Joshua 1:9. “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

If you are following God then you can know that He is with you wherever you go and through whatever you may face in life.  The Israelites were preparing to go into the promised land and they were afraid, they knew there were giants in the land that they were heading into, yet they could go with confidence because they knew it was God leading them into these battles.  Their greatest victories were only accomplished when they were following God!  When they chose their own way they were inevitably defeated.  There were times when God drove their enemies out of the land Himself, there were times they had to do something that seemed strange and unusual, like march around the city, blowing trumpets and there were times that they had to fight, but whatever the case, they could know that God was with them because they were following Him!

How about you today?  Are you following Him with your whole heart?  If you are, then go with the confidence that God is with you and He will give you the victory you need.  If you have sort of been going your own way, whether in your finances or relationships or maybe in your priorities or standards in life, then it is time to get on track.  Ask God to put you back on the right path.  Now….. here’s a really big issue these days ~ stop letting other people define you in your mind! It doesn’t matter who they are ~ your spouse, your boss, your parent, your friend, someone you randomly ran into at the grocery store who decided it was ok to be mean ~ they have no right to make you feel less than who God says you are. Feel free to wash your mind of those thoughts that you have allowed in my asking God to remove them and replace them with who He says you are! You are capable, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you are God’s masterpiece and He created you with gifts and talents so you can be all He created you to be. That person trying to make you feel less than is no better than you regardless of what their position is, or car they drive, the clothes they wear, the color of their skin, if they are good looking on the outside they need some help on the inside if they think that type of behavior is ok. People who want to make you feel bad about yourself clearly need to know who God says they are too so they can be all He created them to be as well. Don’t allow negative words anyone says to get inside you, and certainly don’t say them yourself! Hold your head high and walk into that room like you own it! Focus on what the word of God says!

I know it isn’t a popular idea but you also have to be careful what you are reading and watching. Hollywood is over the top in pushing their agenda in their shows.  The more you are exposed to the concept that what the Bible says is wrong and sin is ok and acceptable the more numb you will become to it. Don’t desensitize yourself to sin by exposing yourself to it constantly in your own home on your tv.  Did you know that watching and listening to that will also take its toll on your self-esteem so be careful what you allow in your home?! If you want God to be with you in your struggles in life then you need to invite Him into your life to lead you in every area!  You can’t, nor should you want to just pick and choose when, where, and how He is allowed in your life, you should want your life to be saturated with Him!

You can be strong and courageous today:  if you are following Him as closely as you can then keep going but f you have been going your own way, get on the right path, knowing that He will give you the strength and wisdom to do so!  Don’t waste another minute!  The God of all wants to do life with you!  Allow Him to guide you into His best for your life, knowing then, that the best is yet to come!

Quote: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”  ~ Chinese Proverb