Do Not Fear Or Be Discouraged!

“Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.”  Deuteronomy 1:21
It’s easy to get discouraged these days!  The economy is suffering.  Our nation is suffering.  Our community is suffering.  We’re suffering!  Yet, God sets before us real opportunities to walk with Him and do His work.  Take the Israelites for example.  In the Scripture above, Moses is recounting what he had said to the Israelites just after they had left Egypt and had the opportunity to go into the Promised Land.  He reminded them of God’s promises and then said, “Do not fear or be discouraged.”  Great words from the Lord then and now!  But the Israelites refused to listen and allowed their fear of the future to paralyze and discourage them.  They refused to embrace the promises of God so their punishment was wandering in the wilderness for the next 40 years until the whole generation of folks who refused to go into the Promised Land had died out.  Now, the Israelites in this passage were getting ready to face the same decision again, would they go in?  Moses prepared them once again and commissioned Joshua as their leader.  The opportunity was before them to receive the promises of God even though in their near future, they would face the challenges of this new land.  “Do not fear or be discouraged!”
This is a lesson for me today.  When challenges come upon me or River’s Edge, I can become discouraged.  I can become afraid like anyone else.  Yet the Lord is constantly reminding me not to be afraid.  He has promised to be with us and to sustain us in everything we do.  He has promised that the “giants” of this world, this culture, this economy will not overcome us.  He has promised that Satan’s attacks will fail.  He has promised that He has overcome the world.  In James 4:7, the Bible says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  In 1 John 4:18, the Scripture reminds us that, “Perfect love casts out fear.”  These are verses that I hold on to every day.  The Lord reminds all of us through His Word that He will be faithful to keep His promises in His perfect timing.  Do I get scared?  Yes!  Do I get discouraged?  Yes!  But I know that God will help my unbelief and help me cast out fear.  99% of the things we fear never come to pass.  Still, we become all wrapped up in the 1%!  The Israelites did follow Joshua into the Promised Land on the second opportunity.  They faced challenges from outside and inside the body.  There were still giants, personal deceptions, and obstacles, but God was faithful and supplied every need.
Today, I know God is faithful.  I know He has a plan for all our lives to honor Him.  I know that He is able to supply every need and cast out every fear of our lives.  Don’t live in discouragement.  It will deplete all your energy and you will be useless to God’s Kingdom.  The Lord is going to accomplish His work through His people at River’s Edge and around the world.  “Do not fear or be discouraged!”
I love you all,
Pastor Stephen