The journey should have ended in celebration.
From Sinai to the Jordan. From slavery to promise. From wilderness to inheritance.
But instead of crossing over in faith, Israel listened to fear.
Ten spies said, “It’s too scary.”
Two said, “God will do it.”
The people believed the ten.
And what should have been a moment of victory became 38 more years of wandering.
The Real Issue Wasn’t the Giants
The Anakites were real. The cities were fortified. The challenge was legitimate.
But the problem wasn’t the size of the giants.
It was the size of their forgetfulness.
They had seen:
- The Red Sea part
- Water from a rock
- Manna from heaven
- Quail in abundance
- God’s fire and presence
Yet when the next obstacle appeared, fear replaced faith.
The greatest enemy of faith is forgetfulness.
God’s Word at the Jordan
In Deuteronomy 9, God reminds them:
“It is not because of your righteousness… you are a stiff-necked people.”
That sounds like correction — but it’s actually hope.
Because if their future depended on their perfection, they would never enter.
Their future depended on God’s promise.
And so does ours.
Three Shifts That Move Us from Fear to Faith
1. Focus Not on My Pain, but on God’s Plan
Pain is real. We don’t deny it.
But if we stare at pain long enough, it becomes our perspective.
Hindsight often reveals what God was doing all along.
Faith asks, “God, what are You building through this?”
2. Focus Not on What I Can’t Do, but on What God Will Do
Joseph in prison?
“I cannot do it… but God will.” (Genesis 41:16)
David before Goliath?
“I come against you in the name of the Lord.”
Joshua and Caleb?
“We can do this — because the Lord is with us.”
Human strength has limits.
God does not.
Move beyond a human “can-do” attitude to a “what-God-will-do” posture.
3. Change Your Perception to Change Your Perspective
Perception determines perspective.
If we assume defeat, we see obstacles.
If we assume God’s faithfulness, we see opportunity.
Faith is not denying reality.
Faith is remembering a greater reality.
How Do We Fight Forgetfulness?
In Deuteronomy 6, God gives an answer:
- Teach it to your children
- Talk about it when you sit and when you walk
- Write it on your doorposts
- Bind it to your hands
In other words:
Surround your life with reminders of who God is.
Because one day, you will stand at your own Jordan.
And the question won’t be, “Are you strong enough?”
The question will be:
Do you remember?
God will clear the way.
Not because you are perfect.
But because you are His.
Move from fear to faith.
Sermon video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlOydwYLbc4
[Blog post created by Sunday Message Repurposing Assistant from original sermon content preached by Rev. Kent F. Jackson on February 15, 2026.]
Sermon Series NOTE: The Story by Max Lucado ch. 6 “Wilderness”
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