Num. 13:25-33; 14:4-10; Josh. 14:6-12.
It is a distressing fact that some Christians believe in God's saving power,but they do not believe in His keeping power. They have received God's saving grace but have not yet received His keeping grace.They do not realize that He who is the Giver of grace is also the One who maintains us in His grace.Let us see from the Scriptures how we who have been saved by God can be kept by Him.
Joshua 14:11 says, "I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me:as my strength was then,even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in."This is Caleb's word."To go out, and to come in" refers to everyday life; "for war"refers to life under exceptional circumstances. Caleb's strength was the same as it was in the day he spoke with Moses,in coping with the ordinary demands of daily life as well as with the demands of life under conditions of special stress.Though forty years had elapsed in the interval, he was as strong as he had been in his earlier days.Here we see God's keeping power.Caleb's strength was the same on that day as it was forty years earlier.He was as strong at this time as he was then.He was no less vigorous at eighty-five than he had been at forty.There is only one explanation for this; he had been kept by God.We are totally unable to keep ourselves in the grace of God.There is no guarantee that even five years after we have been saved we will be found in the measure of faith we had in our earlier Christian life.We cannot abide in the grace of God by our own effort;He alone can maintain us in His grace.
What was the condition for Caleb to experience God's keeping power? Let us consider this matter for a minute.Joshua 14:14 says, "He wholly followed the Lord God of Israel."And how did he wholly follow the Lord? We are told in Numbers 13 and 14. Numbers 13:30 says, "Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it;for we are well able to prevail.""We are well able to prevail."A person who wholly follows the Lord is one who believes that the promises of God are trustworthy, that He is with His people,and that they are well able to overcome.Many people believe, but their faith is a vacillating faith. They are very timid.They sing their song of praise, but though the words are right, there is something wrong with the tune.In Caleb's case it was not so; he sang the right words in the right tune. He said, "Let us go up at once." A person who wholly follows the Lord and reckons Him to be trustworthy is one who does the will of God and does it at once.
What about the ten spies?They looked at the inhabitants of the land and saw that they were "men of great size" and their cities were "fortified and very large." They looked at themselves too, and in their own sight they were "like grasshoppers."Their eyes were fixed on the difficulties before them.Herein lies the reason why so many Christians fail to experience God's keeping power—difficulties fill their vision.If one keeps looking at his difficulties, he will surely find no hope in the situation.God does not want us to set our eyes on the mountains obstructing our path;He wants us to say to the mountains: "Be taken up and cast into the sea" (Mark 11:23). It is useless to set our eyes on the mountains.The more we look at the mountains, the higher they become.Many people cannot overcome because their eyes are always set on their failures.Many people are prepared ahead of time for their failures.Defeat is certain if we are constantly contemplating defeat.Many experiences of failure come because we anticipate them. We may think that we can deal with other problems but that there is no way that we can deal with one particular problem.In so thinking, we have paved the way for defeat as soon as the problem comes to us.As soon as our eyes are set on ourselves,we will surely fail.If God is to save us, He must first save our eyes from looking at ourselves to looking at His promises.We are courageous only as long as we keep God's promises in view.Once we see His promises, we will see that we can overcome!
So many of God's people lack the faith that characterized Caleb;they concentrate their thoughts on the seriousness of their illnesses,the intensity of their scars,and the insurmountable nature of their difficulties.Yet how many are there whose eyes are set on God's promises?Those who do not fear "the children of Anak" are "well able to prevail." Caleb requested Joshua to appoint Hebron as his portion; Hebron was a great city among the Anakim, and the great man among the Anakim lived there (Josh. 14:12-15).He was not dismayed by the fact that the Anakim were "men of great size," nor by the fact that Hebron was "fortified and very large"; he overcame them. The whole question in relation to overcoming is: Are we trusting in ourselves, or are we trusting in the Lord? If we are relying on ourselves then of course we have to consider whether or not the Anakim are strong or weak and whether their cities are well fortified, but if our reliance is on God, then the question of human resources does not even arise.If we are trusting in God,there is no ground for fear,and victory is assured no matter how great the men and how high the city may be.

Oh yes! God's keeping power. Let's see below.

Thanks op. Indeed, we are kept by the Power of God, through faith. 1 Peter 1:5

who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1Peter 1:5

We are shielded by faith as long as we continually take the Shield of faith and , as the just, live by faith and do not drawback to perdition.


Caleb manifested that faith and was kept; the others did not and they perished in the wilderness.

Truly:
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; Hebrews 3:14

Martinez19:
Oh yes! God's keeping power. Let's see below.

May their gentle souls rest in perfect peace.

Scholar8200:
May their gentle souls rest in perfect peace.

sure! It will rest in peace as your God couldn't protect them.

Martinez19:
sure! It will rest in peace as your God couldn't protect them.

Perhaps what you have in mind can be discussed in another thread. This one focusses on being kept till we get to Heaven not manner of leaving. Paul was kept though he was beheaded; Peter was kept though he left this world on a cross, Jim Elliott was marvellously kep though he was thrust with a spear by the Aucas Indians etc

Scholar8200:
Perhaps what you have in mind can be discussed in another thread. This one focusses on being kept till we get to Heaven not manner of leaving. Paul was kept though he was beheaded; Peter was kept though he left this world on a cross, Jim Elliott was marvellously kep though he was thrust with a spear by the Aucas Indians etc

that's the best your God can do? I am not impressed. What is that thing God can't achieve without people being brutally murdered for his sake?

Martinez19:
that's the best your God can do? I am not impressed. What is that thing God can't achieve without people being brutally murdered for his sake?

Sorry, are you a humanist?

Scholar8200:
Sorry, are you a humanist?

I am an atheist, an agnostic atheist to be precise.

Scholar8200:
Thanks op. Indeed, we are kept by the Power of God, through faith. 1 Peter 1:5

who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1Peter 1:5

We are shielded by faith as long as we continually take the Shield of faith and , as the just, live by faith and do not drawback to perdition.


Caleb manifested that faith and was kept; the others did not and they perished in the wilderness.

Truly:
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; Hebrews 3:14

You are right

Martinez19:
I am an atheist, an agnostic atheist to be precise.

You need a new heart,inorder to be able to perceive His Love.