GOD HAS THE LAST WORD ON YOU! Be Strong & of Good Courage

"Lord, which way is YOUR way?"

THE FORK IN THE ROAD

There will come, if it hasn’t come already, one great moment in your life. A great ‘season’ in the midst of your existence here on the earth. A culmination of the sum of all that you believe in. All your knowledge. All of your faith. One moment in time when you will be asked to put your belief in Christ into action. For some of you, it will come at the moment that you receive the ‘pink slip’ from the job you trusted for years to provide for yourself and your families. For others, it will happen when the doctor walks in with their shoulders slumped agonizing over how to tell you the bad news about what our latest medical test results have revealed. Still, for others of you, it will come with the loss of someone very dear to you like a mother, father, sister, or brother. Maybe you are facing the breakup of your marriage despite your best efforts to save it. What you do and how you handle this moment, will somehow shape the rest of your life. You can call it your proverbial “fork in the road.” Certainly, in the midst of facing this awesome moment, fear has gripped your heart. You are amazed to find out that the old cliché of ‘shaking at the knees’ actually does happen if the situation is dire enough. Your hands sometimes shake uncontrollably. It has become hard to think clearly. All you can think about is the fearful dilemma before you. Sometimes, when people aren’t looking, you tear up. You can’t help it. The future appears bleak,….short. Uncertainty reigns. What will become of you and all those you care about? Low on options. Devoid of a real choice. You don’t know what to do!! You continue to shake your head and ask God, “Why me God? Why me!” I am here to tell you that God understands your question and though He may never choose to answer the ‘why you’ question, He has already answered your fear. If you find that these opening statements describe you in your present ‘season’, here are a few things I’d like to share that may help you.

"Father, Help me!
I am...Afraid!"

GOD UNDERSTANDS YOUR FEAR Heb 4:15 ‘For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses….
In Luke 22:42, we find here that Jesus is finally face-to-face with His ‘fork in the road’. He has come to the garden of Gethsemane not to pray, but to be captured, led away, beaten and tortured, and finally nailed to a wooden cross (a terrible curse by Jewish law & tradition). In the aforementioned scriptures, you get a small glimpse into the mind of the man. Out of His flesh and in the enormity of the situation facing Him, Jesus literally sweats blood while He prays saying,” Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.” Knowing what the true plan of salvation is for man, Jesus the man, gripped with distress, asks God for a way out of what will surely be the most gruesome and agonizing hours of any man’s life. So you see, Christ understands your fear. He REALLY does! Whatever you are going through, know that no matter what others may say, Jesus understands that you may be afraid. It is only natural. But also understand that God never gives us a lasting spirit of fear and your fear should not paralyze you to inaction. Despite your fear of the unknown, of the uncontrollable, YOU…MUST…ACT!

"After you have your moment...
Rise Up!"

GODLY POWER TO ACT 2Tim 1:7 ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power...
Immediately after displaying this ‘fleshly weakness’ of fear, the bible says Jesus ‘rose up’ from prayer, found those who were with Him had fallen asleep, and told them to also ‘rise.’ In verse 1:2 in the book of Joshua, God tells Joshua that Moses has died. The person that had mentored Joshua was no longer there for him. But God issues the news succinctly and immediately commands action. I find it more than coincidental that He tells Joshua, “Now therefore arise…!” Just like with Jesus, God tells Joshua to get into action! There is no time for depression, no time for anger, no time for regret. I am giving you the authority and the ‘POWER’ to get the task, however daunting, done. Let’s get going. No matter what the problem is, pray to God for direction. Whatever He says do, that you MUST do! If you have cancer and God provides chemo….pray & then do. If He has sent numerous people with knowledge & skill to help you get your finances back on track, then don’t ignore them, go and do! If He tells you to WAIT until He sends the right people your way for help, then you’d better WAIT! (Yes, waiting is an action for those of us who feel we must always act in OUR time & not God's timing.). Though it may not seem so at times, our God is a God of action! Quit asking ‘Why me!’ The more appropriate question may be ‘Why NOT you?’ Just as the only one to bring salvation to the whole world was Jesus, and just as it was given to Joshua only to lead over 2 million people into the Promisedland, it is more likely, if you are a child of God, that you are uniquely equipped to go through the ‘season’ you are in. And if this is true, stop using your time complaining about it. It is the mindset of a warrior that you must attain! God is with you! Bring it! Let’s get it! Let’s Go!!

"Know that I will never

leave you or forsake you!"

COURAGEOUS LONELINESS
Someone once described courage like this: ‘Courage is not action in the absence of fear, but action in spite of the presence of fear.’ In those moments where courage is required, the scariest thing about it is that it seems you are all alone when you need friends and family the most. You are in a place where there is no one who can help you or even wants to if they could. And although all the usual family or friend connections may not be useful or available, there is one who is ‘closer than a brother!’ God says again in Joshua that, ‘As I was with others, so shall I be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and of good courage. 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!’ (NKJV emphasis mine) You are not alone! God is there and He knows. And no matter what report the doctors give, no matter who or what you’ve lost, no matter what you may be going through in your ‘great season’, God really does have the last Word on every situation, including yours!

"God is a...
PromiseKeeper!"

GOD'S PROMISES
Believe me when I say that I wish I knew the outcome of each one of your situations. Alas, this is not a gift that God has given me yet. But I can use my own life thus far as an example of what I know. Not what other people have passed to me 2nd or 3rd hand, but what I know from my own experiences with Him. Those of you who know my wife & I can truly vouch for this. When we needed a job…God Provided! When our money was short….God Provided! (Jehovah Jireh) When our marriage was in jeopardy, God was our Help! (Jehovah Ezer) When I was sick….God Healed me! (Jehovah Rapha) When I had no peace…God WAS my Peace! (Jehovah Shalom) When others hated me or seemed to abandon me…Jesus was my friend! (Jehovah Shammah) In every area of my life and in every tough situation Christ was & IS always there with me. Guiding me, helping me, encouraging me, uplifting me, counseling me, and even scolding and correcting me when I have been hard-headed & just dead wrong. Yes, He has been with me all the way. And through it all, He has always been faithful even when I have failed miserably.

"Lord, I am totally 
In Your Hands!"

CONCLUSION
As I end this writing, I wish to pass on to you the promise that God left to me through Joshua. As you go through your ‘season’, I hope you find power, anointing, purpose, and hope in these words… 'As He was with me, so shall He be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and of good courage. Has He 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!’ Quiet your spirit. Listen for His voice. He IS speaking! Lift your head up. You ARE equipped & ready for the challenges ahead. You can take on ‘All comers! God IS on your side. You….Must….Believe! God has the last say in EVERY situation! And He has the last Word on YOU! Live…and Be BLESSED!!!

Your Brother In The Faith,
---- Rev. Mike