Numeri 14:24 But my servant Caleb—this is a different story. He has a different spirit; he follows me passionately. I’ll bring him into the land that he scouted and his children will inherit it.

We’ve already discussed what had happened when Moses sent 12 men into the Promised Land. Ten returned trembling and afraid of the people of that land. But there were two who saw it very differently. One was Joshua and the other Caleb.

Caleb was different. He did not allow himself to be swept away with the current. He stood strong. He believed so strongly in his view that he and Joshua, upon hearing the others complain about the land, became tearful and even tore their clothes.

He almost pleaded with the people and told them what he had seen with his own eyes. He described how beautiful the land was and how fertile the soil was. It was a land where they could work and play and live happily. It was truly the Promised Land.

However, the people chose to listen to the ten other men, and then they were on their way.

As a result, God’s stated that the entire generation would die in the wilderness, but that Caleb would enter the land, and that his descendants would inherit it. He had a different attitude than the rest.

That is what sets someone who is in an intimate relationship with God apart. The Spirit living within them helps them make the right choices, even when those choices go completely against what everyone else is doing.

Caleb shows us what it looks like to live so close to God that fear no longer has the last word. He chooses God’s promise over the crowd’s panic, and that is why he finally steps into what others have only seen from afar.

May the Lord also give us that same distinct spirit, so that we may live fully for Him, even if we must walk alone.

Prayer
Father, it’s easy for me to follow the crowd. It doesn’t come naturally to swim against the current to You, but I know and believe that with the help of the Holy Spirit, it is easier. …

Questions
Where in my life do I follow the crowd rather than God’s guidance?
Is there an area where I know God is calling me to be different?
What is holding me back from fully standing for God, even if I am standing alone?

Do this now
Identify one place today where you know you’re swimming with the current, and not with God.
Pray specifically about it and ask the Holy Spirit for the courage to choose the right way.
Do one small, concrete thing today that shows you are choosing God’s way over the crowd’s, even if it feels uncomfortable.