SERMON NOTES

Developing a Backbone for the Battle

Faith isn’t just a belief; it’s the backbone of our spiritual life. Just as the physical spine gives posture, balance, and movement to the body, faith holds our spiritual lives together. Without it, everything collapses.

As we entered the final quarter of the year at Sweetwaters Church, we focused on the “E” in RISE — Equip — and launched a new series called Backbone. This first message, The Spine of Faith, explores what gives strength and stability to our walk with God.

Faith: The Backbone of the Believer

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Verse 6 continues, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Faith is what keeps us standing firm when life tries to knock us down. God isn’t raising a spineless church — He’s forming a courageous, unshakable people who refuse to bend when giants appear before them.

The story of the twelve spies in Numbers 13:26–33 gives us a powerful look into what it means to have a spiritual backbone. Ten spies saw impossibility; two — Joshua and Caleb — saw promise. The difference wasn’t in what they saw but in how they saw it.

From their story, we discover three essential “vertebrae” that make up the spine of faith:

1. The Eye of the Spine
2. The Strength of the Spine
3. The Voice of the Spine

1. The Eye of the Spine — Seeing Through God’s Lens

“We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.” — Numbers 13:27–28

All twelve spies saw the same land. Ten saw giants; two saw grapes. The difference was vision.

Fear magnifies obstacles; faith magnifies opportunity. The spies measured themselves against the giants, while Caleb measured the giants against God.

Faith doesn’t deny the obstacles — it redefines them in light of God’s power. What you magnify grows larger in your life. Focus on the giants, and you’ll shrink in fear. Focus on God, and your courage will grow.

God is looking for believers who see promise where others see pain, and opportunity where others see opposition. Joshua and Caleb didn’t just look differently — they stood differently.

2. The Strength of the Spine — Standing Firm in Courage

“We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” — Numbers 13:33

The ten spies lost strength before the battle even began. They saw themselves as insects in comparison to the giants. Fear had already defeated them. Fear is simply faith pointed in the wrong direction — believing more in the enemy’s power than in God’s promise.

As Charles Stanley once said, “The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. What matters is whether you bow to it or stand in spite of it.”

Faith stabilizes your stance. It keeps you upright when fear tries to bend you.

But notice something: the ten spies didn’t keep their fear to themselves — they spread it. “They spread among the Israelites a bad report.” (Numbers 13:32) Fear spreads quickly, but so does faith. Spineless faith infects others with doubt; courageous faith inspires strength in others. Joshua and Caleb’s courage planted seeds of belief that outlived the rest of their generation.

The crowd doesn’t always follow the strong; it often follows the loudest. But while fear may shout, faith endures.

3. The Voice of the Spine — Speaking with Faith and Conviction

“Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us.” — Numbers 14:9

Faith that stays silent is incomplete. Joshua and Caleb didn’t just see and stand differently — they spoke differently.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “I believed; therefore I spoke.” Faith must have a voice.

Caleb declared, “We will devour them; their protection is gone.” In Hebrew, that word “devour” literally means “bread.” In other words: the very thing that terrifies others will become the meal that strengthens you.

Faith turns battles into nourishment. Giants become bread. Trials become testimonies.

Building the Spine of Faith

The “spine of faith” is built on three truths:

• It sees through God’s eyes.
• It stands when fear says to fall.
• It speaks with boldness when others are silent.

The ten spies collapsed under fear; two stood tall in faith. The difference between the wilderness and the Promised Land wasn’t the strength of the enemy — it was the backbone of belief.

Our ultimate model is Jesus — the greater Joshua — who had the spine to endure the cross. When others bowed, He stood. When sin pressed, He resisted. When death threatened, He triumphed.

That’s why our confidence doesn’t rest in our own strength but in His sacrifice.

Living with Spiritual Backbone

We are not wilderness people; we are promised-land people. Not grasshoppers, but Spirit-filled giant slayers. The world doesn’t need more fearful voices — it needs a church with backbone. A church that sees through God’s eyes, stands in His strength, and speaks with His voice.

The spine of faith holds us upright in a shaking world. Let’s rise, stand firm, and walk as people whose faith refuses to bend.