Numbers 13:33  “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (NKJV)

My husband taught me a great question to ask when you hear something that is seemingly unfounded, the question is, who said? This is the question I asked as I finished my study of Numbers 13 today. Who said the enemies of Israel (the Amalakites, Hittities, Jebusites, Amorites and Canaanites) saw them as grasshoppers? Did the 12 leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel speak to these various enemies and ask them how they viewed them? How did they know this is how they saw them? Fear has a way of causing us to believe something that may or may not be the truth.The truth is, 11 of the 12 spies saw themselves as grasshoppers. When they looked at their enemies, they saw themselves as grasshoppers. Their perspective of themselves is what drew them to the conclusion that their enemies viewed them the way they viewed themselves.

What we believe about ourselves is what we believe others think about us as well. If we think we are nothing, we think that is how others view us. If we think we are “all that”, we tend to believe that is how others view us. Actually, we have no idea how others see us, unless they are willing to tell us or we are willing to ask them. Whether you err on the side of thinking too highly of yourself or on the side of not thinking highly enough about yourself, neither is relevant. Some people will think more highly of you than you think of yourself, others will think less of you than you think about yourself. Either way, your belief about yourself may be and more often than not is different than their view of you.

My best friend believes things about me, that I struggle to believe about myself. She says things to me, does things for me and gives things to me as tokens of her confidence in who I am. This gives me courage to believe, despite my circumstances and surroundings that I am going to do what I believe God has called me to do. She lifts my belief in myself and I gain courage because of her belief in me. The only reason I know this is because she tells me what she thinks about me. The same is true with the Lord, His word is filled with His thoughts about us. He says we are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:1); that His thoughts toward us are good and not evil (Jeremiah 29:11); that we are created in His image (Genesis 1:26); that we are no longer servants, now He calls us friends (John 15).

We have nothing to fear because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world; if we abide in Him and He abides in us, we can ask whatever we want and it will be done for us; no weapon formed against us shall prosper and if our God is for us, who can be against us! What you see in yourself is not what your enemy sees in you, you are stronger than you realize, smarter than you give yourself credit for, bearing more fruit than you can see. DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?