Faithful Fridays: Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 33:27

     
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and 

courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be 

discouraged, for the LORD your God will be 

with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

"The eternal God is your refuge, and 

underneath are the everlasting arms. He will 

drive out your enemy before you, saying, 

'Destroy him!'"

Deuteronomy 33:27

     First thing to look at... No terror. No discouragement. Your Father is the great God of all--King of Kings--you should not fear. Should not be depressed.

     Not to say that we as believers don't fear and become depressed at times. It does happen. I've struggled majorly with fear, and a bit with depression as well. But the point is...it's not like this natural thing that we just have to deal with. God doesn't want us to be terrified or discouraged. He knows how it harms us. So He's saying, "I'm here, child. Run to Me and find peace and comfort in My arms. I will fight for you." 

     I think depression and irrational anxiety are two of Satan's tactics to bring believers down...especially, perhaps, when they're doing great things for the Lord! Satan hates us, because we are on God's side! 

     Sometimes I feel like..."God, I'm finally growing closer to You, and becoming a better prayer warrior, and my fantasy story is coming together--I think it will bring glory to You... And now is when I'm all suddenly dealing with this crazy fear and just listless hopelessness? Why?"

     Then it dawns on me. Of course! Of course Satan doesn't want me to grow closer to God. He doesn't want me to bring glory to God. Or pray for others. So the Enemy strikes me where I'm weakest. And somehow I believe his dark lies time and again. If you read Silver Rose, maybe you'll understand why Karalee (main character) is the way she is...because her author happened to have those same, very real struggles! :p

     Anyway. We are in a battle. Don't forget that. Or you may succumb to that fear and depression, because you don't realize you're supposed to be fighting. Don't realize that there's hope. Don't realize that God wants to help you.

     Next time you hear those dark whispers, RUN to God!! Run to His everlasting arms! Definitely don't isolate yourself. Read the Bible even when you don't feel it's speaking to you. Pray, even when your soul feels dry and faithless. Talk about your struggles to fellow believers who will encourage you and just hold you up.

~Cling to Him~

     I once heard this profound thing that just stuck with me: "Even when your heart can't feel it, even when your mind can't believe it; move forward in obedience anyway." Keep moving in faith. Even when you can't feel it.

     And remember, God is here. And the victory is ours through Him.

(All pictures found on Pinterest)