Yes, my coach took me out for our first bike ride of the season. It was a gorgeous spring day and we rode about 10.5 miles.

My husband has been an avid cyclist for about 14 years now. He got in shape by joining up with “group rides” in our community. (Definitely, not for the faint of heart!) He conquered the notorious Death Ride two times, the rugged Davis Double Century and the daunting Mt. Shasta Super Century. He even enjoyed the Glacier National Park ride called “Going to the Sun”, sponsored by Hammer Nutrition.

When I say he’s my coach, he really has taught (and is still guiding) me in everything I need to know about riding the beautiful rural roads in our area. There is not only the technical aspects of the bike and what kit/glasses to wear. Much of the challenge is hydration, shot bloks for electrolytes and protein bars for sustenance (which is mostly for the summer heat since I don’t ordinarily log more than 20 miles a ride).

This passage is encouraging when we read the detailed instructions and exhortation of Moses to the leaders of their community, “Be of good courage”.

Their assessment of the land was accurate from a human standpoint. It was an abundantly fruitful country with well-equipped warriors. What most of them failed to report was what God’s perspective was of their ability to conquer the land.

Caleb, from the tribe of Judah, was courageous enough to speak the truth of what he saw. Although no one else spoke up for God’s purpose involving this land, he boldly took the stand. Joshua (Moses’s representative) also supported his report.

Putting on this belt of truth with our “spiritual” armor from God is always the first step.

The word of God brings us truth. It is a steady foundation that does not waver amidst slick words or slippery motives. The Bible is foundational to our understanding of God’s character. Jesus Christ the Lord is also called “the word”, who was since the beginning of creation. (See the Gospel of John, chapter 1)

We cannot handle the heavy breastplate of God’s righteousness without the truth girding us with an ability to not just advance but to run, unhindered. (See Ephesians 6:14)

The difference between a good and a bad report involves our faith in God’s word. May we have discernment to know the truth and the courage to act upon it in faith.

God sends us great leaders (and coaches) to guide and equip, but ultimately we have to take on the responsibility to know when to courageously move forward and when to stay safe in the boundaries that God provides. -Teresa #trustHim #speakthetruthinlove

Numbers 13: 1-33 (ESV)*

Spies Sent into Canaan

13 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” ³ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.⁴ And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; ⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; ⁶ from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; ⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; ⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; ⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; ¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi; ¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; ¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; ¹⁵ from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. ¹⁶ These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

¹⁷ Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country, ¹⁸ and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, ¹⁹ and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, ²⁰ and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

²¹ So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath.²² They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) ²³ And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of Eshcol,^[f] because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.

Report of the Spies

²⁵ At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. ²⁶ And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. ²⁸ However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. ²⁹ The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”

³⁰ But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” ³¹ Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” ³² So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.³³ And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

*OneyearBibleonline