Strength

Be Strong and Courageous

Photography, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

IMG_7681

~Deuteronomy 31:1-8~

Have you ever faced a challenge that left you feeling inadequate and afraid?  The great men and women of the Bible weren’t superhuman, so they undoubtedly experienced the same weaknesses we do.  Though Joshua was a strong military leader, he probably felt inadequate to fill Moses’ shoes.  After all, Moses had talked with God face to face, performed amazing miracles, and led the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage.  How could Joshua ever expect to live up to that?

But remember, Moses didn’t start out as a mighty man of faith.  When God first called him to deliver the children of Israel, he focused on his own inadequacy and begged the Lord to send someone else (Exodus 4:10-13).  Moses must have known exactly how Joshua felt.  That’s why he exhorted his successor to be strong and courageous.

However, the strength Joshua needed was not going to come from positive thinking or puffed-up self-confidence.  What he needed was assurance that the Lord would go ahead of him every step of the way and give the nation the land as promised.  Confidence in God-given challenges never comes from within ourselves.  But when we believe the Lord and rely on His word instead of our feelings, He’ll give us the ability and courage that we need to accomplish His will.

If your life were always easy, you’d never need strength and courage – and you would miss great opportunities to get to know the Lord intimately.  Only as we face one faith-stretching challenge after another and experience God’s faithfulness will we learn to depend on Him instead of ourselves.

Commentary from Charles Stanley’s In Touch devotional, December 9, 2017.

Stronghold

Photography, , , , , , , , , , , One comment

img_3911

Our culture wants us to believe another lie-that we can accomplish much without God.  People will point out our human strengths, like education, skills, and gifts, and assure us that we have all we require to succeed.  The implication is that we don’t need God.  Satan always wants to turn us away from reliance upon the Lord; our enemy wants us to think that prior success means we can handle the task on our own.  The Bible tells us otherwise.  To do God’s work God’s way requires that we rely on His Spirit instead of depending on ourselves or others.  The lives of God’s children are to be characterized by steady reliance upon the Holy Spirit.

So he answered me, “This is the word

of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by 

strength or might, but by My Spirit,’

says the Lord of Hosts.

What are you, great mountain?

Before Zerubbabel you will become

a plain.  And he will bring

out the capstone accompanied

by shouts of:

Grace, grace to it!”

Zechariah 4:6-7

Portions of commentary from Charles Stanley’s In Touch devotional, February 12, 2017.