ATTITUDE OF FAITH

The Attitude of Faith

May 18, 2017 by EGBUNU SILAS

Faith To Win!

Joshua 14:6-12
Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. ⁷ I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. ⁸ Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. ⁹ So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ ¹⁰ And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. ¹¹ As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. ¹² Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”
The book of Joshua gives us a picture of how God gives to us but we have a responsibility to take what He has given us. This is a practical expression of the faith principle. Faith is about receiving with one’s heart God first, and then His will towards us. Faith is a practical expression of your confidence towards God and His Word. It involves a persistent use of means with the conviction that God is faithful (Jam.2:17).
When God delivered Israel from the hands of Pharaoh He promised to take them into a good land flowing with milk and honey. It was the best land in the area that God had reserved for them (Exo.3:187). As far as He was concerned, He had given them the land, it was up to them to march into the land and enjoy it. On their journey to the Promised Land, they were expected to fight to possess!
Notice what Deuteronomy 2:24 says, “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.” One would wonder that if God had given them the land, why did they still have to fight for it? Because even when God blesses us and gives us His good promises, there will always be opposition. Faith requires that we take a firm stand in believing and standing against all opposition until we take possession of what has been given to us.
Numbers 13 shares the story of how God commissioned the people to go spy out the land that had been given to them. Scripture reveals that when the twelve returned, they told of the great things that were in the land. Everything that God had spoken to them concerning the land was true, but ten of them began to speak contrary to what God had promised. They said they could not possess the land, and that they were small, like grasshoppers in the sight of those who inhabited the land. The Bible described this as “an evil report” (Num.13:32)
Whenever you are faced with a situation that forces you to speak in a manner that is contrary to what God has spoken to you, you are giving an evil report. To take sides against what God has said because of your situation is not a good thing. However there was one amongst them, Caleb, who quieted the people and said “let us go at once and possess the land, we are well able to overcome!” (Num.13:30). Caleb did not say what he said because he had any extra powers or because he was stronger and greater in battle than the rest. He saw the same thing the others saw, but his report was different! He chose to say exactly what God had Promised.
1 Timothy 6:12 says, “…fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Caleb’s attitude was a fighting attitude (Num.14:24). He was bold, daring and courageous believing in the integrity of God’s promise. To reach the fullness of what God has for you, you must cultivate a fighting attitude.
The fight of faith involves “laying hold” of the hope that we have in God’s Word.  1 Timothy 6:12 says, “lay hold on eternal life”. Eternal life is not something that is tangible to one’s touch. To lay hold here represents a heart attitude that refuses to give up. It is unrelenting in its expectation of a certain outcome. It is consistent in the application of self and resources because of what it believes. This must be your attitude to God’s Word if you will win in the journey of life.
Achievers are those who refuse to give their temporal circumstances power over their lives and choices. This ought to be the life of a believing Christian. You must understand that Christianity is not for the lazy or the faint of heart. You must have a fighting spirit! You must never quit. Be steadfast in your believing of God’s Word.
The fight of faith for Caleb was not for 2 weeks, but it was for 45 years. He received a promise from God through Moses at 40years, and 45 years later he still had the attitude that said “Give me this mountain…” (Josh.14:12). He still had the same passion and desire to take on the promised land and all its opposition even after 45 years. His faith preserved him through the difficulty and the waiting period.
What are you waiting on God for? It may appear to be taking longer than expected, but you must never quit. You must put up a fight all the way until you see what you are believing for manifested. For us today, the battle of faith is not a physical battle, it is an unseen battle.2 Cor.10:3-5 says, “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh…”. For the New Testament believer, the Word of God is the battle axe.
Hold tightly to what God’s Word says, and never give up because one thing is certain, if you stick with the Word, you will come back with a testimony.