These Two Would Give The Avengers A Run For Their Money

In Genesis 14 and Joshua 14 today there are two men who lead two groups of people and overcome incredible odds in much the same way.

In Genesis, Abraham hears how a group of four kings has destroyed the armies of five kings who came against them.  The four kings then carried off the women and possessions of the five cities of those kings and even took Lot (Abraham's nephew) who lived in Sodom.  So Abraham gets his servants, about 300 fighting men and a couple of his allies, presumably with their households, and takes off in pursuit of these four kings.  They overtake them at night, route them and carry back all the possessions that were taken including the women and Lot and his family.

Three families wiping out four kings and their trained fighters.  This is amazing to me in part because God didn't tell Abraham to go and fight, Abraham was just reacting to the capture of his nephew.  But when God is with you and you're fighting not just your enemy, but God's enemy (these were pagan people) God is with you in a mighty way.

In Joshua is the story of Caleb.  Caleb was one of the men, along with Joshua who answered in truth and faith before God sent the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years.  Moses sent 12 men from Kadesh-Barnea North to spy out the land that God had promised them in order to give a report to the people.  All the men reported how great the land was but ten of them said that the land could not be conquered because of the people who lived there.  Only Joshua and Caleb stood up and said, yes it seems impossible but God is with us (remember God had already parted the sea, brought the ten plauges, turned the bitter waters sweet and defeated their enemies) so we should just go up and take the land.  He said, "I brought word back to him as it was in my heart...I followed the Lord my God fully."

For their faithfulness God allowed only two people to survive the 40 years of wandering, Joshua and Caleb.  Now Caleb was promised by Moses the land which he had spied out the only problem was there were in inhabitants, which were great and mighty and Caleb is now 85 years old.

I don't think it was Abraham's or Caleb's strength that provided for them, it was their trust in God and the fact that they followed Him fully.

Do you have a difficult decision to make?
Are you facing a challenge that seems impossible?
What is in your heart?  If you fully follow the Lord your God then no army can stand against you.  No task is too great for you.  No physically limitations can halt you and no fear will overcome you.  When God is for us, who can be against us?  Stand tall and fight because the Lord your God goes with you.