Be strong and courageous!

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in Joshua when the Lord speaks to him and says, "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave or forsake you. 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." Joshua 1:6-7 God does not change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The same God in the Old Testament is the same God today. "He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind." 1 Samuel 15:29 God is not like us my friend. When He makes a promise, He keeps it period. The word of God is His love letter to you and me and our instruction manual for life. He promised Joshua that He would never leave or forsake Him-this word is for you and me today. He tells us the same thing in Hebrews 13:5 and because He will never leave or forsake us, we can be strong and courageous. We don't have to give in to fear or doubt when problems come. God will hold us with His right hand. Isaiah 41:10 & 13. He says that He Himself will help us-our redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 41:14 Rest in this truth and take hold of these verses. When trouble comes, when the enemy is attacking, when people you love turn their back on you, when you don't know how you are going to pay your bills or when your health fails you....God never will. He will give you His peace that passes all human understanding in the midst of it all. Yes, my friend, PEACE...the peace that can only come from God."You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3 But you and I have to lay everything at the cross of Jesus. We have to make the choice to follow Him. It is when we come to the end of ourselves and see how sinful and wretched we really are."All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6 When you see Jesus and all of His glory and majesty....and realize your need for Him, He will come in to your heart and place His promised Holy Spirit within you. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws." Ezekiel 36:26-27 God will do this...I think back to the person I used to be-living for myself and my selfish desires and destructive habits. I was heading straight for hell. But God, so rich in mercy and grace, grabbed hold of me and opened my eyes so that I could see Him for who He really is. As I cried out to Him, He so lovingly and tenderly opened His arms and welcomed me into His family. I will never be the same. His amazing grace is for every one of us. God sees the person we are going to become. He removes all of our sin and remembers it no more! Once held captive by sin, He sets us FREE! "You have been set free from sin." Romans 6:18 It is because of this freedom, that we can live the life He has called us to live...a life that is free from worry, fear, addictions, deceptive thinking and selfishness. We can now live our lives to glorify Him, knowing beyond any doubt, that He is right here with us as we take each breath. As long as I have breath, I will praise my God and my King! He loves you and me so very much."I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again." Jeremiah 31:3 Read that again...He loves you with an everlasting love...and no matter what you may be facing right now at this very moment, He will build you up again. He has not brought you this far to leave you. As God's beloved child know this..."He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 So be strong and courageous in the Lord! The God who created the heavens and the earth has promised that He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!

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