I Will Not Leave Nor Forsake You
Henry Omotayo
I Will Not Leave Nor Forsake You (Joshua 1:1-9)
Message No. 0501 | Twitter @GodandUs |
Read Past Messages at: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/wordforwise
In spite of the words of encouragement that Moses gave to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 31, before his death, Joshua was down, discouraged and afraid after Moses died. Some reasons could be attributed to this: what kind of leadership qualities do I have to be able to lead these people across the Jordan? If God was so strict that He would not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land because of his mistake, what are my chances? Suddenly, leadership looked so void and everything, so quiet; these are the exact conditions for fear to thrive.
God saw Joshua’s struggles and had to reemphasize Moses’ words to Joshua. In Joshua 1:5-6, God spoke to Joshua:
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Those were the exact Words that Joshua needed to snap out of fear and discouragement and to spring into action. Without Joshua’s leadership, entering the Promised Land would have been a bigger challenge for Israel. God wrought special victories through him, that had not been witnessed before, in their journey.
Today, we face different challenges in our journey of faith. This past week, I watched one of the preachers I usually watch on TV and noticed how a 17,000-seater auditorium was completely empty. Yet, though preaching only to the cameramen, the pastor had the task of preaching the same way as when the auditorium was full. Wouldn’t a pastor need God’s encouragement to deliver the same impactful message under this condition? I was not disappointed with the pastor’s commitment and delivery of his message – there was no noticeable difference. Yet, I felt the need to pray for God to bless our pastors and continue to encourage them to cope with this situation on an ongoing basis, as we do not know yet, how much longer the physical distancing rules would persist.
God’s message to Joshua, “I will not leave you nor forsake you,” is very real for our churches today. We may not be together physically, but we are together spiritually, and the Spirit of God is not limited by distance. I have noticed that in our church, we have witnessed some of the highest numbers of people giving their lives to Christ by pushing a ‘Raise Hand’ button on their computers during our online services. This is a great encouragement to our pastors to continue working hard and delivering messages the same way they were doing before the lockdowns began.
If any positive is coming out of the current situation, it is that we have discovered how much we can do online. We have noticed how much we can use technology to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are learning how different teams in the church can meet online without necessarily traveling to the church building. In the past when heavy snowstorms and freezing rains forced Sunday services to not hold, we simply stayed at home. Going forward, we know that no weather condition can stop us from holding our services as we would simply go online. Praise God!
As God’s children, please let us continue to pray for God to strengthen our fellowships. In my country of abode, statistics show that many churches are feeling the financial impact of not being able to gather in church buildings, translated, many people are not making financial contributions as before. This could be due to lack of understanding of how to use technology to pay tithes and offerings and it could also be due to the fact that many church members’ incomes have been affected by the situation at hand. If you are still working and earning income, please continue to pay your tithes and offerings as the church needs money to pay bills and finance evangelistic programs. I pray that God will shield and defend His children from any further impact of this virus, in Jesus’ name.
As we enter a new week, please rest, assured, that our God will not leave nor forsake us. We continue to be on His mind as His ability to save, heal and deliver never diminishes. Please stay home and stay safe as advised by our governments. For those who need to go out as a matter of necessity, may we continue to reside under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall us, and no plague shall find our dwelling places. Remain blessed and remain protected, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
To leave a comment for this message, read older messages or share via social media:
1. Please push the ‘Reply’ button to email your comments and visit https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/wordforwise to read previous messages and share with friends and family.
2. To add new readers, please email their names and email addresses to he...@henryomotayo.com
3. To unsubscribe, please email “Unsubscribe” to he...@henryomotayo.com