There are some seasons for which we can’t wait to put them behind us. Yet it is often in in the hard times when we draw nearest to the Lord. No matter what you are going through, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
If you gain nothing more from this message, let it be that you know He is with you, forever.
The Testing of the Saint
It is in our darkest moments that we will see His light. It is in silent despair that we will hear His soft still voice. It is in our loneliness that we will feel His presence. It is when we can’t see any way out that we can see Him coming in.
Consider the Lord allows the hard times because it is there we will seek Him the most.
Cherish the good memories, learn from the bad, and know that the Lord goes before you. “For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard (Isaiah 52:12).
God tests for His Word in you by engineering your circumstances to see what comes out. A test is the only way to see if you know the answer.
Even in His silence, He is teaching you a lesson.
The Lord has given us the Word that we might learn it, and places us in circumstances that He might drive the point home. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Consider that the Lord gave you verses about fear because He knew what was ahead of you.
God is bigger than your circumstances. Don’t just pray for your circumstances to be changed, but pray for God to change you in the midst of them.
Drawing Near to God
Learn to tithe time and watch how the Lord will bless you. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
You are nearest to God when you are on your knees. We are meant to be near to the Lord, and prayer is the means in which we get there.
Only spend as much time with God as you want Him to spend with you. “…The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you…” (2 Chronicles 15:2).
You must get into His presence to feel His presence.
He is With You
Do not focus on the people who come against you, but the Lord who goes before you. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Once you realize that the Lord has you, even fear will be afraid to go near you.
Not everyone is for you, but God is always with you. “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you…” (Deuteronomy 20:1).
The foundation of our faith is not in how we feel towards God, but how God feels towards us.
Stop looking at the steep mountain you must climb, and just follow the Lord who goes before you. “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Faith in His Presence
The Lord being with you is never based on how you feel, but what He promises. Feelings waver, He never does. “…The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does. The Lord is near to all who call on him…” (Psalm 145:13,18).
Faith is not complicated, people are. The simpler your faith, the closer you will be to God.
You don’t see the Sun shining at night, but it is still there. The same is true for the Lord Jesus, you may not see Him, yet He is with you. Jesus said, “…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
The presence of God never depends upon the efforts of man.
Be confident in the Lord, knowing that He is with you. “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Faith is not when you feel His presence, but when you know His presence.
Blessings to you,
Paul
All Scripture is in red and uses the NKJV (New King James Version) translation unless otherwise noted.
“You must get into His presence to feel His presence”
That is a powerful truth. Living in Him is the secret strength of the Christian life.
“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me”
May we always give heed to the exceptions of Christ. “Except we abide…” There can be no fruit-bearing apart from Him…
As always Blessings
Brian
Thank you Brian! I absolutely agree with you, the secret to our faith is that we do not grow by striving but by abiding. The less we complicate our faith and simply draw near to Him, He will then change us we could never of changed ourselves.
I was just thinking of you yesterday as I read your recent message on “Humble Service to God”. This resonated with me so deeply. I have been soaking up a book by Andrew Murray called “Humility” and it is taking me to a new level of understanding what humility really means, and more so, the great benefit we have if we would dare to live a life humbled not only before God, but in those around us. My flesh protests, but my spirit gives an amen.
Blessings to you brother. Still looking forward to that day we can meet.
Paul
Do not focus on the people who come against you, but the Lord who goes before you. I love this and I could not have read it at a better time! God is good!
Isn’t it incredible how easy it is to be focused on our problems while not considering the God of all Creation is standing before us? Praying for your victory!
Once again, you have provided confirmation on something for me. In this case, it’s your use of Deuteronomy 31:6 “…He will not leave you nor forsake you…”
My meditation for this evening was on Hebrews 13:5, which quotes Deuteronomy 31:6:
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
Less than ten minutes after completing my prayer and meditation on Hebrews 13:5, I decided to get caught up on my blog-reading, came over to your blog, and got this message of confirmation from God through you. Thank you for listening to Him 🙂
This Deuteronomy 31:6 has been the main line on my web page banner from the first day. It is such a powerful word from God. I was flying home from Ohio a few weeks ago and was especially down and out. I poured out my heart to the Lord and this message is what the Lord poured back in. Don’t we have such a good God that squashes the things we want and then turns around and gives us exactly what we need?
Can’t wait to see what blogs the Lord is getting ready to pour into you!
I am just beginning to learn how to understand what I need to do to bring Jesus Closer to me. This site is very helpful, and I am slowly beginning to understand how to keep Him with me. TY.
Thank you, I pray that you will continue growing in your faith and drawing ever closer to our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for this word has I’m struggling with this
Your welcome, praying for your victory!
Thank for these encouraging words and wisdom
Your welcome, and thank you for your kind words.