Follow the Lord Fully: Part 1

“’See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.’  Then all of you approached me (Moses) and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we shall enter.’”  Deuteronomy 1:21,22 (Notice whose idea it was to go get the 'natural' view, and the Lord agreed to it and sent these twelve leaders. Numbers 13:1-2)

Joshua's account  of this is in Joshua 14:7-9, “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 word back to him as it was in my heart.  Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully.  So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’”

What a contrast!  These twelve men were sent to spy out the land, and only two saw that land through eyes of faith- faith in their very Big God, His very Big promises to them, and His great ability- not only the ability that they had heard about, but had also experienced first hand!  The other ten saw it with their fleshly eyes and though it looked good and they wanted it, it seemed too impossible and frightening to go forward and take for themselves so they "were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD" and grumbled. (Deut. 1:25-27)  

Have you allowed what your 'natural eyes' have seen to take away your FOCUS? Have you allowed any other 'report'  to melt your heart with fear so that you are tempted to give up on the promises of God for your life?  Or is your heart full of faith in your very Big, Almighty God so that you can follow the Lord your God fully?  How is your heart?

Oh,  may He be big enough, in our hearts and minds, not just to listen to but to obey! And may we GO and take possession of all that He has promised us. 
Do not fear or be dismayed.  Stand firm!