The Presence of the Lord: The Source of Courage and Strength
Study Text: Deuteronomy 20:1-4
Introduction:
This scriptural portion is a powerful passage that speaks to facing fears and trusting in God's presence during times of conflict.
The central message is that even when facing a larger and stronger enemy, God's people should not be afraid because He is with them, fighting for them and giving them victory.
This passage emphasizes the importance of courage, faith, and recognizing God's power in the midst of battle.
It encourages the Israelites not to be afraid, reminding them that God is with them and has brought them out of Egypt.
There are three specific words of encouragement given to them that we will be discussing in the study:
1. Overcoming Fear and Distress
2. Overcoming Weakness and Discouragement
3. Overcoming Worries and Distability
1. Overcoming Fear and Distress
God is not just a distant deity, but a present help in times of trouble. He actively fights for His people, ensuring their victory.
This passage calls for faith and trust in God's promises, even when the circumstances seem insurmountable.
In the Christian life, we are in a spiritual battle against evil forces, but we should not be afraid, but rather trust in God's power and presence to guide us and give us victory.
Even though Christians face battles in life, they are not alone. God is with them, fighting for them.
There are different types of fear that Christians face. But how to overcome any of them is by trusting in God's promises and His presence.
Christians should stand firm in their faith, even when facing opposition or persecution. There is comfort and strength that comes from the assurance that God is always with us, no matter what we are facing.
To keep Israel from being terrified by their enemies and the size and strength of their armies, Moses assured them that the Lord would be with them and fight for them against their enemies.
As Christians, we definitely have enemies in this world. Their aim is to stop the work of God in us.
We must, like Paul told Timothy, “fight the good fight of faith,” 1 Tim 6:12.
When you are afraid to fight, you have already lost. You are in a stalemate like the children of Israel against the Philistines when they were facing Goliath.
When the Lord goes with you into battle, you cannot lose. “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us,” Rom 8:37.
When you feel fear in the face of your enemies, you need to deal with your fear.
When the Lord goes with you into battle, he always wins! If you fear, you won’t have the courage to fight.
2. Overcoming Weakness and Discouragement
Deut 20:3 – “let not your hearts faint.”
What Rahab said to the spies in Joshua 2:8-11 describes what happens when you faint in terror. She said, “our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you.”
Whenever you are being faint- hearted in the face of an adversary, it’s like all the energy and all the spirit that’s in you just drains out. You will become very weak and discouraged.
Solomon wrote, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small,” Prov 24:10.
This is true. But in our case, the Lord is with us. So, we can rely upon His strength; not our own.
Phil 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.” So, don’t faint. If you faint, you won’t rely on the Lord’s strength to fight.
3. Overcoming Worries and Distability
Worries will cause you to suffer emotional wear and tear. When you worried over something, it will trouble you constantly. That’s what your enemies want you to do.
But you must remember that “evildoers shall be cut off… yet a little while and the wicked shall not be.” Instead of worrying, you need to magnify the Lord.
He is the one who is with you. And all the spiritual benefits of His presence go with you into battle.
He gives you a sound mind, the whole armour of God, peace, power, and so on.
Have you ever considered that the Lord has never added to the armour He gave us from the beginning. Armies always improve their weapons over time.
The Lord doesn’t have to. He led us into battle with the best armour in the universe. No one will ever have better. Quit worrying.
Conclusion:
You and I must continue the good fight of faith. And the three things that we must overcome continually in the battle in our own lives are fear, weakness and worries.
The Lord must give us strength to combat weakness, courage to combat fearing, and peace to combat worrying.
