SCRIP-BITS

Joshua 21:45.       ‘There failed not ought (not a word failed) of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.’

Oh, it’s positively a rainy, rainy, dark and cloudy Thursday. The rain’s been falling since yesterday evening; a steady drizzle, and looks like it will continue for some time yet. But just like we need the sunshine, we need the rain, though not in too much quantity, for that could cause situations that we’d prefer not to experience. (smile) However, since we’ve put our total trust in the Lord God Almighty, we have nothing to worry about. There might be concerns, but definitely no worries. For God has promised in His Holy Word, several times, never to leave nor forsake us, and He keeps ALL His promises, as said in the Book of Joshua. 

‘There failed not ought (not a word failed) of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.’ (Josh. 21:45) And the prophet Isaiah reiterates that sentiment by declaring: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Then the prophet Jeremiah agrees with those sentiments, when he declares: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) 

And there are many more scriptures relating to God’s faithfulness, but we will not experience it until we too grow in faith, believing that He is truly faithful. And unfortunately, that comes only by going through uncomfortable situations and depending on God to see you through. And each time you do that, and He proves His faithfulness, your faith grows stronger and you believe some more. That’s the only way to truly grow in God; by experience, by trial and error, by learning His Word and putting it into practice, by laying our proverbial lives on the line for him, and seeing Him fulfill each and every promise. 

But yuh know what mih bredrin, it seems the ole fella has lost his way yes. For I originally planned to ruminate through some scriptures where the Lord promised to never leave nor forsake us, but then I apparently got sidetracked in looking at scriptures that spoke of His faithfulness to His promises. (smile) But that’s okay, because they are all enmeshed together as the Word of the Lord. So, let’s turn now to some scriptures that validate God’s promise to never leave or forsake us. And we’ll begin with a practical experience of God’s promised care for His people, through the way He led the Israelites when they left Egypt. 

The Bible tells us: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:21-22) Now, there’s nothing that can fulfill words of promise better than the actual experiencing of them. And to further show our God’s faithfulness, when the Egyptian army trundled down after the Israelites to take them back to Egypt, the Lord literally blocked the Israelites from the sight of the Egyptians. 

The Bible says: ‘And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud of darkness to them, but it gave light by the night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.’ ((Ex. 14:19-20) Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve! Now who would have thought of such a marvellous manoeuvre but Him eh? Nobody! And since He is omnipotent and has power to do anything, that should come as no surprise. 

So with all of that practical experience behind them, Moses was thus able to truthfully tell the young generation that would eventually enter the Promised Land: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be ye dismayed.’ (Deut. 31:8) And yuh know what friends? That message has never been rescinded. For today, the Lord our God still is the One who goes before us, to make our paths straight, and as the psalmist says, who gives us His Word to be a lamp unto our feet, and a light to our path. (Ps, 119:105) 

How can we ever doubt or dispute the Word of our God eh my people, when we’ve seen it played out in the Bible, as well as in our own lives? It would be pure foolishness; stupidity at it’s highest to discount the Word of God! And if you still need more scriptures on God’s promise never to leave nor forsake His people. Then check out Joshua 1:5-9, where the Lord promises him: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh. 1:5) Then the Lord goes on to encourage him to be strong of a good courage, the same things we need to be, if we intend to live for Christ. 

Finally, in the New Testament, the author of Hebrews wisely advises: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb. 13:5-6) Yes my faithful brethren, this verse emphasizes God’s consistent presence and provision for believers throughout their lives. And our God is so wonderful that He’s also bestowed on us blessings we don’t deserve, but need to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and activate them right now nuh. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…The most faithful and encouraging Being in the universe…is obviously…the Lord God Jehovah…

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