Opinion
Whose report shall you believe?
Catherine Ayre has been reflecting on the story of Joshua, and reminds us that our words can be a source of great encouragement to others, or simply be destructive.
Reading the account of how Joshua got to enter the land God had promised the Israelites, the word ‘report’ comes to light. It was time to explore the land of Canaan—a land that God had already said he was giving them.
After what was a negative report from the majority, Joshua and Caleb tore their clothing, saying to all the people of Israel, “The land we travelled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Numbers 14:7-9).
We can spread either a good report or a bad report about a situation or a person. Is our glass half empty or half full? In this case, it actually came down to life or death for the person or people giving the report. Negativity breeds fear, and fear is seen as rebellion here.
In Joshua’s situation, he brought a faith-filled report, survived and entered the promised land. But the others who gave a bad report didn’t survive God’s wrath. Why? Partly because they didn’t believe, but partly because they spread their unbelief amongst the rest through what they said. It spread like wildfire and over a million people believed the bad report.
So, what reports have you heard lately? Has someone spoken something negative over your life? Or are you watching or listening to the news reports as a daily diet? Try singing this song written by Becky Fender as the antidote:
Whose report shall you believe? We shall believe the report of the Lord
Whose report shall you believe? We shall believe the report of the Lord
His report says I am healed
His report says I am filled
His report says I am free
His report says victory!
The Ai generated image above is by Jose Weslley from Pixabay
Catherine Ayre, who lives in Norwich, is the author of the poetry book "Heart to Heart". She has a passion to see people connect with God through writing, music and radio.
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