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Trust The Father

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“[The Israelites] set out…to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before [them].” — Joshua 3:14
As the Israelites had to cross over the River Jordan, they had to engage in a test of faith. Exercising their faith allowed them to see that God was with them. He was still directing Joshua, and He will help them settle in Canaan (v.7,10,17).

If you are facing a test of faith, you can move forward based on God’s character and His unfailing promises. Relying on Him will help you move from where you are to where He wants you to be.

Fear fades when we trust our Father.

Have Faith, Wait On God

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It was natural for Martha and Mary to send for Jesus when Lazarus became seriously ill (John 11:1-3). Perhaps they looked anxiously along the road for signs of His arrival, but Jesus didn’t come. The funeral service had been over for four (4) days when Jesus finally walked into town (v.17). Martha was blunt: ”if you had been here” she said ”my brother would not have died” (v.21). Then her faith flickered into certainty, ”even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You” (v.22).
Lazarus was dead, and she was wary about opening the tomb. And yet at a word from Jesus, Lazarus’ spirit returned to his decaying body (v.41-44). Jesus had bypassed simply healing His sick friend, in order to perform the far greater miracle of bringing him back to life. Waiting for God’s timing may also give us a greater miracle than we had hoped for.
Time spent waiting on God is never wasted.

Are We on the Lord's Side?

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”It is good for me to draw near to God” — Ps73:28
God is not there to support our plans, our perspectives, our decisions and our desires. For even our best plans may not be near to what God desires. We then, ought to draw near to God, so that we can be certain that we are on His side, as His Spirit helps us measure every thought and action by His ways that are always right.
So, let’s ask ourselves: are we on the Lord’s side? Being on His side means that we will reflect His love to the world around us in the way we interact with others. We will forgive, treat others justly and seek peace. God’s ways are always best.
Father, teach us to search Your ways so that we may know how to be on Your side of the critical issues in life. Thank You that when we draw near to You, You draw near to us with gifts of wisdom and discernment.

A heart for Compassion, A Hand to Give

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“Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” — James 2:17
James reminds us that we demonstrate our faith by our actions. The needs in our world are varied and overwhelming but when we love our neighbor as ourselves, as Jesus said (Mark12:31), we reach people with God’s love.
Open our eyes, dear Father, to those in need. Allow us to find ways to help meet those needs. Help us to take the focus off ourselves and place it on those who can use our assistance.
Open your heart to God to learn compassion and open your hand to give help.

He is Faithful

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“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him” — Lamentations3:25
Jeremiah witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and saw his people carried into captivity. He wandered the streets of the city, overwhelmed by grief (Lam1:1-5).
Yet, in Jeremiah’s darkest hour, he said, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam3:21-23).
Whether we suffer for our own choices or from those of others, despair may threaten to overwhelm us. When all seems lost, we can cling to the Lord’s faithfulness. ” ‘The Lord is my portion’ says my soul. ‘There I hope in Him’ “(v24)
The anchor of God’s faithfulness holds firm in the strongest storms.

"Inheriting Heaven or Hell"

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“[God] caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3).
Everyone receives an eternal inheritance—either Heaven or Hell.
We have seen several aspects of the believer’s inheritance, and will see more in future days. But realize that unbelievers also will receive an inheritance, for Jesus will say to them, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:41, 46).
Only Christians have eternal life and a royal inheritance. When you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you became a new creation in Christ and your life began to center on Him rather than yourself. The Holy Spirit indwelt you and began to transform your attitudes and actions. That’s the new birth! It’s like starting all over again, only this time you’re pursuing God’s glory rather than worldly pleasures or goals.
Also, when you were saved you became an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). So the new birth was the means of your salvation and your eternal inheritance.
Having said that, I must admonish you, just as Paul admonished the Corinthians, to “test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). You never want to be deluded about your relationship with Christ. When you trust in the living Lord, you have a living hope and a glorious eternal inheritance. Anything less results in an inheritance of eternal damnation.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies” (John 11:25). Be sure your faith is firmly fixed on Him.