The Same Eyes That See the Promise See the Enemy
I was scrolling through social media and I heard a preacher briefly mention Numbers 14. Immediately, I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to go read it. I read Numbers chapters 13 and 14, and as I read, the Lord highlighted something specific.
In Numbers 13, God instructed Moses to send twelve spies, one from each tribe, to scout out the land of Canaan. For forty days they explored the land; everything God had said about it was true. It was rich, fruitful, and overflowing with abundance. They came back with grapes so large they had to be carried on a pole, along with pomegranates and figs.
The Promised Land was exactly as God had described it. But the same eyes that saw promise also saw opposition. They saw fortified cities, strong nations, and giants—the descendants of Anak. When they returned, ten of the twelve spies spread fear throughout the camp, saying, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are... we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them" (Numbers 13:31, 33 ESV). Yet Caleb stood up in faith and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30 ESV).
Numbers 13 is a mirror of the human heart: Do we see through fear or do we see through faith?
When Slavery Looks Safer than the Promise
In Numbers 14, the people responded to the fearful report. They wept, complained, and even talked about choosing a new leader to take them back to Egypt. Fear blinded them so deeply that slavery looked safer than the promise. Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in grief and pleaded with the people, saying, "If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land... Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them" (Numbers 14:8–9 ESV).
Instead of listening, the people picked up stones to kill them. At that moment, the glory of the Lord appeared, and God pronounced judgment. The generation that refused to trust Him would not enter the Promised Land. They would wander forty years, one year for each day the spies were in the land. Only Joshua and Caleb would enter. The ten spies who stirred fear died immediately by plague. The people, realizing too late what they had done, tried to enter the land without God and were defeated. It is a sobering reminder that fear and unbelief will close doors that God intended to open.
They Are Bread for Us
This is the part the Lord highlighted to me: "do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us" (Numbers 14:9 ESV).
The phrase "bread for us" is what the Holy Spirit would not let me pass by. The Hebrew word for "bread" is lechem (Strong's H3899), which means "food," "nourishment," and "sustenance." It is the thing that strengthens you and helps you grow. It is not just symbolic; it is a literal, spiritual strategy. Through this, the Lord was saying to me, "What you are afraid of will feed you. What you think will crush you will nourish you." (Photo via Unsplash)
I asked Him to elaborate, and He said, "What you see as an enemy, I will use to feed you and make you grow. Wasn't that what I did with Moses? Didn't I cause the very ones who wanted to destroy him to raise him to prominence?"
Immediately I saw it. Moses wasn't only spared, he was sustained by Egypt. The very system that oppressed Israel fed their future deliverer.
Moses was nourished, protected, and educated by his enemy (see Exodus 2:1–10). Egyptian wealth, produced by the labor of Moses' own people, funded Moses' life, training, and preparation. He was raised in the royal palace, receiving the best food, the best education, the best military training, and the best leadership formation. He grew strong in the house of the oppressor, on the resources of the oppressor, and God used all of it to form the man who would one day confront Egypt and liberate His people. The Egyptians became bread for Moses. The enemy fed the deliverer, who would one day bring destruction to them.
When the Enemy Feeds the Deliverer
This principle appears elsewhere in Scripture. Joseph's entire journey shows the same pattern. Everything that was meant to harm him became the very thing that positioned him. His brothers' jealousy sent him to Egypt. The Ishmaelites who carried him became the transportation that moved him into destiny. Potiphar's wife's false accusation, meant to destroy him, placed him in the exact prison where Pharaoh's cup bearer would meet him.
"And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison... And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed." (Genesis 39:20–23 ESV)
Joseph later said to his brothers who betrayed him, "God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant" (Genesis 45:7 ESV). If he had not gone through everything he went through, he would have never seen his dreams fulfilled or saved his family. Every injustice Joseph faced became bread for his calling.
"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Genesis 50:20 ESV)
Then there were Esther and Mordecai. Haman built the gallows, plotted destruction, and sought power, but every single move he made strengthened the position of the ones he hated. The structure he built for Mordecai's downfall became the very instrument of his own demise. Haman's plans became the stepping stone for Mordecai's elevation. What the enemy designed for harm turned into nourishment for God's chosen (see Esther 6:6–11; 7:9–10).
As I reflected on all of this, I realized that Scripture shows a clear pattern:
• Every enemy becomes nourishment for the chosen.
• Every threat becomes training.
• Every opposition becomes preparation. (Photo via Unsplash)
Do Not Fear Them: Their Protection Is Removed from Them
This is why Joshua said, "Do not fear... their protection is removed from them" (Numbers 14:9 ESV). The Hebrew word for protection here is tsel (Strong's H6738), meaning "shade" and "shelter," as in a covering. Joshua wasn't saying Israel would defeat the giants because they were strong. He was saying the giants had already lost their covering. God had already removed their advantage.
The difference maker was OBEDIENCE. Obedience is what turns giants into bread. Obedience is more than compliance; it is worship. Obedience is when you say, "Lord, even when I am afraid, I will trust You," or "Even when I don't understand, I will honor You, " and "Even when it feels impossible, I will follow You."
Obedience is acknowledging that God is Lord over your life and that His plan is greater than yours. That posture transforms what was meant to break you into what builds you. Giants become bread. Enemies become teachers. Opposition becomes training. Warfare becomes strengthening. Humility becomes elevation. God uses everything.
The Lord is saying, "Child, this is the season in which your enemies will be your bread. If you keep obeying and do not turn away from Me, I will prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemies. The very ones who rejected you, overlooked you, ignored you, discounted you, showed contempt for you, humiliated you, betrayed you, under appreciated you, or gossiped about you—even the ones who wanted you to fail and plotted against you—will watch as I flip the script. I will reveal the biggest plot twist. Though it tarries, it will not delay. It will come to pass."
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." (Psalm 23:5 ESV)
"And the Lord answered me: 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.'" (Habakkuk 2:2–3 ESV)
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Rosangela Atte
The Shift Her Coaching
Email:Â theshifthercoaching@gmail.com
Website:Â www.theshifthercoaching.com
Rosangela Atte is a prophetic voice, Christian life and brain coach, wife, mother of four, and grandmother who carries a deep passion for seeing women set free and walking in their God-given identity. Originally from Italy and now living in Canada, Rosangela knows firsthand what it means to overcome rejection, fatherlessness, low self-worth and fear—and to step into freedom and purpose through the healing power of Jesus Christ. Through her ministry, The Shift Her Coaching, Rosangela empowers women to renew their minds, regulate their nervous systems, and break free from survival mode so they can rise into wholeness, confidence, and spiritual authority. Her prophetic writings and encounters flow from an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit and a desire to see the Bride of Christ prepared, healed, and equipped for this significant hour in history. Her heart beats for transformation—helping women reframe their pain as fuel for purpose, and guiding them into the fullness of life, freedom, and destiny in Christ.
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