DO YOU FEEL STRONG TODAY ?

There are so many great Bible Characters and role models in the Word of God, I love for example Caleb, although he was not an Israelite by birth, the Bible says he was an ISRAELITE INDEED, six times it is recorded HE HAS FULLY FOLLOWED THE LORD, what a testimony. He and Joshua were amongst the twelve who were sent as spies into the Promised land, only these two brought back a positive report, the other 10 gave a negative report, those 10 with the rest of their generation died in the wilderness, but Joshua and Caleb went into the promised land. Joshua 14: 6-13 NKJV encapsulates the life of Caleb :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. 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. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 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.’ 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. 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. 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.”
And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.

I just want to highlight 2 verses today verses10-11 Caleb at 85 years old declares in the MESSAGE Bible That was the day that Moses solemnly promised, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance, you and your children’s, forever. Yes, you have lived totally for God.’ Now look at me: God has kept me alive, as he promised. It is now forty-five years since God spoke this word to Moses, years in which Israel wandered in the wilderness. And here I am today, eighty-five years old!

Very soon I will be celebrating my 78th birthday, and I am not sure whether Caleb was talking about his physical strength or how he felt on the inside. I sure don’t feel 78 on the inside, but if I have to hurry across the road (as I had to this morning to miss traffic) I realise how old I am.

May I at least suggest that because his reputation was that HE FULLY FOLLOWED THE LORD, (this was Caleb’s secret) he knew a strength that came from God, so that he could maintain a constant fresh vision for the Lord and be able to say in v. 12 Now therefore, GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN of which the Lord spoke in that day.

I am reminded of Caleb’s leader Moses and what was said of him when he died, we read in Deut. 34:7 NKJV Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.

So it was probably Caleb’s NATURAL VIGOR that was as strong as ever at 85. It has been said of Moses that for the first 40 years of his life he tried to be a SOMEBODY, in the next 40 years he learnt to be a NOBODY, then in his last 40 years, he learnt and experienced how God could use a NOBODY.

Moses was a great leader, but let us learn from Caleb’s life to learn to live the surrendered life 24/7 and live in the resurrection power and life of God Amen.