What To Do When You Doubt Your Future
One of the greatest destroyers of destiny is self-doubt. We all experience it at some point in our lives. We struggle to feel worthy, suffer from imposter syndrome, feel inferior to others, or are plagued with negative emotions because of how we perceive ourselves.
Too many people find themselves on the doorstep of their ultimate calling yet experience fear and doubt rather than excitement and purpose. This can cause us to miss out on what God has for us.
Let's explore how ten of Israel's finest warriors struggled with identity confusion, self-doubt, and fear, while two others displayed conviction, confidence, and a God-breathed expectation.
The Twelve Spies
One of the saddest days in the Old Testament is when the twelve spies returned from surveying the Promised Land. Moses had sent twelve of Israel's finest young men, one selected by each tribe, their version of Rangers or Navy Seals. These were the fittest and finest warriors in all of Israel.
If anyone should have been confident, it should have been these twelve. You would expect them to feel capable of overcoming any obstacle.
These twelve young warriors were sent across the Jordan River to examine the Promised Land, the land God had promised them. It was the calling of the Israelite people to possess that land.
Moses intended for them to survey the land and provide feedback to help set a strategy for conquering it. But after forty days, the spies returned with a report. Ten of them demonstrated the dangers of self-doubt and poor identity, while two showed how to overcome these challenges.
The Consequence of Self-Doubt
The report from ten of the spies cost Israel forty years of progress. An entire generation died in the wilderness because of the words of ten people. For them, surveying the Promised Land caused them to see only impossibility and imminent destruction. They reported a land far beyond their capability to conquer—a land of giants, walled cities, and incredible obstacles.
It's important to note that their perception of the land stemmed from how they saw themselves. Their distorted view led them to sabotage God's plan and purpose.
They summed up their experience saying:
"We looked like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we appeared the same to them." Numbers 13:33
This verse is one of the most tragic in the Old Testament. To hear God's children, who had experienced a supernatural Exodus from Egypt and miraculous provision in the wilderness, say of themselves, "We felt small, insignificant and vulnerable," while standing on the land God had prepared for them for the last 900 years, is tragic to the core.
A Lesson for Us
For us, the Promised Land symbolizes God's plan and purpose. It represents our dreams, destiny, and what we are seeking to step into in our lives. But like the ten spies, we often find ourselves doubting our potential and calling. We disqualify ourselves from the steps God wants us to take. When God beckons us into His promised land, it's easy to experience fear and dread instead of confidence and anticipation.
The ten spies' self-doubt and insecurity caused a catastrophic outcome. None of them entered the land God had for them, and an entire generation of Israelites missed out. Self-doubt and insecurity have the same potential to derail destiny now as they did then.
The Secret of Joshua and Caleb
Joshua and Caleb’s report of the Promised Land was completely different from the ten. Their perspective was shaped by how they saw themselves. While ten spies were filled with negativity, self-doubt, and fear, the two came alive with expectation and wonder. Ten spies thought their world was ending, but two felt this was what they were born for. Ten saw obstacles; two saw possibilities.
Joshua and Caleb responded:
"The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Numbers 14:6-9
What a difference in response! Joshua and Caleb were confident, courageous, and expectant. Their secret lies in two key words: “different” and “follows.”
A Different Spirit
God describes Caleb as having a "different spirit" and following Him wholeheartedly:
"Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." Numbers 14:24
The Hebrew word translated “different” is “Acher,” meaning “next” or “following.” The Hebrew word for “follows” is “Achar,” meaning to “come after.” Caleb had a "next spirit." He wasn't living in the present; his spirit was living in the next. We experience self-doubt and insecurity when our spirit lives in the pain of our past or the limitations of our present. Caleb’s spirit lived in what was ahead.
Living in the Presence of God
Caleb worshipped God wholeheartedly. Worship is transformational because it lifts us toward God, moving us closer to Him and ushering us into His presence. In His presence, dreams and visions come alive. The Holy Spirit’s language is the language of visions and dreams. When we worship, our hearts are freed from fears, hurts, and limitations, and dreams and visions fill our souls.
To be in the presence of God is to come alive with purpose, faith, confidence, and life. Caleb’s worship became transcendent, making the presence of God where his spirit called home. He felt at home in God’s promises, dreams, purpose, faith, confidence, and life.
Embrace Your "Next Spirit"
We can be free of self-doubt, inner confusion, insecurity, and fear when we make our home in the presence of God. Worship and prayer should be the centre of our lives. As we come into God's presence through worship, let God speak to us. Listen for His voice, and let dreams and visions come alive. Agree with God and what He is showing you.
This was the critical difference between Joshua and Caleb and the other ten spies. Through worship and by surrendering their lives fully to God, Joshua and Caleb found a largeness of spirit that wasn't contaminated by the wilderness around them. They lived with freedom and endless possibility, experiencing a profound feeling of destiny.
Our spirit is designed to live in communion with God. Caleb's consistent worship changed him, making his spirit more at home in God's promises than in the wilderness. He moved from being a freed slave wandering in the wilderness to a man identified by who God revealed him to be.
We all have a promised land that God wants to call us into. You will always end up living where your spirit calls home. Make worship and prayer the centre of your life, and as you do, let God fill you with promise, love, and faith. Embrace your “next spirit” and step into the destiny God has for you.