RUSSELL SANDERS

10-21-2025

THE LIFE OF JOSHUA – LESSON 6

HE BELIEVED GOD

________________

After about two years in the wilderness, God told Moses in Numbers 13:2 to choose one ruler from each of the twelve tribes to spy out the land of Canaan which God had promised to give them. Joshua was chosen to represent Ephraim and Caleb for Judah.

These twelve chosen men brought back a good report of a land flowing with milk and honey. They brought much fruit back including a cluster of grapes so large that it took two men to carry it on a staff.

However, they also brought back an evil report about the inhabitants of the land. The cities were fortified with walls and were very large. There also were giants throughout the land that were so tall that these men felt like grasshoppers beside them. They instilled fear in the hearts of all Israel when they said in Numbers 13:31, “We be not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we.”

In the natural, their fear was very reasonable considering the people of the Amalekites, Jebusites, Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, plus the sons of Anak. Who were these people? The Hittites had one of the largest empires of that time. It existed during 1600-1180 B.C. covering present-day Turkey, parts of Europe, and with pockets scattered around Canaan. They were fierce warriors and were one of the earliest people to develop weapons of iron.

The “sons of Anak,” or Anakim, were indeed giants standing nine to ten feet tall. They inhabited the mountain areas (Joshua 11:21-22) which were strategic high ground advantages in battles of Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and other mountains including Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

Joshua had no fear. He believed God would give them victory over the land just as He had promised. Caleb also said that they would be victorious. These two believers along with Moses and Aaron were ready to march in and take the land.

The people’s fear rose up as they refused to follow these four men of God. They refused to go into the land. Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes and they, with Moses and Aaron, fell in repentance to God for the people’s rejection.

The ten men of the evil report died of a plague. God decreed that all males above twenty years old would die before ever seeing Canaan. Only Joshua and Caleb would enter that land.

Folks, God’s promises are sure and certain. Some do have conditions to be met but some are unconditional. We must be obedient and truly believe His promises just as Joshua and Caleb did. There is no room for doubters. Believe!

HELEN SANDERS

10-21-2025

DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

_________________

I had been working on the newsletter we send out daily for hours.  There were glitches with the newsletter program, and it was frustrating. It takes a couple of hours to update the entire newsletter, but when it wasn’t working properly with the polls and trivia questions, I lost a lot of time.

I called technical support and was on the phone for about an hour with a young man who was very kind.  He could not figure out what was going on so I asked if there was a supervisor. 

I was then on the phone with a young lady that gave me some ideas as to how to fix the issues. She screen-shared with me and saw that I was in the ministry. She liked it. When she looked at the Bible Trivia Question, she said she should read her bible more, because she didn’t know the answer.

We got the problem fixed and the newsletter polls and quizzes should be working today. But that wasn’t the end of our conversation. I talked to her about the Lord, and she invited the Lord into her heart and became born again.

The inconvenience that was caused by the glitch turned into something beautiful. I could have gotten upset and angry with my frustration and been a bad witness, but we laughed through the whole time we spoke.

God had a plan for me today that had an unexpected curve in the road, but the angels in heaven are smiling over the salvation of a soul. Don’t let things upset you. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Years ago, my manager in the company I worked for gave me some advice. He said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Then he said, “Everything is small stuff.” Great advice. I pray that you take it too because God’s plan is better than ours any day of the week.