A GUARANTEED FUTURE
Verse for Today: Sunday, February 13, 2011
Joshua 1:9 - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
God's words of encouragement and comfort are also words of commandments for us to willfully and unquestionably follow in order to be victorious in this world. When God encourages and commands us to be strong and courageous, He has also given us the power to be strong and courageous when the circumstances challenge us to lose our strength and boldness. We can be strong in the Lord in any circumstance. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We can have all the courage that the Spirit of God gives us even in the most difficult and discouraging circumstances. When discouragement knocks at the doors of our hearts, if we ask Jesus to answer the door, discouragement will flee from us and we will gain more courage to face any eventualities. These qualities are imputed in us by the Spirit of God through the Word of God to generate faith in us to go through the most trying circumstances. So there is no need for us to be terrified and to loose hope in life. God has promised to be with us in our entire present and future walk. He has gone before us into our future. The guarantee of His holy presence in all our future endeavours gives us the holy boldness to go forward in our sojourn. When we face unfavourable circumstances, we know that our God is already there and He is in control of us and our circumstances for us to go through it. So whether there is rain, snow, sunny weather, fire, darkness, valleys, hills, sharp nails, thorns or glass pieces on the way, and even in the midst of the devouring sounds of wild animals, we have nothing to be afraid of. Our Lord is already there and He will see us through these circumstances with His strength and courage. We go forward with the encouragement of the guarantee of His presence with us and in all the steps that we need to take from now onwards.
Dear friend, perhaps you are trying to take steps through an unknown pathway today. It is likely that you feel totally inadequate to take these steps forward because you have never traveled this way before. As you look into the unknown future and the journey you need to take, you might become discouraged and be full of apprehensions. But there is no need to be discouraged because the Almighty God has commanded you not to do so. When He has guaranteed His presence with you in all your future steps, how can you be still discouraged and loosing hope! You have the guaranteed and sure promise of the God of this universe that He has seen all your future steps, with all the unfavourable circumstances and has already made all the necessary provisions to meet all your emotional, intellectual and volitional needs as you walk along. In spite of it all, if you are still discouraged, it is an indication that you do not believe in His promises, His words and have no faith in His provisions for you. Such a lack of faith will grieve Him, and will make His provisions ineffective for you because you are unable to claim these resources and put them to use. It is unthinkable to deny yourself the provisions made for you by the Lord. Today let us ask the Lord to open our eyes of understanding so as to enable us see the great provisions of His presence, resources and the special protection of the angels around us. Let us praise God for it all, claim it all by faith and appropriate it all for the next steps in our lives with great courage, strength and faith.
Hebrews 11:8 - By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Thought for Today
A discouraged believer disobeys the divine commandment to be strong and courageous, and forfeits the power and presence of God for his sojourn.
Verse for Today: Sunday, February 13, 2011
Joshua 1:9 - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
God's words of encouragement and comfort are also words of commandments for us to willfully and unquestionably follow in order to be victorious in this world. When God encourages and commands us to be strong and courageous, He has also given us the power to be strong and courageous when the circumstances challenge us to lose our strength and boldness. We can be strong in the Lord in any circumstance. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We can have all the courage that the Spirit of God gives us even in the most difficult and discouraging circumstances. When discouragement knocks at the doors of our hearts, if we ask Jesus to answer the door, discouragement will flee from us and we will gain more courage to face any eventualities. These qualities are imputed in us by the Spirit of God through the Word of God to generate faith in us to go through the most trying circumstances. So there is no need for us to be terrified and to loose hope in life. God has promised to be with us in our entire present and future walk. He has gone before us into our future. The guarantee of His holy presence in all our future endeavours gives us the holy boldness to go forward in our sojourn. When we face unfavourable circumstances, we know that our God is already there and He is in control of us and our circumstances for us to go through it. So whether there is rain, snow, sunny weather, fire, darkness, valleys, hills, sharp nails, thorns or glass pieces on the way, and even in the midst of the devouring sounds of wild animals, we have nothing to be afraid of. Our Lord is already there and He will see us through these circumstances with His strength and courage. We go forward with the encouragement of the guarantee of His presence with us and in all the steps that we need to take from now onwards.
Dear friend, perhaps you are trying to take steps through an unknown pathway today. It is likely that you feel totally inadequate to take these steps forward because you have never traveled this way before. As you look into the unknown future and the journey you need to take, you might become discouraged and be full of apprehensions. But there is no need to be discouraged because the Almighty God has commanded you not to do so. When He has guaranteed His presence with you in all your future steps, how can you be still discouraged and loosing hope! You have the guaranteed and sure promise of the God of this universe that He has seen all your future steps, with all the unfavourable circumstances and has already made all the necessary provisions to meet all your emotional, intellectual and volitional needs as you walk along. In spite of it all, if you are still discouraged, it is an indication that you do not believe in His promises, His words and have no faith in His provisions for you. Such a lack of faith will grieve Him, and will make His provisions ineffective for you because you are unable to claim these resources and put them to use. It is unthinkable to deny yourself the provisions made for you by the Lord. Today let us ask the Lord to open our eyes of understanding so as to enable us see the great provisions of His presence, resources and the special protection of the angels around us. Let us praise God for it all, claim it all by faith and appropriate it all for the next steps in our lives with great courage, strength and faith.
Hebrews 11:8 - By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Thought for Today
A discouraged believer disobeys the divine commandment to be strong and courageous, and forfeits the power and presence of God for his sojourn.
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