Philippians 4:13
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Ever feel inadequate or afraid? I've been writing
and posting devotions on my blog for more than seven years. Each time I put pen
to paper or fingers to keyboard, a feeling of incompetence sweeps over me. The
dread of "not good enough" stymies my words. Then frustration sets in
and my thoughts dissipate into a wisp of smoke and blow away. If inadequacy
isn't enough, sometimes I'm afraid I'm not writing the words God wants me to. I
feel like I am not listening close enough to him. Yet, I keep at it. I write
and pray and pray and write. God knows my heart. He understands where I've been
and knows where I'm going.
God knew Joshua, too. He understood that he'd need
to give Joshua a lot of encouragement. If you read through the end of
Deuteronomy and the beginning of the book of Joshua, you'll see that God tells
Joshua over and over to be strong and courageous. God doesn't say this because
he thinks Joshua is inadequate. He says it because he knows without doubt that
Joshua is the man for the job. He's called him to replace Moses.
Our Lord invites us to work for him, he calls us
to serve. He reminds us to work with our hands and make a living. And in all of
those things, he equips us. God pours over us the tools we need. That's why I
believe the words of Paul. " I can do all this through him who gives me
strength." All this which Jesus encourages me to do.
My prayer is to be strong and courageous, no matter what my circumstances. To not hold back, but to move forward for Christ.
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