Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
If you proclaim you are a Christian to those around you, they will be watching.
Moses wrote his final God-inspired instructions to the Israelites just before he went up the mountain to die, and he said, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord, your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
This statement is a promise from God and will happen with certainty when you walk in obedience to the Lord.
The first time he wrote this, it was in verse 6, and It was worth repeating.
Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
When we walk in step with the Lord, it is not that everything will be smooth and with no problems, but it does mean that these problems and trials we face are lessons for us to learn, and we are being shaped into the image of Jesus Christ.
Until we realize that our trials are there for us, we will fight against them. The problem with that is that God is going to shape us whether we like it or not. So we will continue to face these challenges in our lives until we start to learn what it is in our lives that we need to change.
And just when we think we’ve got it, He brings it up again just to make sure that we’ve got it.
Here’s the good news, when you get this insight by the Spirit, it is now by God, and you’ve got it.
The key to understanding this is we’ve got to pay attention to the thoughts we think and the patterns that happen in our lives. When we start to pay attention to what we are thinking and willingly bring the struggles we face to the Lord with humility to learn the lesson, He will reveal the thinking change we need to make.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT
We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
This verse is life-changing.
And what happens after that can only be explained as joyful.
For me, I used to be thinking that things in my past would catch up to me; I was waiting for things to come up and bite me in the present and make my life miserable.
But with God’s truth, when I am walking in line with His purpose, He will protect me from this. And if something comes up and becomes a trial, it will carry with it a lesson I need to learn.
Knowing this brings me a feeling of confidence and joy.
One of the things that will get us in trouble is when we try to get out in front of God. When we feel things aren’t moving quite as fast as we think they should be, we take things into our hands.
When we do this, it is a recipe for disaster. But the good news is it will produce a trial that we can learn from.
James 1:2-4 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
1 Peter 1:5-7 NLT
And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Our reaction shouldn’t be to run when challenges come our way; our thinking should immediately go to God and, with humility and submission, ask Him with a sincere heart, “Heavenly Father, what is it that You want me to change in my thinking and my actions through this challenge?”
If we are looking for the circumstance or the other person to change, we miss the mark. There is no joy there; joy will only come when we learn the lesson that God is looking for us to learn. And that is a joy that surpasses our understanding.
Heavenly Father, Thank You.
Thank You for the challenges You provide to shape me into the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Help me to be strong and courageous while facing these challenges. Help me to “Always be joyful. Never stop praying, and be thankful in ALL circumstances.” I know this is what you want from those who are in Jesus Christ.
During these times of challenge, I pray for mercy, healing, and Your blessing.
Help me wait patiently for You. I know that You will make all things right.
In the names of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
