Influenza is just the Italian word for influence. Yes, we all have it, and it’s very contagious!
The children of Israel stood poised on the brink of endless possibilities. The land spread out before them, what God called “the glory of all lands” (Ezek 20:6). But first, the Battle of the Grasshoppers! The ten unbelieving spies, commenting on the giant sons of Anak, said, “We were like grasshoppers in our own sight” (Num 13:33). In other words, the inhabitants are so big, we can’t beat them. But Joshua and Caleb thought otherwise. They’re so big, we can’t miss them! These men of faith had God’s perspective. And how does He see the inhabitants of planet Earth? “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers” (Isa 40:22). What a great way to think! How big are my problems compared to me? Massive! But how big are they compared to God? Minuscule! In fact, He doesn’t have any problems. But back to the Israeli encampment at Kadesh. Imagine about two-and-a-half million people hearing the two reports. Moses had encouraged, mollycoddled, and cajoled them through the desert until they stood on the threshold of the Land of Promise. Now ten men make one negative statement, including this exaggeration: “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants” (v 32). The result? “The people wept that night” (14:1) and decided it would be best to fire Moses, select a new leader, and head back to Egypt (vv 3-4). Now that’s influence! Say, do you want to have a highly influential ministry? Try discouragement! A few well-placed negative comments on a regular basis can ruin your marriage, demoralize your children, or demolish a local church. Not as easy, but far better, to side with God, encouraging one another daily! Let’s do that!