The ripple effect

Going negative! That was a headline in the news yesterday. As the first primary electoral contests near, races tighten, and the candidates start looking for a way to hit the opposition. So the ads have gone from smiles and being about how much Mitt will do for you in Washington to grim warnings that Huckabee is a wild spender, a liar. Ah, yes; it is the ugly side of American politics; going negative. Hillary Clinton, sensing the momentum shifting to Barack Obama, raised the issue of his past use of drugs yesterday, as if he had been a street addict, smoking crack! The trouble with going negative is that it usually is answered by more negativity. Issues are obscured by person attacks and the truth is dragged into the mud along the way.

People are quick to believe the worst. Frightening tales of impending doom gain an audience much more quickly than good news. There is a story in the Bible about some men who went negative. It is found in the book of Numbers. The Lord told Moses to send 12 men into Canaan to scout the land for the invasion. What they saw was amazing! "A land flowing with milk and honey," they reported. They were intimidated by the people of the land who lived in fortified cities. Ten of the men "spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size." (Numbers 13:32, NIV)

In the next chapter we read about fear spreading throughout the Israelites literally overnight! Out of that fear, came an irrational desire to return to slavery in Egypt, as they preferred the familiar past to God's promised future! In days, they were plotting a rebellion, even attempting to kill Moses at one point! Then, God drew the line and pronounced His judgment - "You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. " ‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness." (Numbers 14:30-32, NLT)

For the next 40 years, the Israelites remained a refugee nation as the entire generation died off, one by one.

Such is the ripple effect of negativism! Twelve men saw the real difficulties that were part of the process of owning the Promised Land, but only two had faith. Ten failed to remember how God had met their needs with manna, opened the Red Sea, and led them day by day across the Sinai Desert. Those ten let fear own them. Their negative report destroyed an entire generation. It is sobering, isn't it?

Do you realize the power of your example, of your words?
What kind of influence are you spreading?
Is it positive, faith-filled, encouraging? Or, is it negative, fearful, and leading to despair?

Remember this. God doesn't ask us to ignore reality in order to be positive. Some mistakenly think that acknowledging that life is hard, or that circumstances are not favorable, or that the future is unclear are evidences of a lack of faith. Not at all! The mission of the men sent into Canaan was to get a truthful, reality-based view of what was ahead. Moses told them to "See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps?" (Numbers 13:18-19, NLT) Then, that report would be wrapped in faith in the God whose Word had proven true again and again. God had already said, "Go up and take the land!" Their mission was not to be a feasibility study. It was to prepare a strategic plan to implement the will of God. When we really know what we are up against, but choose to be obedient to God's direction - we show the most authentic faith!

So, what is the real situation in your life today? Not so great? You can complain, react in fear, and refuse to follow the Lord. If you do, the ripple effect in your family, your church, and your community will be tragic.

Or, you can choose faith. You can say, "I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what He’s trusted me to do right to the end. " (2 Timothy 1:12, The Message)
Faith, too, has a ripple effect, infusing entire communities with hope, stirring people to accomplish wonderful things with God's leading.

Genuine faith is never founded on mere optimism. It is anchored to the unchanging nature and promises of God!
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