A God Perspective | August Blog – The Crowning Jewels

Believe The Good Report
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.
Numbers 13:30–32

Fear.
We’ve all experienced it.
The tightening in your gut, the racing heart, the feeling of panic that threatens to suffocate.
So many things can provoke fear. Headlines about natural disasters, reports about the economy, and interpersonal relationships can all strike fear into our hearts.

In Scripture, the Israelites were going to enter the land of Canaan. And the majority of the people were overwhelmed by the giants of the land. Only two men looked and saw the promise, saw the potential. They were looking through a lens of faith. However, those who saw through a lens of fear spread a bad report among the people. This report of fear caused most of the Israelites to panic and they refused to go in and conquer the land. Because of this, they wandered in the desert for 40 years, right next to the Promised Land, but never entering it. Only Joshua and Caleb lived long enough to go into the Promised Land.

Fear is faith in the wrong kingdom. Unfortunately, our culture is addicted to fear. Fear sells. Fear keeps people hooked, keeps people watching the news or reading the headlines. Fear promises safety, when in reality fear impacts your ability to reason and reduces your brain to its most primitive functioning. This is helpful if you’re getting chased by a tiger in the woods, but not helpful when you’re reading six panic-driven headlines a day. This is why it’s important to mitigate the amount of fear you allow into your life.

God is inviting His people right now to fix their eyes on Him and live from a place of hope and faith over the situations you’re facing. God solutions are always better than our abilities on our own. Look to the Lord and ask for His perspective. He wants to usher you into breakthrough. Because the Israelites listened to the bad report, most of them never entered the Promised Land. The enemy wants to use fear to sabotage your destiny, but the Lord has come to usher you into victory. Therefore, fix your yes on Jesus that you may inherit your promise. It’s time to BELIEVE what God says about your identity, your life, and your situation. God has made a way for victory before you’ve even entered the battle. Therefore fix your gaze on Him. Believe the GOOD report. Stop rehearsing negativity and fear and believe His voice above all others.

Courage to Stand
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

Have you ever wanted to see all the pieces before taking a step? To know every leg of the journey To have every question answered before making a decision? Or have you ever taken a step of faith and immediately everything seemed to fall apart? You found yourself asking, “did I miss it?” “Did I actually hear God?” Fear and doubt start to creep in and you wonder if you’re crazy or foolish or naive. The fact is…faith is confidence in what we do not see. Faith comes from the heart of God and it is a gift to us. Yes, we can do things to stir up faith such as getting in the word of God, being surrounded by faith filled people, and listening to testimonies of what God has done. Faith is more than just a feeling or a belief that something will happen. Faith is alignment and it is action. Faith requires courage and faith requires action.

If you truly believed God’s promise was coming to pass, what would you do? What steps would you take? Your actions showcase what’s actually in your heart and what you genuinely believe. If you find yourself consistently avoiding risks or procrastinating on what God’s put in your heart, chances are you don’t fully believe His Word over your life. This isn’t a moment for shame, but an invitation for realignment and an opportunity to pick up faith again.

In addition, faith is costly. It can seem way easier to sit back passively and remain on the sidelines. But it’s much much costlier in the long run. The Israelites were afraid of the giants, so they opted not to possess their Promised Land. Was it scary? Did they risk defeat? Yes. But because they gave into fear, it cost them their inheritance. An entire generation of people died in the wilderness without inheriting their promise.

Don’t give into fear and doubt. Do NOT allow fear to write your story. Instead, boldly pursue the things God has put in your heart. Go in and possess your promised land. Joshua and Caleb saw that God had already given them the Promised Land. When God says it, it’s as good as done. They had confidence in what they could not see with their natural eyes, but they were looking with their spirit eyes. They were looking with eyes of faith.

Faith is going to cost you your understanding. It will cost you your control. It may cost you your timeline. It might cost you your plans. It might mean you’re going against the crowd and the only one standing. But faith is worth it. It’s time to pick up faith again. Pick up your promise. And boldly go and inherit your Promised Land. The assignment God has given you might feel way too big for you…GOOD. You are called to pioneer, to take risks, and to step into your promise. So go for it and, even when it seems like everything’s against you, stand in faith and in the promises of God.

A Costly Offering
A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
Matthew 26:7

When you love someone, generosity is easy. When you cherish something, it’s easy to sacrifice in pursuit of what you love. For many in the church, we often complain about the cost of obedience instead of delighting in the cost–this shows eyes that are fixed on the wrong thing. The woman with the alabaster perfume–whose value was a year’s worth of wages–gave Jesus a costly sacrifice. She willingly looked foolish in front of a crow and poured her inheritance on his feet. This looked foolish to those around her, but she didn’t care. She was willing to offer all for a passionate expression of love.

Likewise, David said that he would not give “that which costs me nothing.” David recognized that if something doesn’t cost me anything, it’s less valuable. When we love, we give that which costs us. Everything worth having in life comes with some sort of cost. People want the easy route but people don’t actually value the easy route. Coaches say if you want to help someone change, you have to charge them money…usually an amount that will be slightly uncomfortable for them or else they won’t follow through.

If you’ve found yourself complaining about the cost of following God or feeling like it won’t be worth it, ask the Lord to transform your heart and to revive the love in your heart for Him. Years ago, I was driving down the road praying and counting the cost of following Jesus. And I had this realization…what may seem costly to me today, in light of eternity, will cost me nothing. You cannot out-give God. He is far more generous and gracious and resourceful than you could ever imagine to be. There is beauty in sacrifice and right now, there’s an invitation to give God something that costs you. Whether it’s praise, generosity, or obedience. Don’t be afraid of the cost of following Him. It’s worth it.

Foundations of Intimacy
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:3

I have a question for you…do you truly believe intimacy with God is possible? Not just showing up to church, praying rote prayers, or quickly glancing through the Bible. But a deep, rich, fulfilling friendship with God?

For many believers, the idea of becoming friends with God feels slightly impossible. Whether it’s because of theology that says God is harsh and cruel, ready to punish at any moment. Or the belief that God is scary. However, God wants us to know Him as good and as kind. Many of us project our adverse child experiences onto God. If we experienced harshness, passivity, or indifference in a parent, we project that onto God.

However, God is healing the way we see Him. He is a God of kindness, of tenderness, and of compassion. Right now, God is releasing a new way of seeing Him over His people. He is releasing His heart of kindness over His people and showcasing His love and compassion. If you’ve experienced a fear of coming close to God or the belief that God is out to punish you, ask Him to show you His character.

If you’re still finding that a part of you struggles to believe God is good and kind, I encourage you…come to Him with curiosity. Ask Him questions. Create space. Allow yourself to explore the possibility that He is different from what you have known or experienced. Just as you would with a friend, show up intentionally. Ask questions. Share your feelings. Be curious. Listen. As you create space to discover God in a way you haven’t experienced Him, He will meet you.

At The Crowning Jewels, it's our desire and our mission to bring encouragement, to build others up, and to bring comfort to people’s lives (1 Corinthians 14.3). Each month, our founder, Anne Jackson, and our main writer, Katelyn Alexander ask the Lord what He’s doing in the coming month and for any words of encouragement He might have for His people. We believe that prophetic words need to be encouraging and edifying. Moreover, with a corporate prophetic word, not all words are applicable to all people. If our words bless you, please take hold of them and apply them in your own life. If it’s not specific to you, please pass it on to someone else who might be blessed.

As always, the prophetic is a free gift from heaven and will always be something we freely share. As a prophetic business, it’s our mission to bring encouragement and edification to people through the free gift of prophecy, with our product being jewelry.

We at The Crowning Jewels believe in the absolute, transformational power of declarations. We know that truth comes by hearing (Romans 10.17), and speaking truth is an active way for us to renew our minds (Romans 12.2). We invite you to partner with what God is doing and say these declarations for the remainder of the month. We would love to hear what God does! Please email us your testimony at hello@thecrowningjewels.com.

Declarations

I am believing the good report.
I stand in faith even when I don’t understand.
I am offering God a sacrifice of praise.
I pursue intimacy with God above all.
I relinquish fear and pick up trust.

Each month we design limited edition pieces of jewelry, only available for that month, handmade with words and charms that reflect the monthly prophetic word. If this word resonates with you and you'd like to wear a reminder of its truths, click the pieces below to shop!