September 29

God Himself

"Do not be afraid, the LORD your God himself will fight for you."Deut. 3:22

Joshua and Caleb had given Israel a good report about the land of Canaan, but because of the Israelites' stubbornness, they were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until all those who had rebelled against the Lord died. They would never see the Promised Land. Now the Israelites were at the "door" to the land of Canaan once again. God commanded them to go forth into the land and take possession of it with Joshua as their commander. When Moses hesitated, the Lord reassured him that He would do the fighting for Israel just as He had in days gone by. How many times had Israel been a witness to the Lord's power and yet they allowed their fears to dictate their actions? Will you stand by and let fear deprive you of all that the Lord has promised you? Will you, like the Israelites, miss out on Canaan and wander in the wilderness for years because your fears are stronger than your trust in God and His promises? Or will you take Him at his word and go forth without fear knowing that what He has promised He will do? "The LORD your God himself will fight for you!" He has said it, do you believe it? With a promise like that, there should be no stopping us from attaining all that He has promised us! Will you live in the wilderness or will you live in the Promised Land, it is up to you! If God be for us who can stand against us? [Romans 8:31] He is more powerful than any foe that we may come up against. Satan surely holds no power over the God of the Universe! So, let us go forth in faith knowing that the victory will be ours because our LORD will fight for us!

Father, thank you for this promise. You will fight for us! Help us to remember we do not need to depend upon our own strength or resources, we only need to look to you and depend upon you to see us through. Take our fears and replace them with a faith that will not be shaken. Thank you for fighting the battle for us. Take us into the Promised Land and give us the victory! Amen