Be strong and courageous...

Deuteronomy 31:7-8
7 Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous: for you shall go with this people into the land which Yahweh has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 Yahweh, he it is who does go before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you, neither forsake you: don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed.” (WEB)

There are many times in the Bible where we are encouraged to not be afraid and be of good courage. This is one of those examples where Moses passes on the leadership baton to Joshua, encouraging him to not be afraid of the big task at hand.

The reason that Moses was encouraging Joshua not to be afraid was probably because Joshua was afraid. When we are in an overwhelming situation, it is the most natural thing in the world to struggle with fear. It is not being afraid that is the problem, but it is what we do in the face of fear that matters.

Moses didn't guarantee Joshua that there wouldn't be giants along the way that would be obstacles to victory. All he told Joshua was that God would go before him and be with him, every step of the way. He went on to say that Yahweh would never fail or forsake him either.

The reason why Joshua could be strong and courageous was not because he was trusting in his own ability to lead the nation of Israel into the promised land. The reason that he could be fearless was simply because of the greatness of his God and all of Yahweh's precious promises.

My prayer today is that each one of us would be strong and courageous in the midst of all of the challenges we are facing. Not because we have the ability to manage life on our own, but simply because we have a Father and an elder brother who have promised to be with us wherever we go. May we all have a deeper sense of the abiding presence of the Godhead in our being as we take the promised land set before us.

Luke 12:32
Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. (WEB)

Ask the Father directly...

John 16:23-24
23 “In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. (WEB)

In today's Bible reading, Jesus is telling His disciples that a time was soon coming when they would no longer ask Him questions. Jesus was pointing to the time when all who believed in Him would have direct access to His Father in His name.

Of course, praying 'in the name' of Jesus, is not primarily about just saying 'in Jesus' name' at the end of our prayers. Praying in the name of Jesus is all about us being completely and fully united with Christ so much so that when we pray to our Father, we are praying in the very person of Jesus Christ Himself.

In John 14:6, Jesus told us... I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. (WEB). Jesus is our very access to our heavenly Father. It is in Jesus and through Jesus that we can ask our Father directly. And Jesus wants us to ask because He wants us to receive directly from His Dad so that we would be full of joy.

My prayer today is that we would all know that our elder brother has made a way for all of us to have direct access to our Father. May we know that it brings delight to our Father's heart to hear our prayers and to answer our prayers as well. He wants us to be full of joy knowing that He knows what we need even before we ask (Mathew 6:8). May we all have a new boldness in our hearts, knowing that we have access to our Father in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Having then a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold tightly to our confession. 15 For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need. (WEB)

Father’s good works...

John 10:31-32
31 Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?” (WEB)

Every good work that Jesus did on earth originated in His Father's heart. Every miracle He performed, every child He blessed, every sinner He set free... all were expressions that came from heaven. The very thought that Jesus was the Son of God absolutely enraged the religious leaders of the day and it was His relationship with His Dad that was the reason they wanted to kill Him.

If Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing, then God the Father must be as loving and as servant hearted as God the Son. You would think in light of all that Jesus modelled to us about His Father, every believer would gladly run into their Abba's arms. But unfortunately that is not the case.

Over the centuries, the Fatherheart of God has been misrepresented by depicting Him as an angry old man in the sky or as a wrathful judge. He is the complete opposite of these depictions that we often see in the renaissance paintings. The truth is, that our heavenly Dad is the kindest, most loving Father in the universe! The truth of the gospel is that Jesus came to show us what His Father was really like and to do His good works.

My prayer today is that each one of us would be a manifestation of the good works of our Father in all that we do. The more we are conformed into the image of Jesus, the more we are conformed into the image of our Father. May the Holy Spirit that lives within us bear witness to this amazing truth. May we all rise up into our destinies and do the good works that our Father planned for us to do before the foundation of the world.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. (WEB)