Have you ever been so discouraged that you wanted to give up? Maybe you looked at a situation and thought, “This is impossible. There’s no way forward.” If that’s ever been you, you’re in good company — it happened to the entire nation of Israel right before they were about to enter the Promised Land. And it’s one of the most instructive stories in all of Scripture about how Satan uses discouragement to derail God’s people.
The Spy Mission: Faith vs. Fear
Moses sent twelve spies into the Promised Land to scout it out. After forty days, they returned with a dramatic report: the land truly flows with milk and honey — they even brought back a cluster of grapes so large it took two men to carry it. But ten of the twelve spies said, “The people are strong. The cities are fortified. We’re like grasshoppers compared to them.” Only Caleb and Joshua said, “We can take it. God will do this.”
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left… Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:1-9
What was the difference between Caleb and Joshua and the other ten? The ten let their circumstances define reality. Caleb and Joshua let God’s promises define reality. And here’s what makes this story so infuriating: their success was guaranteed. God had promised them the land. He had shown them His power through the Red Sea parting, the plagues in Egypt, and forty years of supernatural provision in the wilderness. And yet, right at the threshold of the Promise Land, they crumbled under discouragement.
Discouragement Is Contagious
When the ten spies gave their bad report, the whole nation wept. Numbers 14:1 says the people raised a loud cry and wept that night. The whole congregation said, “Would that we had died in Egypt! Let’s go back. Let’s choose a leader and return to slavery.” Moses and Aaron fell on their faces. Caleb and Joshua tore their clothes and pleaded with the people to trust God.
“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us… Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
— Numbers 14:8-9
The result? Everyone over the age of twenty died in the wilderness — not because the enemy was too strong, but because they had no faith. Forty years of wandering, one day for each day the spies were gone, until that faithless generation passed away. And the most frustrating part? The children who trusted God walked right in and took the land. The outcome was exactly what God said it would be.
Satan’s Strategy: Steal Your Courage
Pastor Josh pointed out something convicting: Satan doesn’t usually attack us with something new. He attacks us by getting us to focus on all the negative things around us — the困难, the obstacles, the “what ifs.” When we fix our eyes on the problem instead of the God of the problem, we lose courage. And discouragement is contagious. One person’s doubt can spread through a family, a workplace, a congregation, and suddenly a whole group of people are ready to trade God’s promises for the safety of slavery.
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed… So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Two Ways to Build Up Your Courage
Satan wants to discourage us from trusting God’s provision. But God gives us two practical ways to rebuild and maintain our courage:
1. Give — Trust God’s Future Provision
Giving is one of the most tangible ways we demonstrate faith in God’s ability to provide. When we tithe and give generously, we’re saying, “God, I trust that You’ll supply everything I need — not because I’ve figured it out, but because You promised You would.” And 2 Corinthians 9:10 makes it clear: God will multiply the seed we sow and increase the harvest of our righteousness. When you see God come through once, you have courage to trust Him again — and again — and again. Every believer can give. It’s the great equalizer of the faith life.
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work… He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
— 2 Corinthians 9:8-10
2. Give Thanks — Remember God’s Past Faithfulness
If giving is about trusting what God will do, giving thanks is about remembering what He has already done. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-19 says, “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. And do not quench the Spirit.” When we stop and count our blessings — when we remember how God has provided, how He has guided, how He has carried us through — it builds within us a reservoir of courage. Satan wants us fixated on the negative. God wants us fixated on Him.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice… May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
— Philippians 4:4, Romans 15:13
So What?
Discouragement isn’t just a bad day — it’s a spiritual attack. Satan watches for when God’s people have witnessed His provision and power, and then he whispers, “Are you sure? What if it doesn’t work out this time?” His goal is to make you a grasshopper in your own mind so you’ll miss the Promised Land God has for you.
The answer isn’t to “think positive.” The answer is to fix your eyes on God’s promises and put one foot in front of the other in faith. Give thanks for what He’s done. Give generously in faith for what He’ll do. And watch what happens when God’s people get courageous — because when that happens, watch out. God’s power is at work.
Be strong and very courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Scripture References
- Numbers 13-14 — The Twelve Spies and the people’s unbelief
- Joshua 1:1-9 — God’s charge to Joshua to be strong and courageous
- Philippians 4:4 — Rejoice in the Lord always
- Philippians 4:13 — I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
- Romans 15:13 — The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 — Afflicted but not crushed
- 2 Corinthians 9:8-10 — God is able to make all grace abound
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17-19 — Pray without ceasing, give thanks, do not quench the Spirit