The situation is simply this: We are just a group of people spying out the land. We find its inhabitants big and strong, even terrifying. Our difficulties are many and great. That is how it was for Abraham as well. He had the promise, and he saw the difficulties—his weak body and the deadness of Sarah’s womb—but the point is, he believed in God, and the promise was fulfilled. Twelve spies went into the land. They all saw the glory of the land, they all saw the difficulties, and they all had God’s promise of taking the land; but only two of them believed God. The rest focused on their own weaknesses and the superior force of the enemy. Joshua and Caleb had a different Spirit. They tore their clothes on account of all the unbelief the other spies were trying to implant in the people, who were willing to listen to them and cry about how dark everything looked.

These two schools of thought can be found within the assembly today as well. Take heed which spirit you are in. Joshua believed God and received permission to divide the land between his brothers. Caleb was an old man, 85 years of age, and he was as strong then as he had been when Moses sent him to spy out the land. He took upon himself the task of driving out the strongest inhabitants of the land—the children of Anak. He also gave his daughter the upper and lower springs of water. Both he and his children had plenty of water to draw from.

It is written that some will enter into rest. Don’t you think that these are people who have the Spirit of Joshua and Caleb? But even these people are unable to rest in their own inheritance until their brothers also have driven out their enemies and come to rest in their inheritance.

The way into rest is long. Some people are so hard and dull of hearing that they are like tiny gems buried in a hard stone. You can hit the stone one, two, three, four, up to eleven times before it cracks and exposes the gemstone. But it must come out, and that is love. In faith and the power of the Lord, you will overcome and take the land. Even if you personally do not have faith to save yourself from your difficulties, it could be that God will send someone else to rescue you. Then you will be amazed; you will rejoice and be jubilant over God’s salvation. But at the same time you will shake your head over your own foolishness and unbelief. The honor for being set free does not belong to you but to God, who sent someone to you who had more faith than you had. God is honored by such instruments, which is why He also can honor them.

The Spirit of the Lord includes the Spirit of counsel and might. If we are in Christ on the way down—His sufferings and death—we will also be in Him on the way up, in His resurrection and glory. You overcome Goliath by acknowledging your own weakness and believing in the power of God. Put your stone in the sling in the name of the Lord, just like David did. When your mind is bowed and humble, and when the difficulty is so great that it causes you to acknowledge your own powerlessness, God will let salvation come. This is the only way that God’s power is released and received. There can be so much work with two or four souls that there is no time for more. How then could you possibly reach everyone if the house was full of people? It is the fault of rebellious and unbelieving people that the masses are unable to come close. Paul could not reach other people until he had brought the ones that he was already working with to obedience.

Romans 6:11. Reckon yourself dead to sin; do not let it reign. We need to take a stand here, acknowledging sin as sin and reckoning ourselves dead to it with one blow. Say “No!” when you are being drawn and enticed by your own desires.

To reckon yourself dead to sin is one side of the matter, in fact, just half of it. The other side and the other half is to reckon yourself alive to God. What is the use of struggling to reckon yourself dead to sin all your life without being presented alive to God? It is when you are alive to God that you strike the greatest blow against sin. We have to be prepared to come and go at God’s bidding, be prepared to testify about Him. God has given us His Spirit. In this Spirit we can hate even our own life in this world and hate the deeds of the body. That is how we can present ourselves alive to God and reckon ourselves dead to sin. As brother A. said, we have to be on our toes, ready to do God’s works. This is what it means to reckon yourself alive to God.

If a person is always concerned about what other people think, then he is not presented alive unto God. He is afraid of offending people and saying things that would hurt or upset vain flesh. So he tiptoes around to make sure that he does not upset anyone. Such a soul is not alive unto God. He cannot be used by God or by the church.

A servant of the Spirit has presented his body as a sacrifice. He does his ministry before God, regardless of what people say or think about him.

Walk as someone who is alive—later you will receive a great reward. When you are seated in the heavenly places, and know it, it is much easier to overcome everything on earth. Just as Jesus has overcome all principalities and powers, we will overcome with Him—if we believe it and are presented as alive to God.