You know believer that the world cannot possibly keep their promises. Even we believers find it increasingly more difficult to keep our promises. As the ‘god of this world’ (Satan) increases his stranglehold on our society, his deceitful ways will permeate more and more. Take heart though, our God is the only one who can always keep His promises. Trust not only in Him, trust Him.
There are some great promises from God in the Bible. A few are found in: Joshua 1.5,9; Genesis 28.15; Psalm 37.25; and in Hebrews 13.5. All of these have the primary theme of, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” This tells us that He will never stop loving you; and He will never leave you high and dry. The application is simple: nothing can separate me from His love and He will never leave me.
What do we do about that promise? Let’s say it in a sentence: “God is with me — So I will not fear.”
Deuteronomy chapter 31 tells us about Moses giving his last counsel to the nation of Israel, Joshua, and Priests specifically. Dialing in on verse 8 we read, “And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” We see 3 Things: 1) He Will; 2) He Will Not; 3) So you need to.
First, He Will. He will: 1) Go before you. 2) Be with you. The phrase, “Go before you”, has the idea of the military marching into battle and the most intimidating fiercest weapon or warrior you have leads the way. It inspires confidence. It’s like He’s saying, ‘I got this’! And the One saying this is who cannot possibly lose! The phrase, “Be with you”, is the central point we are talking about here. He not only is in the lead, but because He is here…we cannot lose!
Having said that, let’s take about that word “with”. This is not about you losing the Holy Spirit or anything like that. It is about you and God being on the same page, which is His page. If you do it your way then you have every reason to fear. Why? Simply, He is not obligated to walk with you in the valley of your own sin and attitudes. Here are some examples of when God is not with you: Psalm 138.6 says that God is not with the proud; James 4.4 says that God is not with the worldly; Isaiah 1.5,15 says that God is not with the rebellious; James 3.2 and Psalm 66.18 says that God is not with those who harbor sin.
Secondly, He Will Not: 1) Fail you. 2) Forsake you. The phrase, “Fail you” means He cannot fail and He will never fail me. And those two things are only separated by our experiences. We can believe that God can never fail, but do you believe He will never fail you in particular? That is only found out if you trust Him in the battle. The phrase, “Forsake you” explains the unwavering fact that God never bails when it gets tough. On the contrary, that’s when He shines! He told Paul that His strength is fulfilled publicly when we are at our weakest. (2 Corinthians 12.9).
Last, So You Need To: 1) Fear not. 2) Do not be dismayed. The phrase, “Fear not” is used because nothing can separate me from His love and He will never leave me… so I have no reason to fear. David said in Psalm 56.11, “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.” David also said in Psalm 118.6, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” The Bible identifies the overwhelming emotion of “fear” almost a thousand times! Here is a reality check—Fearisuniversal; everyone has it. Fearisalso purposeless. Things like grief, anger, and many more emotions, have their place and purpose at times; but never fear. We are told point blank here in Deuteronomy 31: Do Not Do It. There is no justification. It is wrong to be overcome or worrisome about fear. Another reality is: Fearisanti-faith. It is the opposite of what a believer should be. Faith says, ‘Whatever it is, it will be okay because of God.’ Fear says, ‘it’s not going to be okay’ and rarely thinks of God at all or as an after-thought. The phrase, “Do not be dismayed”, highlights the word: “dismayed”. It is found 51 times in scripture and literally means to be “shattered”. In other words, to be beat down or discouraged. Is that at all the way you feel right now? I can tell you that this is not God’s will for you.
It’s a choice. It’s a choice to be beat down, down-cast, fearful, and discombobulated. The word “dismayed” is always written in a declarative-imperative statement… ‘don’t do this, don’t let this happen’. It’s our choice. Things and people are going to come our way, in waves. They will ebb and flow, come and go. Events are going to be up and down, but don’t let it shatter your spirit! Has it? Have you been beat down? Have you been discouraged?
Make a choice. Make a choice to believe what the Bible says—“more than conquerors” (Romans 8.37). You may been thinking, ’easy for you to say’, yes it is. So begin there. Say it. Say it out loud if you must. Tell the truth…the truth of God’s word! State it. Life not only can be pretty hard, it is. But, I am not alone, I know Who is with me, I know Who is walking with me. Therefore, I am not afraid.
He has already given you His best. He came and died for you. He left you with His own Spirit. Why would He leave you now? It’s ok to be broken and honest before God. Just make sure you are indeed broken and honest before God! He will prove Himself to you. He will come through on each and every promise He has ever made. He is real, He is alive, He is with us and in us! He promised—so I will not fear.