But Caleb tried to encourage the people as they stood before Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!"
Numbers 13:30 NLT

Scripture reveals that these ten spies not only reported their findings to the community of Israel, but also imparted their own fears (Numbers 13: 25-26, 31-33). In response, the whole nation of Israel began to complain against Moses and plot for their return to Egypt. Angered, God considered detroying them all, but Moses prevailed in prayer, and God merely decided that not one of that generation would enter into Caanan. The Israelites went on to wander the desert for another forty years.

Both groups had delivered their messages - one, a message of fear, the other a message of hope. One by one, Israel's collective mindset became infected with the message of fear. In the end, they shrunk back from the challenge.

Were the ten negative spies false prophets? Did they, like Joshua and Caleb, also speak with prophetic voices?

The Scriptures warn us to test the prophets' messages (I Thessalonians 5:21). Are they born of the Spirit of God? Or do they originate with some other spirit? The moment the Israelites bought into the vision delivered by the ten fearful spies - the false Prophetic Voices, they launched their lives toward an alternate destiny, away from God's highest and best plan.

Like the Israelites of old, our thoughts today are shaped by the messages we hear. Whether a Sunday sermon, a book from the Christian bookstore, a television news broadcast, or a film at the theatre, we cannot help but be impacted by the continual barrage of messages we encounter every day. Each human mind evolves over time into a complex web of thoughts, ideas, memories, philosophies, concepts, and much more. Our minds guide us and direct us. With informed minds, our wills make the choices which determine the course and destiny of our lives. Like never before in history, everybody's talkin' at the same time. Indeed, the world is filled with Prophetic Voices, each one clamoring for our attention.

In Week 13, we discussed how prophets are those who speak for another, or in some cases, simply those who speak. We also noted that to prophesy means to "flow forth." Could it be said that our airwaves, our Internet connections and our printing presses "flow forth" with messages? All messages, regardless of their source, come from somewhere. And all are, in regard to their power to shape, form, and mold our world, prophetic in nature. What are your thoughts?

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The war between prophetic messages rages on. In essence, there are really only two messages - God's messages and the devil's messages. Next week our theme will be Two Messages, Many Messengers.

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GroundWorks is an imprint of Reconciliation Press. The name has been chosen to reflect the biblical idea of roots and foundations in Christian life and culture. As you read these weekly articles, look for words and imagery in the text that illustrate these themes.

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