Constant Companion

By Bill Glover

"I command you - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

When God said this to Joshua (See Joshua 1:1-9, where God promises Joshua He will be with him and give him success, just as He did for Moses), I'll bet it increased his faith and trust in God! I'll bet it gave him courage to do the job God gave him to do, knowing that God would be with him in the same miraculous way He was with Moses! The basis for this faith and courage is the Word of God spoken directly to Joshua in the marvelous promise: "I will be with you." God was now talking to Joshua, making promises to him, personally! Moses was dead and gone. The same God that Joshua had seen do unbelievable miracles for and through his Master, Moses, was now promising to do the same thing through and for him! I wonder if Joshua immediately believed God, or if God had to personally prove Himself to Joshua over time? Do you think Joshua's courage and faith grew like ours does - increasing as he won one battle at a time? Maybe we'll find out when we see Joshua and Moses, in person, in Heaven. What we do know is that, through it all, Joshua did learn to put his trust in God, and the nation of Israel did finally possess most of the Promised Land.

When we read God's Word and He speaks to our heart, it can do the same thing for us as it did for Joshua. Our faith and courage can grow, too, if we will put our trust in Him and His love for us, believing His Word and taking ownership of His promises. What hope it brings to our life's struggles and conflicts when we take the promises found in Hebrews 13:5 to heart: "I will never fail you, nor will I ever forsake you."

As "New Testament" believers, we have even "more sure and better promises" in Christ! Look at this encouraging word found in 1 Corinthians 6:17. "…the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him." (NLT) When we put our trust in Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we were united in our spirit to God's Spirit! We must learn to practice His presence daily, moment by moment acknowledging Him, talking to Him, relying on Him! As believers, we need to become more conscious of the fact that everywhere we go…God goes, too!

This awareness grows as we learn to put all our hope and trust in God's love for us as His dear children and the faithfulness of His Word toward those of us who are in Christ. Not only is God with us as He was with Moses and Joshua, but He is in us! His Word tells us His Spirit lives inside us, comforting us, talking to us, teaching us, counseling us, empowering us, enduing us with Himself! We renew our minds and transform our lives as we learn to trust Him and become more aware of His constant companionship! We need to read His Word daily, though, to remind ourselves - and each other - of these wonderful, life-changing truths! The Devil is always using our flesh and the cares of this world to steal the seed of the Word of God from our hearts and to undermine our faith! (Luke 8:11)

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