the Journey- be strong, fear not, go

 Hi sisters, Sandy here for our Thursday Devotional. Last week was from Dueteronomy 31:6, Be Strong, Do Not Fear. This week is part 2 and we are adding 1 word...GO!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you GO.” Joshua 1:9

Let's go a little deeper… We know that we have 2 promises: God is with us, and God will never forsake (abandon) us. Those are 2 guarantees we can take to the bank. Now, how can we apply those two promises to the fear that we may be feeling in our circumstances?

First, we are told not to be afraid of “them” in Deuteronomy 31:6. Whose them? Well for Israel, it was the nations in the land promised to them. For you, it is those who hurt you, persecute you, bully you. It could be family, friends, coworkers, strangers. But, we need to remember the command and promise... do not fear them… I am with you. With that promise, we can stand confidently in who we are in the Lord. His opinion of us is the only one that matters. Stand up and be proud, victorious woman, wife, mother, sister, daughter. You are from God little children, and have overcome them, Greater is He that is within you than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4.

Second, we are told not to fear, He is with us when we “go”, in Joshua 1:9. Go where? It can be current situations you are in, planning that is needed for the future, walking the journey not only as a Christian but as a wife, mom, sister, daughter, etc. It can be work, school, doctors office, court room, interviews, etc. The GO for us is life. And in life we are not to fear, but to GO, He is with us always. Nothing we go through we separate use from God. "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

I know my husband won't mind if I share with you, but He just walked out this message recently. One day out of the blue, I got a call from him. That's not the surprise because he calls daily to see how my day is going. But this time, what he said floored me. He was sitting in a parking lot 45 mins away with his resume in hand, wanting to walk in to talk with someone. He has been feeling discontented in his job for a long time, and his hours kept getting cut, that in turn forced him to take a second job.

He always tells me everything, we plan together but this time was different. God was placing people in his life, growing the discontentment and leading him through a new door. Now, he was kinda freaking out (he’s so cute) so I did what a good wife would do. I told him to take a breath and don't be afraid, go in there, talk with someone and hand in that resume. God is with him and will provide for us. That I supported him 100%, and I trust God 100%.

Fast forward 7 months and a pay cut for his new job, he is now promoted and is now making the same rate to the penny that he left, plus he gets all the bells and whistles that go with the position. Instead of a 45 min car ride 1 way, when his store opens it will be 10 mins. God is so Good.

So I pray that this encourages you, sisters, to be strong, fear not and go for God is always with us.