God Isn’t Through With Me
Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-Barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.
“And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as He said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel walked in the wilderness.
“And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, for an inheritance. Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-Arba. And the land had rest from war.
God created all of us with a mission and a purpose in mind. We were born with the promise of something greater. Perhaps you’ve felt there is more to life than you’re currently experiencing.
Have you felt intrusive thoughts from God divinely bombarding your mind and inciting your inner being with a sense of holy discontentment? God does this because He has something that He seeks to accomplish in and through our lives for His glory.
As you’re listening or reading this now, perhaps you’re wrestling with this holy discontentment because you know that God is not through with you. You will not find any rest or peace until you seek that which God has ordained for your life to accomplish.
This message is for the visionaries with a God-sized dream and for those who know that God has something new for their lives. I challenge you to dust off the doubt of your dreams and run with excitement and enthusiasm as you seek the future that God has divinely destined for your life.
Quite simply, God has a vision, a dream for your life. Declare this personally that God is not through with you. If you’re not dead, God is not done. You cannot live a stationary life; God has more for you to do.
Here are five new terms that can help you understand how to best serve in God’s Kingdom.
God has created us to be an artist:
God wants you to connect and co-create with Him as you find your identity and inspiration from Him.
God has created us to be an agriculturalist:
He wants to use you to invest in people and places to make a generational impact. You are an agriculturalist, whether you go by that title or not, because your life is a byproduct of the seeds you’ve sown.
God has created us to be an advocate:
You come alongside to help someone who is voiceless, defenseless, hopeless, or nameless. Whoever God placed in your life for you to advocate for, you help that person.
God has created us to be an activist:
You’re called to work for Kingdom transformation through your calling and your Kingdom platform.
God has created us to be an apprentice:
You’re to equip yourself and train to become a leader who is responsible for leading others.
In any one of these five spaces, God can use you to advance His kingdom.
Caleb was one of the most inspiring biblical personalities and one of the boldest dreamers and doers in the Bible. In Joshua 14, we learn about Caleb’s life story. We see Caleb, who is now 85, but has not yet given up on his dream to enter the promised land.
Caleb refused to allow any opposition, obstacles, or challenges to keep him from seizing what God had birthed in him. Caleb serves as an example of what it means to be a person of tenacity. He understood that God was not done regarding his leadership and guidance in and through his life.
POSSESS A VISION OF THE FUTURE FROM GOD
In Numbers 13, Moses sent out spies into Canaan. Caleb was one of the 12 spies, but he wasn’t part of the majority who gave a negative report back to Moses, saying, “We can’t take it,” citing the giants, walls, and fortifications.
Joshua and Caleb reported otherwise, saying, “Yes, we can.” All 12 spies may have been at the site, but they had different sights. The other ten spies didn’t see things like Joshua and Caleb did. This reminds us to be careful of the company you keep. Keep people around you that have the vision, can see the possibilities, and are ready to possess the promise.
God has a personal mission and vision for your life. If it’s going to happen, you will have a vision of God’s future regardless of the audience that may try to discourage you.
Whenever you have a vision from God, there will always be folks who will chip away at it or attack it, but when God says it, it’s yours. Stop waiting on folks who have never accomplished anything to co-sign for your vision.
It’s not just that the audience tries to discourage and discredit you, but you also have to have a vision, regardless of your age.
We’re in good biblical company right here. Joshua was 40 when God’s vision ambushed him. He remained open enough to go out and see what God had for him.
Don’t allow your age to become your barrier. Remember, if you’re not dead yet, God’s not done. God still has more for you to do. Caleb teaches us this valuable lesson: regardless of your age or the audience around you, you still have to believe in God’s vision for your life.
Remember: “Finishing well is not something you do at the end of your life, but something you do every day.” Will Mancini
At age 85, Caleb wasn’t seeking an easy life. He wanted a significant life. What makes a significant life? When you leave a legacy for the next generation to add and build upon.
You’ve got to hold to your vision regardless of the audience that discourages you, regardless of your age that may try to discredit you, and the adversities that try to despirit you.
CONCLUSION
Caleb had to deal with three adversities. First were the giants outside of him in the land of Caanan. Some of us focus on the giants in our lives, forgetting that giants do fall.
Caleb also had to deal with the grasshoppers inside. Did you know your self-identity is your primary problem? The biggest challenge you face is how you see yourself. The other ten spies saw themselves as grasshoppers.
Aside from the giants and grasshoppers, they also had to deal with their gray hair—the fact that they were getting older. But Caleb and Joshua refused to allow the giants, the grasshoppers, or their gray hair to become their excuse and keep them from doing what God wanted.
God is not done with you. He is not done with me.
I pray that our church will become a church of people who are unleashed to fulfill the unique vision and mission that God has custom-designed for each of us. Your mission and ministry don’t happen at church. They happen in other areas of your life.
For those of you iving with holy discontentment, may God give you the peace of mind to trust and obey Him in this moment.
May you give your life fully and completely to God and may you say, as Caleb did, “I’ve wholly followed you completely.”
