“On mountaintops, You stay the same

In valleys low, You never change

And I believe that I will see

The goodness of the LORD

I’m confident that as seasons change

Your faithfulness remains”

Those lyrics are even more powerful when you hear them sung by the soulful voices of Chandler Moore & Elyssa Smith from Maverick City Music. The words are especially meaningful to me in this season of my life not because I find myself in a valley-low or mountaintop. Nah. 

Rather, I find myself in the in-between, somewhere akin to the cusp of what I prayerfully hope will be an ascent to a mountaintop-like experience. If that sounds too vague for you, here’s what’s happening. In response to a God-calling and preparation that has lasted a little under a year and a half, I have packed up and moved my family 6,613 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to the city of Jos, Nigeria to strengthen Christians, train pastors, and bring the Gospel to unreached people groups.

The city of Jos (approximately 1.5 million residents) is located in Nigeria’s central belt. It is where the predominantly Muslim north meets the nominally Christian south. Nigeria, especially northern Nigeria has become a hotbed of Christian persecution. The ICC (International Crimes Court) in recent years determined that Nigeria is becoming “the biggest killing ground of Christians.” This past week, the headlines of two leading newspapers read, “North worst place to live in Nigeria, Sultan cries out” and “Nigeria, 3rd most terrorized country, says global body.”

So… yeah… that’s where I chose to come live.

I’m writing this blog post on day nine after our arrival in the country. We’re not yet on the mission field in Jos, but are presently quarantined in country’s capital, Abuja. Shortly, we’ll be on our way (about a four-hour drive to our final destination). 

The lyrics to that song I quoted in the beginning has served as the spiritual theme of my life this last week. While there is much to fear and much to be concerned about, I must confess that I am filled with an extraordinary amount of hope and expectation about God’s promises concerning our calling. I believe heart and soul that I am about to see the goodness of the LORD (and am) confident that as seasons change, (God’s) faithfulness remains.

I’m especially encouraged because in my morning devotions, I came across two men in the scriptures in a life stage somewhat similar to where I find myself. Their names are Joshua and Caleb, and they, like me, are on the literal borders of their “Promised Land”. Their courage and faith, despite the obvious odds that lay before them serves as an incredible motivator and inspiration for me, and I pray it does the same for you as I break down the process of stepping into the unknown that God may be calling you into. 

Here’s the quick backstory. God has freed some two million Israelites from 400 years of captivity in Egypt led by Moses. In their exodus, these former slaves have witnessed some of the biggest miracles in the Bible and are being led through the desert to a new homeland called, “Canaan”, a place that God describes metaphorically as a “land flowing with milk and honey.”  

In the book of Numbers, chapter thirteen, the Israelites finally arrive at the border of their new home, a place called Kadesh Barnea and God says to them, “See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 1:21). 

These words have become incredibly familiar to me over the last several months and weeks as God has continually whispered similar promises to me about Nigeria! At the heart of it has been this central thought; “Segun, REMEMBER AT ALL TIMES THAT YOUR GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOUR FEARS!”

I suspect it’s a statement of truth Joshua and Caleb would have had at the back of their minds at Kadesh Barnea when God instructs Moses to assemble 12 men to go on a reconnaissance mission to explore the Promised Land. Included in the 12 were of course, Joshua and Caleb. From them and their expedition, I’ve come to learn that remembering that God is bigger than my fears requires three practical steps.

1: LOOK FOR CONFIRMATION OF GOD’S CALLING

As the men explored the land, a question that would have been constant on their mind would have been, “Is this land what God promised us it would be? Will it be fertile enough to raise our animals and grow our crops? Will it be large enough to host our families?”

To answer their curiosities, one of the first discoveries they made was the fruitfulness of the land. Numbers 13:23 says, “When they [12 spies] reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.”

That verse is so easy to blow right by, but slow down for a second and consider its implications. They’ve just discovered that the land is so incredibly fertile that even one cluster of grapes is so large that it requires two men to carry it on a beam between their shoulders. Try to wrap your mind around that. Most clusters of grapes you’d pick off a vine are about the size of a grown man’s palms put together, but these guys have found a land that grows grape clusters the size of a man! 

In other words, the land is exactly what God promised it would be! It was indeed “a land flowing with milk and honey”, which, to an agricultural society, indicated blessing and prosperity. The fruit was a CONFIRMATION of what God had called them into.

In my family’s calling to Nigeria, I prayed many nights on my knees where I asked God to give me, “just one more” confirmation that we were indeed to relocate to Nigeria for ministry. In each instance, God honored my prayers; from securing safe housing in the city where we would live, to generating enough ministry partners to support us, to connections with different ministry organizations in-country, God was saying, “Yes, come” in many very tangible ways every step of the way. More importantly, however, is the fact that the bulk of my PAST ministry and life experiences served as confirmation for this calling. Not only had I traveled multiple times in the past to the northern regions of Nigeria to do ministry, but just about every training I’ve received in ministry and from godly mentors in my life corelates seamlessly with the work I’ll be engaging in. So, when the enemy of my soul tried whispering lies about whether or not I knew what the heck I was doing, I could confidently look back (and look up) and say, “I’m Good to go!”

If fear has hindered you from stepping into something you sense God is calling you to, ask yourself, “In what ways has God confirmed this calling on my life?” Think, how has past effort in your life produced any fruit that verifies that God is at work in this particular area of calling you’re about to step into?

God will not lead you into a calling He hasn’t prepared you for.  Before David met Goliath in battle, God had prepared him while he was a shepherd fighting off bears and lions attacking his sheep. Before Moses led Egypt in Exodus, God groomed him as a leader in Pharaoh’s palace and as a shepherd in the desert. Before Joseph became prime minister of Egypt, he had learned to lead with integrity in Potiphar’s house and in prison. There is always context to your calling. So, when fear keeps you from following through on God’s call on your life, recall to mind how God has prepared you through past experiences. Let those wins (however small) encourage you and remind you THAT GOD IS BIGGER THAN WHATEVER FEARS LAY AHEAD! 

2: SEPARATE THE FACTS FROM YOUR FEARS

The report-back from the spies was a mixed bag. On the one hand, they acknowledged that the land was indeed generous, large, and most importantly, fertile and fruitful. But then in Numbers 13:28, they added this dissuading piece of detail to their report, “But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan. 30 Then Caleb  [no doubt, with Joshua beside him] silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” 

What is particularly troubling about their report is that they give concrete facts about what they observed, but over-exaggerate its implications. While Joshua and Caleb filter their report through the lens of courage, obedience, and a dogged faith in God, the other ten spies filter everything they saw through the lens of fear, pessimism, and unbelief.

On the one hand, they accurately report that the city walls were huge and well-fortified and its armies were an elite fighting force (Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and a bunch of other “ ites”).  But perhaps what was most scary to them was the presence of a race of giants descended from Anak called, “the Nephilim”. Deuteronomy 2:10 and 9:2 tell us that the Anakites were a warrior people of great size, very possibly as large or larger than the giant Goliath that David defeated. (If it helps picture a heavily armed crowd of special forces soldiers the size of Shaquille O’Neal). 

Okay, so yes, the presence of giants was a fact. But due to fear and unbelief, they begin to pile on a set of false narratives.

• In verse 31, they say, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” This was false. God had drowned the entire Egyptian army without Israel having to lift a finger. They had the greatest military general on their side! 

• In verse 32, they say, “The land we explored devours those living in it.” Really? This was fear speaking. God had demonstrated that He controlled the elements of nature when He sent 10 plagues on Egypt, split the red sea, sent down fire from the sky, and brought water from a rock.

• Then in verse 33, they claimed, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Once again, this was fearful speculation. News had actually spread about all God had done in Egypt. As result, the occupants of the land were shaking in their sandals when they saw the Israelites at their borders (Joshua 2:9-11).  

What is most disconcerting about their negative feedback is that their fears and unbelief begin to go viral throughout the camp (Numbers 14). So much so that they begin speaking of stoning Moses, picking a new leader, and returning back to slavery in Egypt. But it was all fear-based opinions and distortions of reality! 

We do the same thing when we think:

•  “This new venture will never work because everyone has tried it and it didn’t work (so I might as well quit before I even start).”

• “They will never consider me for this position because I don’t have the experience (so just stay in my current position).”

• “God can’t use me because I don’t have a Bible education.”

In my case, my fears whispered to me:

• “Have you lost your mind? They’re killing Christians and pastors in Nigeria! Why would you take your family to that murder zone?”

•  “How will you provide for your family? Honest pastors don’t make any money in Nigeria. You’re going to suffer!”

• “You’re too Americanized. Nigerians won’t listen to you and your ministry will fail!” 

As you can imagine, I had many sleepless nights where I had to prayerfully separate the facts from my fears. As I learned to “dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty”, it struck me that I was turning my fears into mountains that had become bigger than God. What I needed to do was cut my mountain-like fears down to size by reminding myself about the BIG GOD I serve, and by separating facts from an overactive imagination. 

• No, I was not heading into a “murder zone.” Not only is the area I’ll be living in relatively secure from much of the violence in Nigeria, but God had proven to be a mighty protector of my life in past near-death experiences. 

• No, I was not going to suffer in Nigeria for lack of funds. Faithful followers of Christ have generously joined our support team to come alongside us in our mission.

• No, I’m not too Americanized. My theological education and experience overseas has proven to be a great point of ministry attraction in Nigeria!

Always ask yourself, what is real and what is an exaggeration of my fearful imagination? It is incredibly easy to allow others, or even our fears to say, “NO” on our behalf before we ever allow God a chance to show His power.  Remember at all times and in all things, GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOUR FEARS!  

3: ENVISION A PREFERED FUTURE.

You have to see it! You have to look with eyes of faith into what God is capable of doing. Proverbs 29:18 reminds us that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Never was that truer than in Joshua and Caleb’s case. All 12 spies observed the same fruitful land along with its intimidating inhabitants. Yet, whereas ten of them could only envision the obstacles that lay ahead, Joshua and Caleb were able to envision God tearing down those obstacles. Numbers 14:24 actually gives some insight into how Caleb (and no doubt, Joshua) was able to have such a mindset, “…my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly…”

So, there it is. It’s not just about dreaming big, rather, it is about tethering your faith and expectation to what God has promised He would do and has proven He can do. When verse 30 says, “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” His faith is based on the many deliverances that God had done on behalf of Israel throughout their desert travels (and that whole 10 plagues episode). So for Caleb, it was simple enough, “If God has done it in the past, He will do it in our future!”

Unfortunately, in this instance, the voices of fear prevailed, and the people voted with the 12 spies. They refused to go in and take possession of the land. As a result, God sentenced the whole nation to wander the desert for 40 years till every adult, 20 years old or older had died. Only Joshua and Caleb were spared. 

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” You. Have. To. See. It!

Now, here’s the good news. 40 years after this event, we find that Caleb’s faith in God and what God could do through him hasn’t waned one bit.  In the book of Joshua 14:10 (which is some 40 years later), Caleb tells Joshua (who has been promoted to leader of Israel after Moses’ death)  “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

This is the reason why some of us name our sons, Caleb!  He’s twice his age and he’s like, “I’m still ready to get out there and throw it down!” Caleb wasn’t relying on his 85-year-old body to do the work; He TRUSTED the God who spoke to the Israelites 40 years ago to take possession of the land because God had already given it to them! (Deuteronomy 1:21). 

Here’s the best news - Joshua 14 ends by saying, “[Joshua blessed Caleb and gave him the go ahead to go get the land]… So Hebron has belonged to Caleb… ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.”

Like Joshua and Caleb, my family and I are literally on the borders of our Promised Land. With eyes of faith, and prayerfully, with a “different spirit [that] follows [God] wholeheartedly”, we are stepping into our ministry calling in the next few days. 

From where I stand, I envision a city (Jos) that will become filled with a vibrant network of house churches that are passionately following after Jesus. I see a city filled with godly elders who are fully trained theologically, fully resourced, and faithfully shepherding their congregations. I see a city that is greatly blessed by a renewed church who loves lost people, feeds the poor, loves the widow, and fathers the orphans. I see a city filled with believers with an evangelistic zeal that results in local missionaries traveling further north into Nigeria to win Muslims to Jesus. I see a church that is so wholeheartedly serving Jesus that its ministry reach expands beyond Nigeria into the rest of Africa to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

This is what I see and pray, and it is what I am entrusting to the LORD. I invite you to join me in prayer and in support of this exciting new adventure! 

“Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible.” (C.T Studd)