The High Cost of Unbelief

By Dr. Susan Michael, ICEJ USA President 

Have you ever experienced a moment of intense anticipation, standing on the very edge of a breakthrough, only to watch everything fall apart in an instant? This is what happened to the children of Israel. The entire congregation stood on the very edge of the promised land, organized, prepared, counted by tribe, and ready to cross over into their inheritance, when everything fell apart.

Their journey, which should have ended in triumph, turned into a heartbreaking delay.

Why did a prepared people miss their moment? The answer lies not in their lack of physical preparation, but in a sudden failure of the heart.

From Preparation to Postponement

In Numbers 13, God instructed Moses to send 12 spies—one from each tribe—to explore the land they were about to enter—a land promised to them hundreds of years prior through their ancestor, Abraham. 

However, when Moses delivered his instructions, he added an extra layer to the mission. He told them to not just look at the land, but to analyze the people and make a military assessment. After Joshua and Caleb returned, Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said confidently, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

But 10 others who had gone up with him returned with a bad report of the land in which they had spied out, declaring that Israel would not be able to go up against the people, “for they are stronger than we” (Numbers 13:31). They argued:

The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 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. (Numbers 13:32–33)

These doubtful spies focused on the natural obstacles rather than God’s might and faithfulness. Their report was driven by fear, concluding that the inhabitants were too strong to defeat. They looked at their own natural strength, numbers, and limited military abilities, forgetting how God had just delivered them from Egypt—and this pivot in belief became the downfall of the entire nation.

How easily our attention shifts from spiritual truth to human competence! Though God’s people had witnessed miracle after miracle—from their release from Egypt to His daily provision and protection in the desert—their fear got the best of them, and the result was tragic. God did not view the people’s apprehension as a simple lapse in confidence but as a direct rejection of His character, seen in Numbers 14:11 when He asks Moses, “How long will these people reject me? And how long will they not believe me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?”

The Cost of Unbelief

As believers, we often walk the same paths as the children of Israel. We rejoice in God’s goodness when a new job offer arrives, celebrating it as a sign of His favor—yet when that same position is eliminated a few years later, we instantly panic that He has somehow grown blind or indifferent to our lives. When His hand is visible and the path is smooth, our praises flow easily. But the moment we receive hard news or a difficult diagnosis, we allow anxiety to seize control and drown out the memory of His past faithfulness. We mistake a change in our circumstances for a shift in His character, spinning out on the “what ifs.” Like the wilderness generation, we believe God when things are good, but we struggle to trust Him when they aren’t.

We see the sad result of this mindset play out in Numbers 14. After hearing the fearful report of the 10 spies, the entire congregation of Israel wept all night, grumbling against Moses and Aaron and plotting to choose a new leader to return them to Egypt. Watching this, Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in an outward expression of horror and desperation, broken over their people’s spiritual blindness. Israel had been rescued by undeniable miracles and was now actively choosing slavery over God’s freedom. Standing in front of the angry crowd, Joshua and Caleb tried to snap them out of their panic, assuring them that the land was “exceedingly good” (Numbers 14:7) and reminding them that true victory would come from the Lord, not their own strength.

But the people refused to listen, and the cost of their rebellion was devastating.

When we operate in unbelief, we are declaring that God is not able—that He cannot deliver, protect, or provide. Because of this deep-seated unbelief, an entire generation forfeited its inheritance. Out of all the adults who left Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb—men who chose to see through the eyes of faith—were permitted to enter the promised land and realize God’s promises.

Ultimately, unbelief breeds disobedience. It causes us to turn away from the living God and rebel against the very boundary lines He set for our blessing. When we follow in the footsteps of ancient Israel and refuse to trust His unfailing character, we ultimately rob ourselves of the peace, rest, and fulfillment He longs to give us.

When the entire congregation wanted to stone them for speaking out, Joshua and Caleb stood firm. Joshua reminded them where their victory lay in his famous declaration:

If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, “a land which flows with milk and honey.” (Numbers 14:8)

Joshua knew that victory had nothing to do with their physical height or military strategy—it belonged entirely to God.

Conclusion

Whatever situation or modern-day “giant” you are facing, do not underestimate the power of God to turn it around. Instead of giving in to fear and anxiety or calculating your limitations, choose to voice your faith. Trust God to carry you. Step out into what He has called you to do—and watch Him act on your behalf

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