We live in a fallen world where things can seem rather dark and bleak at times. Thankfully we believers have our hope firmly established upon Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We know that no matter what the upcoming year has in store for us the Lord will see us through if we are trusting in Him. It may not be easy or quick, but we know that the Lord Jesus will never leave us nor we He ever forsake us.
Sometimes the trials and difficulties in life can weigh us down. We may feel tired and weary. We may even need courage to face the trials ahead of us. We all could use more courage. I know I sure could at times. The Lord will give us the courage that we need through the Holy Spirit who indwells everyone that has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
I remember from reading in Joshua 1:1-9 that Joshua himself needed to be reminded to take courage and trust that wherever he went the Lord would be with him.
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.
3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The Lord reminded Joshua that Moses was dead and it was now up to Joshua to take the Israelites across the Jordan and enter into the land that was promised to them by the Lord. Joshua needed some courage. He had seen over the past forty years how the Israelites rebelled against God and Moses. Joshua remembered their moaning and complaining and now God was telling him that he was their leader. What thoughts and fears must have entered Joshua's mind.
Joshua had some mighty big sandals to fill, but he also knew that with God all things are possible. The Lord knew Joshua needed words of encouragement and we can see in these 9 verses the Lord tells Joshua to be strong and courageous three different times. We all need that reminder at times and some of us need that reminder several times a day.
In order for us to find courage we must have our focus on the right place. If our focus is on the world and all that is going on we won't find courage. We will find fear and anxiety, but if our focus is on God the Maker and Creator of all things then we will find our courage in Him. The Lord loves us with a deep and unconditional love. He doesn't want us to be anxious and afraid about the future. He wants us to trust Him each step of the way.
We must draw near to the Lord and walk in the Spirit. We must come to the Lord by faith and trust in His grace. We need to read and listen to His Holy Word, the Bible, and apply the Word to our lives. We can have courage in facing this new year because we know that the Lord will be with us each step of the way wherever we find ourselves during the new year.
God demonstrated His great love for us by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into this world. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life. Jesus died on the Cross, shedding His blood for our sins. We know that we have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards. We are all deserving of being placed into a literal hell for all eternity, but the good news is that we don't have to go there. God made a way for us to have our sins forgiven and we can have an eternal home in Heaven. We must be reconciled back to God and that is only possible by placing our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and making Him our Lord and Savior.
We are saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other name under Heaven in which people must be saved by. There is only one way to have our sins forgiven and there is only one way into Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.
God raised Jesus to life on the third day and He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. One day the Lord Jesus Christ will return and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion where He will rule as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Everyone that has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross have the Holy Spirit indwelling them. We believers are truly never alone. God will be with us throughout the year ahead and that should give us some courage. If we need more courage we can know that the Lord will provide us with more through His Holy Spirit.
The Lord is good and he loves us. We can trust Him each step of the way. We can be strong and courageous in Him.
Lord,
Sometimes life is hard and we feel afraid.
Help us to be strong and courageous.
Holy Spirit empower us with courage to do what it is You would have us to do.
Lead us and guide us according to Your will O Lord.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment