Verse of the Day 5/16
Deuteronomy 20:3-4 And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; 4 for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' New King James Version (NKJV)
The challenges, the battles faced by the Israelites in biblical times make a lot of our troubles, our battles seem like minor skirmishes in comparison. They were often outnumbered, out armed, surrouned and on the surface seemed ill equipped for the battle ahead. In today's verses, they were "on the verge of battle", it was immanent and they had to face it. Here, God, through Moses, challenges them not to be of faint heart or to fear, but to go out and face the battle, because God would be with them. He was for them
What are some of the battles that we face today? Long term illnesses; battles in personal relationships; challenges at work; temptations to make compromises that clearly go against what we believe. How do we face these battles? In faith, in prayer, in hope and with confidence and yes, even joy.
Michael W. Smith, in his song "Surrounded" writes:
But I'm surrounded by You
It may look like I'm surrounded
But I'm surrounded by You
This is how I fight my battles
If you feel "surrounded" this morning, don't sit back and take it, fight the battle, God is for you and is in it with you.
Isaiah 61:3 New Living Translation (NLT)
3 To all who mourn in Israel,[a]
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Deuteronomy 20:1-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
Principles Governing Warfare
20 "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, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. 2 So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. 3 And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; 4 for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'
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