Promise 15 from Numbers 13:2

Numbers 13:2 - "'Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out  the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from  each of their father's tribes, everyone a leader among them.'" - It is interesting that God decides to send out spies into the land that He already knows He will give them. Was this a test of their faith? Why did the Lord not just send them into the land and let them have the faith to believe that He would be with them in the land, no matter what the land holds? Well, this is my hypothesis. God sent the leaders of the sons of Israel to see what was in store for them. The good and the challenging, so that they could make the choice whether or not to receive what God was freely giving them. After all the difficulties crossing the wilderness to reach this point, you would think the Israelites would jump at the chance to settle down in the promised land. Later on we find that it isn't so easy. It wasn't so easy because the Israelites allowed fear to rob them of the blessing that God had for them. I think we would be amazed at all the opportunities for blessing we pass up on because of fear of both the known and the unknown. All the Israelites had to do was step in and trust that God was going to continue to be the God they have seen Him to be. What blessings are you missing out on because of fear? God's hands are always extended toward us, filled with great blessings, We just need to receive all that He is freely offering us.