It is sometimes hard to admit but the honest truth is that we all have doubts, fears and insecurities. They are not always with us but under certain circumstances they will try to bubble up and overwhelm us. They counter everything we know and have experienced. They are whispers in the night, They are a dampening blanket to our passion. They are a drawn curtain that blocks our view. The question is, what will you do about them?
Can you imagine having spent over forty years as Moses' assistant? What an incredible challenge and blessing that would have been. Imagine after such a long time with such a man you were suddenly informed that Yahweh had scheduled his death. Imagine at the same time being informed that Yahweh had named you his successor? Keep in mind all that Moses had done and faced. Keep in mind all the fighting he had done with and for the people.
Israel was not an easy people to govern and lead. It was never going to be easy for Israel but they made it one hundred times harder on themselves. Because of their own stupidity they ended up living 40 years in the desert. Their constant complaining drove Moses crazy and now, on the brink of years of war with many nations, Moses was being removed and an untested leader was being put in his place. I wonder if Joshua had any insecurities, second thoughts, doubts and about his assignment?
There is nothing in Scripture that indicates Joshua had any doubts or fears. There is not a word of complaint from his lips. There is no great calling out to Yahweh but there is one message that came out loud and clear from Yahweh, Moses and the people:
Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed. (Joshua 1:9)
Moses told him privately:
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. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
Moses told him publicly:
Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. (Deuteronomy 31:7)
Israel said to him:
Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage. (Joshua 1:18)
To know that Moses and the people having trust in him would have been affirming for Joshua but not near as much as to hear directly from the LORD:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
Was Joshua's confidence to be found in his own ability or the strength of the army? Not at all. It did not matter what his personal insecurities were about his ability because his confidence came from the fact that Yahweh was sending him. "Have I not commanded you?" But he wasn't just being sent. Yahweh promised to go with him, to never leave him. Does that ring any bells at all?
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Often our insecurities rise up because of doubts in our own ability but being strong and courageous is not a hard thing to do when you understand the presence of the LORD. Jesus did not just send us out to claim the lost for him, to take on great battles and face incredible danger according to our ability. Jesus promised to come with us, to be with us because it is his fight; it is according to his strength and power, not ours. It is the reason the Apostle Paul was able to say with great confidence that he was able to all thing through Jesus who gave him strength.
Yes, insecurities, fears, doubts will rise up because they always do because we doubt ourselves, but a person of faith never allows them to stop him. He never allows them to become a barrier to the Father's will. In spite of them he presses on with great strength and courage because of two reasons. First, we have been sent. Second, because Jesus is with us. It is not about our ability. Do not be downcast oh my soul but be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or dismayed because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Amen!
Showing posts with label Deuteronomy 31. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deuteronomy 31. Show all posts
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Jesus Knew Even Before You Did It
Many days of our lives we can be accused of making a god after our own image. He study the Bible, learn about Yahweh, worship him but then change small details to suit our own needs. You don't think so? Then I challenge you to read the entire Bible in 90 days (YouVersion has a Bible Reading Plan for 90 days) and come face to face with who is Yahweh, the true Yahweh, Yahweh the just, Yahweh the righteous. There is a reason why Scriptures says it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
One thing that cannot be mistaken in any of the Scriptures is that Yahweh is full of grace, but we are also warned never to allow grace to be an excuse to sin. We do not understand how much grace is already being shown to us every day. Sometimes we do not even consider how our actions will impact our Father. We do not consider how our actions will effect our testimony. We do not consider how our actions and words impact the way the world looks at our God. Yahweh does.
Our Father knows our words even before they are on our lips. He knows the actions we will take even before we take them. He knows the decisions we will make and he knows our motivation. He knows the end from the beginning and he knows the roots. He sees the outcome of the words we speak and the decisions we take today even when we can't. It is no different today than in the days of Moses.
Yahweh knew before he sent Israel into the promised land that they would reject him and take on the gods of the other nations. He knew that they would do this and he knew the actions he would have to take:
Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. (Deuteronomy 31:16-17)
Nothing is hidden from our God, not even our future. Then why does he allow it to happen? If nothing surprises Yahweh, why does he not stop the rebellion before it begins? Let me remind you that anything that is against the will of the Father is rebellion. What kind of rebellion do you and I live in every day as we make decisions with no thought of Jesus, his righteous ways and his will for our lives? How often do we decide against the righteousness of Yahweh without giving it a second thought? Ignorance is no excuse. He is suppose to be our "everything" and we are suppose to be consumed by passion for the Name.
The reason Yahweh does not stop us is two-fold. First, he created us as a creation with a free will. We have the freedom to make our own decisions. Jesus set us free from the slavery of sin so we could have the freedom to decide for him instead of against him, and we still have that freedom today. If Yahweh interferes with that freedom he goes against his own purpose. He desires for us to love him freely.
The second is that our Father uses these times of rebellion for training us. We are his children and he will correct us. He allows us to make mistakes, to rebel but then he brings in the correction to increase us. No punishment is meant as a revenge but as a teaching opportunity. We may not like the correction but it certainly brings us closer to our Father and that is what he is looking for.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Hebrews 12:7-8)
The sad thing is that we usually try to find the short cut out of the correction instead of standing up under it. In this world of self-satisfaction and instant gratification, enduring the correction of our Father is a foreign concept. It could be one reason why there are so many babies running around needing their diapers changed and precious few mature men and women of faith. Sin happens, mistakes will be made, Jesus knows all about it and the Father loves you enough to bring correction. Stand up under it and be increased or slink away into the dark to find your own solutions and lose out. It is your decision, just don't a god after your own image to excuse it away.
One thing that cannot be mistaken in any of the Scriptures is that Yahweh is full of grace, but we are also warned never to allow grace to be an excuse to sin. We do not understand how much grace is already being shown to us every day. Sometimes we do not even consider how our actions will impact our Father. We do not consider how our actions will effect our testimony. We do not consider how our actions and words impact the way the world looks at our God. Yahweh does.
Our Father knows our words even before they are on our lips. He knows the actions we will take even before we take them. He knows the decisions we will make and he knows our motivation. He knows the end from the beginning and he knows the roots. He sees the outcome of the words we speak and the decisions we take today even when we can't. It is no different today than in the days of Moses.
Yahweh knew before he sent Israel into the promised land that they would reject him and take on the gods of the other nations. He knew that they would do this and he knew the actions he would have to take:
Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. (Deuteronomy 31:16-17)
Nothing is hidden from our God, not even our future. Then why does he allow it to happen? If nothing surprises Yahweh, why does he not stop the rebellion before it begins? Let me remind you that anything that is against the will of the Father is rebellion. What kind of rebellion do you and I live in every day as we make decisions with no thought of Jesus, his righteous ways and his will for our lives? How often do we decide against the righteousness of Yahweh without giving it a second thought? Ignorance is no excuse. He is suppose to be our "everything" and we are suppose to be consumed by passion for the Name.
The reason Yahweh does not stop us is two-fold. First, he created us as a creation with a free will. We have the freedom to make our own decisions. Jesus set us free from the slavery of sin so we could have the freedom to decide for him instead of against him, and we still have that freedom today. If Yahweh interferes with that freedom he goes against his own purpose. He desires for us to love him freely.
The second is that our Father uses these times of rebellion for training us. We are his children and he will correct us. He allows us to make mistakes, to rebel but then he brings in the correction to increase us. No punishment is meant as a revenge but as a teaching opportunity. We may not like the correction but it certainly brings us closer to our Father and that is what he is looking for.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Hebrews 12:7-8)
The sad thing is that we usually try to find the short cut out of the correction instead of standing up under it. In this world of self-satisfaction and instant gratification, enduring the correction of our Father is a foreign concept. It could be one reason why there are so many babies running around needing their diapers changed and precious few mature men and women of faith. Sin happens, mistakes will be made, Jesus knows all about it and the Father loves you enough to bring correction. Stand up under it and be increased or slink away into the dark to find your own solutions and lose out. It is your decision, just don't a god after your own image to excuse it away.
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