The Israelites were led astray by the negative report because they forgot God's promise to give them the land of Canaan. Sadly, an entire generation of God's people missed out on the realization of this promise when they ignored the reality of God's faithfulness. If we intend to be spiritual explorers, to follow the unknown paths and journey into unmapped territory, we must learn to trust God. Like Christian in The Pilgrim's Progress , we must put our hands to our ears, shut out the voices that would call us back to safety and sameness . . . Spiritual courage is a rare and precious commodity in our world.
Few people have the fearlessness to ask the difficult questions, or to live without an answer.
For too many years we have put our minds on hold, avoided confrontation with our own souls . . . We need to confirm within our spirits the truth that bravery is a virtue, that God is big enough to handle our confusion and struggle, our anger and pain . . . that the One who calls out to us will be with us, even if we make some mistakes along the way. It is much easier to deal with the familiar than it is to take a risk, but often that is what God calls you to do. The Israelites did not know where they were going when the journey began. They followed the presence of God in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.