— DAY 9 —
TUESDAY 11 AUGUST, 2026
THE POWER OF LOOKING FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
SETTING THE SCENE
When Moses sent twelve leaders to scout the Promised Land, they all saw the exact same things. They saw the massive walled cities, the giant warriors, and the incredibly rich fruit of the land. But when they returned to report to Moses and the camp, their perspectives were completely divided. Ten of the leaders could only talk about the problems. They were overwhelmed by the obstacles and spread fear throughout the entire camp. But Caleb and Joshua looked at the exact same landscape and saw God's promise. They chose to see the positive potential rather than just the negative problems.
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
Numbers 13:25-33; 14:1-10 (NLT)
25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 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. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”
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!”
31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”
14:1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. 6 Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. 7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
10 But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.
COMMENT
Last week Kirsten and I popped in to Ps Nathan & Ps Rachel’s house and we’re chatting and Ps Rachel says, “Hey, do you know you’ve got two different shoes on?” I’m like, “yep, totally intensional, I’m setting a new fashion trend.” Nah, it was a total 100% should have gone top Spec savers moment. The thing was then I began to trace back where else we had been earlier…haha
Last year, I went to Spec Savers for a check up on my eyes, it was was way overdue. When the new glasses arrived I walk out of there and everything looked sharp and clear. The extra detail I could see in things was amazing.It was like I was looked at a whole new world, one that I hadn’t seen before. How we see things changes everything.
I was thinking about this and thinking about the difference between my lens, the way I’m viewing the world, and God’s, the way he sees the world. Boy, are they two completely different perspectives. The truth is in all circumstances we have a choice as to which lens we are going to look through, our own, or Gods.
Our lens can get so blurry, it’s no wonder we bump into things along the way. Sometimes we can be so short sighted and lacking in faith. It takes intentionality to put on Gods goggles. We have to pause and go, “God, whats your perspective on this? What are you seeing that I’m Not? It means taking the time to remind ourselves of His promises and what has he has already spoken over you. When we get His perspective, our perspective instantly changes. We stop staring at the giants, and God becomes bigger.
You see, Joshua and Caleb along with the other spies were sent into the land to scope it out. The ten fearful spies were not lying. The giants were real. The walls were high. The problems they saw were completely valid. But their downfall was letting the negative realities blind them to who God was in their situation and what He had promised. When the people heard the response of the ten spies negative report it spread through the whole community like a cancer.
14:1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”
What challenges do you have before you today? What is standing in opposition today? What giants are occupying the land you’re wanting to occupy? What is standing in the way of your ministry moving forward? What are the obstacles? Is it a lack of team members? Is it a financial challenge?
Which lens will you choose to look through? Yours or Gods. Will you look through your limitations and your own strength or will you choose to look in faith to God as allow His perspective to direct your steps.
One inspires faith in those under us and the other brings creates havoc!
Choosing to see the positive is not about ignoring reality or pretending problems do not exist. It is a deliberate, faith-filled choice to believe that God is infinitely larger than the issues you are facing. When you actively choose to celebrate the good, speak life, and anchor your team in God's perspective, you change the entire atmosphere. You become a leader who builds faith rather than one who breeds fear.
There is great power in looking from God’s perspective.
PRACTICAL WAYS TO LEAD WITH GOD'S PERSPECTIVE
Pause and Ask First: When a crisis hits or a problem arises, do not react out of frustration. Pause, take a moment in prayer, and explicitly ask, "Lord, give me Your perspective on this before I speak to my team."
Magnify God, Not the Giants: In your team meetings, change what you give weight to. Acknowledge the challenges, but spend far more time talking about God's promises, His track record, and the opportunities ahead.
Filter Your Words Downward: Recognize that your team is watching your face and listening to your tone. Intentionally guard your speech so that you are filtering faith, hope, and vision down to those you lead.
Celebrate the Wins Aggressively: Force your eyes to look for the abundant fruit. Go out of your way to find what is working well in your ministry area and highlight it publicly to your team.
GOD’S PERSPECTIVE SELF-ASSESSMENT
Pick the number that best describes where you feel you’re at right now.
Chronically Cynical: I almost always spot the negative first and filter that frustration straight down to my team. I frequently complain about what is broken and let the giants dominate my conversations.
Problem Focused: I want to be positive, but the daily challenges weigh me down. I spend most of my energy putting out fires, and I forget that my lack of faith is draining the momentum of the team.
Growing in Faith: I am learning to catch myself when I start focusing on the negative. I am intentionally trying to take time to ask for God's perspective before I pass a report down to my team.
Faith-Filled Visionary: I see the problems, but I do not let them define reality. I consistently take time to get God's view, speak life, celebrate progress, and ensure my team sees how big God is.
ACTION POINTS
The First Five: Give God the first five minutes of your day in silence before checking your phone, asking Him to give you His eyes to see the positive potential in your ministry today.
The Good Report: Find one thing that is going incredibly well in your ministry today and intentionally tell your team about it. Spread a good report downward.
The Perspective Shift: The next time you face a frustrating issue today, stop before you speak. Take 30 seconds to ask God for His perspective, and respond to your team from that place of faith.
MAIN QUESTIONS
(Self Reflection)
Let’s Talk in the Chat
(on the Boot Camp group in Planning Center)One of the best parts of this journey is that we aren’t doing it alone. We’d love for our chat to be a place of real connection. As you go through each day, please jump in and share:
Self Reflection: What did the test reveal to you today?
God’s Voice: What is one specific thing you feel the Holy Spirit is whispering to your heart?
Seeing the Positive: Why does our perspective as leaders have such a massive impact on the faith of the team under us, and how can we practically make God bigger than our problems this week?
Please Read:
Don't worry about sounding 'spiritual' The most encouraging thing you can share is your honest process. This is a self-reflection about what God is speaking directly to you about in YOUR life. Words like “I” and “Me” are encouraged, “we” and “us” less so.
PERSONAL PRAYER STARTER
"Lord, I’ll be honest, I easily get bogged down by the problems around me, and I forget that my lack of vision impacts the people I lead. Forgive me for the times I have let the giants look bigger than You and spread a bad report to my team. Give me the faith of Caleb. Help me to slow down, take the time to ask for Your perspective, and lead my team with hope, faith, and joy. Amen."