Verse of the day: Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Fear can motivation us or paralyze us. Satan loves to use fear to keep us from living out God’s will and plan for our lives. He uses the fear of “what if” to keep us paralyzed or put us on a path where we begin to trust our own planning and scheming to accomplish what God is already working in our lives. It is that “what if” fear that the devils use to convince us that God cannot defend us or protect us when others have ill intentions toward us or try to blemish our reputation with their lies about us. Joshua has been chosen to continue leading Israel upon Moses’ death, and now he will be taking on a responsibility he did not have before. He will be navigating unchartered waters and the only assurance he is given is that God is with him. This is the very same assurance we are given today in Hebrews 13:5-6. God is not ignorant to Satan’s devices, and therefore reminds us that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). In Isaiah 41:10 God said, “Fear not, for I am with you: Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Interestingly, the word “strong” God uses in today’s verse means to prevail, be firm, but it also means to cleave. In James 4:7-8a God tells us, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” In other words, when we cleave to God, Satan has no choice but to flee because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Joshua is also to be “of good courage”, or to be secure, firm, assured. There is no greater assurance that we have in Christ than the fact that God not only goes with us wherever we go (because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit), but He also goes before us. In verse 8 of this chapter, Moses repeats to Joshua, “And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” There is no situation that we will encounter in our walk with the Lord that He has not already been to before us. Before we encounter a trial, an adversary, or any situation that can potentially distress us, God has already been there, has already resolved it, but may not have chosen to show us the outcome. He may choose to use the situation to build our faith, teach us to trust Him more, and show us where we are in our walk with Him. When those times do arise that we begin to feel overwhelmed and distressed, God tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Jesus Himself said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” King David wrote in Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” The bottom line is that in all that we face our strength and courage comes from the choice we make to cling to God. Even in putting on the armor God has provided us with in Ephesians 6, we are told, in verse 10, to “be strong in the Lord and power of His might”. Whatever battle He allows us to face in life, whether unseen or foreseen, remember that the battle is ultimately His, and He will never leave us alone in the heat of it. When the enemy attacks and fear arises, let us remember the words of Isaiah 54:17, “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,’ Says the LORD.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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