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So faith is the evidence of things not seen, the hope of things to come. Yet, I find that I am struggling to have faith, and believe in God. I know that He will bring what He has promised, to pass. But my fear is that I wouldn’t like it, or it wouldn’t be as good as I expect. My mind tells me one thing, and my heart tells me something else. Each day is a tussle, though some days are better than others. The thing is – I will obey Him. That’s the bottom line. But my fear is that I will end up enduring what He gives, rather than enjoying! Strangely enough (or not), all my life, I’ve never been given anything (by Him) that I had to endure. When I’ve obeyed His will, I’ve received the absolute best – not immediately or in the way I expected, but better! So why, on the basis of all that I’ve experienced, do I doubt now? Why is my faith so fleeting and ephemeral? Abraham believed, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Believing, which would include an element of trusting, is the ...

So what does a spy do? To my (frankly Alistair-Maclean-James-Bond-ish) knowledge, a spy is a person who gathers facts and useful information regarding an enemy and reports it to his superiors. So going by that, the spies Moses sent, did a pretty good job. They were asked to gather specifics – which they did. In truth, they went a step further and brought along some fruity proof as well! Speaks a lot for their initiative. Listen to their report – “…the land…truly flows with milk and honey…the people are strong; the cities are fortified and very large…the Amalekites dwell in the…South; the Hittites, the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” Top marks on the spying job wouldn’t you say? They had their facts straight and were logical, reasonable and rational. However, Caleb’s impassioned appeal to go up at once and take possession of the land was met with a lukewarm response. Logic and cold, hard reas...