Pioneers Vs Settlers

Numbers 13:26-33

America would not be here without the brave and courageous pioneers that crossed an ocean to escape tyranny, and went on to overcome extreme hardships of weather, starvation, sickness, and still faced the threats from the land they left. They managed to not only build colonies, and establish a governmental system; many braved the untamed wilderness to explore and discover the vast resources of this new land. The unknown is always an adventure that carries risk. Without faith and courage, we cannot conquer fear and take claim to any new territory…either physically or spiritually.

We are called to have a pioneering spirit in our Christian walk. It doesn’t mean we are to live like nomads without a home. What is does mean is that we are to follow and be obedient to the voice of Holy Spirit in our lives. It will not always look or sound practical. As a matter of fact most times it will look impossible or even foolish to our natural mind. We may be tempted to simply “settle” because it is easier than overcoming the intimidating giants in our land.

A pioneer is someone who opens up and prepares for others to follow. A settler is someone who settles in the region that has been pioneered for them. It is comfortable and safe to be a settler. We can leave the giants on the other side for someone else….and maybe if we remain neutral they won’t bother us. Sadly this has become the stance that many pastors have taken. They have decided to settle where they perceive it is safe ground. By remaining silent against the evil they wont be targeted by the radical left. They have failed to realize that they have become lukewarm and ineffective. No salt, no light. “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of My mouth” Revelation 3:16

God had promised His people that He would give them the land that flowed with milk and honey, but that they would need to conquer and overcome all the “ites” in the land…little by little. Moses sent a group of spies ahead into the land to see what the land was like; and whether the people were weak or strong. “Be of good courage, and bring some fruit of the land.” They were gone forty days and brought back some amazing fruit! Clusters of grapes so big that they had to be carried on a pole; along with figs and pomegranates. But what was the report?

“It truly flows with milk and honey…nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw descendants of Anak there.” The majority of the spies recognized the truth of what God had said…however they allowed the giants they saw, and the fortified cities to bring fear and defeat. Suddenly the promise became far too much to claim because it required a pioneering spirit of faith to overcome the obstacles they had to face. Settling on the “safe side” seemed much easier. They were willing to forfeit the promise.

God has given a promise to everyone who will overcome the evil that oppresses the righteous. Is it easy? No it is not! Overcoming and persevering through trouble, through pain, sickness, or injustice, is never easy. Nor is it meant to be easy. Easy makes for lazy, and lazy makes for becoming prey of the enemy. We need to have the same spirit that Joshua and Caleb had. “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said…Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” There was a far different spirit of courage and faith in Caleb and Joshua, but the fear of the majority spread to the masses.

“But the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” They were calling God a liar! They could not overcome their fear and walk by the faith that God had called them to. We are living in a day where we are being called to overcome the giants of evil that have invaded our land. The giants of perversion, injustice, cowardice, blasphemy, and corruption. None of these are new; however they have become overwhelming to the point of shutting out and locking up those who voice the truth.

God has placed the church as the first line of defense in the governmental system. When the church remains silent in the face of evil, judgment begins there. The church is not to be a safe zone. The church was called to be the place of equipping its people to be salt and light within their communities….a place to be not only be spiritually fed, but also to be spiritually equipped to fight and push back the forces of darkness in our world. If you are in a comfortable, safe, and lukewarm church, you are salt that has lost its savor, and good for nothing.

We need churches that have the mantle of Elijah; ones that dare to ask for the double-portion as Elisha did. These are the ones that are the equipping ground that are raising up people with a spiritual pioneering spirit; the spirit that will overcome the giants that are seeking to take over our land. Do not look for a church that makes you feel comfortable. Look for a church that wants to equip you, that will encourage you to be a spiritual warrior in the days in which we live.

“But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring him into the land where he went and his descendants shall inherit it.” Numbers 14:24