A Dangerous Church Volume Two E-Book

Riaan Engelbrecht

• Herausgeber: Riaan Engelbrecht
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

God is rising up an army that refuses to be silent, who will not flinch in times of trial or tribulation, will not shy away when faced with evil and will not compromise His Truth.  Such an army is right now being formed on the earth, the remnant that will arise out of the ruins of religiosity and carnality. They are like the 7000 faithful who God said to Elijah refused to bow the knee before Baal. Yes, this is a dangerous remnant, filled by the Spirit of God, for they will be like the first apostles and disciples. They are dangerous for they are not unsettled by Baal, do not fear man, and laugh along with God who loves His enemies. They are dangerous for they love the truth, and they know the battle belongs to God.

Leseprobe

Series of work by the same author:

––––––––

Perilous Times

In Pursuit of God

The Holy Spirit

The Disciple of God

Deliverance

Crossroads to Freedom

The Kingdom of God

The Prophetic

Apologetics

End-Time Remnant

Table of Contents

Title Page

A Dangerous Church Vol 2: Abiding in the Power of God (End-Time Remnant, #2)

Table of Contents

Courage in an all-conquering God

An extraordinary God of strength and compassion

David and the greatness of God

Led by the Spirit – story of the disciples

The reality of God’s greatness in Revelation

God of power

Not by might, not by strength, but by the hand of the Lord

Fear not, the battle belongs to God

Overshadowed by the Spirit

God’s hand is not too short to save

Unlimiting God

Grace to carry us through the storms

Abiding in the greatness of God

What God upholds will not fail or sink!

Abide in God to avoid the snare of the devourer

Die to the self for radical and dangerous action

Stay true to your identity in Christ

Prophets of identity

Intimate fellowship with God produces dangerous conviction

What God births in you may seem greater than you know

Power born from truth

Facing the lions and the bears before facing the Goliaths

Paul’s heart of concern, not of fear

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

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About the Author

A Dangerous Church Vol 2: Abiding in the Power of God

This is a distributed edition from Avishua Ministries

The author’s intellectual property rights are protected by international Copyright law. You are licensed to use this digital copy strictly for your personal enjoyment only: it must not be redistributed or offered for sale in any form.

Scriptures quotes from the New Kings James Bible, Amplified, and the New International Version.

For more free study material and audio visit http://www.avishuaministries.wix.com/avishua

Table of Contents

COURAGE IN AN ALL-CONQUERING God

An extraordinary God of strength and compassion

David and the greatness of God

Led by the Spirit – story of the disciples 

The reality of God’s greatness in Revelation

God of power

Not by might, not by strength, but by the hand of the Lord

Fear not, the battle belongs to God

Overshadowed by the Spirit

God’s hand is not too short to save

Unlimiting God

Grace to carry us through the storms

Abiding in the greatness of God  

What God upholds will not fail or sink!

Abide in God to avoid the snare of the devourer

Die to the self for radical and dangerous action

Stay true to your identity in Christ

Prophets of identity

Intimate fellowship with God produces dangerous conviction

What God births in you may seem greater than you know

Power born from truth

Facing the lions and the bears before facing the Goliaths

Paul’s heart of concern, not of fear

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Courage in an all-conquering God

WE ALL KNOW JOSHUA as the man who led Israel out of the wilderness into the Promised Land. He was the man who journeyed side by side with Moses. What should, however, be noted is that Joshua overcame challenges because he found courage, and such courage stemmed from his belief in a great God.

It stemmed from the truth that our God is all-consuming, all-conquering and all-powerful. For this reason, we read in “Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

And for all of us, we can find courage for we serve a great and wonderful God. He is faithful and true!

From the start of his journey into the land of milk and honey, we read the following in "Joshua chapter 1: 5 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. 6 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. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

This was the foundation of Joshua’s strength and success. How else would you fail if you held onto such a powerful promise? God promised Joshua that He would prosper if he obeyed and if he remained loyal unto God and His commandments. The greatness of God is that God does not lie. His promise is tested and true. And so Joshua could hold onto such a promise and know God was with him no matter how great the obstacles were.

And the entire life of Joshua going forward proved God’s faithfulness, and as all-conquering, God brought low and defeat to all those who challenged Israel.

Joshua began his life in Egypt as a slave, under cruel Egyptian taskmasters, rising to be the leader of Israel through faithful obedience to God. He thus had seen first-hand God’s goodness and power.

He witnessed the ten plagues. He witnessed God’s power on display when the skies darkened when the locusts descended and when the firstborn of Egypt was struck down. He bore witness to the power of blood upon the doorposts when death passed them by, of course pointing to the day of the slain Lamb on the cross. Yet, there is great power in the Blood of Jesus!

Joshua witnessed the miracle at the Red Sea when God fed the people manna and water from a rock. He witnessed the enemies being crushed when they rose against God’s people, and he watched as those within the camp were crushed by God because of their rebellion.  For a long time, Joshua bore witness to the greatness and goodness of God.

He wandered the wilderness and witnessed how God protected the people every step of the way.

So when God told Joshua not to be afraid, then Joshua could take courage because He had seen God’s faithfulness and power in action time after time. Yes, like Joshua, we still serve the great and mighty God of power! We can also take courage and be strong in the Lord for He is faithful and true.

After yet another miracle at the Jordan River when the people were allowed to pass, God again reminded the new leader of His enduring goodness and greatness. He reminded Joshua to be strong and very courageous if only he would remain obedient and strong in the Lord. Indeed, he didn’t have to be afraid or be dismayed, for the Lord his God was with Him wherever he went. And this is so true for all believers still today as well, for our God is with us. We must just be strong and of good courage.

History attests to the greatness of God, for every empire or kingdom that has ultimately defied the Lord God by challenging and threatening Israel has been brought low – be it the Assyrians. Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, the Ottoman Empire or the German army.

What people do not always understand is that God’s return is directly connected with the final and great threat against Israel.

Jesus spoke of the end of times when He said the following in “Matthew 24: 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

And then the Lord continued by saying the following: 15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Such days will come. Terrible days. And such apostasy is already upon us. Christians throughout the world are ridiculed, persecuted and mocked for their faith. Yet despite all this, we need to stand strong, take courage and know that God is with us.

For even the great calamity that befalls Israel at the end of it all, God will still show Himself as the all-conquering God. And for that reason, Israel can take heart, and for that reason, we can all take heart and rejoice in the greatness and goodness of God.

We read in “Joel 3: 1 For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. 3 They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink...9 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” 11 Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.”

Yes, not only Israel, but we can all declare let the weak be strong because God is still all-powerful and all-conquering. And because of that truth, we can take courage like Joshua took courage.

More than ever the resolve, courage and faith of believers are being severely tested. As in the First Century of the 12 disciples, the world is becoming very hostile to the absolute Truth of the Lord. Persecution comes in many guises and shapes, be it threats, ridiculing, rejection, betrayals or outright opposition, so for believers, we need to remain standing strong in the faith, and like Daniel, we need to refuse to bow to the idols and ‘gods’ of this age.

It is written in “Ephesians 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ ... 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”

Indeed, despite the challenges, despite the persecution, despite a hostile world, we shall praise the Lord, and we shall worship Him! For He remains the answer to the world, for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. In Him, we find our strength, and in Him, we find our purpose, our hope, and the courage to stand strong for and to His Glory. For let us continue in steadfastness to administer the work of the Lord, as we pray for the harvest of souls, and as we pray for the sick, the forgotten, the hurting and the rejected.

Let us be reminded that in God we are more than conquerors, for when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19).

Let us remember who this awesome God is that we serve, for it is written in “Psalm 33: 1 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. 4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. 5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. 6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.  18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.”

Keep your eyes upon the Lord, for He is faithful, He is truth and He is the Lord of the impossible and the supernatural. He is the Lord of the Harvest, and He is the One who provides manna, and He is the one that parts the Red Sea, who provides water from a Rock, who makes the lame walk, the blind see and who still saves the lost unto a new life of glory and hope! Praise the Lord!

Let us hold onto the words of the Apostle Paul when he wrote in “1 Corinthians 9: Striving for a Crown:  24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

We need to continue therefore with the race set before us. We need to run it in the strength of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in love, in hope and in faith, for as we abide in Him we shall overcome and we shall be joyous.

We need to remain faithful, steadfast, true and obedient to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, for we shall see Him glorified as the Good Shepherd who will never leave behind one sheep.

At the end of the day, we must not let our hearts be troubled. So many of God’s children have allowed their hearts to become troubled, even though we serve a mighty and awesome God. They have allowed anxiety and fear to overcome them. They have allowed such trouble to blind them to the glory of the Lord, to His majesty, His greatness, His goodness and His mercy.

Yes, there are so many storms in this life, so much heartache, betrayal, struggles and battles, BUT DO NOT LET YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS.

John 14 (AMP): 26 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 27 Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

The Lord also says in "John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]"

Yes, in this world we will have trouble – it will come in all shapes, sizes and forms. Throughout the entire Scriptures, all the servants of the Lord endured trouble. Just ask Moses, or Daniel, or David, or the Apostle Paul.

Trouble impacts us personally, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically. The troubles wish to break us, shatter us, destroy us, but the Lord cries DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED! For surely God does not slumber, and He is a jealous God, and He is an all-consuming fire and His eyes are upon those who seek Him and serve Him. He is our Refuge, our Hope and our Strength.

Psalm 11: 7 For the Lord is [absolutely] righteous, He loves righteousness (virtue, morality, justice); The upright shall see His face.

Yes, we WILL have trouble but the Lord says to His children LET NOT YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. Why? Because He is the Lord – omnipotent, all-powerful, and He loves His children. He is the Lord of Israel. He is the Great I AM. He is our Peace, our Hope, our Strength.

Deuteronomy 32: 3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! 4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

When we turn our gaze away from our troubles, and when we behold Him in all His holiness and splendour, we see the author and finisher of our faith. We then behold the majesty and the glory, we see the resurrection and the life, and we bow before the Rose of Sharon, the Lilly of the Valley, the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who is worthy to open the seals.

We behold the truth and the power, and we know, yes we know, He is God and He is Lord!  With our eyes upon Jesus, this world fades, our past and future fade, for only the here and now is where we long to live and breathe. With our eyes upon Jesus, we see His plans, His ways, His perfection and His beauty. With our eyes upon Jesus, we know in our hearts that His grace and mercy are new every morning. Truly, His grace is sufficient for us. His grace makes us strong when we are weak and by His love, we are forgiven and strengthened to reign with Him.

With our eyes upon Jesus, there is peace, there is hope, there is comfort, there is joy and there is the cry of the heart just to worship and serve. All the shackles and burdens shatter. All that remains is His perfect and pleasing will. Oh, let us lay down our ways and follow completely His will! Oh, with our eyes upon Jesus, there is only one desire and only longing: to worship Him and to glorify Him. There is the only desire to live and please Him! Oh, by the power of His love, by the power of His grace, by the power of His touch, we bow the knee, our hearts melt, and we know that He is God and we are but man!

With our eyes upon Jesus, everything in this world pales in comparison and fades away. At His feet, we lay down our crowns, we lay down our plans, our ways, our deeds and our pride and we surrender. We lay down our troubles. At the feet of God, our longing is stilled, our thirst and hunger quenched and we can be at peace. O, the Lord says to be still and know that He is God.

Let us always remember we are God's children, His sons and daughters of faith. Let us remember that we are filled with the resurrection power of Jesus, working through and in the Holy Spirit, that we can do all that God has called us to do, that we are victorious, alive, free, brought into the light, bought by the precious Blood, cleansed, consecrated, sanctified, adopted, anointed, called and blessed. 

His Spirit moves us to greater heights and destinies. We are magnificent, not yet perfect, not yet pure, but broken in humility, filled with praise, filled with a new song for the Lord, filled with great wisdom and knowledge, all to the glory of the Lord! We shall not be condemned, we shall not be ridiculed, we shall not be pushed back and we shall not be made to feel weak in error.

Indeed, let us be reminded of Hebrews 6: 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

We can be assured and be at peace for the living Lord will forever be our life anchor – immovable, infallible, incorruptible and always faithful! What hope and what a blessing to know that God, the defender of Israel and the defender of His children, is indeed with us and not against us (Romans 8:31) and that in the storms and the still waters, He remains the anchor that grounds us and that keeps us steady and who will keep us on course.

Let us praise the Lord and be thankful on this day, lifting our voices in psalms and hymns, for Jesus died and rose from the grave, tearing the veil before the Holy of Holies so that we the redeemed by His blood are saved, and that we have access to the throne room of God and that this Mighty God truly and undoubtedly anchors us.

No matter the storms, no matter the winds of life, no matter the lashing rains of trouble and strive, no matter the heat of the sun, God anchors us, God keeps us from sinking and God keeps us from being shattered against the rocks of our hardships. He is our Rock and the Fortress for the disciple.

When God is our rock and our fortress, when He is our anchor and when He is our hope, then the challenges, the obstacles, the fears and the worry of this life pales. God is our refuge, and under His wing, we take shelter (Psalm 91) and we can know that nothing will separate us from His love (Romans 8:37-39). For indeed, with God as our rock and our anchor, we can rejoice with David when he said in Psalm 23: 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

Glory to God! Let not your hearts be troubled says the Lord. Let us not be troubled!

Let us cast our eyes on Him. Let us trust. And let fear be gone. Let the high praises be on our lips as we give Him all the Glory. Yes, trouble will come but God is with us! Yes, He is with us! The mountains may quake and the seas may roar and it may seem all will fall apart, but God will sustain us, hold us upright, and He will defend us. He was with His servants in the land of Israel, and He will surely be with us.

Let not your hearts be troubled! Find your peace in the Lord. Cast away anxiety and fear and know He is God, for our struggles are not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual rulers, and surely God is greater for all domino belongs unto Him!

Glory to God! Let us stand upon Psalm 37:39: But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their refuge and stronghold in the time of trouble.

When Joshua was confronted with the reality of entering the Promised Land in the Old Testament, he must have experienced fear and trepidation, since he knew the people of Israel were going to face vicious enemies and great perils.

Even though Joshua had endured 40 years in the desert with Moses, and his character and boldness was refined, considering marching into a foreign land invaded by seven stronger tribes would still have been daunting. But the Lord knew the heart of Joshua and so we read in “Deuteronomy 31:5-7 (New International Version): 5 The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

What an incredible promise! This surely would have bolstered Joshua’s faith and would have made him brave. How else but to not take heart when you hear that no matter the dangers or perils or strife, the Lord is with you and He will never forsake His servants?

In 2 Chronicles 32:6-8, we read how Hezekiah, the king of Judah, said to military officers to be strong, courageous, and not be afraid or discouraged as they faced the might of Assyria’s vast army. He also took firm when being overwhelmed for he placed his trust, faith and hope in the Living Lord.

When the 12 disciples were in the fishing boat and the storm became more violent, they panicked and fear gripped them. Jesus, also in the boat, calmly said to them in Matthew 14:27: "Take courage! Don't be afraid."

In Hebrews 3:6 we read of the beautiful promises that “Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast”.

Daily when we rise to meet the new day, we like Joshua and King Hezekiah also face numerous challenges, fears, perils, dangers and possible strife. For we live in a world where we battle the odds spiritually and physically, as we labour to overcome, to be more than conquerors in Christ and to be carriers of His light. As we meet the new day, so often what lies ahead seems impossible to overcome and it feels like we are surrounded by enemies seeking to destroy us.

May we take heart and make it our prayer that in this day and all the days of our life, no matter the Goliaths that may confront us and no matter the challenges that await us, in Jesus we can be courageous and be bold for He is always with us and He will never leave us.

May that promise and truth forever be imprinted on our spirit and heart, for we are His children and we shall not fear for the Lord of Hosts is with His people.

Philippians 4: (New International Version) 5 The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In Matthew 6 Jesus commanded His disciples not to worry about anything for surely as the Lord takes care of the birds and the flowers, so surely He will sustain, provide and take care of those who call upon His name. You see, Jesus wasn’t merely giving advice, for He knew that anxiety, stress and worry bring us no profit but rather bring us even greater trouble! So He gave a command not to be concerned and to seek His Kingdom for then the rest will be added unto us. Why then do we then so worry when the Lord of Heaven is with us?

Paul the Apostle wrote this letter to the Philippians on his second missionary journey. He came to the city around 49 CE. At the time Philippi was an urban centre at the eastern end of the plain, a few miles northwest of Neapolis.

The people there were both Romans and Greeks. The religious life of those in Philippi was marked by very syncretistic practices including the worship of the emperor (Julius, Augustus, and Claudius), the Egyptian god's Isis and Serapis, as well as many other deities. It was against this backdrop that Paul established His church and spoke to the followers of Jesus, who were under enormous pressure from the pagan citizens of Philippi to stay true to God. Talk about stress and anxiety!

As we read Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi, we find he placed great importance on prayer and giving your care to God. However, by this time Paul was a man who walked in great faith and trust because He understood, grasped and acknowledged the greatness of the Lord. Isn’t it also time that we need to grasp the truth that the same God to whom we pray is an awesome, amazing, and all-powerful and omnipotent Lord who can and shall and will answer our prayers? If we can grasp how great God is then surely we shall not be anxious or fearful, for as Paul wrote, we must bring all our cares and worries to God for He is the One who upholds the heavens, who gave us life, who is the Lord of all and nothing is too great for Him to handle!

Praise the Lord for He is great, He is beautiful, He is majestic and He is incredible. Why then be anxious? Be like David who slew Goliath, for David also served the same God that performed the great miracles in Egypt, by which the heart of Pharaoh was melted which led him to set God's people free.

This is the same Lord who led the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness, especially the crossing of the Red Sea when the waters were rolled back and the people went through. This is the same God who fed by His hand well over a million strong, perhaps a million and a half people for forty years so that they lacked nothing and even their clothes were kept from wearing out.

God ministered to these people in the desert, making the rocks gush with water, feeding them with manna from heaven, and watching over them with a pillar of fire at night, and a cloud by day.

We serve the same God! He is so powerful! He is so enormous! The greatness of God is amazing. When you let your mind ponder just how great, powerful and majestic God is it is boggling. Think about human creation. Humans were created in the image of a living God.

Maybe circumstances in your life have left a shadow over you, but God’s power is greater than the shadow. He can remove the shadows of doubt and fear if you ask. No circumstances on earth are greater than the power of God. Nothing you face is greater than God’s goodness. God’s greatest aspect is love.

God is love, pure love, unconditional love expressed in Jesus Christ.

Luke 9: 43 and they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

1 Peter 5: 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

What an awesome God we serve! So let us not fear or be anxious. He hears our cries, knows the desires of our hearts and leads us by His hand (Psalm 23)

Regarding Joshua, to enter the land, the Jews had to cross the flooded Jordan River. When the priests and Levites carried the Ark of the Covenant into the river, the water stopped flowing. This miracle mirrored the one God had performed at the Red Sea. Joshua 3 reads: 14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

Talk about a faith booster! Talk about taking courage in a God of the impossible and the glorious!

Joshua’s faith and trust in God would have also surely been boosted following the encounter in Joshua 5: The Commander of the Army of the Lord: 13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” 14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” nd Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” 15 Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

We then read of the exploits at Jericho in Joshua 6, which speaks of God’s greatness and goodness. “1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.” 6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.” 8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. 12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days. 15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! 17 Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

Yes, we serve an all-conquering King of kings and Lord of lords!