Hebrews 11 is a testament to the importance of faith. It points out individuals and their faith records and provides some important summaries of the subject. In verse 6, it puts a cap on it that pleasing God is impossible without faith. Then in verses 32-34 it says, “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Faith is God responding to us based on what He had promised; it is never an arm-twisting device. When you come to demand what God has already purposed, nothing shall be impossible.

I believe Caleb merited being listed as one of those who subdued kingdoms by his faith. In our text, he asked Joshua to “give me this mountain.” Caleb would be a good teacher on faith and how it works. Firstly, by asking for “this mountain”, we know that faith is specific. By the same token, we understand that faith is not arbitrary. The mountain that Caleb asked for was informed by what God promised before. His warrant for that request was the promise made by God when he and Joshua went to spy the land of Canaan and brought a good report. Faith is God responding to us based on what He had promised; it is never an arm-twisting device. When you come to demand what God has already purposed, nothing shall be impossible.