Monday, August 29, 2016

Faith, A Force Multiplier


UV 2054/10000 Faith, A Force Multiplier
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31 v 6

The Lord exhorts us to be strong and courageous in the face of opposition, challenges, difficulties. He asks us to get rid of every vestige of fear. It is, in fact, His command that we be strong and courageous and avoid being weak and fearful. Faith is the opposite of fear and it implies that we hold onto the Lord our God and partake of His immense strength, wisdom and power to overcome everything that lies in our path. The Lord on His part promises to go ahead of us and with us. We should believe earnestly without a shadow of doubt that the Lord will not fail us or leave us.

Biblical history tells us that Israel under the faithful commander Joshua defeated 31 kings before they took over the land promised to them by the Lord. The 31 kings we are to fight and overcome may not be earthly authorities or physical entities but the same principles and strategy applies in our lives: we need to be strong and courageous. Strength alone is not enough. It should be accompanied by the hope of ultimate victory. It should be accompanied by courage to face up to the obstacles, problems, challenges that confront us. Our strength is derived not from natural sources like our physical or intellectual or strategic prowess but from the All powerful and Almighty One. Our courage is based on our faith in His existence, His faithfulness, His word and His promises.

We are to be strong in the power of His might. We are to also be strong in the grace of Jesus. We should not be disappointed by temporary setbacks or reverses for the Lord will give us ultimate and absolute victory. It is a “ faith accompli” not a fait accompli that we are declared winners from the start as the Lord is with us, in us and He fights for us. To strengthen our faith, we only need to remember what the Lord did to Pharaoh and Egypt to rescue the Israelite slaves under Moses. The Lord is greater in power and might than any superpower in this world. His presence comforts us, coaches us, exhorts us , guides and leads us into every battle.

Prateep V Philip

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