If you love reading your Bible, then you probably have favorite Bible characters like I do. I have a list of them—men and women whose stories and faith continue to strengthen my own. Each of them has helped me better understand the Lord and deepen my relationship with Him. Near the top of my list is Caleb—especially as I grow older!
In Numbers 14:24 (NIV), God said something remarkable about Caleb: “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”
God spoke these words to Moses at a time when He was pronouncing judgment on His people for rejecting Him. Despite repeatedly seeing God’s power, presence, and provision, the people continually chose fear and unbelief over faith. They behaved like spoiled children—wanting things from God but never trusting or appreciating His love and plan. Because of that, they would never enter the Promised Land or experience the fullness of His promises.
But Caleb and Joshua were different. They weren’t faithless—they were faith-filled! And so, while the rest of Israel faced judgment, God promised to bring these two men into the land of promise. About Caleb, He said, “He has a different spirit.”
Why? Because Caleb embodied what it truly means to be a believer. Today, we often use that word too loosely. A believer is not simply someone who knows about Jesus. A believer is someone who recognizes that Jesus lived, died, and took the punishment for our sins. A believer repents, renounces sin, and receives Jesus as Lord and Savior. That moment—what Jesus called being “born again”—is the beginning of faith, the birth of a relationship with God, and the doorway to eternal life.
But that’s only the beginning. God never intended salvation to be the sum total of our relationship with Him. He wants us to experience His love, guidance, and power daily through trusting faith in His promises. He wants our faith to grow from fundamental belief into a confident trust that steadies us in times of pressure. His desire is not for us to panic in life’s trials but to pause, look up, pray according to His promises, and then rest in Him.
Many never experience that kind of trust. Why? Because they don’t know God well enough. Scripture tells us, “those that seek Me will find Me.” The responsibility is ours—to pursue Him with all our heart. And when we do, we come to know Him deeply. Trust becomes natural. Faith becomes active and influential. That’s what set Caleb apart.
There’s nothing in Scripture to suggest Caleb was gifted above others. What made him different was simple: he chose to base his entire life on what God said. He believed God’s promises, settled them in his heart, and acted on them. While others wavered in fear, Caleb prepared himself and those around him to step into God’s promises.
Moses later testified to this in Deuteronomy 1:35–36 (NIV): “Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
That is the kind of believer I want to be—and the kind I wish for you. When I write Fresh Manna, I write with that same tenacity about God’s promises. I am not moved by unbelief or by circumstances. I am moved by what God has promised. His Word shapes my heart, my thoughts, and my pursuits. I want to walk in His promises and help others know the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Caleb, I want to have an unshakable, wholehearted faith—a “different spirit.”
Be blessed today as you step into that kind of faith. Be a Caleb believer—someone God Himself would say follows Him wholeheartedly.
Romans 5:1 (TLB): “So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in His promises, we can have real peace with Him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
