Tag: you shall go

53.c. Joshua. “He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.””

 

Jos 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

 Deuteronomy 31:7-8    Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.  It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

 Judges 6:14      And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

 Acts 4:19     But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,

 Genesis 28:15    Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

 Deuteronomy 20:1     “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

 Psalms 27:1-2     The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

 Jeremiah 1:7-8      But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”

 Psalms 46:7    The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Let not the sense of thine own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient. I have commanded, called, and commissioned thee to do it, and will be sure to bear thee out in it. (Henry)

Have not I commanded thee?…. The above things, to go over Jordan with the people into the land of Canaan, and to observe the law of Moses in all things, and to be of good courage, which is again repeated; consider who it is that has given these orders and instructions, the great Jehovah, the everlasting I AM, who is faithful to his promises, and able to perform. The consideration of which would serve to animate him to the work he was called unto, to encourage his faith in God, to engage in his service cheerfully and readily: be strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, nor be thou dismayed; at his enemies, numerous and powerful, nor discouraged at anything in himself, any unfitness for such service, as he might think, or at any difficulties he might fear from the people he had the government of, and was to lead on; it was enough that the divine Presence was promised him. (Gill)

When facing a pending war and knowing the enemy is bigger and stronger than you, I think, would give a bit of fear into your mind. Being told to go into the land they occupy and take it away from them because I, God, have given it to you, is a big faith tester isn’t it. Joshua is told to be strong and courageous, not to be frightened, or be dismayed.  Why? Because God is with him. We can look back at all of the examples given in the bible where God displayed His awesome power. Faith casts out all fear. 

It is hard to cast out all fear if our understanding and knowledge of God is limited. Many doubts will come into our minds when we are not practicing and believing in His presence, love, power, and promises. Faith in God grows within us as we mature in His Word. We start to denounce self-reliance and cling to relying in Him, His leading, His power, His purposes, and His will.  I see no other way to overcome fear, doubt, anger, and worry than to spend intentional time in His Word for the single purpose of knowing Him more and more, trusting in Him more and more, relying on Him more and more, believing in Him more and more, and discerning His hand in the world around us more and more.

There is a peace that passes all human understanding that comes from God’s Word. It is a place of hope, refuge, joy, purpose, holy promises, and rest.

Will Graham – Devotion

 

Jeremiah 1:4–10

4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”  But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.  Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.  Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.  See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

For many years I have traveled the world as an evangelist, sharing the Good News of Christ on six continents. The faces may change, but the concerns of the heart are very often the same. I’ve found that one of the biggest concerns weighing on people—whether in the United States or on the other side of the world—is the matter of purpose.

People naturally wonder why they are here, who they’re supposed to be, and what they’re supposed to do. They want to know that their life has meaning—a purpose.

The answer—like the answer to many of life’s questions—can be found in the Bible. Let’s look at Jeremiah 1:4-10.

We were created for a purpose (vv. 4 and 5): As humans, we are created for a purpose, and that purpose comes from God. He says, “I formed you … I knew you … I sanctified you … I ordained you …” God created us for a well-established purpose, and gave us the means to accomplish that work. Your calling and my calling were put into place before we were even formed.

Further, verse 4 tells us exactly where to look for our purpose. “Then the word of the Lord came to me …” If you want to find your purpose, spend time in God’s Word, through which He speaks to us.

Ditch the excuses (v. 6): Often we recognize our purpose, our calling, but try to run the other direction. Humanly speaking, there are often excuses one can use to avoid the purpose that God may have for you. Maybe you can make more money elsewhere. Perhaps embracing your purpose will make a less comfortable life for you and your family. Like Jeremiah, you may not feel adequately equipped for the task—too young, too old, unskilled.

If you truly want to find your purpose, however, you may need to step out in faith, become uncomfortable and offer yourself to be used by God. Which leads us to …

God equips those He calls (vv. 7-10): Finally, we are reminded how God equips those whom He calls by addressing the two issues that Jeremiah brought up. First, concerning his youth, God promises that He Himself will be with Jeremiah wherever he is sent. Second, as for Jeremiah’s speaking problem, God tells him that He was going to place in Jeremiah’s mouth the words to speak.

God is not going to call you to a purpose without giving you the tools you need to accomplish His plan. What a great concept—God gives us purpose, and then equips us for His purposes!

My friends, you may not feel like you have a purpose in life. You may feel lost and misdirected. I encourage you to seek God, study His Word, and cry out to Him in prayer. Follow God’s purpose for your life, get past the excuses, and allow Him to work through you.

God gives us purpose, but you have to know Him to find yours.