Be Strong And Courageous - God Will Make A Way (With Videos by Don Moen)

There will be more words of encouragement in this article.  We all need encouragement even in "normal" times, and especially now when things such as the lock down have drastically altered our lives.

Our main encouragement should be from the good Lord and from His Holy Word, the Bible.  And do not forget to spend much time in prayer.  As stated many times previously on this blog, God and Jesus want to fellowship with us!  We do that, of course, by prayer and Bible reading.  The Bible is God's Love Letter to us, as well as His Instruction Manual.  From spending time in God's Word, we learn of His love for us as well as His many attributes and character, which in turn makes us love Him and Jesus even more.  The more we fellowship with Him, the more we will develop a strong, living and vibrant, and close relationship with Him - a relationship that will grow and blossom into something beautiful and lasting for all eternity!

Jesus tells us at Mark 12:30-31 : "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely, this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."

Yesterday I discovered that the singer Don Moen has his own you  tube channel.  My favorite song by him is "God will make a way."  Most of you are no doubt familiar with it.  Here it is for you :

Search for Don's you tube channel by entering there:  Don Moen tv

Here is a wonderful 8 minute sample of one of his devotions at his channel.

It is titled:  "Promises from God's Word  -  Be strong and take courage"

"Faith is not to get you out of a hard place but to change your heart IN the hard place."  -  Pastor David Wilkerson

"Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked."   -    Psalm 97:10

"Trust in Him at all times; ye people; pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us." -  Psalm 62:8

"He only is my rock and my salvation.  He is my defence; I shall not be moved."  -   Psalm 62:2

Following is an encouraging devotion from Charles Spurgeon, based on the Scripture at Isaiah 51:5 which says, "On My arm shall they trust."

Spurgeon tells us: " In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone.  When his vessel is on its beam-ends and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God.  Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a Rock as this!  O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone!  There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends,  but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father's arms, and is blessedly clasped therein !  When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his LORD than at any other time.  Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father !  Now that thou hast only God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in Him.  Dishonor not thy LORD and Master by unworthy doubts and fears, but be strong in faith, giving glory to God.  Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee.  Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper.  Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the Everlasting Arms.  Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits.  Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in thy weakness, and magnify His might in the midst of thy distress.  The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye.  May the Holy Spirit give you to rest in Jesus ....."

Very heartening and hopeful words above from this "Prince of Preachers", as Spurgeon has been called.  Hopefully his devotion and some Scriptures in this post will encourage you to keep on keeping on in today's troubled world.

"Don't let your focus move from God to your circumstances.  God always keeps His promise."   -  Dr. Charles Stanley

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."    -   Jesus at John 14:27

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."  -   Jesus at John 14:1-4

Jesus' words above at John 14:1-4 gives us hope and helps us to endure until He returns to take us home to be with Him in heaven.  Which may be very very soon, the way His signs of the end times are now playing out -  found at Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Luke 21:28 is where Jesus has been referring to the signs of the end times (which we are now living in)  and then gives us hope by saying "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

If you are not a true believer in the Savior, Jesus Christ, it is urgent that you consider that your eternity will be in hell, unless you repent and turn to Jesus in faith, and believe that His shed blood at Calvary can wash you clean.... wipe the slate clean, so to speak.  Your sins will be forgiven.  Salvation is not difficult.  We simply need to become as little children, who are trusting and humble and obedient to their parents.

"... Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."     -  Jesus at Matthew 18:3-4

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."    Jesus at John 3:16

"The Joy Of The Lord - Even In A Chaotic World" - Inspirational Weekend

Let us not even talk about the mess the world is in;  let's just focus on the good Lord and His blessings and His Holy Word, and how He gives believers His Holy Spirit to enable them to endure any trials and hardships that come their way.  We need to be strong in these troublesome times, these last days we find ourselves living in now. 

One Scripture that comes to mind is Nehemiah 8:10, quoted here:

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared:  for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

How do we get this "joy of the Lord" ?  We will hasten this joy in our hearts by looking more to Jesus and less to ourselves.  We must learn not to be so self-centered and self-absorbed, and instead focus on the good Lord and on serving others.  If we  have more thanksgiving in our hearts and minds when we come to the Lord in prayer, this joy will manifest itself.  Keep in mind that we need to learn to rejoice in God/Jesus in order to be strong.  Having pity-parties just will not produce strength or joy.  

We need to simply pray and ask our heavenly Father for more joy.  God will certainly answer that prayer as it is definitely a request that is within His will.   Joy is a fruit of the Spirit  (Galatians 5:22).  If you are a true believer in the Lord, the Holy Spirit exists within you and will enable you to feel and express joy.   You must be strong in your faith, because the devil and his demons will try to tear

you down and rip you apart and get you all depressed......negative thoughts are from the evil one.   Positive and joyful thoughts are from the Lord.  This reminds me of Philippians 4:8 which follows:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. "

Your thought life has a tremendous influence on your life itself.  Verse 9 of Philippians 4 tells us:  "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do and the God of peace shall be with you."  The combination of virtues listed in Philippians 4:8-9 is sure to produce a wholesome thought pattern, which in turn will result in a life of moral and spiritual excellence.  It just stands to reason that if you are always thinking healthy, positive, and especially spiritual thoughts, that you will be more joyful and thereby reflect the spirit of our Lord.

Obviously, this means taking in much spiritual food - God's Holy Word - which will renew your mind (Romans 12:2).   When you know the Lord intimately and realize that He loves you forever and will never forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) that will definitely cause you to sing a happy tune in your heart.  To get to know God/Jesus in a close, personal, and love relationship, you need to read the Bible and pray without ceasing.  No relationship can exist without communication.  

When you think about it, rejoicing in the Lord is our Christian duty.  How can one be gloomy and depressed all the time and still be a good witness for the Lord?  Impossible !   We need to reflect the joy and love of our Lord and Savior.  After all, followers of Jesus should endeavor to imitate Him at all times.  

So, rejoicing in the Lord is a source of strength.  For strength there must be hope; for strength there must be joy.  If you are sad and beaten down in your thought life, you will not be strong at anything.   Sure, we all get sad at times and grieve at times, but if we have the Holy Spirit in us as true believers in Jesus Christ our Savior, we will not stay sad for long; it will not be a lifestyle for us.

All of the above applies to Christians.  For only true believers in Jesus Christ have joy as a fruit of the Spirit;  the Holy Spirit from above that indwells us when we become a follower of Jesus:  the Holy Spirit which empowers us to serve the Lord with much love and joy.  As I said earlier, joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  To have the Holy Spirit within you and to thereby experience and express joy, a person needs to be born-again; to become a sincere believer in Jesus our Savior and to have faith in Him which leads to totally surrendering your will and your life to Him whereby you serve Him and obey Him. 

Do not delay !  Your eternity is at stake ! Total surrender to the Lord, which comes after you repent and pray for forgiveness, will lead to you being full of the joy of the Lord, for you will then be filled with the Holy Spirit.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."    -  John 3:3

God loves us and wants the best for us.  His Word is our Instruction Manual for life; it is our Love Letter from Him as well.   Scripture's great theme is Jesus.

"Fellowship with Christ is the fountain of joy."  Charles Spurgeon.   

Charles Spurgeon has also said, "Holy activity is the mother of Holy joy. .......Joy is to search the Scriptures diligently.........Jesus is a Christian's life, joy, and peace."

Have a joyful and Christ-centered weekend !

"But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them:  Let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee."  -  Psalm 5:11