Affirm God’s Presence (Joshua 1:3)

In the previous post, we see that Joshua relied on God’s strength to step into a huge task that seemed so overwhelming. In today’s post, we will learn to affirm God’s presence in our lives.

Lesson 2: Affirm God’s presence in your circumstances

Joshua was terrified. But God reminded him that he was not alone. God reassured him of His presence (Joshua 1:3-5).

It is in our darkest moments that we will feel God’s presence. It is in our weakest moments that we will feel His strength. When God gives you an impossible task, He will carry you through, for the sake of His plan and purpose.

We affirm God’s presence by stepping into what He is calling us to do—by faith. We need to take action. As James wrote, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-26).

Faith without works is dead

God told Joshua, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” (Joshua 1:3, NIV). This is the promise God gave for people who are willing to take action. Unless Joshua and the Israelites move in obedience, they would not be able to accomplish what God was calling them to do.

Faith is more than knowing it in our heart. Faith is action. Joshua had to step out in faith to see God work. How is this true for your life? What are some of the ways that you are paralyzed in fear? Do you make excuses when you know God is calling you to do something?

Joshua took action despite knowing there would be dangers ahead of him. As a result, he experienced God’s blessings. When we step out in faith, we will experience God’s blessings too. 

What are some of the things that you know God is calling you to take personal action? May be it is to strengthen your marriage, or to make a commitment to study the Bible consistently, serving in a church ministry or taking care of your health, let us take it a step at a time, knowing that God is with us.  

Birthday Reflection And Walking Along A Path of Faith (Joshua 1:1-2)

I had my birthday last week. Family, close friends and church members sent their birthday greetings, and they spoiled me with yummy homemade cakes (the best!). I was deeply touched by their love and thoughtfulness.

As I am reflecting on my faith journey, there were times when I was overwhelmed and afraid. There were times when I was afraid to step into the place God has called me because I was worried that I was not good enough. What are we supposed to do when God had called us into something we think we are not ready for? Would you trust and obey and step out in faith and trust that He will lead you?

After the death of Moses, Joshua must have felt terrified too. Moses was the great leader, mightily used by God to deliver God’s people from the slavery in Egypt and to lead them on their journey towards the Promised Land. Now that Moses had passed on, Joshua certainly had big shoes to fill. It was not easy to be living under the shadow of a powerful leader. It also seemed an impossible task to lead more than 2 million people into a foreign land, to conquer it and claim it as their own.

The book of Joshua was written to continue the history of the Israelites and to reassure them that God is with them. There will be times when we are not ready for the assignment God is giving to us. With this in mind, I would like to have this mini-series on the book of Joshua. Let us learn from Joshua and follow his example of courage and faithfulness.

There are many lessons we can learn from this book.

Lesson 1: Depending on God’s strength

Joshua 1:1-2

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites (Joshua 1:1-2).

May be Joshua was comparing himself with Moses, or he was not sure what he should do next. So, God said to him that Moses had already passed on and he needed to step up as the leader of the Israelites. Joshua had been assisting Moses for 40 years. During these 40 years, God must have been preparing him for this tremendous leadership task. Moses certainly was a great mentor to show him the ropes. Though Joshua was terrified, God reassured him that He was with Joshua. Our God is with us today too. When He calls you into something, He will certainly go with you. He gives you power to overcome your fears and courage to move forward.   

What is your biggest fear that is stopping you from doing what God is calling you to do? Will you respond in faith as Joshua did?

Lean on His strength, not yours. And you will see what He will do for His glory.

Our response in the midst of the pandemic

With the increase of the Covid-19 cases around the world (some countries are facing the third-wave), we may be going through mixed emotions. We may be feeling discouraged, fearful and even a sense of hopelessness. We may even have asked, why isn’t God doing anything about this pandemic?

From the Bible, especially the psalms, we learn that we can tell God what is on our minds and He also permits us to cry out to Him during moments of doubt, discouragement, sadness, grief, anxiety, pain and sufferings. We live in a fallen world where there is pain, injustice, suffering and tragedy. And God allows us to cry out to Him in these situations. God hears every single word of our prayers. He cares. He loves us. We can pray to God telling Him about our real feelings, thoughts and emotions.

The pandemic has brought changes to all of us. We are now living in the “new normal”. Practicing social distancing, wearing our masks when we are outdoors, sanitising our hands are a part of our daily routine now.

In the midst of the pandemic, we echo the words of David in Psalm 13,

“1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

 How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me? “

How long will God forget us? We feel that there is no end to the pandemic.

But remember, as believers, we are people of hope. When we cry out to God, we don’t do it thinking that the end result will be hopeless. We are certain that there is hope: our God is sovereign, almighty, all wise and powerful. There is nothing that is above Him. He is the one that is ultimately in control of the events of this world.

David ended his psalm with praise, because he remembered Who God is.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;

    my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,

for he has been good to me.

 

David chose to trust in God when he was discouraged and afraid because he knew God would save him (verse 5). God had loved him and had been good to him (verses5- 6)

 

The pandemic may stir fear and anxiety in us but let us wait and hope upon God. Let us continue to encourage one another with psalms, Bible verses, spiritual songs and prayers. Let us not forget to do good to others especially to those in need. Let us worship God in new creative ways. Let us share of God’s unfailing love.

May the witness, love, faith and hope of believers be an encouragement to those around us!

How To Tell If You Are Walking Closely With God

Perhaps at one point in our life, we want to know about our relationship with God. How close are we to God? How do we know if our relationship with God is a growing and healthy one?

We have to understand that it is not by doing good deeds that makes us close to God. God is not like a human person. Human beings are fond of the people who love us and help us in times of needs but it is different with God. No good deeds we do will make God love us more, because He already loves us. We do good deeds in response to His love and it will please His heart but we don’t do good deeds just to gain His love. He loves us so much that He sent His one and only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for our sins so that whoever believed in Him will be saved, as written in John 3:16. We are loved by God and are saved into His Kingdom because of His grace for us. Grace is given when we do not deserve it. It is God’s grace, and not because of the good deeds we do.

If we know we are loved by God, we are welcomed into a relationship with Him. We can draw near to Him. The Bible has a beautiful promise about drawing near to God. James 4:8 says, Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (ESV).

As Christians, please remember that we are on a journey until we meet Jesus face to face. We continue to grow, we continue to walk with God day by day. Heaven is our final destination. Each of us walk at different paces, some faster and some slower than the others but we are not to judge others. Each of us should focus on our own journey in our relationship with Jesus and enjoy it.

How can you tell if you are walking closely with God?

1.There are changes in you

There are changes in you. You are not who you used to be. You are now bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV).

May be in the past, you had anger issues, or an addiction issue but now that you have a relationship with Jesus, you have been changed for the better. You are now patient and a person of peace and gentleness.

Perhaps in the past, you are a worrier. But now, you learn to trust God and surrender your worries to Him. You are now a joyful person. In short, you can feel there is a change in you as a person. The people around you will notice this change too: that you have peace, are more joyful, more caring and more loving.

2.You show love and mercy to others

Our God is a God who is merciful and compassionate. When you are walking closely with Him, you will know His heartbeat for the lost, the poor, the marginalised, the outcast and the unseen of the society. You are now more willing to show love and mercy and care about what is going on in the society and the world because you have experienced God’s love and mercy towards you.

3.You surrender everything to God

Once you go deeper into a relationship with God, you realise you can trust Him and that He knows what is best for you. Sure, there are struggles in you to want to listen to Him or to yourself but as you take the leap of faith and follow Him, you will know that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). He is able to do so much more than you can ever imagine for His glory (Ephesians 3:20-21).

This is when you begin to surrender everything to God. You surrender your dreams, your desires, your ambitions, your future to Him. You will be much more interested to listen to His guidance and accomplish the agenda He has for you.

4.You love to spend time with God

In the past, when you are a new Christian, you feel that reading the Bible is a boring thing to do. But now, you have fresh eyes to see the gems in God’s Word! You find God’s Word life giving. You desire to know Him more intimately. You desire to be in His presence, read His Word, worship Him with songs and pray. You love spending time with Him that you block aside time and make it a priority just so to make sure you have time alone with God daily.

5.You trust in God’s goodness

You no longer “decide” on God’s love for you by the circumstances in your life. Even when there are some unexpected challenges which cause you to grief, you still trust that God is good, His plan is the best and you can still worship Him for who He is.

This verse will be so real to you “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV).

If you have been hesitating and doubting about life as a Christian, come and see for yourself. Come and experience His love and power. May His peace and love be upon you.