CALEB - A Total Commitment
CALEB - A Total Commitment
INTRODUCTION:
“It is encouraging to read of a man who lived among these people, and yet retained his purpose to walk with the Lord! We, too, can be kept by the power of God if, like Caleb, we determine to wholly follow the Lord.”
QUESTIONS:
1. Caleb was one of a group of men who had been selected as spies for
Israel. Ten of the spies told of a good land, but felt that the land would be
impossible to take. What did Caleb say? See Numbers 13:30; 14:6-9.
Numbers
13:30; 30 And Caleb stilled the
people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are
well able to overcome it.
KEY
POINTS & LESSON INSPIRATIONS:
Caleb said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it”
Both sides of the situation:
-Even though in the natural, things look impossible,
-if God promises something He will see that they receive it.
The promise is contingent on their faith and trust in Him.
When faithful men are needed for
critical assignment
- You may be called selected
- Selection may be based on who you profess to be
- You will need to make your call and election sure
God's promises that cannot fail for every one and situation
Faith and courage are needed to claim the promise
When the two conditions meet: What God cannot do does not exist
-Your faith level determines the possession
RELATED
SCRIPTURES:
Habakuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
APPLICATIONS
& CHALLENGE:
1. Courage speaks when others are silent:
While the majority spread fear, Caleb spoke faith.
When the crowd panics, God looks for a voice of faith.
2. Daring to stand alone:
Only Caleb and Joshua remained confident
The people wanted to stone him.
Caleb still stood firm.
It is better to stand with God and be alone than to stand with the crowd and be wrong.
3. Courage flows from confidence in God, not circumstances:
Caleb did not deny the giants.
He magnified God’s presence over the problem.
Faith does not ignore difficulty — it redefines it in the light of God’s power.
4. Courage resists negative influence:
Caleb recognized fear as rebellion against God.
He refused to let unbelief corrupt his obedience.
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is reject the spirit of fear around you.
Don’t make your weakness,
the group’s weakness
Don’t assume your strength/skills to be the groups strength,
(Don’t be intimidated by nay sayers)
“It is encouraging to read of a man who lived among these people, and yet retained his purpose to walk with the Lord! We, too, can be kept by the power of God if, like Caleb, we determine to wholly follow the Lord.”
Caleb said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it”
Both sides of the situation:
-Even though in the natural, things look impossible,
-if God promises something He will see that they receive it.
The promise is contingent on their faith and trust in Him.
- You may be called selected
- Selection may be based on who you profess to be
- You will need to make your call and election sure
God's promises that cannot fail for every one and situation
Faith and courage are needed to claim the promise
When the two conditions meet: What God cannot do does not exist
-Your faith level determines the possession
Habakuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
1. Courage speaks when others are silent:
While the majority spread fear, Caleb spoke faith.
When the crowd panics, God looks for a voice of faith.
2. Daring to stand alone:
Only Caleb and Joshua remained confident
The people wanted to stone him.
Caleb still stood firm.
It is better to stand with God and be alone than to stand with the crowd and be wrong.
3. Courage flows from confidence in God, not circumstances:
Caleb did not deny the giants.
He magnified God’s presence over the problem.
Faith does not ignore difficulty — it redefines it in the light of God’s power.
4. Courage resists negative influence:
Caleb recognized fear as rebellion against God.
He refused to let unbelief corrupt his obedience.
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is reject the spirit of fear around you.
Don’t assume your strength/skills to be the groups strength,
(Don’t be intimidated by nay sayers)
They believed the evil report, and as a result had to remain in the wilderness for forty years.
In our day, there are positive results if a person believes God and puts that belief into action.
Disbelief will bring negative results!
You have to see beyond the physical to lay hold on God's promises
Whom you choose to believe is your choice - You have the power
Your choice determines the result and outcome
- What do you want?
- Who is able to deliver what you want? - God or Satan's lies?
- What do you believe? - God's promises or Satan’s evil report
1. Our choices reveal our faith
Israel chose fear over faith.
Their words exposed what they truly believed about God.
Every decision we make declares where our trust truly lies.
2. Wrong choices can cancel great opportunities
The Promised Land was before them.
Their choice of unbelief turned opportunity into loss.
Sometimes it is not our circumstances that delay our destiny - it is our decisions.
3. Complaining is a dangerous decision
The people murmured against Moses and God
Their mouths shaped their future.
What we repeatedly speak eventually becomes what we experience.
4. Choices have lasting consequences
One night of unbelief produced forty years of wandering.
The cost of their choice affected an entire generation.
A single decision can echo through many years — and even through generations.
5. Our choices impact others
Their children suffered because of their parents’ unbelief.
We never choose only for ourselves.
Our choices shape the future of those connected to us.
Choose faith and move forward.
Choose fear and remain wandering.
God’s promises are sure - but the path we walk to reach them is shaped by our choices.
Caleb was promised that he would go into the land and that his seed would possess it because he had followed the Lord “wholly.”
Wholly? - how we must follow God.
Popular opinion - Will make you to disappear with the crowd
Promises of God: Faith - Distinguished opinion will distinguish you
Courage to dare to be different - There are resultant blessings
Our stand for God is never in vain - It would be worth it all
1. Good choices begin with a different spirit
Caleb chose faith when others chose fear.
When you choose differently for God, God responds differently for you.
2. Following God fully brings divine approval
Caleb’s obedience was not partial — it was wholehearted.
God noticed and honored his commitment.
God does not reward convenience — He rewards commitment.
3. Right choices secure lasting inheritance
While others wandered, Caleb advanced.
His good choice preserved his destiny.
One faithful decision can preserve everything God has promised you.
4. Faithful choices impact future generations
Caleb’s children inherited the promise with him.
When you choose God, you are also choosing a better future for your family.
5. God distinguishes between the faithful and the fearful
The same wilderness tested everyone.
Your environment does not determine your outcome — your choices do.
While others complain, stand firm.
While others retreat, move forward.
When you choose God fully, He ensures your future securely.
Caleb was 40 when he was promised his inheritance, and 85 when he claimed it. The reward for belief may not always be immediate.
Caleb had to hold on in faith for 45 years.
Examples from own experience when an answer to prayer was delayed but did come eventually?
Delays are not denials – most importantly, what do you do while waiting?
When we respond, we enter into a lifetime relationship with God
God installed a program of His plan into our lives
- Step by step and time based
Consistency in walking and working with God is crucial
- Don't change your spiritual address
God determines how, time, place and purpose of our blessings
- Trust God’s how/method, time, place and purpose
Joshua 14:7,10 7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
1. Waiting does not cancel God’s promise
Caleb waited 45 years for God’s promise to be fulfilled.
God’s timing may test your patience, but it never cancels His purpose.
2. Faithfulness must continue during the waiting
Caleb stayed obedient through wandering, battles, and uncertainty.
He did not grow bitter or quit believing.
True faith is proven in the waiting season.
3. God preserves those who keep trusting
God sustained Caleb through decades of testing.
Preservation is part of the promise.
If God has promised it, He will also preserve you until you receive it.
4. Strength is renewed for those who do not give up
Waiting did not weaken Caleb.
Waiting on God does not drain you — it renews you.
5. Endurance turns patience into inheritance
Caleb eventually received Hebron.
Those who endure in faith always arrive at their promise.
While you are waiting for the blessing, God is building your strength to sustain it.
Do not stop walking - your promise is closer than you think.
Caleb was still strong and vigorous.
-His unabated physical strength was one of the blessings God gave because Caleb trusted in Him.
Benefits that are promised to the one who trusts God?
God does not use and dump - If we continue with our consecrations
Why will God renew/service your life? - You have more to do
"They that wait upon the LORD..."
You will not diminish but flourish
- Avoid spiritual law of diminishing inputs
- You will never be caught up in spiritual diminishing returns
Joshua 14:11 11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
1. Trust in God brings inner strength
Caleb’s trust kept him spiritually and physically resilient.
God renewed his strength through every season.
When you trust God, He becomes your strength in every weakness.
2. Trust gives courage to face giants
Caleb saw the same giants as others.
Trust does not remove obstacles — it makes you greater than them.
3. Trust produces long-term endurance
Caleb waited 45 years for the promise.
Trust that lasts produces promises that endure.
4. Trust preserves
While an entire generation fell in the wilderness, Caleb entered the promise.
Faithful trust protects your future.
5. Trust blesses future generations
Caleb’s obedience secured inheritance for his children.
When you trust God, you are also building your family’s tomorrow.
6. Trust attracts divine reward
Caleb received Hebron — the very land he once believed for.
God always rewards those who trust Him completely.
It may take time.
It may require endurance.
But it always ends in victory, fulfillment, and legacy.
They said there were giants.
"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal" - be spiritual
When we operate according to human senses, we miss spiritual blessings
Don't limit yourselves with human sesnses perception
- Get God’s and spiritual perspectives
Others saw fearful and dreadful giants
- Caleb saw spoils for battle
1. What we focus on determines what we believe
The spies focused on the giants, not on God’s promise.
Their vision shaped their faith.
What fills your eyes will soon fill your heart.
2. Physical sight can distort spiritual truth
The giants were real, but so was God’s promise.
Seeing the problem is human.
Believing God above the problem is faith.
3. Faith interprets reality through God’s Word
God had already promised them victory.
Faith does not deny what the eyes see — it declares what God has said.
4. Self-perception
Their defeat began in their thinking.
You will never rise above the picture you hold of yourself in your heart.
5. Fear exaggerates obstacles
Giants grow bigger when God grows smaller in our thinking.
Do not allow your eyes to cancel God’s promises.
Walk by faith — not by sight — and you will enter what God has prepared for you.
These include persecution, trials, physical afflictions, monetary setbacks, accusations, or false brethren.
Ways one could respond to the “giants”?
- Respond with faith – God’s words and promises
Age related giants
Gender related giants
Family history/background giants
Teenagers giants
Adulthood giants
Singlehood giants
Relationship giants
Marital giants
Career giants
Spiritual giants
Economic giants
Civil giants
Media giants
Information/Knowledge... giants
Unknown giants
1. Giants appear at the doorway of promise
Israel encountered giants just before entering Canaan.
If you are facing giants, it may be because your inheritance is near.
2. Giants are not sent to stop you - they are meant to strengthen you
Giants reveal what is inside us: fear or faith.
Your giant is not your enemy - your fear of the giant is.
3. How we see giants determines our future
Ten spies saw defeat.
Same giant. Same land. Different outcome - because of different faith.
Ways to Respond to Today’s Giants
Speak what God has promised.
B. Respond with obedience
Move forward even when you are afraid.
C. Respond with perseverance
Giants do not fall in one day.
D. Respond with spiritual focus
Keep God bigger than your problems.
E. Respond with praise
Praise reminds your heart that God is still in control.
Every battle you survive prepares you for your blessing.
Stand firm - your inheritance is worth the fight.
Many of these can be weapons used to fight battles in our daily lives.
Caleb’s “secret weapon” was that he “wholly followed the Lord.”
KEY VERSE: “To him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 1:36)
It is an open secret - For whosoever will
If you want to serve and follow God - There are principled strategies
Follow God willingly, completely, consistently and obediently
1. Wholly following the Lord builds unshakable faith
Caleb trusted God without reserve.
Partial obedience weakens faith.
Wholehearted obedience releases power.
2. Wholly following the Lord keeps your vision clear
Others saw walls and giants.
When your heart is fully aligned with God, your eyes see beyond obstacles.
3. Wholly following the Lord removes fear
Fear loses control when God has full control of your heart.
Fear survives in divided hearts.
Faith thrives in surrendered ones.
4. Wholly following the Lord releases supernatural endurance
Caleb waited 45 years without losing strength.
God strengthens what He completely possesses.
5. Wholly following the Lord gives authority over giants
At 85, Caleb asked for the mountain of giants.
Those who belong completely to God stand boldly before impossible challenges.
6. Wholly following the Lord breaks through “fenced cities”
Walls fall when obedience stands.
No fence can keep out the promises of God.
How to Use This Weapon Daily:
Obey God immediately and fully.
Reject negative voices.
Declare God’s Word over your situation.
Stay faithful in seasons of waiting.
Refuse compromise.
When you wholly follow the Lord, you do not face battles alone;
God fights for you.
Holy — “pure.” Wholly — “completely.”
What relationship these two words have to each other?
- Complimentary
In following the Lord:
Can we follow the Lord “wholly” without being “holy”?
Can we be “holy” and not be “wholly” His? - NO
Half measure results to half output
The best is best for God - He gives us the best
Successful relationship with God requires absolute terms and conditions
- Count the cost and pay the price
1. You cannot live holy without serving God wholly
Holy means set apart for God.
A divided heart cannot live a devoted life.
2. Holiness flows from total surrender
Holiness is not just behavior - it is belonging.
God does not cleanse what we refuse to surrender.
3. Partial obedience weakens both holiness and devotion
Selective obedience produces spiritual instability.
Half-hearted service cannot produce a holy life.
4. Being holy means being completely God’s
Holiness grows when nothing competes with God.
5. Wholly following God protects holiness
When you follow God fully, temptation loses power.
Total devotion is the strongest defense against sin.
6. God’s greatest work happens in fully surrendered lives
Caleb followed God wholly — and lived victoriously.
God does not need more ability — He needs more availability.
When your heart is completely His, your life becomes beautifully His.
Complete obedience, denial of self, submission, keeping a humble attitude, and willing service.
How will our daily lives be affected if we do these things?
- Every day with Jesus – Sweeter than the days before
Our plans - God compliant
Our actions - God compliant
Our reactions - God compliant
Our choices - God compliant
Our heart - God's abode
1. Surrender every area of your life
Give God control over your thoughts, time, talents, relationships, and resources.
You cannot serve God fully while holding back parts of your heart.
2. Obey God immediately and consistently
Follow His instructions without delay or compromise.
Wholehearted obedience demonstrates faith and devotion.
3. Focus on God, not distractions
Avoid comparing your life to others or chasing worldly approval.
Distractions divide your heart; focus strengthens your devotion.
4. Serve with love and humility
Your service should be for God’s glory, not personal recognition.
Approach every task, big or small, with a willing heart.
Humility opens the door for God’s power to work through you.
5. Maintain faith through challenges
Trust God when situations seem impossible.
Faithfulness in difficulty proves wholehearted commitment.
6. Prioritize God above all relationships and desires
Let His will guide your decisions, even when it conflicts with personal wants.
Wholly following God may cost something, but it leads to lasting blessing.
7. Develop intimacy through prayer and Word
Spend consistent time listening to God, studying His Word, and responding in obedience.
A heart fully surrendered stays connected to God’s direction and power.
It is not just a choice for a moment - it is a lifestyle that brings strength, victory, and blessing.
Keep on the firing line;
If you win, my brother, surely you must fight,
Keep on the firing line.
There are many dangers that we all must face,
If we die still fighting it is no disgrace;
Cowards in the service will not find a place,
So keep on the firing line.
Oh, you must fight, be brave against all evil,
Never run, nor even lag behind;
If you would win for God and the right,
Just keep on the firing line.
Keep on the firing line;
If you’ll wear a crown then bear the cross you must,
Keep on the firing line.
Life is but to labor for the Master dear,
Help to banish evil and to spread good cheer;
Great you’ll be rewarded for your service here,
So keep on the firing line.
Keep on the firing line;
How we’ll praise the Savior for the call we had,
Keep on the firing line.
When we see the souls that we have helped to win,
Leading them to Jesus, from the paths of sin,
With a shout of welcome, we will all march in,
So keep on the firing line.
Apostolic Faith Church SEARCH 72
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