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Joshua 1:6-7 - "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go." NASU
• Being Courageous Is A Choice Joshua had been given a command by God to be courageous. Then he was told to be very courageous. In other words, being courageous is a choice that we can choose to make. A person who is courageous is one who tells himself he is going to be courageous at that moment. We all possess a courageous or brave spirit. Some of us fail at being courageous when we chose not to be. It isn't because we can't. It is because we chose not to be when the challenge arose. When a courageous person is faced with new circumstances or even dangerous situations, he believes he must confront them and does. All one has to do is remember the courageous NYPD and FDNY officers running into the burning twin towers on September 11, 2001 (911) to see courage in action. They chose to enter those towers. It was a choice. They chose to be courageous. There can be no running from the challenge as this would not be a person who is courageous but would be more in line with a person who is cowardly. • Courageous People Believe In Someone Or Something The courageous person will see himself as one who has to stand up for what he believes to be true. Moses had recently died and up to this point Joshua had been Moses' assistant. God spoke directly with Moses and Moses made the decisions based on what God had told him. This is all going to change. God is now going to speak directly to Joshua. Joshua will be the new leader. Joshua will be making decisions based on God's commands. Josh's is going to lead the Israelites into battle and all he has to do is believe God's promises. In Josh 1:5 God promises him - "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." NASU Now it is on Joshua's shoulders to believe what God had told him. God tells us the same thing in Hebrews 13:5 that He will not forsake us. Do you want to be courageous? Then believe that when your faith is being given a test because that is what courageous warriors of God do. • Today's Challenges What challenges are happening in your life where you need to command yourself to be courageous? When one takes a stand to be courageous it is a mental decision. The more you know God's Word the easier it will be for you to be courageous. I heard a preacher one time say, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." People who know God's Word will not fall for anything or at least they shouldn't. Go ahead make your decision to be strong and courageous today. Stand up to the challenges that are before you today and everyday and when you do you will be courageous. Think About These: Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it. Remember, you are your own doctor when it comes to curing cold feet. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Esther 4:14 - Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" NKJV
Before Esther becomes the queen, King Ahasuerus had one of the wildest parties you could ever imagine. Esther 1:5 - the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. His party lasted for 7 days. Then he gets this bright idea while intoxicated to show off his wife's beauty. He orders her to get dressed up and parade herself in front of all his drunken buddies and she won't have any part of his foolishness. There in is his bad idea. Parade your wife in front of all your drunken buddies. What could possibly go wrong with that plan? Esther 1:10-12 - when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded …to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command.
He asks his wise men what he should do about her disobedience. Their advice is to get rid of her. You will replace her with a younger more beautiful model aka a beauty pageant winner and Vashti will never be allowed to see the king again. Esther 1:19-20 - "…let a royal decree go out from him (the king), …that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. So there you have the king's new plan. He is basically giving her a divorce, she isn't going to be the queen any longer, she will never be able to see him again and the king is to find a new beauty queen to replace her. AND the kings wise man had one other item of business that needed taken care of by the king and so in this decree he makes one more stipulation: Esther 1:20 - "When the king's decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small." There you have it "all wives will honor their husbands". I ask you again, "What could possible go wrong with this plan."
I will give you the Reader's Digest version. Esther wins the competition and she becomes the new queen. Now Esther hasn't told anyone in the competition that she is Jewish.
He will even pay the king a tribute to allow him to kill them. The king goes along with Haman's plan. Mordecai goes to Queen Esther and tells her - "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Mordecai believes God has placed Esther in this position to save the Jewish people from this crazy plan of Haman's. Queen Esther saves the day but you will have to read the book to see how she does it.
So I challenge you to ask God what it is He wants you to accomplish for Him at this time in your life. It is true God wants to help you be productive while you are here. We are always looking to fulfill God's purpose while we are alive. We have probably all read some inspirational quotes so let me give you a few to think about as this Pump Up comes to a close. Think About These: God is not finished with me yet. As long as I keep waking up it is evidence that God is not through with me. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Exodus 3:20 - "So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go." NASU
God also tells Moses the king of Egypt will never permit this to happen. Therefore, because of Pharaoh's stubbornness God will strike Egypt with "miracles" to persuade him to let the Israelites go and worship their God. God had previously gotten the attention of Moses by speaking to Him from a burning bush that wasn't consumed, then he told Moses to throw his staff on the ground and when he did it turned into a snake, then he had him pick the snake up by its tail and it turned back into his staff. By these miracles God was using them to help Moses believe in what God was going to accomplish with him. What miracle(s) is God doing in your life to get you to help Him accomplish His goals through you?
Exo. 3:7 - The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. God saw their affliction, had heard their cries and was aware of their sufferings. God hasn't changed. He is the same today, tomorrow and forever. James 1:17 - Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James is telling us that God doesn't change and with Him there is "no variation". He is not one way today and something different tomorrow. God uses miracles to help His children who are in need, being afflicted or suffering.
God created this world by speaking it into existence. In Latin this is called "ex nihilo" which means "out of nothing" and that is how God created the world "out of nothing". God created everything on planet earth. He created every type of vegetation, (trees, flowers, and plants), all land and sea animals, the sun; moon and stars and lastly He created man after His own image. All of this was done by His miraculous power. 2. He did 10 miracles at the Exodus. He changed the Nile River into blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locust, darkness and the death of the firstborn were all used miraculously You can read in Exodus 7-11 for more information on God's use of miracles at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. 3. Balaam's Donkey Talks: Numbers 22:28 - And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" God miraculously permits Balaam's donkey to speak to him. What an amazing story. If it weren't for his donkey he would have been executed by an angel of God. Has God ever spoken to you with someone you would have considered a very unlikely source? 4. New Testament Miracles: The very first miracle in the NT scriptures is Jesus turning water into wine. The greatest miracle according to me is the "resurrection of Jesus Christ" without this miracle we are all still enslaved by our sins. Jesus healed the blind, deaf, lepers, paralytic, fed 5,000 people with a few fish and a few loaves of bread, and raised the dead.
I would like to ask you the same question. Do You Believe In Miracles? We serve the same God that has a reputation for doing miracles. Why wouldn't we believe in miracles? Are you in need of a miracle? Then do like the Israelites and many others have done and pray for one. Think About These: Don't just believe in miracles, depend on them. For every mountain, there is a miracle. - Robert H. Schuller People who don't believe in miracles shouldn't pray for one. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word John 20:28-29 - Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." NASU
Jesus told the disciples many times that He was going to die and resurrect but Thomas and the other disciples must not have been listening when Jesus taught those lessons (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:32-34). Well, actually they were listening but they didn't understand His lesson and they were afraid to ask for clarification. What runs through your mind when you think about being Blessed by God? When was the last time you sat down and did nothing but think about how blessed you are because of God or because of your faith in Jesus? It is easy to forget how blessed we are because of our faith in Jesus. When you consider the blessing you have because of your faith please don't equate them to everything you have physically on this earth. Our faith in Jesus has unlocked many spiritual blessings that we will receive upon our physical death and the beginning of our new life in Heaven.
Rev. 21:1-4 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away… And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." What have we learned? 1. There will be a New Heaven and New Earth because the previous ones have passed away. 2. We are going to be a part of the New Jerusalem, a holy city. 3. God is going to dwell in this city among His people. 4. We will never have to experience anything that would make us feel like we did when we mourned, cried or experienced death while on earth. Those things have all passed away with the destruction of the old earth. 5. We will never be separated from God which is what is meant by never experiencing death. Death is a separation and we will not ever be separated from God again. I hope that you have been encouraged today to realize you have been blessed by God because you're a believer in Jesus Christ. Your faith in Christ has brought you plenty of blessings and that is not me saying that, that is Jesus saying it. Let me close with this: Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." Go and share your blessing with someone today. Think About These: Feed your faith and doubt will starve to death. What is faith but to believe what you do not see? Faith builds a bridge from this world to the next. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Hag 1:12 - And the people showed reverence for the LORD. NASU
Haggai says, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?" The Israelites were not interested in the temple of God being rebuilt. They were interested in their own houses being in great condition. The people weren't any different in 500 BC than some people are today. They knew they would be judged by people by what type of house they lived in and they wanted this judgment to speak highly of them. They wanted the words "they must be rich" to be said about them because of the house they owned.
God sends Haggai to speak to them and he reprimands them for their living style. How were they living? They were doing everything they could do to get rich, but God wasn't allowing it to happen. Hag 1:5-6 - Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways!" You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes." The Hebrew word for "consider" literally means "to set your heart upon" your ways. So don't worry about what anyone else says about your way of living. What does your heart say about your way of living for the LORD? They needed to ask themselves this question: Is our way of life being blessed by the LORD? 1. The Israelites sowed a lot but harvested little. What they harvest doesn't satisfy their hunger. 2. Their vineyards didn't produce enough grapes for them to even get drunk. 3. When it gets cold they don't have enough clothing to get warm. 4. They earn wages. They have jobs but their money is spent before the month runs out as we say today. Their purses or wallets have holes in them.
Haggai's sermon had a major impact on the Israelites and it brings about a change in their lives. Haggai says, "And the people showed reverence for the LORD". They showed "reverence" by being obedient to what the prophet preached. Do you want to be known as a person who shows reverence for the LORD? Then obey what the "Word of the LORD" says about building His Temple today. What? What temple is the Lord building today? I am glad you asked.
1 Cor. 6:19-20 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. The apostle Paul makes it crystal clear that we are the "temple of God" today. What should matter to us is how we take care of the "temple of God". I like what Luke wrote about Jesus in the book of Acts 10:38 - "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good… We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us as Christians. Jesus had the Holy Spirit working through Him. Jesus went about "doing good" and that would be a great example for us to follow in our life time. The best way we can show "reverence for the LORD" is be like Jesus. How can we be like Jesus? He was a man who went about "doing good" for other people. Can we go about doing good for other people today? The answer is yes. What is the best thing we can do for people? Allow them to know who God really is. Don't judge them. Simply let them know you care about their spiritual well being. There are a lot of people who want nothing to do with God because there are a lot of Christians who act just like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day. When I was in the located ministry I had people tell me going to church was not for them because of all the hypocrites who attend church. My answer was always: You are not going to allow a hypocrite keep you away from worshipping the Lord are you? You are needed to come and worship God and worship Him correctly in "truth and spirit". The greatest compliment that can be said about Christians today is that we showed reverence for the LORD. Can that compliment be said about you? Think About These: The fellow who does things that count doesn’t stop to count them. Sincere humility attracts. Lack of humility subtracts. Artificial humility detracts. There is no limit to the amount of good a person can do if they don't care who gets the credit. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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