, has scales harder than iron, can crush anything in its jaws, and, according to Psalm 74, has multiple heads.

It is possible that leviathan was a sea-dwelling dinosaur.

The book of Job certainly seems to describe an actual beast, created by God.

Elsewhere in Scripture (such as in Psalm 74), the creature is used as a symbol for evil or the enemies of Israel.

Leviathan appears in multiple legends and texts outside of Hebrew culture, including a Ugaritic text, a Hittite legend, and a pictorial representation from Tel Asmar dated around 2350 BC.

These pagan myths present a beast similar to that described in the Bible, with the same or nearly the same name, but it is used as a personification of chaos to be subdued at the end of time.

Whether these myths were based on a real sea creature, and whether the Israelites were familiar with the myths or the creature itself, is unknown.

Nephilim

One of the strangest and most disturbing beings described in the Bible is the Nephilim.

We have an article on the Nephilim explaining them in far more detail, but, in short, the Nephilim were likely the offspring of demons and human women (Genesis 6:1-4 and Jude 6).

The Nephilim are also mentioned in Numbers 13:33.

It is likely that by this time in Israel’s history “Nephilim” was used as a term for any tall, intimidating people, such as those found in Canaan at the time and elsewhere called “giants.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/mythological-creatures-Bible.html