The Theme of the month of June is Strong and Courageous as spoken by God through His Prophet, and I perceive in my spirit that God is saying to someone here today be strong and courageous for I am with you.
Brethren I took the liberty to look up the meaning of the words strong and courageous.
Strong means having the power to move heavy objects or perform other physically demanding tasks like Samson. But no one is stronger than our God, the One that sits in Heaven and doeth as He pleases.
The word courageous means having courage, to be valiant and to be brave.
It also means the quality of the mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger and pain.
Brethren of our own accord we can do absolutely nothing but I rejoice at the word of God in the Book of Phil. 4:13 which says, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me’.
The Bible says in Zechariah. 4:6, ‘not by power, not by might but by the spirit of God’.
True strength and courage comes from God, we can only have the strength and courage of God if we know him and most importantly if He knows you and I.
The Bible makes us to understand in the Book of 2Tim. 2:19 ‘Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His, and let everyone that name the name of Christ depart from iniquity’.
Knowing Him is confessing your sins and forsaking them and receiving Him into your life as Lord and personal saviour, when you receive Him into your life, you begin to walk with Him and work for Him. You begin to draw nearer and nearer to Him, closer and closer to Him, the more you do this, He draws nearer and closer to you and you become more pure like Him. You begin to live by His words, precepts and commandments.
Knowing Him equates to a relationship with Him which becomes a way of life for you. Like Father like son, Like Father like daughter. You draw near to him in praise, worship, prayer, in reading, studying, meditating, and memorising His word, and above all putting His word into practice (obeying His word, very important).
Knowing Him and He knowing you comes with His Presence, Psa. 16:11 ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore’. When you carry His presence, it comes with intimacy with Him.
The Bible says in Isa. 40:28-31
So as you wait upon The Lord, He renews your strength, He gives you courage to withstand whatever may come your way.
Brethren the Bible says in Neh. 8:10 that, ‘the joy of The Lord is your strength’.
Jesus is the only true Joy giver and it is through His Joy that we receive strength.
In Acts 4:12 ‘ for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved’. Except the name of Jesus, John 14:6 He is the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through Him. So if you want true Joy then come to Jesus and he will deliver you and give you His Joy and strength.
Our own strength can get us nowhere, without Him we can do absolutely nothing. It is in Him we move, we live and have our being.
No one can cause you to be strong and courageous unless God inputs it in you. Samson thought his strength was by Him when he said In Judges 16:20 ‘ I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that The Lord was departed from him.’
May The Lord not depart from you and I in Jesus name.
Our confidence and boldness are of Him, because He has never failed, can’t fail and will never fail, Our God is infallible; no one can match Him in all His Glory and Awesomeness.
That is the assurance and hope that you and I have in The Lord.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand. Psa. 61:2 ‘From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I’.
David understood this about God when he said to Goliath in the Book of 1Sam. 17:45-47
‘Then said David to the Philistine, Thou cometh to me with a sword and with a spear, and with a shield, but I come to thee in the name of The Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defiled. This day will The Lord deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
And all this assembly shall know that The Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hands.
Brethren this was a boy of 17 years confronting a giant of 13 foot tall a seasoned warrior, he knew that the God that gave him the strength and courage to tear a lion and a bear to pieces would deliver him from the hands of Goliath.
Moses understood this as well when God told him that an angel will go with them and he said to God in Exo. 33:12 ‘and Moses said unto The Lord, see, thou sayeth unto me, Bring up this people and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. And God answered him in verse 14 ‘And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Moses knew that without the presence of God there will be no strength and courage.
Joshua had the greatest assurance any man can receive from God, when God said to him in Jos. 1:1-6 (Read)
No wonder Joshua being a mere mortal was able to confront the Captain of the host of the Lord thinking He was a mere mortal like him in Jos. 5:13-15.
This great servant of God, did not stop there but in Jos. 10:1-14
When five Kings came against him in battle and whilst the battle was still raging and the day was coming to an end and their enemies began to flee from battle, Joshua said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of lasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hastest not to go down about a whole day. Verse 14 and there was no day like that before it or after it, that The Lord hearkened unto the voice of man, for The Lord fought for Israel.
The Lord will fight for you and you will hold your peace in Jesus name.
It was the strength and courage of God in the life of Joseph that empowered him to flee from Potiphar’s bed in the Book of Gen. 39:7-13 for he said in verse 9 ‘how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
The Bible says in Job 28:28, ‘The fear of God is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding’.
True wisdom and understanding comes from God and if any man lacks this the Bible encourages us to ask from God who gives liberally.
Daniel: Dan. 6: 1-28
An excellent spirit always goes hand in hand with the strength and courage of God.
The Bible says in the Book of Prov. 18:16 ‘A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men’.
It was the Divine excellency and wisdom of God upon Daniel that made room for him in a strange land and he stood before the reign of 3 Kings and he was always preferred above his adversaries and peers.
May you stand out in life, wherever you find yourselves may you be preferred above all in Jesus name.
The Bible makes us to understand that King Darius signed the writing and the decree; I want to believe he had no idea that it was a plot against his special friend Daniel.
The Bible says in Ecc. 8:4 ‘Where the word of a king is there is power, and who may say unto him, what doest thou? The decree had been sealed, there was no going back for the King even though in verse 10 the Bible says Daniel knew that the writing was signed and he went into his house and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did afore time. (Your walk and work for God must become a way of life, it needs to be consistent, it needs to become like a habit for you, Daniel did this all the time. Sunday service he was there, Wednesday digging deep he was there, Saturday morning prayer he was there, night vigil he was there, House fellowship on Sunday after church he was there, Evangelism on Saturdays he was there).
They that know their God will be strong and courageous and they will do exploits for Him in Jesus name.
Daniel knew the God he served, he knew that God will never fail nor forsake him, peradventure he fell into the hands of those wicked presidents and princes that sought to find an occasion against him to put him into trouble with the King, so the King can dislike him. When the ways of a man pleases God he maketh his enemies to be at peace with him.
Brethren the Bible says surely they shall gather but because the gathering is not of Him, they will scatter in Jesus name. He said they will come against us in one way but they will flee from us in 7 ways in Jesus name.
The Bible says in Lam. 3:37 ‘Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass, when The Lord commandeth it not?
Brethren the God of Daniel delivered him from the den of lions because he demonstrated His strength and courage, the Bible says that King Darius was so sore displeased with himself and he set his heart to deliver Daniel but he would not, the Bible says the arm of flesh will fail at all times but they that put their trust in God shall be like Mt Zion that abideth forever.
In verse 19-23, the King arose very early in the morning and went in haste unto the den of lions and when he got there he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel and asked ‘O Daniel servant of the living God is they God, whom thou servest continually (this statement means the God you are never tired of serving) able to deliver thee from the lion’s den? Daniel answered, O King, live for ever, My God hath sent his angel, And hath shut the lion’s mouths, that they have not hurt me, for as much as before him innocence was found in me, and also before thee, O King, have I done no hurt’.
Brethren the Bible says Jesus said the prince of this world cometh to me and found nothing in me.
My prayer is that our testimony will be the same in Jesus name.
May the strength and courage of God be our clothing, and may we demonstrate it in our lives at all times in Jesus name.
Brethren I have come to encourage someone here today, that whatever might represent the den of lions in your life, The Lord God Almighty, The man of war will deliver you in Jesus name.
The Bible says in Eph. 6:10 ‘Finally, my Brethren be strong in The Lord and in the power of his might.
Prayers:
1Sam. 30:6-8
Father whatever situation I find myself in life, may your strength and courage come from within me in Jesus name.
Job 5:19
Father whatever situation I might find myself in life, Father deliver me in Jesus name
May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble, may the name of the God of Jacob defend thee, may He send you help from the sanctuary and strengthen you out of Zion in Jesus name.