Under Construction

Until October 1, 2008. Enjoy and check again the previous Fresh Manna when you can. I do that to refresh my soul in the Lord. Holy Spirit is a wonderful teacher who helped me with all the Fresh Manna. I like to have personal devotion to edify my soul and my spirit. Jesus asks me to share it with you. It is a privilege to share and I pray for God's blessing be upon you when you take the time to pray and feed on God's Word and allow Holy Spirit to bless you, to heal you and to enrich your soul. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Love,
Dorothy Callies

God Hath Not Given Us the Spirit of Fear

II Timothy 1:7
KJV: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. NAS: For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. AMP: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity—of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear—but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. NCV: God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

Dorothy:
If God did not give us a bad and fearful spirit then who did? Satan tried to shoot his arrows of many kind of bad fears. God wants us to know that He does not try to put bad fears in us. Have you ever wonder why God quoted, “Fear Not” many, many times? The answer is found in I John 4:18-19 with three translations:
KJV: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first love us.
AMP: There is no fear in love – dread does not exist; but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror. For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love – is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection. We love Him, because He first loved us.
NCV: Where God’s love is, there is no fear because God’s perfect love drives out fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears. We love because God first loved us.

Also in Hebrews 13:5b-6a in NCV: God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never forget you.” So we can be sure when we say, “I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper.”

What does this means to me?
Love is a powerful thing. If I am fearful, I will remember that love is missing. So I would quote: God does not give me spirit of fear. He gave me power to overcome my bad fears. He gave me love through the power of Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit helps me to have self-control. I pray for my friends too. Amen. May you be bless today.

Poem/Song: The Spirit of the Lord by Dorothy Callies
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because He hath anointed me to sing.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because He has anointed me to bring.
The gospel to all, great or small.
To open prison’s door, and that what’s for.
To set the captive free, and the blind to see.
The lame to walk, and the dumb to talk.
To heal the broken-hearted, and lift up dishearten.
To set at liberty, and that is for me.
Once I was bruised, but now I am used,
By the Spirit of the Lord…
By the Spirit of the Lord…
By the Spirit of the Lord…

Fear Not, To Take Mary, Thy Wife

Matthew 1:20b-21
“Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying Joseph, thou son of David, FEAR NOT TO TAKE UNTO THEE MARY THY WIFE: for which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Story of Joseph from Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7
After Mary came home from visiting Elizabeth, Joseph learned about her pregnancy. Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but he felt he had to divorce her secretly. Joseph was a good man and he did not want to disgrace her in public. There was a law that if a woman is caught having a child before marriage; by law the public has the right to stone a woman to death. This troubled Joseph greatly. He had fear in his heart. He didn’t know what to do. Joseph went to sleep and an angel came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” An angel went on to explain about the fulfillment from the prophet who spoke about the virgin shall bring forth a son. The Lord’s angel wants Joseph to realize who this child was. It must have surprise Joseph that it was the Holy Spirit that came upon Mary to have a child be called, Immanuel, which means “God is with us.”

The Lord’s angel helped Joseph to know about the prophecy and help him to remove his “fear.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel had told him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife. Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until she gave birth to the son. And Joseph named him Jesus. God wanted Jesus to have a family to grow up with. Joseph and Mary had more children so Jesus had brothers and sisters [Matthew 12:46-47; Mark 3:31-32; Luke 8:19,20].

Story about the angels and the shepherds from Luke 2:8-20
Luke 2:20 “And the angel said unto them, FEAR NOT, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Dorothy:
Have you noticed that God encouraged people from time to time, “Fear not”? Why is that? I watched a program, TBN and Rev. Hagee was preaching about the “Wild Horse of Fear”. He talked a lot about what fear can do. God had begin ‘Fear not’ with Abraham, and all through with Isaac, Moses, David, Daniel, Zachariah, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, disciples, and Peter from Genesis to Revelation. There are 700 "Fear Not." Fear can paralyze us and not be able to do anything. God does not want to paralyze us so He comforts us not to be afraid. What was the reason we all would fear? Fear of new things and we get scared of new plan that we might not know about. God often does that and God knows it is important to tell us, “Fear not.” He is with us. He will hold us up. He will take care of us. Praise the Lord.

Fear Not, God Has Shown You His Grace

Luke 1:3
KJV: And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.
NCV: The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace.”

Story of Mary from Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-7
Mary was a teenager when she was engaged to marry a man named Joseph. An angel came to greet her and Mary was troubled when she heard the angel said, “Hail, thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” The angel knew Mary was troubled or startled by the way angel greet her. Startled means frighten suddenly or taken by surprise. The angel tried to calm her by saying, “FEAR NOT, MARY; FOR THOU HAS FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.” The angel went on to explain that she was to have a child and to name him, Jesus. Mary was confused until the angel explained that it is through the work of the Holy Spirit that would overshadow her and the holy thing shall be born of her and be called the Son of God. She accepted whatever God had planned for her. Mary learned that Elisabeth conceived a son in sixth month. Mary went to visit her and stayed three months. When they greeted each other Elizabeth and Mary were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke wonderful things of God. Mary stayed with Elisabeth for three months and then she came home.

Luke 1:47 God My Saviour.
There were many young women and God had chosen Mary to be the one to carry His Son, Jesus. Mary was favored above all women, but God did not intend for people to worship Mary. Mary was humble and her godly life had pleased God so He chose her for this most important task (work) to raise His Son, Jesus. Mary said, “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” In these words Mary recognizes her own need of salvation. She was a sinner who needed Christ as “Saviour.” The note said, ‘The idea that Mary was immaculately conceived and lived without sin is taught nowhere in Scripture’ (Roman 3:9, 23 ‘All are guilty before God’).

‘God has shown you His grace’. Let us be reminded what grace really means. Grace means undeserved and unmerited favor and love from God. It means Mary cannot earn her salvation by doing well and she was not free from sin because she came from descendants of Adam and Eve. The reason God had chosen Mary was because Mary knew that God was her Savior and she was humble and fully aware of her needs of salvation. She accepted Christ as her personal Savior.

Have you prayed for someone who needs to realize the need to accept Christ as their personal Savior? Even Mary accepted Christ. This should make us realize how important that we all cannot earn our salvation by doing good work. We all need to realize that we are a sinner and we need to ask Jesus to come into our heart. We need to ask for the blood of Jesus to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We are covered with Christ’s robe of righteousness. It is through His righteousness that made Mary righteous so worship only Christ who died for us and rose again. May God bless you.

Fear Not, Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:13
“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard…”

Story of Zacharias from Luke 1:5-25; 1:57-80
Zacharias was serving as a priest before God and he was chosen to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. The people outside were praying at the time of incense. The angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias and stood on the right side of the altar of incense. Zacharias was scared and the angel said unto him, “FEAR NOT, Zacharias: FOR THY PRAYER IS HEARD.” Elizabeth was to have a son and name him John. The angel went on to explain that John will be a special person to work for the Lord and make people ready for the coming of the Lord. Zacharias doubted the angel because he admitted that he and Elizabeth were too old to have a child. The angel introduced himself as Gabriel and he stand in the presence of God and was sent to tell Zacharias the good news.

When Zacharias could not believe the good news, Gabriel gave him a sign that he would not be able to speak until the child was born. Elizabeth was excited when she became pregnant and nine month later, she gave birth. On the circumcision day, the people want to name the baby, Zachariah, but Elizabeth said, “No”. The people made signs to Zachariah (since he couldn’t hear) to find out what he would like to name him. Zachariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John” and immediately Zachariah could talk again and he began praising God. All their neighbors were alarmed, and all the people who lives in the mountain of Judea, talked about the special child and how the Lord was with John.

Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied about the Lord doing great things from the time of Abraham, God’s promise and what the child, John will do when he grows up to serve the Lord.

Dorothy:
Even Zachariah who was a serving priest in the temple do get frightened when he saw an angel. The comforting thing to hear was “FEAR NOT” from Gabriel. When Zachariah doubted the promised child, he must have stopped praying for a baby since they became older. But amazing thing was his prayer was heard anyway even if he had stopped praying. Have you ever prayed for something for so long and that you have stopped praying? You felt like God isn’t doing anything about it? Let the Word of God encourage us, “Fear not, your prayer is heard”. God does hear your prayer. Here’s a song that will inspired us to keep on believing.

Collection from Inspiring Choruses:
Keep on believing, God will answer prayer;
Keep on believing, never despair;
Tho’ you be heavy laden and burdened down with care,
Remember God still loves you and He answers prayer.

Fear Not, The Lord Will Do Great Things

Joel 2:21
Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.

Dorothy:
The book of Joel has only three chapters, but it is like a crash course of several prophecies. Crash course means several things at one time. I choose to share about one fulfillment: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 800 years later.

Joel prophesied the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit [Joel 2:28-32] probably during 835-830 B.C. Then about 35 A.D. which was about 800 years later, in the book of Acts 2, there was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon 120 disciples. They were making ‘noise’ until many people outside of the Upper Room heard them ‘speaking in strange languages.’ 120 disciples went outside and probably still speaking the languages that was new to them. Many people came from 14 different nations to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and Pentecostal Festival, heard them speak the languages where they came from. The people knew Greek language which was universal second language of many nations which Alexander the Great from Greece had great empire before Romans took over. The Romans kept the Greek language. This was why people of 14 nations were able to come to Jerusalem where everyone knew Greek as their second language.

To me that was a great thing the Lord had done. He used Alexander the Great from Greece in his time to conquer many nations to add the Greek language to their ‘school’. This was to prepare for this time that people of many nations could come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and Pentecostal Festival because everyone knew Greek language. For the Jews, their original language was Hebrew and so was the Old Testament. New Testament was written in Greek language and when the writing was written in Greek, many nations could understand them already. The Lord had done great thing, didn’t He?

So Peter was able to stand up and answer the questions of many people of other nations who had asked how come their disciples were able to speak their original languages of their own countries. Holy Spirit spontaneously spoke their languages through the disciples who didn’t know their original languages. This was called the baptism of the Holy Spirit and He spoke wonderful things of God. Acts 2:14-40 was “Peter’s Pentecost Sermon” and through the power of the Holy Spirit, 3,000 souls were saved in one day. Joel prophesied was fulfilled [Joel 2:28-32]. The Lord has already done great things since 2,000 years. There are 77 millions of people that received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. God will continue to pour out His Spirit to all whose hearts are hungry for more experience with Christ’s love for them and to empower them to live for Christ and be able to help other know about Christ’s love and saving grace. Truly the Lord has done great thing!

Have you receive the Holy Spirit since you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Paul ask this question to certain disciples at Ephesus is found Acts 19:1-7. May the Lord bless you and touch your hearts.

Fear Not, Peace Be Unto Thee

Daniel 10:19
KJV: And said, O man greatly beloved, FEAR NOT, PEACE BE UNTO THEE, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak for thou has strengthened me.

Daniel 10:18-21
NCV: The one who looked like a man touched me again and gave me strength. V19 He said, “Daniel, don’t be afraid. God loves you very much. Peace be with you. Be strong, now; be courageous.” When he spoke to me, I became stronger and said, “Master, speak , since you have given me strength.” V20 Then he said, “Daniel, do you know why I have come to you? Soon I must go back to fight against the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece will come, v21 but I must first tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one stands with me against these enemies except Michael, the angel ruling over your people.

Dorothy: First, we need to know who Daniel was. Daniel was very well educated and came from an upper-class educated family in Jerusalem. Daniel was probably a teenager when Jeremiah prophesied that God would allow enemies to come in and capture Jerusalem. The Israelites would be captive for 70 years at Babylon. Daniel was one of many who were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon with his army. Daniel had a job in Babylon. He was to serve the King because Daniel had an excellent spirit in him and he was highly respected. The King was pleased with Daniel and in fact, enjoyed his company. He had several different kings who came and went since he had lived in Babylonia for a long time.

During Daniel’s free time, he would receive different kind of dreams which God was showing him about the future events. Interesting part was found in Daniel 7:15 “I, Daniel, was worried. The visions that went through my mind frightened me. I came near one of those standing there and asked what all this meant. So he told me and explained to me what these things meant…” Then there were more other visions that came to Daniel. Daniel 8:27 “I, Daniel, became very weak and was sick for several days after that vision. Then I got up and went back to work for the king, but I was very upset about the vision. I didn’t understand what it meant.” In Daniel 9:1-19 was Daniel’s prayer after he read the Scriptures about Jeremiah prophecy of Jerusalem’s ruins for seventy years.

Daniel was praying, confessing sins for himself and the people of Israel and praying for Jerusalem, God’s holy mountain. That was when Gabriel came to Daniel and said, “Daniel, I have come to give you wisdom and to help you understand. When you first started praying, an answer was given, and I came to tell you, because God loves you very much. So think about the message and understand the vision.” Gabriel went on to explain everything about the visions of the future. Daniel was strengthened to withstand all of the visions he had seen. Daniel had peace because he understood God’s plan for the future.

What does this means to me?
Few Deaf people have talked to me about how reading the Revelation was upsetting to them. They were worried and concerned about what was going to happen from now until then. I admitted I didn’t know what to say to them until I read the book of Daniel. I was surprised to learn that Daniel was very upset, even Daniel got sick when he saw some of the visions that probably scared him. Gabriel came to him and said, “Daniel, don’t be afraid. God loves you very much. Peace be with you. Be strong now; be courageous.” I believe God is saying to us the same thing. “Fear not, peace be unto thee. My child, don’t be afraid. I love you very much. Let the peace of God rule in your heart. Be strong and be brave. Trust Me.”

Fear Not, Thy Words Were Heard

Daniel 10:11-13
KJV: And he (Gabriel) said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak with thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. V12 Then said he unto me, FEAR NOT, Daniel for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, THY WORDS WERE HEARD, and I am come for thy words. V13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Daniel 10:11-14
NCV: The man in the vision said to me, “Daniel, God loves you very much. Think carefully about the words I will speak to you, and stand up, because I have been sent to you.” When he said this, I stood up, but I was still shaking. V12 Then the man said to me, “Daniel, DO NOT BE AFRAID. Some times ago you decided to get understanding and to humble yourself before your God. Since that time GOD HAS LISTENED TO YOU, and I have come because of your prayers. V13 But the prince of Persia has been fighting against me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the most important angels, came to help me, because I had been left there with the king of Persia. V14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people, because the vision is about a time in the future.”

Dorothy:
Daniel prayed and fasted for twenty-one days and nothing had happened. He had visions and Daniel needed God to explain to him what they meant. God sent Gabriel from the very first day Daniel had prayed and Daniel’s prayer was heard. But Satan tried to stop Gabriel from getting to Daniel. So Michael came to help Gabriel but the warfare went on for twenty-one days. Finally, Gabriel came through and met with Daniel.

Daniel was encouraged as this angel called him, “a man greatly beloved” and told him, “Fear not” (v.12). God loves Daniel for his love and faithfulness to Him. Daniel had a house in Babylonia and he went to pray in an upstairs room which had windows that opened toward Jerusalem. Three times each day Daniel would kneel down to pray and thank God, just as he faithfully had done. This was probably why Daniel was a man that God really loved him.

Do you ever felt like that your prayers were not always heard? Be of good cheer, God has heard your prayers. He is saying, “Fear not, I have heard all of your prayers.” Like Jesus said, “men ought always to pray and not to faint” [Luke 18:1]. Keep praying and thanking Him will keep us in touch with God and He will called you, “a child of greatly beloved.” Keep thanking Him like Daniel did to God three times a day. Remember, Daniel was taken captive from his homeland, Jerusalem about 500 miles or more to Babylonia where he stayed. Yet, Daniel had an excellent spirit in him because he thanked God three times a day. Let this Word of God encourage our hearts to thank Him daily.

[Suggest reading Daniel 9:20-27; 10:1-21; 11:1]

Fear Not, Thou Shall Not Be Ashamed

Isaiah 54:4-5
KJV: Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. V5 For thy Maker is thine husband; and the Lord of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall be called.
NCV: Don’t be afraid, because you will not be ashamed. Don’t be embarrassed, because you will not be disgraced. You will forget the shame you felt earlier; you will not remember the shame you felt when you lost your husband. V5 The God who made you is like your husband. His name is the Lord All-Powerful. The Holy One of Israel is the one who saves you. He is called the God of all the earth.

Dorothy: God was speaking to Israel who was going through some troubled time. They had done evil and worship other gods that God wasn’t happy about. God punished Israel for their sins and allowed the enemies to capture Jerusalem and many people were captive and taken to different countries. They came back home to rebuild Jerusalem. In 70 A.D. Jerusalem was destroyed again. The people of Israel were scattered all over the world. Years later, the Jews from all over the world started coming back to their homeland. It was a time Israel felt ashamed what they had done. God promised a future Messiah and through Him, there would be hope for Jerusalem. Messiah would rule the whole earth some day. Israel will forget their shame. They will realize that all things were meant for good like Romans 8:28 says, ‘We know that all things work together for good to them that love God…’ Is it hard to imagine that someday, Israel would not even remember what they had done? God wants to give a new beginning, a new start, a future new heaven and new earth. What more could Israel ask for? They will rejoice forever.

Have you ever felt ashamed and wonder if you would ever forget what you have done in the past? We might say: I wish I had known about this mistake and I would not have to do this at all. Now I feel ‘doomed’ because it isn’t the same as before. I wish I was a better person so I would always do things right. What would God say to us about this?

“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed. Don’t feel confused why things happened to you recently. Don’t be afraid because you are ashamed of what was happening to you. Don’t be embarrassed about your past and you will not be ashamed. I am working inside of you to be like My Son, Jesus. Like Romans 8:28 says, ‘We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ Behold, I made all things new. You will not remember all of the past. All things are under the blood of the Lamb who gave Himself for you. You are forgiven. You are washed. You are cleaned. You are in the right standing with Me because the Lamb has given you a robe of righteousness. You need to trust Me in all the word that I have spoken to you. Be at peace with Me. Love Me and Trust Me with all your heart. I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

Song: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know,
Fill my every longing, Keeps me singing as I go.
Verse:
There’s within my heart a melody (song)
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
‘Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
In all of life’s ebb (troubles) and flow.
[Lyrics & Music: Luther B. Bridgers]

Fear Not, I Have Redeemed Thee

Isaiah 43:1-3a
KJV: But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.

NCV: Now this is what the Lord says. He created you, people of Jacob; he formed you, people of Israel. He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you. This is because I, the Lord, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Dorothy:
In those verses, the Lord had spoken, ‘I have redeemed thee.’ What does that really means? Redeem means to set free; rescue or save. This verse reminds me of a song called, Redeemed. The song can be used for worship and to remember that Christ has redeemed us. [It also means ‘to buy back’. Jesus bought us back with His blood at the Cross from Satan who once ‘owned’ us].

In this part of the chapter 43, God expresses His love for Israel and God had been good and kind to them. God has created and redeemed us. We belong to Him and He knows each of us by name. God even knows how many hairs are on your head. Can you count your hairs on your head? That takes a lot of time if we tried to count our hairs, but God does take the time to count the number of your hairs. That is a personal thing for God to care that much for us. It is a wonderful thought to know that God will be with us in time of troubles. We are precious and honored in His sight. We are people of His great love. We can express ourselves to the Lord through the song, ‘Redeemed.’

Song: Redeemed
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed thro’ His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am.
Chorus:
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child, and forever, I am.
[Lyrics: Fanny J. Crosby;
Music: William J. Kirkpatrick]

Fear Not, I Have Delivered Them.

Joshua 10:8 KJV: And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. NCV: The Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of those armies, because I will hand them over to you. None of them will be able to stand against you.”

Dorothy: [Suggest reading Joshua 10, the famous story about the sun].When I read that verse, I had a question: how would the Lord delivered the armies into Joshua’s hand? So I read on and found few things interesting to share what the Lord had done. Joshua and his army marched all night from Gilgal for a surprise attack. The Lord “confused” those armies when Israel attacked, so Israel defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. The story went on about Israel chased the enemies and how the Lord “threw large hailstones from the sky” on the enemies.

On that special day, the huge armies of Amorites faced to Israelites and Joshua stood before all the people of Israel. Joshua prayed to the Lord for the sun to stand still over Gibeon and the moon to stand still over the Valley of Aijalon so Joshua and armies of Israel could continue to fight until the Israel defeated their enemies. What happened to the sun? The sun stopped in the middle of the day and waited to go down for a full day. That has never happened before that day since. That was the day the Lord listened to a human being. Truly the Lord was fighting for Israel!

Joshua said to his men, “Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage.” Those are the words of encouragement to his men who had been in a war for a long time and to claim the land that the Lord had promised to give to His people. The land was finally divided among the tribes as shown in rest of the story of Joshua.

The Lord gave Israel peace from their enemies around them. Many years passed, and Joshua grew very old and it was almost time for him to die. He called a meeting and gave his last words to encourage them. Joshua said, “You know and fully believe that the Lord has done great things for you. You know that He has not failed to keep any of His promises. Every good promise that the Lord your God made has come true, and in the same way, his other promises will come true. You must be careful to love the Lord your God.” Joshua gave his long speech and when he was finished, he sent the people back to their land. Joshua lived to be 110 years old.

What does this means to me and how does this apply to us?
Joshua prayed for a miracle and God answered his prayer. We, as believers are encouraged to pray for the Lord to work in extraordinary ways. The story of Joshua about the sun to stand still, really we know it was the earth that stands still, not the sun. But the Lord understood Joshua’s prayer. That makes me feels good to know that sometimes our prayers isn’t always perfect, but God understood us. He sees our hearts.

If you are facing spiritual battles, remember God’s word, “Fear not, I have delivered your enemies unto your hand to defeat them.” Lord, we thank You for the words of encouragement that You are a great God. Through the blood of Jesus and in Your name we have defeat our spiritual enemies. Thank You for the story that tells us about what You have done to Israel in the old days. Amen!

Fear Not, Neither Be Discouraged

Deut. 1:21
Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. [NCV: don’t be afraid and don’t worry].

Dorothy:
This was a time that Moses and the people finally came to the “future Promise Land” and the people were scared of lots of difficulties and lots of opposition and lots of battles coming up. The word ‘fear’ seems to be very common among people. They were always afraid of many things that they had wanted to go back to Egypt. Why? Because it was their ‘security’ and it was very easy to ‘stay home.’ But that was not what God want. He had a bigger plan and a better place for His people. The land of the ‘unknown’ was very fearful thing for them. They were discouraged. So what does the words really means?

Fear means being afraid; feeling that danger or evil is near; dread; an uneasy feeling; anxious thought and concern. Dread means look forward to fear; dislike to experience; fear greatly; fear of something will happen or may happen. Discourage means take away the courage or brave; reduce the hope or have no confidence that thing will work. Fears hinder us from doing something great.

Another scripture in Deut. 1:29 “… Dread not, neither be afraid of them. [NCV: Don’t be frightened; don’t be afraid…] The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

God’s words of encouragement were in Deut. 3:22 ‘Ye shall not fear them for the Lord your God shall fight for you.’ The Israelites faced powerful enemies whom they could not defeat in their own strength. Israel’s natural tendency was to fear the awful consequences [result] of defeat. ONLY BY LOOKING TO GOD, THEY COULD GAIN VICTORY. God’s word encouraged them to look to God who was bigger than the enemies. He showed His power in Egypt and He can do it again.

We as believers in Christ do face lots of difficulties and lots of battles. God promises to be with us and to give us strength and power to accomplish or do His will. Our prayers to God will help us realize that He alone has the strength to heal, and strength to give us the courage to face whatever we need to face. God in us can do the job He asks us to do. Praise the Lord! Greater is He that is in you than he [devil] that is in the world. When you believe, you feel strength. When you trust God, you sense blessing. When you love God, you feel peace and joy knowing He does care for you. May God bless you.

Song collection:
Faith in God can move a mighty mountain.
Faith in God can calm the troubled sea,
Faith will make the desert like the fountain,
Faith will bring the victory.

Fear Not, I Am With Thee

Genesis 26:24
KJV: The Lord appeared unto him [Isaac] the same night, and said, ‘I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
NCV: The Lord appeared to him [Isaac] that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. I will bless you and give you many descendants because of my servant Abraham.”

Dorothy:
There was a reason why the Lord appeared to Isaac and to say to him, “Fear not, for I am with thee.” After I read the chapter 26 of Genesis, it explained the troubles Isaac was having with “the neighbors.” There were famine and Isaac seeks help from Abimelech and he provided the land to Isaac. Isaac was able to sow a good crop and harvest was plentiful because the Lord had blessed him. Isaac became very wealthy and dig the wells again because his father, Abraham had digged several wells during his time. [Philistines had covered the wells with dirt.]

Abimelech was the king of the Philistines and he became worried because Isaac became stronger than him. He told Isaac to leave his place and go somewhere else. Isaac moved to the valley of Gerar and camped there. Every time they digged the wells, there were neighbors of herdmen who tried to take the wells from Isaac. Isaac had to move several times and dig another well. It can be very frustrated for Isaac and his herdmen who tried to take care of the animals that needed water from the wells. This was when Isaac became fearful of being “pushed around” by neighbors. Isaac wondered if he would ever stay in that land that God had promised him. God saw his fear and came to Isaac and comforted him by saying, “FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH THEE, AND WILL BLESS THEE, AND MULTIPLY THY SEED FOR MY SERVANT ABRAHAM’S SAKE.”

God appeared to Isaac and passed on to him the promises made with Abraham. Like his father, Isaac had to learn to live by the promises of God. This was an important part of the covenant promise which was the personal relationship with God described in the words, “I am with thee.” Finally, Isaac had peace with Abimelech when he saw how the Lord blessed Isaac. Isaac’s servants found another well and name it Shebah and name the city, Beersheba. Isaac trusted God.

What does this means?
This encourages me to know that when God was with Isaac and He says to me, “Fear not, for I am with thee.” God’s promise is for me and for you. This story should inspires us to trust God when we have problems. If God cares enough to calm Isaac’s fears, God cares enough to calm our fears also. Isn’t He wonderful?

Chorus:
Jesus knows all about our struggles;
He will guide till the day is done!
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No not one!
[Lyrics: Johnson Oatman, Jr. Music: George C. Hugg]

Fear Not, I Am Thy Shield

Genesis 15:1
KJV: The Word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying ‘Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’

NCV: The Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward.”

AMP: The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.’

Dorothy:
Abram’s name was later changed to Abraham is found in Genesis 17:5. Abraham was in the battle with the kings and he had overcome them. After his battle with the kings, Abraham became troubled and fearful. God came to Abraham in a vision to help him feel assured that God was Abraham’s shield and reward. Abraham went on to talk to the Lord about having no child to carry on to his heir. But God had promised him that he would have a son to carry on. Even though it was impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a son in their old age, yet Abraham believed God.

Genesis 15:6 in NCV: Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.

Abraham’s kind of faith that he had trusted God completely even though all odds are against Abraham: his old age and Sarah’s. Abraham’s heart toward God was an enduring trust, obedience and submission. This is the kind of faith that pleased God for without faith, it is impossible to please Him. We who come to God must believe that He lives and He is real. We are encouraged to believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. It is found in Hebrews 11:6.

What does this means to me?
I see on television so many things that are going on: hurricanes, weather changing, more violence on TV than ever before, people seems restless, and competing for president position in USA, can make us fearful and wonder what future holds for us. God has words for all these things. The Lord is speaking to us: “Fear not, I am your shield, your protector, and I am your great reward. I will reward you for trusting Me with all your heart. Things will happen for you when you trust Me and love Me with all your heart.”

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for reassurance that You are our shield and our rewarder. Thank You Lord for keeping our eyes only upon You. Keep our heart from becoming fearful. Change them to complete trusting in You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen!

Memorizing the song, ‘Trust in the Lord’ would be good to use again until you know by heart. I do this to help calm my deep troubled soul until my soul trust God completely.

Fear Not, I Will Strength You

Isaiah 41:10
KJV: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I WILL STRENGTH THEE; yea I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

NCV: So don't worry, because I am with you. Don't be afraid, because I am your God. I WILL MAKE YOU STRONG and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you.

AMP: Fear not; [there is nothing to fear] for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed [loss of courage because of fear of what is about to happen; trouble greatly], for I am your God. I WILL STRENGTHEN AND HARDEN YOU [to difficulties]; yes, I will help you; yes I will hold you up and retain [hold; keep] you with My victorious right hand of rightness and justice.

Dorothy:
Wow! What an awesome promise from the Lord our wonderful God who cares about us. We are in the New Testament time, but we became the chosen servants of God and we can claim the promises of these verses for ourselves. God's word has spoken to us that we must not fear other humans because God is with us.

The word "harden" means He will make us able to "endure" anything we face. He will give us grace and strength when we need to face all the things that are happening around us. God will help us through times of crises and He will be our peace. He will also support us and be our advocate, like a lawyer in time of need. God begins doing a good work in us, and let us trust Him to continue until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.

This is my prayer for you:
That your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ. See the good about trusting Him, and realize that it is bad to worry too much. I pray that we all talk about good things God will do for us in Jesus' name. Amen!

Song:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not to your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge [get to know] Him and
He shall direct your path.

May the Lord shine His face upon you and bless you today.