Monday, May 26, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Acts 26

Numbers 13:27-28 
This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country – a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!”

That word “but” changed everything.

The Israelites stood on the edge of God’s promise. They had tasted the fruit. They saw the beauty. They had proof in their hands of what God had said was true. And yet, in a moment of hesitation, they chose fear over faith.

What happened? The "Rules for the Road," God’s commands and promises, were clear. He had already promised the land to them (Numbers 13:1). He didn’t send them to decide if they should go in, but to prepare for how they would conquer it. Still, most of the Israelites allowed their perceptions to override God’s direction.

We do the same. We pray for opportunities, breakthroughs, healing, and clarity. When it comes into view, we freeze. We start rehearsing reasons it won’t work: It’s too risky. I’m not ready. They’re too strong. I’m too small.

We forget what God has already said. We trust what we see more than what he has spoken.

Then there’s Caleb. Amid the fear, he speaks with bold simplicity. 

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

Caleb saw the same giants. He walked the same rugged terrain. What set him apart? He never lost sight of the why behind the what. He understood that when God gives direction, it’s not a suggestion – it’s a roadmap. Caleb trusted that God wasn’t just calling them to something but would also carry them through it.

When we follow God’s lead, we don’t just stumble forward – we arrive on time and on purpose, right in the middle of his will. The path may still have giants, but the promise is never out of reach if we keep moving in faith.

Questions: 
Are you standing at the edge of obedience, facing a big decision, conversation, or risk? 

How can you prepare yourself to be ready to obey the “Rules of the Road” and not let the “but” stop you? 

Is there a place in your life where fear is louder than God’s promise?

Next Steps: 
Write down one area in your life where you’ve been hesitating at the edge, where fear has kept you from moving forward. Then, next to it, write what God has already said or promised in his Word about that situation. Pray for the courage of Caleb, and take one small step today - make the call, send the email, start the plan - believing that God will meet you in motion.

Prayer: 
God, forgive me when I let fear write the story instead of faith. Help me trust your promises more than my perceptions. Give me a Caleb heart, bold, trusting, and ready to move. Amen.

This post was written by Monique Myers, a Perrysburg attendee and regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.