Our Relentless Immanuel GOD!

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                                                Our Relentless Immanuel GOD!

 

‘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 never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut. 31:6

When I watch war movies, I always pay very close attention when a military commander gives his speech to his army just before they would fight a war. He would confidently march in front of them, behind them, and around them all, shouting his personal and powerful convictions of assurance, victory, and the glory that awaits them. He would motivate them to valiantly and sacrificially fight for their country, their families, and their freedom.

In the verse above as captured in Deut. 31:6, Moses, God’s Prophet and Commander of God’s Army, the Israelites, delivers his speech to God’s people, His army,  just before they cross over Jordan with Joshua as their new Commander. From crossing Jordan until they reach Canaan, God’s Promised Land, they would fight numerous wars against several nations. To possess those nations, God’s People must dispossess their people.

Here, in this one verse, Moses, confidently, commanded them to “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them(their enemies);” What a courageous command by someone who stated he is too old to fight wars any longer.

What was the reason to be strong and be of good courage despite the overwhelmingly stronger, more numerous enemies of God’s Army? Moses must have observed his people’s fears and panic. I would fear and panic too. Would you not? And yet, Moses commanded them not to fear nor panic! Why?

Last half of the same verse gives them and us the only reason.

“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. This is our only assurance of victory over our enemies!

Apostle Paul stated in Rom. 8:31, “What shall we say to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us?” and v.37 assures us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.”

Friends, who or what are your current enemies? Do they overwhelm you? Do you feel fearful and afraid of them? We have a choice to make. Fear of them or Faith in God. I choose Faith in God. I call it Faith over fear.

What is your choice?