Isaiah 41:10
(God Speaking)....
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you."
"Do not be dismayed, for I am your God."
"I will strengthen you."
"I will help you."
"I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
Pretty strong words if they can't be backed up.
Bold statements unless the one giving them isn't up to the task.
No matter what might seek to unnerve you and cause you to panic, God says that we are to not be afraid. Why? Because He is with us. Just the sheer presence of God is the place where I find peace. Now considering that according to Acts 2, if I have been saved (born again or whatever the term du'jour is) then the presence of God is not only all around me, but His Holy Spirit lives in me. I am not to be afraid.
He tells me to not be discouraged. Discouragement usually comes to us when things don't go our way or turn out the way we want them to. Another vehicle for discouragement is when I become impatient. It's not that God isn't working in my life...........
It's that He isn't working as fast as I would like Him to.
His schedule and my schedule do not coincide.
I'm into microwaving.....
And God's into marinading. Slow cooking!
What reason does God give me to not be discouraged? He says that "He is my God!" Sometimes I think the name "God" has lost something in the minds of people. That simple three letter word...G-O-D, reveals the character and nature of the one who created everything I can see, touch, taste, smell or hear. Now this same being, God, wants to be my God. In other words, at the heart of the matter is relationship. It isnt' about religion...it's all about relationship.
He says that He will strengthen me.
Why would He say that unless I am weak.
The heart of the Twelve Steps is Power/Strength to do something that you cannot do for yourself. God says I will give you the strength necessary to move above and beyond sin/addiction. To walk in places I never could in my own ability and strength. He gives me the Peter-walking-on-the-sea kind of strength. Reason and rationalization stakes claims that it's impossible, but God who empowers makes it possible. That's my God!
"I Will Help You!" Once again God's heart is the restoration and complete salvation of those who turn to Him and accept His free gift of eternal life.
This statement, I will help you, is very broad and not well defined, but it does contain something that I love about God. The statement could be seen as being open-ended. By that, I mean that you could insert what ever you needed help with at the end of the statement. If you need to break free of your addiction today....then God says, "I Will Help You Break Free Of Your Addiction Today."
Last, but certainly not least, is the phrase, "I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
God will help me stand.....God will help me to overcome....God will help me to outlast whatever comes against me. I will stand and, according to Ephesians 6:13...."Having done all, stand!" Sometimes the greatest victory comes from simply not giving up, but leaning on and being supported by the uplifting hand of God.
I guess if I had to sum up today's posting, it would be found in Step #11
We sought through prayer and meditation
to improve our conscious contact with God,
praying only for knowledge of his will for us
and the power to carry it out.
Amen...and amen!
God on you...
mb
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