I WILL BE WITH YOU

“Do not be afraid,
for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name;
you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,

I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.”
Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT
~~~~~~

When God created us, He made us social beings that need others to interact with. And that is especially important when we find ourselves going through difficult times. Today’s scripture passage tells us how God has made provision for such times. We belong to Him not only because we are part of His creation, but even more so because He has ransomed us – He bought us to be His personal possession. And now He calls us by our name and assures us, “You are mine - I will be with you.” No matter what we go through in this life, we are never alone, He is always with us!

Having this personal relationship with Him doesn’t mean that we are exempt from difficult and scary times. His admonition, “Do not be afraid,” shows us that He wants us to focus on His promise instead of on what strikes fear into our hearts. He will be with us in every situation no matter how threatening it may be. He will not allow His ransomed ones to be destroyed.

When we are in deep waters way over our head, and our feet can’t touch bottom anymore, He will be there with us, holding us up and bringing us to solid ground again - all the while calling us by name, and reminding us that we belong to Him.

In rivers of difficulty with strong currents about to pull us under – no matter how hopeless the situation may look - His assuring promise is “I will be with you . . . you will not drown.” We are not alone in the struggle, He is holding our hand, He will not allow us to go under.

Even in the midst of the fire of oppression when we go through fiery trials, He will not allow the flames to destroy us. He is with us through it all, like the fourth man in the fiery furnace of Daniel 3.

Deep waters – rivers of difficulty and fire of oppression are allowed in our lives not to harm but to strengthen and purify us. Remember His word to us is, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. . . I will be with you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Click on DO NOT FEAR and let it bless your heart.

A SPIRIT OF POWER, LOVE, AND SELF-DISCIPLINE

“For God has not given us
a spirit of fear and timidity,
but of power,
love, and self-discipline.
So never be ashamed
to tell others about our Lord.”
2 Timothy 1:7-8 NLT
~~~~~~

From time to time as we deal with people we face situations in which we feel intimidated or downright afraid. Some people are gripped with fear in front of a large crowd. All of us have found ourselves in a small group or even with just one other person, afraid to speak up lest we looked like a fool or be rejected. This sort of timidity and fear is especially common when we are attempting to tell unsaved people about the Lord. Some of us may feel threatened by negative feelings because of past failures or perhaps by actual demonic influences. Today’s Scriptures comes right to the point, God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity. Wherever that kind of hindering emotion may come from, it is not from God! What God has given us are three positive gifts which fully equip us so we will not be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.

First, He has given us a spirit of power. In Acts 1 Jesus told His disciples, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere. To effectively tell others about the Lord, takes more than human ability, it takes the power of the Holy Spirit; and God has graciously given that power to every believer. We need to be reminded of that awesome reality every time we share the Gospel in word or deed – it’s not just us – it’s the power of God’s Spirit working though us!

Secondly, God has given us a spirit of love. This of course is not a reference to romantic love for someone of the opposite sex, but rather an unconditional God-like love for people. God’s unconditional love expressed itself most clearly through the sacrifice of His only Son for us who had turned our backs on Him. With that kind of love in our hearts we are enabled to witness to the lost no matter what it may cost.

Thirdly, God has given us a spirit of self-discipline. We may struggle with feelings of inferiority and fear at the very thought of sharing our faith. We don’t need to be controlled by such negative thoughts. Self-discipline is the ability to bring those impulses under control, and it’s one of God’s gifts to us!