Believe the Good Report
In this season, it's important to fix your eyes on Jesus and listen to His voice above all others. Believe the good report, not voices of fear, doubt, and despair. Courageously stand in faith, even if you're standing alone. Faith costs something, but this is a good thing! Seek intimacy with God above all right now, as your strength comes from the Lord.
"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'
"But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are.' And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored." (Numbers 13:30–32 NIV)
Fear. We've all experienced it—the tightening in your gut, the racing heart, the feeling of panic that threatens to suffocate. So many things can provoke fear. Headlines about natural disasters, reports about the economy, and interpersonal relationships can all strike fear into our hearts.
In Scripture, the Israelites were going to enter the land of Canaan, and the majority of the people were overwhelmed by the giants of the land. Only two men looked and saw the promise, saw the potential. They were looking through a lens of faith. However, those who saw through a lens of fear spread a bad report among the people. This report of fear caused most of the Israelites to panic, and they refused to go in and conquer the land. Because of this, they wandered in the desert for forty years, right next to the Promised Land but never entering it. Only Joshua and Caleb lived long enough to go into the Promised Land.
Fear is faith in the wrong kingdom. Unfortunately, our culture is addicted to fear. Fear sells. Fear keeps people hooked, keeps people watching the news or reading the headlines. Fear promises safety, when in reality, fear impacts your ability to reason and reduces your brain to its most primitive functioning. This is helpful if you're getting chased by a tiger in the woods but not helpful when you're reading six panic-driven headlines a day. This is why it's important to mitigate the amount of fear you allow into your life.
God is inviting His people, right now, to fix their eyes on Him and live from a place of hope and faith over the situations they're facing. God-solutions are always better than our abilities on our own. Look to the Lord and ask for His perspective. He wants to usher you into breakthrough.
Because the Israelites listened to the bad report, most of them never entered the Promised Land. The enemy wants to use fear to sabotage your destiny, but the Lord has come to usher you into victory. Therefore, fix your "yes" on Jesus so that you may inherit your promise. It's time to BELIEVE what God says about your identity, your life, and your situation. God has made a way for victory before you've even entered the battle. Therefore, fix your gaze on Him. Believe the GOOD report. Stop rehearsing negativity and fear, and believe His voice above all others.
Courage to Stand
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)
Have you ever wanted to see all the pieces before taking a step? Have you wanted to know every leg of the journey or to have every question answered before making a decision? Or have you ever taken a step of faith and, immediately, everything seemed to fall apart? You found yourself asking, "Did I miss it? Did I actually hear God?" Fear and doubt start to creep in, and you wonder if you're crazy or foolish or naive. The fact is, faith is confidence in what we do not see. Faith comes from the heart of God and it is a gift to us. Yes, we can do things to stir up faith, such as getting in the Word of God, being surrounded by faith-filled people, and listening to testimonies of what God has done. Faith is more than just a feeling or a belief that something will happen. Faith is alignment, and it is action. Faith requires courage, and faith requires action. (Photo via Unsplash)
If you truly believed God's promise was coming to pass, what would you do? What steps would you take? Your actions showcase what's actually in your heart and what you genuinely believe. If you find yourself consistently avoiding risks or procrastinating on what God's put in your heart, chances are you don't fully believe His word over your life. This isn't a moment for shame but an invitation for realignment and an opportunity to pick up faith again.
In addition, faith is costly. It can seem way easier to sit back passively and remain on the sidelines, but it's much much costlier in the long run. The Israelites were afraid of the giants, so they opted not to possess their Promised Land. Was it scary? Did they risk defeat? Yes. But because they gave in to fear, it cost them their inheritance. An entire generation of people died in the wilderness without inheriting their promise.
Don't give in to fear and doubt. Do NOT allow fear to write your story. Instead, boldly pursue the things God has put in your heart. Go in and possess your promised land. Joshua and Caleb saw that God had already given them the Promised Land. When God says it, it's as good as done. They had confidence in what they could not see with their natural eyes, but they were looking with their "spirit eyes." They were looking with eyes of faith.
Faith is going to cost you your understanding. It will cost you your control. It may cost you your timeline. It might cost you your plans. It might mean you're going against the crowd and the only one standing. But faith is worth it. It's time to pick up faith again. Pick up your promise, and boldly go and inherit your promised land. The assignment God has given you might feel way too big for you... GOOD. You are called to pioneer, to take risks, and to step into your promise.
So, go for it, and even when it seems like everything's against you, stand in faith and in the promises of God.
A Costly Offering
"A woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He was reclining at the table." (Matthew 26:7 NIV)
When you love someone, generosity is easy. When you cherish something, it's easy to sacrifice in pursuit of what you love. For many of us in the Church, we often complain about the cost of obedience instead of delighting in the cost. This shows eyes that are fixed on the wrong thing. The woman with the alabaster perfume (whose value was a year's worth of wages) gave Jesus a costly sacrifice. She willingly looked foolish in front of a crowd and poured her inheritance on His feet. This looked foolish to those around her, but she didn't care. She was willing to offer all for a passionate expression of love.
Likewise, David said that he would not give "that which costs me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24). David recognized that if something didn't cost him anything, it was less valuable.
When we love, we give that which costs us. Everything worth having in life comes with some sort of cost. People want the easy route, but people don't actually value the easy route. (Photo via Unsplash)
If you've found yourself complaining about the cost of following God or feeling like it won't be worth it, ask the Lord to transform your heart and to revive the love in your heart for Him.
Years ago, I was driving down the road while praying and counting the cost of following Jesus, and I had this realization: What may seem costly to me today, in light of eternity, will cost me nothing. You cannot out-give God. He is far more generous and gracious and resourceful than you could ever imagine Him to be. There is beauty in sacrifice. Right now, there's an invitation to give God something that costs you, whether it's praise, generosity, or obedience. Don't be afraid of the cost of following Him. It's worth it.
Foundations of Intimacy
"That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers." (Psalm 1:3 NIV)
I have a question for you: Do you truly believe intimacy with God is possible—not just showing up to church, praying rote prayers, or quickly glancing through the Bible but a deep, rich, fulfilling friendship with God?
For many Believers, the idea of becoming friends with God feels slightly impossible, whether it's because of theology that says God is harsh and cruel, ready to punish at any moment, or the belief that God is scary. However, God wants us to know Him as good and as kind. Many of us project our adverse child experiences onto God. If we experienced harshness, passivity, or indifference in a parent, we project that onto God.
However, God is healing the way we see Him. He is a God of kindness, of tenderness, and of compassion. Right now, God is releasing a new way of seeing Him over His people. He is releasing His heart of kindness over His people and showcasing His love and compassion. If you've experienced a fear of coming close to God or the belief that God is out to punish you, ask Him to show you His character.
If you're still finding that a part of you struggles to believe God is good and kind, I encourage you to come to Him with curiosity. Ask Him questions. Create space. Allow yourself to explore the possibility that He is different from what you have known or experienced. Just as you would with a friend, show up intentionally. Share your feelings. Listen. As you create space to discover God in a way you haven't experienced Him, He will meet you.
Declarations:
• I am believing the good report.
• I stand in faith even when I don't understand.
• I am offering God a sacrifice of praise.
• I pursue intimacy with God above all.
• I relinquish fear and pick up trust.
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Katelyn Alexander
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Katelyn Alexander is a masterful teacher and coach with a passion for seeing people walk in the wholeness of who God created them to be. An actor, writer, and storyteller, Katelyn blends creativity and charisma with a solid foundation on the Word of God. Katelyn first worked with Anne and The Crowning Jewels in 2015 and now blogs, writes, and teaches for TCJ.
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Anne Jackson
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Texas-born Anne Jackson worked as a nurse for seventeen years before fully embracing her creative nature. Having grown up believing that God only spoke through the Bible, her life was transformed with the personal knowledge that He still speaks today. As she experienced a revelation of God's love for her and the power of words to transform and heal, she began designing jewelry, partnering with the Holy Spirit to create a tangible way to bring Heaven to Earth. This is where her prophetic jewelry company, The Crowning Jewels, was birthed. Many people recognize her company as a business-ministry hybrid. She is known as a prophetic visionary with the drive to accomplish her dreams. Her mandate is to champion others as they discover their God given identity and fulfill their divine purpose. After living in Redding, CA for ten years, she recently moved back home and currently resides in Texas.
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