Numbers 13:25–33 provides a classic case study in God’s strategy for the promised land. Many individuals consider the promises of God as the primary and single means by which we inherit what God has secured for us. But promises are not automatic; they come with strengths and realities attached — timing, preparation, mindset, prayer, and ultimately anointing: the anointing of authority. That is where the acronym STAND comes into place: it stands for Seek. Trust. Attend. Name. Do.
Why did the 12 spies go into the promised land and discover that it was filled with fruit and blessings but also had giants? Why did ten come back and doubt that God would enable them to enter and secure the land, whereas just two — Joshua and Caleb — came back saying, “Let’s get up and go — He’s giving it to us”? One of the reasons is that the ten spies who doubted had not cultivated their 40 years with the Lord in the desert in the area of trust. Trust is the byproduct of relationship, and relationship is the tree that produces the fruit called trust.
If you don’t have a trust mindset when you encounter a problem, you will immediately either attempt to overcome it with your own strength and ability or interpret the problem to mean that something is wrong and it’s not going to happen. But when a problem appears — whether a Red Sea or giants in the land — God challenges us not to interpret it with the mind of a man but with the mind of a king, Christ the King.
The 10 spies didn’t enter the Promised Land with a Promised Land mindset. They were more aware of the obstacles than the fact the God promised to give them the land.